January transfer window: What does each Premier League team need to do before deadline day?
A breakdown of what each team could do in the January transfer window
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Louise Thomas
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With over half the Premier League played and the January window now open, deals between the top sides are well underway as they look to add reinforcements to get them through the latter stages of the long season.
Chelsea and Crystal Palace have stressed their desire to sign a new forward while a centre-back would be an important addition for new Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea were one of the first clubs to budge with the signing of Borussia Dortmund forward Christian Pulisic for €64m. However, he has been loaned back to the German side until the end of the season.
So which players do the clubs want and more importantly, who are they capable of getting? They have until January 31 at 11pm to complete their deals.
We take a look at every Premier League club’s transfer window ambitions.
Unai Emery’s side are currently short in several areas due to injuries, with first-team players like Danny Welbeck, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Rob Holding sidelined for a considerable time.
A midfielder could be on Emery’s list, with Aaron Ramsey potentially on his way out and growing uncertainty over the future of Mesut Ozil.
There have been reports in Spain that the Gunners are eyeing up a deal with experienced Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who has been dropped following the arrival of Thibaut Courtois last summer. However Emery has since ruled this out.
Reports in Italy suggest that with Juventus heavily interested in signing midfielder Aaron Ramsey, they are willing to offer Sami Khedira in a bid to tempt the Gunners into a deal.
Eddie Howe’s side have had a bust start to the window by signing Liverpool pair Dominic Solanke and Nathaniel Clyne, the latter on loan. With 14 England caps under his belt, Clyne has slipped down the pecking order at Liverpool since the successes of young prospect Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Bournemouth agreed an 18-month loan deal for striker Jermain Defoe to move to Rangers to free up space in the side for Solanke. Unless you infer that the Liverpool forward was signed as a replacement for Callum Wilson.
Chelsea have not kept secret their interest in Wilson, who has scored nine goals in 20 appearances this season. With Bournemouth’s squad a smaller one, it could prove vital that they keep hold of him.
Brighton have made attempts at easing the pressure on Glenn Murray in the past with their efforts to sign Liverpool forward Dominic Solanke which failed. The recent strong form of Jurgen Locadia has eased concerns temporarily but Chris Hughton will likely be eager to bring in further reinforcements up front.
Brighton defender Ben White has been loaned out to League One side Peterborough United until the end of the season. The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Newport but failed to make a Premier League start upon returning.
It’s unclear whether Brighton will be busy during the transfer window, but Hughton has explained why he doesn’t feel there will be much activity at the club.
Sean Dyche has admitted that the club will always struggle to match Premier League rivals when it comes to spending, which explains why they often look to the other leagues for reinforcements.
Much of the transfer talk surrounding the club has involved their goalkeepers. Dyche finds himself spoilt for choice with Tom Heaton, Joe Hart and Nick Pope all competing for a starting spot.
All three have represented England and it’s possible that the one with the least chance at game time could look to go elsewhere. Heaton was originally linked with a switch but those talks have since cooled.
There are rumours that West Brom’s Jay Rodriguez and Matt Phillips, along with Aston Villa’s Conor Hourihane are all in the equation for a potential move to the club.
Manager Neil Warnock has made it clear he is looking to strengthen the side this month, announcing that Cardiff have had “nine or 10 concrete enquiries in for players”.
The Bluebirds have scored the joint second least goals so far this season and Warnock is hoping to improve this statistic.
Cardiff have been linked with a deal for Anderlecht striker Ivan Santini. According to the reports, they have made a bid of five million euros for the 29-year-old, who has 11 goals in 16 games so far this season for the Dutch club.
Chelsea began their January window with the signing of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Christian Pulisic for a fee of £58m. Pulisic has been immediately loaned back to Dortmund until the end of the season.
Sarri may also be interested in signing a new striker, with Seville looking for a loan deal for Alvaro Morata. The Spaniard will only be able to leave if Chelsea can sign a replacement.
Young hot prospect Callum Hudson-Odoi has attracted attention from multiple clubs so far in the window with Juventus, RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich all reportedly interested. Chelsea are said to be holding out for a higher bid for the 18-year-old as they continue to try and convince him to stay.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace have become slightly too dependent on Wilfried Zaha going forward and are looking to bring in a striker to add support.
So far Palace’s transfer updates surround outs rather than ins with midfielder Jordon Mutch leaving the club “by mutual consent”, Jason Puncheon joining Huddersfield on loan and Jonny Williams leaving for Charlton.
Palace manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed that the attempted loan deal of Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke has fallen through. The club will now turn their attention to bringing Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi to Selhurst Park after a spell on loan at Valencia.
Everton found themselves at the centre of all the transfer window activity in the summer, splashing out on the signings of Richarlison, Yerry Mina, Andre Gomes, Lucas Digne and more. However, Marcel Brands, director of football, has stated that “it is not a goal to sell and it is not a goal to buy”.
Despite this, reports from Spanish newspaper Marca suggest that Everton are interested in the signature of Barcelona winger Malcom. Everton tried to sign his last summer but were beaten to him by Barcelona.
Everton’s young defender Mason has joined Championship side West Bromwich Albion on loan until the end of the season.
Fulham find themselves well and truly in a relegation scrap with reinforcements desperately needed to help the club survive.
Claudio Ranieri is reportedly interested in French striker Gregoire Defrel, according to Sky in Italy. Fulham will however have to compete with Watford and West Ham for the player, who is on loan at Sampdoria from Roma.
It has been reported in Italy that AC Milan have made an inquiry into the availability of Fulham midfielder Stefan Johansen. He proved to be a key player under Slavisa Jokanovic during their Championship promotion season but has barely featured since.
