There are just 10 days left in the January transfer window, meaning it is nearly trolley dash time in the Premier League.
Plenty of deals have already been done, with Cody Gakpo'so move to Liverpool, Mykhaylo Mudryk's to Chelsea - instead of Arsenal - and Wout Weghorst's to Manchester United perhaps the biggest headlines so far. Teams always try to get their business done early – but it isn’t always possible.
Three weeks have passed and many of the top flight’s 20 teams are still desperate for new additions. Meanwhile, some are relatively happy – and therefore keen to hold onto their most prized possessions. Here Mirror Football casts an eye over every single team in league-position order and looks at the player they most need to sign in the remainder of the month.
Arsenal
The Gunners set out to sign Mudryk this January. They failed, with Chelsea hijacking their deal with Shakhtar Donetsk. Instead, they turned their attention to Leandro Trossard in what looks like a very decent compromise.
Mikel Arteta’s side are top of the league and performing brilliantly, but were they to dip into the market again, then a striker would be a good idea. Gabriel Jesus is out injured and, while his back-up Eddie Nketiah is deputising ably in his place, there is no depth beyond him, with Folarin Balogun out on loan.
Manchester City
City have a ludicrous amount of depth in their squad. Their bench in the 4-2 win over Tottenham on Thursday night read: Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Kalvin Phillips, Joao Cancelo, Aymeric Laporte, Kevin De Bruyne, Stefan Ortega, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden. And yet, they do have a problem position.
Oleksandr Zinchenko was sold to Arsenal in the summer and he hasn’t been replaced properly. Sergi Gomez has struggled since joining, which has forced Nathan Ake to fill in at left-back or Joao Cancelo to shift across from the right. If City sign a specialist left-back, then Pep Guardiola can allow Gomez to leave on loan and develop his game.
Manchester United
The signing of Weghorst showed the financial constraints United are operating under. They are therefore very unlikely to splash the cash this month – but Erik ten Hag is targeting a world-class striker and midfielder this summer.
A potential workaround could be found in signing a cut-price midfielder in January, to go with their cut-price striker. Youri Tielemans is in the final six months of his contract at Leicester, while Ruben Neves has 18 months left on his Wolves deal.
Newcastle
The Magpies have let Chris Wood leave for Nottingham Forest, on loan with an obligation to buy. His departure will leave the excellent but injury-prone Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak, who has just returned from a lay-off, as the only two remaining strikers in the squad.
“To let him go and not replace him, that would leave us dangerously short,” Eddie Howe said recently. “But there are no guarantees.”
Money isn’t a problem for Newcastle, who are owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, so a new striker is a must. They certainly appear to be dreaming big, with Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen among those linked with the club. Neither are achievable this month, but Howe could do with a slightly less ambitious arrival.
Tottenham
Rarely does a day go by in which Antonio Conte doesn’t moan about the lack of backing from his bosses at Spurs. He is utterly desperate for new players. In his head, many positions need reinforcements – and the defence has conceded 31 goals in 20 games – but attack appears to be the priority.
Son Heung-min has scored six times this season, with all of those goals coming in three games, so versatile attacking reinforcements are needed. Spurs are reportedly chasing exciting attacker Nicolo Zaniolo of Roma.
Fulham
Marco Silva’s side are in a great place at the midpoint of the season, with their summer transfer business having stood the test of time. It is more about tweaking for the Whites this month – and that is where their current business comes in.
Fulham are getting a deal across the line for Arsenal full-back Cedric Soares, who can provide depth at left-back and right-back. It’s not an exciting deal, but it is one that demonstrates their position of strength.
Brighton
The Seagulls have lost Trossard to Arsenal. While, as Adam Lallana has pointed out, they have dealt well with departures in the past, they need to hang onto another star player in this window. Moises Caicedo is the latest Brighton player attracting bids.
“Caicedo is very important for us,” manager Roberto De Zerbi said on Friday. “It’s very difficult when you change with a different player inside the season. I hope that he finishes the season with us. But you know, in the transfer market, it’s always difficult to give an answer.”
He may well be leaving in the summer, but they should fight off bids for now.
Brentford
Another side punching above their weight – and therefore not in desperate need of new signings - the Bees have recruited fantastically in the past few years, leaving them with other teams trying to take their players.
David Raya is being chased by Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham. The 27-year-old goalkeeper is in the final 18 months of his deal, so could be on the move this summer. But losing your No.1 goalkeeper in the middle of the season is not a good idea.
Liverpool
Liverpool’s biggest need is blindingly obvious: a central midfielder. The Reds are already struggling and it could be about to get worse, with the contracts of James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita up in the summer.
Jude Bellingham is Liverpool’s top target, but won’t be moving just yet. That being said, the Reds have already shown they are willing to move if a deal can be done by signing Gakpo, so a midfield arrival in the final 10 days of the window isn’t out of the question.
