Leeds United look set for a busy summer transfer window as they look to rebuild the squad ahead of their consecutive Premier League season. The Whites have already moved quickly to secure the signing of Brenden Aaronson from Red Bull Salzburg but are not expected to stop there.
But it won’t be just Leeds this summer who look to invest heavily in their squad, with a number of sides in the division harbouring hopes of a push for the top 10. There was very little in the way of points last season to separate eighth place Leicester City and 14 th place Aston Villa.
With West Ham having secured a top seven finish for two successive seasons, many clubs will have their eyes set on targeting them. So with that in mind, here is a look at how five sides from the bottom half – with similar ambitions to Leeds - could approach the summer transfer window.
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Aston Villa
Aston Villa have wasted no time at all in getting their summer business underway with three signings having already been announced. Philippe Coutinho’s move from Barcelona has been converted into a permanent switch after a successful five month-loan spell, while talented young midfielder Boubacar Kamara has joined on a free transfer from Marseille.
Sevilla centre back Diego Carlos has also agreed a move to Villa Park, with Steven Gerrard’s side moving quickly to beat off competition from elsewhere. Villa are going to have move on some of the fringe players in their squad in order to balance the books, but they are unlikely to stop there.
Calvin Bassey of Rangers, Yves Bissouma of Brighton and Gerrard’s former teammate Luis Suarez are reportedly their three remaining targets – all of whom would represent significant coups. Villa’s owners are clearly very ambitious and a push for the top seven may not be out of the question next season.
Newcastle United
It is Newcastle United’s new owners’ first summer in charge of the club and after a near £100 million outlay in January, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them spend close to that again. Given the funds they have at their disposal, the Magpies have been linked to several big names across Europe already.
They are yet to get their summer spending underway, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Eddie Howe take a more measured approach in the market. In January, they recruited several experienced players in order to secure their safety, but this summer could see them look at younger players who they can develop.
It is certainly a club that is not lacking ambition at the moment and so they are among a crop of teams who will be looking to push for a top 10 finish.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace will be looking to build on an excellent first season under Patrick Vieira, where they secured a solid 12 th place finish. There was a clear shift in the Palace philosophy last year as they built a style of play that was far easier on the eye.
Like Villa, Palace were ambitious in the market last summer, but their approach towards signings could not have been any different. The Eagles instead looked to the Championship to pick off some of the league’s best talents, while also bringing in talented youngsters such as Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher from Chelsea.
Gallagher is now set to return to his parent club after an excellent season and a replacement for him is likely to be top of their list of priorities. It looks like it will be more of the same in terms of their approach towards recruitment as they aim to further improve on a promising start to their project.
Brentford
Much of Brentford’s transfer strategy this summer is likely to rely heavily on the futures of key players Ivan Toney and Christian Eriksen. Eriksen completely turned around the Bees’ season after his January arrival, arresting a real slump in results around the Christmas period with seven wins in their last 11 matches.
Thanks to his fine performances, Eriksen has already been linked with the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle this summer and so they face a real fight to keep him this summer. Brentford were comfortably the best performing newly promoted team last season, but as has been apparent in the last two campaigns with Leeds and Sheffield United, the second season is always more difficult if the summer window isn’t good enough.
Not only will they need to add to the quality in their current best XI, but they will also need to improve their squad depth if they want another positive season. Thomas Frank has a vital couple of months on his hands.
Southampton
Out of the five clubs in this piece, it is Southampton who face arguably the biggest job this summer. The Saints endured a dire end to the season and cannot afford to start the new campaign in the same way given the negativity among the fans from March onwards.
Not only do Southampton face a real fight to keep key man James Ward Prowse this summer, but with Armando Broja returning to parent club Chelsea and Tino Livramento out until the New Year, they could be without three of their best performing players come August. But Saints have been one of the lowest spenders in the Premier League in recent years, and if that trend continues this summer, it will take some serious scouting to replace who they have/could lose.
