With the January transfer window now open in England from today until Jan. 31, what does each team need?
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Below we take a look at the most pressing needs for all 20 Premier League teams.
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Strikers will be in high demand this January, with plenty of clubs hoping to make the most of the loan market to help them kick on in the second half of the season.
TEAM | MAIN NEED | ||
---|---|---|---|
CB | Liverpool: With rumors of Neven Subotic potentially arriving at Anfield and both Sakho and Skrtel injury prone, perhaps Klopp should move to add another center back. Let’s see how active he is during his first transfer window in charge. Expect outgoings. | ||
CM | Manchester City: Fabian Delph hasn’t quite got going at City and Yaya Toure continues to underwhelm when playing as a true center midfielder. Long-term, you can see why they are targeting Paul Pogba but they probably won’t do any business in January. | ||
CAM | Leicester City: The surprise package of the season so far will look to keep hold of Vardy and Mahrez in January. If they do, adding a creative attacking midfielder may be a nice luxury as Kante, Drinkwater, King et al. are great two-way players but lack creativity at times. No need to spend big and disrupt the balance in the squad. | ||
Striker | Tottenham Hotspur: Bringing in someone to push Kane all the way and act as a back-up is key. They have Son and Njie who can play centrally but both are better out wide. A solid loan move for a striker would be key. Charlie Austin? | ||
Striker | Manchester United: Louis van Gaal needs fresh impetus in attack. Fast. Lambasted for a lack of goals -- just 22 in their opening 19 games -- United are creating the chances but not finishing them. A loan move for a poacher is highly necessary. | ||
DM | Arsenal: The imminent signing of Basel’s Mohamaed Elneny is exactly what Wenger needed and subject to a work permit being granted, Arsenal’s main need of a new defensive midfielder has been filled. For once, the Gunners may have done their business early. | ||
Winger | Everton: With Steven Naismith said to be on his way to Norwich, a spot in Everton’s attack has opened up. Kevin Mirallas has returned recently but real pace out wide should compliment the power of Lukaku and creativity of Barkley. | ||
Striker | Crystal Palace: Alan Pardew’s side are solid at the back and have plenty of pace out wide to create chances. Putting those chances away has been a problem all season long. Wickham and Chamakh aren’t prolific. Maybe taking a punt on a top score from the Championship is worth it? | ||
ACM | Southampton: Ronald Koeman’s team are well stocked in most areas but you feel like a little more competition in the central attacking role could bring the best out of Dusan Tadic and Sadio Mane. Also, a striker could be needed with Graziano Pelle going through a lean patch. | ||
CM | Chelsea: With Fabregas and Matic struggling to protect the back four, getting a new midfielder to link defense and attack should be key. I’m talking about a true two-way player. A new CB is also a big need but it’s unlikely Chelsea will land their main target in that position, John Stones, until the summer. | ||
Striker | Stoke City: The Potters have flair in abundance in the final third with Afellay, Bojan and Shaqiri the three attacking midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Having a clinical poacher to finish off the chances would make a huge difference as Arnautovic blows a little hot and cold. | ||
Striker | West Bromwich Albion: With Saido Berahino on the bench more often than not, WBA are without their best forward due to his ongoing willingness to leave the Hawthorns. Maybe he will end up leaving and the Baggies can bring in a top replacement? They are the third lowest scorers in the PL. | ||
CB | Watford: Quique Sanchez Flores has worked miracles at Watford and they look healthy in attack with Ighalo and Deeney scoring for fun. At times you wonder if they could upgrade their defense and bringing in a new center back may help them continue their stunning start to life back in the PL. | ||
Striker | West Ham: Plagued by injuries up top, Slaven Billic’s team are starting to get healthy with Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia nearing full fitness. That said, the Hammers could do with some reinforcements up top. A loan move would be ideal. | ||
Striker | Swansea City: Okay, so first, they need a manager, but the Swans are the second lowest scorers in the league as Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis have stopped scoring. They look better at the back but adding quality in attack is crucial for their chances of staying up. | ||
ACM | Sunderland: The Black Cats need major strengthening throughout their team and although bolstering their defense should be a priority, adding someone who can win games for them is key. Big Sam has come up with some gems in the past (Jay-Jay Okochoa and Youri Djorkaeff to name a few) and a playmaker could make all the difference. | ||
ACM | Norwich City: If Naismith does arrive from Everton, he will be the man to provide extra attacking impetus and genuine PL quality in the final third. An experienced attacker will help Alex Neil’s side. | ||
CB | Bournemouth: After adding Juan Iturbe on loan to bolster their attack, the Cherries have moved to take care of their main need. Looking at CB, they still look short and if Elphick goes down again, they could be struggling. | ||
ACM | Newcastle United: A lack of goals and ingenuity in the final third has plagued the Magpies. If they can get service to Wijnadlum, Perez and Mitrovic then it would boost their chances of staying up. | ||
Striker | Aston Villa: When you’re in as dire a situation as Villa, you need one thing: goals. Villa need help to score goals, with Jordan Ayew the only man scoring regularly. Who will want to join a team looking destined for the drop? |