What each Premier League team needs in January transfer window

 

Now that Christmas has been and gone it's time to turn our attention to the January transfer window. This is always a hectic part of the football calender, as teams either look to rescue sinking ships or kick on from promising starts.

 

The January window is often described as a difficult market to sign top players but it has recently delivered Liverpool Virgil van Dijk and Manchester United Bruno Fernandes, to name just two outstanding transfers in recent times.

 

In this piece we will run through all 20 Premier League clubs and look at what position they urgently need to address in the transfer window for the second half of the season.

 

Arsenal

 

Creativity has been a real problem for Arsenal this season, illustrated by the fact only three sides have scored fewer goals from open-play in the Premier League than the Gunners this season (9). It is now obvious why Mikel Arteta was desperate to prise Houssem Aouar from Lyon over the summer. With Mesut Ozil still out in the cold, 20-year-old Emile Smith Rowe appears the current incumbent of the No.10 role but it needs a properly sorting.

 

Aston Villa

 

Dean Smith deserves immense credit for Aston Villa's turnaround from last season but it is clear they need to pad out their squad with extra quality in order to sustain such good form. Seven outfielders have played nearly every minute of league action this season, with Smith unwilling to rotate in the knowledge those coming in are not quite up to standard. Matt Targett has been a consistent performer at left-back for Villa this season but could do with some competition, or at least an upgrade on Neil Taylor.

 

Brighton

 

Far too often this season Brighton have played nice football without just reward. Brighton have actually created as many clear-cut goalscoring chances as Manchester United in the Premier League this season (20) and just one fewer than Liverpool (21), but United have scored 12 more goals and Liverpool have more than double. Neal Maupay is Brighton's top scorer with five goals, though two have been penalties and he even missed one from the spot.

 

Burnley

 

Scoring goals has also been a real problem for Burnley this season, illustrated by the fact no team has scored fewer than the Clarets in the Premier League this season (8). So much importance is played on Dwight McNeil on the left but he could really do with a helping hand from the opposite flank. Robbie Brady and Johann Gudmundsson are both natural options out there but both are hugely injury prone. A right winger with set-piece ability would be ideal, as only three sides have creatd fewer goalscoring chances than the Clarets from deadball situations this season (13).

 

Chelsea

 

Ben Chilwell's start to life at Chelsea has been hugely positive, illustrated by the fact he already has as many goal involvements in 13 league appearances as he managed in 27 outings for Leicester last season (6) but it has been difficult at times. Chilwell started the season injured and has picked up knocks along the way. With Marcos Alonso and Emerson clearly out of the picture, Frank Lampard may look at finding a back-up to Chilwell with Cesar Azpilicueta a far-from-ideal alternative at present.

 

 

Crystal Palace

 

Crystal Palace signed Nathaniel Clyne on a one-year deal in the summer but it's still a position they need to address. The ex-Liverpool defender has done little to impress since his arrival, with a WhoScored rating of just 6.41. Palace also have stalwart Joel Ward but he hasn't done much better with a WhoScored rating of 6.50. Conceding 10 goals in two games makes for grim reading for Palace but they hadn't performed too bad defensively prior to that. Strengthening at right-back would certainly solidify things for Roy Hodgson.

 

Everton

 

Carlo Ancelotti has done well to lead Everton back into the top four after a spell of four defeats in five matches but things may have been easier had the Toffees been better equiped for the double absence of Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman. The latter is back but Digne is still out for the foreseeable future. Having first been used as cover for Coleman, summer signing Ben Godfrey now finds himself out at left-back. A centre-back by trade, Ancelotti may turn to the transfer market to address the situation properly.

 

Fulham

 

Aleksandr Mitrovic no doubt played a massive part in Fulham's promotion from the Championship but there are clearly doubts in Scott Parker's mind whether his style is suitable for Premier League. Mitrovic has only started eight league games this season and returned two goals from his 13 appearances overall. Ivan Cavaleiro is currently being picked ahead of the 26-year-old and while Fulham have looked better up front with the Portuguese striker in the team he has only netted one penalty in 13 appearances himself.

 

Leeds

 

When Leeds signed Rodrigo Moreno from Valencia in the summer the expectation was he would either replace or line up alongside Patrick Bamford but that hasn't transpired. Instead, Rodrigo has been deployed in a central midfield role alongside Mateusz Klich. While that seems far from ideal anyway, injury to one of those two would be a disaster for Leeds, particularly given Pablo Hernandez has struggled to stay fit this season. Beyond that is Jamie Shackleton and Pascal Struijk who seem bit-part players under Marcelo Bielsa. Leeds wanted Rodrigo de Paul in the summer and may look at bolstering that position again in January.