It is thought that they’ll be plenty more transfer news coming from Craven Cottage, with Ranieri claiming he hopes he will have a chance to sign some defenders in the window to help that struggling back line.
Huddersfield are in desperate need of multiple additions, especially in attack. They sit bottom of the table, eight points from safety and have scored only 12 goals in 20 league games with none of them coming from their centre-forwards.
Puncheon, who arrived on loan from Crystal Palace, may solve some of the problem with an ability to create chances. The 32-year-old fell out of favour at Palace and his five Premier League appearances have amounted to just 11 minutes.
David Wagner has also looked to add depth at the back with the signing of Tottenham defender Jaden Brown on a free transfer on a two-and-a-half-year deal.
Huddersfield owner Dean Hoyle has come out and said: “we will be active in this window, but not at the financial risk of the club”.
Leicester will reportedly be looking to trim rather than fill with a large squad and Andy King and Adrien Silva, two of seven central midfielders, are expected to leave.
So far, defender Callum Elder has left the club to join Championship club Ipswich Town on loan until the end of the season.
Reports in Spain suggest that the Foxes have received an approach from Spanish side Villarreal for midfielder Vicente Iborra but have not agreed a deal yet. City weren’t planning on letting him go in this window but the emergence of Hamza Choudhury has left a door open for Iborra.
Liverpool were the biggest spenders in the summer with the aim to compete at the top. They have so far exceeded expectations and despite defeat against Manchester City, remain four points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Jurgen Klopp remained tight-lipped when asked if he would make additions but could he be more open to signings after Liverpool lost their unbeaten record?
The Reds are reportedly keen on RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner along with Arsenal who are also keeping tabs on the 22-year-old. Werner has said he’s ready for a step up and Liverpool are keeping their eye on any developments. If he refuses to renew, the league leaders are said to be considering a £36m offer.
Manchester City
City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that the club will make no signings in the January transfer window, yet there are areas that arguably need additions. City lost three games in four whilst missing key defensive midfielder Fernandinho and have struggled to replace missing Benjamin Mendy in left-back.
These are both areas that Pep could look to improve should he change his mind and invest this month.
Brahim Diaz switched Manchester for Madrid joining Real Madrid on a six-and-a-half year deal worth an initial £15.5m.
Manchester United
New manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has met with Chief Executive Ed Woodard to voice his opinion on January signings. Given the lack of clean sheets for Utd, a centre-back seems to be a prime requirement.
Reports suggest that Inter Milan are trying to bring Ashley Young to the San Siro on a two-year deal.
Inter would also consider a swoop deal for Manchester Utd captain Antonio Valencia if they lose Joao Miranda in the January window according to Sky in Italy.
Isaac Hayden is still keen to leave the club this month after handing in a transfer request in the summer window.
Newcastle are said to be in the running to sign Italian striker Mario Balotelli, who is set to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. The 28-year-olds agent is reportedly trying to negotiate an early termination of his Nice deal.
It won’t be easy for Rafael Benitez however, who could face competition from Marseille for the forward.
Similarly to Leicester, Southampton manager Ralph Hassenhuttl is looking to trim the squad and would listen to offers for Cedric Soares and Manolo Gabbiadini. Southampton are lacking pace in the final third so a winger and potentially a new right-back could help the Saints pull away from the danger zone.
Gabbiadini has been put up for sale, with AC Milan one of several Italian clubs interested, Sky Sports News understands. Fiorentina and Bologna are also interested, with the player having struggled to hold down a first-team place at St Mary’s.
Steven Davis has re-joined Rangers until the end of the season when his contract at Southampton expires.
Tottenham are currently stuck with limited resources as they wrestle with their £1bn stadium project and any incoming business would have to first be funded by outgoings.
Two likely outgoings are Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose, however they have been restored in the first team and Mauricio Pochettino won’t want to risk getting rid of either of them.
One player Tottenham have been linked with is Hull City’s Jarred Bowen. Spurs have sent scouts to watch the winger recently, with a figure of around £14m potentially being enough to secure the young talent. The wide man has scored 10 goals so far this season and is also attracting interest from Everton and Leeds United.
It is understood that Watford do not intend to sell any of their first-team players but some peripheral members may be available on loan. The main focus for Javi Garcia is to sign a central defender. They would also be interested in a proven scorer but with salary constraints, they may be forced to wait a little longer for a forward.
One player who has been linked with a move to the Hornets is Milad Mohammadi. Reports suggest, the defender has caught Watford’s eye as well as Fenerbache and Celtic. The Hornets are not favourites to sign the Iranian though, with Celtic said to be leading the chase.
The Hammers spent heavily in the summer and with the club currently going through a slight injury crisis, manager Manuel Pellegrini could be forced to spend again.
The club have already completed the signing of former Arsenal and Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri on the day his doping ban expired. The Frenchman, who has won two Premier League titles and a League Cup with City, has signed a deal until the end of the season and could prove to be a great addition for Pellegrini’s side.
The club has also signed Declan Rice to a new long-term deal which could end up being a great piece of business in the years to come.
Nuno Espirito Santo has given little away in relation to his transfer plans but it’s understood that he is looking for a striker to provide competition and cover for Raul Jimenez. Wolves were heavily interested in Aston Villa forward Tammy Abraham, but the deal seems to have slowly slipped away as the club awaits clearance from Fifa for him to play given he has played for Aston Villa and Chelsea in a Premier League 2 match. Fifa regulations only allow players to represent a maximum of two teams in a single season.
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