Alan Judge has been one of the best players in the Championship this year, and has been instrumental in Brentford's recovery under manager Lee Carsley.

The Bees had an incredibly successful season last year under Mark Warburton, and finished in the play-offs before losing to Middlesbrough in the semi-finals.

Instrumental to that success was their fast-flowing attacking football which ripped defences to shreds, with the likes of Judge, Jota, Alex Pritchard, and Andre Gray the primary tormentors.

Sadly, Warburton left the club after a disagreement with chairman Matthew Benham, and the club also lost some of their key attacking players, with Pritchard going back to Tottenham Hotspur, and Gray moving north to Burnley in a big money move. Jota has also been injured for a large chunk of this season.

At the start of the season under new boss Marinus Dijkhuizen, the Bees struggled and he subsequently lost his job.

But since the appointment of Carsley, Brentford have strung together a decent run of results, and look like genuine play-off contenders again.

Judge's form was integral to this, scoring a handful of goals and getting plenty of assists.

He won the Player of the Month award for October and has been touted for a Premier League move. Renowned for his wicked shot and excellent pace and control of the ball, he could be an excellent addition to any struggling Premier League team, but Brentford are unlikely to let there star man go.

Here, FootballLeagueWorld writer Michael Hasan takes a look at five Premier League clubs who could sign Judge in January.

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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE 5 CLUBS!

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Swansea City

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A club that have already been linked with a January swoop for him are Swansea City, who under manager Garry Monk have struggled this season.

They currently sit 14th in the table, having won just three times this season, and were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Championship side Hull City back in September.

This is very disappointing as fans were harbouring hopes of a top-half finish like last season, and there has been speculation that Monk could be sacked if a drastic upturn in form doesn't happen.

With Bafetimbi Gomis struggling upfront, they need more creativity from the midfield and, if they don't wish to pay much, then Judge could be an ideal signing.

Whether he would completely turn their situation around is hard to imagine, and other signings would be needed to help Swansea recover.

AFC Bournemouth

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Bournemouth currently sit 17th in the Premier League, just outside the relegation zone, and many are tipping them to go straight back down to the Championship.

They had a positive start, but have been ravaged by injuries to key players such as Callum Wilson, Max Gradel and captain Tommy Elphick, as well as big money signing Tyrone Mings.

But the Bournemouth owner made it clear that they will not give up, and has already sworn to splash the cash in January to ensure Premier League survival.

Judge would be a big start to boosting their currently depleted attacking force.

Sunderland

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Another struggling club which could do with a big upturn in players are Sunderland.

New manager Sam Allardyce has yet to turn their form around, and they sit 19th in the table, already four points adrift of safety.

Their squad simply isn't strong enough at the moment, and the Black Cats are unsurprisingly favourites to go down.

They will need to splash the cash in January to have a chance of staying up.

They need to boost their attacking options first and foremost, with Steven Fletcher and Jermain Defoe their only current options, and they should get Judge to play behind them to bring the best out of them.

Norwich City

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Another side near the bottom who are struggling for goals are Alex Neil's Norwich City.

They have been fairly good in the creativity department with Nathan Redmond and Wes Hoolahan having success but, with limited options up front, they will certainly need some additions in January to stay in the league.

Judge could give them an extra dimension in midfield, and they could really do with that at home where they are really struggling for goals, as their play is mainly reliant on counter-attacking.

Aston Villa

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Aston Villa currently sit bottom of the Premier League and are yet to win at home this season.

They have been struggling for goals since Christian Benteke left for Liverpool, and they failed to invest the money wisely, with Jordan Ayew disappointing so far.

With Fabian Delph and Andreas Weimann also leaving, they have lost creativity in the midfield, and lack genuine quality in the final third.

New manager Remi Garde will certainly have to boost his attack in January if they are going to stay up, and Judge could be a viable option.

Brentford fans... what do you think? Would Judge be attractive to these clubs? How important is he for your team? Can you get into the play-offs? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!