 

Leicester

 

In an even more condensed fixture schedule, Jamie Vardy won't be able to play every game and Brendan Rodgers confirmed just that after Leicester's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Monday. Kelechi Iheanacho was given an opportunity to stake a claim for a regular starting berth against Palace but ended up missing a penalty.

 

Liverpool

 

Liverpool have done extremely well to keep their noses ahead of the chasing pack in the Premier League this season despite their wide range of injury problems. The word from Anfield is they are not looking to sign a centre-back in the new year but that will surely change now Joel Matip is injured again. Fabinho is already doing a tremendous job out of his position but Jurgen Klopp is now left to pick between Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips.

 

Manchester City

 

Surprisingly, it has been scoring goals that has been Manchester City's main problem this season. Pep Guardiola's side have scored once or fewer in nine of their 14 league matches, with Sergio Aguero limited to just two starts due to injury. Gabriel Jesus failed to capitalised on his extended run in the first team with just two goals in seven starts. Whether or not they can sign a long-term replacement for Aguero in January remains to be seen but they certainly need one sooner rather than later.

 

 

Manchester United

 

Manchester United have already seen the benefits of bringing in competition for Luke Shaw at left-back in Alex Telles and should now look to do similiar with Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back. United have been forced to play Axel Tuanzebe and Victor Lindelof there in their last two matches, with Brandon Williams set for a loan move away. Now that Atletico Madrid right-back Kieran Trippier is banned for 10 weeks, United will have to look elsewhere in their search for  new competition for Wan-Bissaka.

 

Newcastle

 

Steve Bruce has a lot of problems at present with a combination of COVID-19 and injuries leaving Newcastle with a very depleted squad, coupled with unrest from supporters over the style of football on display. With everyone available, it's fair to say Newcastle actually have a bloated squad but one area of the pitch that remains relatively unsettled is at right-back. Four players have started at right-back this season to little success and it's unclear who is Bruce's first-choice in that position. Having shared the responsiblity so often this season, it would appear no one.

 

Sheffield United

 

With Sheffield United on course to shatter Derby's record for the lowest points tally in Premier League history, news Sander Berge will miss the next three months of the season with a hamstring injury is the last thing Chris Wilder would have wanted to hear. With John Lundstram potentially leaving next month, the Blades have also now lost drive and a commanding presence from midfield to add to their goalscoring woes up front.

 

Southampton

 

Kyle Walker-Peters has done well since signing for Southampton but Ralph Hasenhuttl could do with some cover to manage the condensed fixture list. Brandon Williams is reportedly a loan target for Saints and it would be astute business if they can bring in the Manchester United defender for the remainder of the season. Williams has generally performed well when given the chance at United but is no longer being considered by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and would benefit from first-team football elsewhere. There are other areas of Southampton's squad that need bolstering but at right-back is arguably where they have fewest options. 

 

Tottenham

 

Jose Mourinho has made it clear neither Harry Winks nor Dele Alli are part of his plans at Tottenham and both are the club's lowest WhoScored rated players in the Premier League this season. With both tipped for January exits with Euro 2020 around the corner, Mourinho will want to sign at least one central midfielder to offset their departure.

 

West Brom

 

Conor Gallagher has really impressed since his loan move from Chelsea but he needs help in midfield. Gallagher is West Brom's highest WhoScored rated player in the Premier League but there is a rating difference of 0.45 before you find the next Baggies central midfielder. Jake Livermore has really struggled upon his return to the Premier League with a WhoScored rating of 6.14 and is currently serving a three-game ban for a wild tackle against Aston Villa.

 

West Ham

 

Central midfield duo Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek have played every minute of West Ham's Premier League campaign this season to great effect but there was times against Brighton last weekend where both looked to be withering. Mark Noble has been a great servent for the Hammers but is no longer capable of holding down midfield for a Premier League club and David Moyes doesn't have a great deal of other options. Finding someone that can come in and do a job when required should top West Ham's transfer list in January.

 

Wolves

 

It was great to see Raul Jimenez in attendance for Wolves' 1-1 draw with Tottenham at the weekend, his first time back at a game since his horrific head injury over a month ago. There is understandably no timeframe on his availablity again but Wolves are really missing their star striker on the pitch, even more so after Diogo Jota left in the summer. Wolves have scored more than once in just one of their subsequent five league matches since Jimenez's injury and his current stand-in, 18-year-old Fabio Silva, has one penalty goal in 10 league appearances.  

What each Premier League team needs in January transfer window