Chelsea
Todd Boehly’s chequebook is fast running out of pages. The Blues have already signed five players and are close to landing another in PSV Eindhoven winger Noni Madueke. Their need is, therefore, on the other side: clear out the fringe players. With Mudryk and Madueke coming in, players like Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic may be surplus to requirements.
Graham Potter needs harmony, which is difficult to foster in a bloated squad. Chelsea are already on UEFA’s Financial Fair Play watchlist – eight-year contracts can’t get around those for much longer without reductions elsewhere.
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Aston Villa
Villa have signed left-back Alex Moreno and young striker Jhon Duran, while Danny Ings has left for West Ham. There are still exits in the pipeline, with Morgan Sanson and Marvellous Nakamba potentially on the way out.
With two central midfielders maybe leaving, a new one would be a welcome addition. A Matteo Guendouzi reunion with Unai Emery looks like a promising idea, with the Frenchman looking a much more mature player for Marseille than he was throughout his time at Arsenal.
Crystal Palace
Patrick Vieira explained this week why Chelsea splashing the cash makes it more difficult for the likes of Crystal Palace. “What is important is that we know who we are as a football club and what we can achieve in the market,” he said.
The Frenchman added: “This is a really difficult window to find those players who can improve the squad.” Vieira has denied that Palace are interested in signing Conor Gallagher, but the return of the former loanee would improve the team’s midfield in a potentially cheap temporary deal.
Nottingham Forest
Forest have been extremely busy in the transfer market since being promoted – and this window is unlikely to be any different. “It is certainly a discussion point,” Steve Cooper said recently when asked if the club would sign a new goalkeeper after Dean Henderson picked up an injury.
Forest’s back-up goalkeeper, Wayne Hennessey, is 35 years old, so buying a long-term first-choice keeper might make sense, with Henderson only on loan from Manchester United.
Leeds
The pressure has been ramped up on manager Jesse Marsch recently, following a run of five Premier League games without a win. While there are promising signs in attack, where youngsters like Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto are coming through, it’s a different picture in defence.
New additions to the Whites’ leaky backline would be welcome. Max Wober has already been signed from RB Leipzig for £11m, but further additions wouldn’t go amiss as Marsch bids to save his job.
Leicester
Leicester have lost their last four Premier League games to create a miserable mood around the club. Copenhagen defender Victor Kristiansen is close to joining Brendan Rodgers’ side, but more signings are needed.
The Foxes are chasing Nico Gonzalez and have reportedly already had a significant bid rejected by Fiorentina for the Argentine winger. Recruitment in wide areas appears to be the priority for Leicester, who are lacking creativity in the final third.
Wolves
Wolves have been busy in January already, signing Matheus Cunha, Mario Lemina and Pablo Sarabia to bolster Julian Lopetegui’s hand. Craig Dawson is expected to arrive from West Ham, too.
That business appears astute and could be important, but keeping hold of star player Ruben Neves is arguably more important. The Portuguese midfielder has been the lynchpin of the Wolves side since their return to the Premier League and they cannot afford to lose him in January as they battle to escape the relegation picture.
Bournemouth
The Cherries have a new owner in the form of Bill Foley. He has already made his mark by announcing the signing of Dango Ouattara from Lorient – his other club. More are expected.
While Jaidon Anthony is attracting interest from elsewhere, Bournemouth will hope to keep the winger and bring in Bristol City striker Antoine Semenyo. Semenyo has five goals and three assists in the Championship this season and, at 23, has bags of potential.
West Ham
Craig Dawson looks set to join Wolves, leaving a hole in David Moyes’ defence. As exclusively revealed by the Mirror, the Hammers contacted Manchester United to ask about Harry Maguire, only to be turned down.
West Ham need a new centre-back, with summer arrival Nayef Aguerd yet to settle. 22-year-old Senegal international Formose Mendy, who plays for French side Amiens, has been considered.
Everton
The Toffees are in a real mess, with the fans in revolt against the owners and Frank Lamaprd struggling to get a tune out of his players. The January transfer window can provide some temporary boosts.
Everton need goals – they’ve scored just 15 in the league this season, the second worst tally after Wolves. Calvert-Lewin has struggled for fitness, Neal Maupay hasn’t made an impact and Anthony Gordon’s hot streak has faded. A move for Villarreal’s Arnaut Danjuma looks like a promising one, if they can beat the competition.
Southampton
The Premier League’s bottom team need a striker. They have already signed Racing Club midfielder Carlos Alcaraz and Croatian winger Miroslav Orsic, but the fans are desperate for the striker owners Sport Republic should have bought in the summer.
A return for Danny Ings has not materialised, but negotiations are ongoing for Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson, who is valued at €20m (£17.5m), and there is also interest in Bristol City’s Semenyo.
The Saints are also understood to be looking at a defensive-midfielder and a right-back, with Luton’s James Bree and Celtic’s Josip Juranovic on the radar, but neither are as important as back-up for Che Adams.
