BY JOSH WRIGHT

Arsenal: Bernardo Silva

Signing another midfielder should be at the top of Arsenal’s list of priorities. With Granit Xhaka expected to leave, Dani Ceballos and Martin Ødegaard both back at Real Madrid, and Matteo Guendouzi out on loan, Arsenal are short even after the arrival of teenager Albert Sambi Lokonga from Anderlecht. Manuel Locatelli looks set to stay in Italy, so Arsenal should be considering alternatives. Manchester City are keen to sell Bernardo Silva to fund their own transfers but offers from abroad are unlikely given the financial climate. Mikel Arteta should take advantage of his City connection and convince the versatile Silva to move south.

Aston Villa: Leon Bailey

Aston Villa are pushing ahead with their interest in Leon Bailey and the thought of the Bayer Leverkusen winger lining up alongside Jack Grealish and Emiliano Buendia is mouthwatering. Even if Grealish ends up leaving, Bailey is the ideal replacement for the Villa captain. He is coming off his best campaign to date after finishing the Bundesliga with 18 goal involvements: nine goals and nine assists. Moreover, Bailey completed a dribble more frequently than any other player in the Bundesliga last season.

Brentford: Hugo Siquet

After releasing Henrik Dalsgaard earlier in the summer, Brentford should be looking to sign a new right-back to ease the burden on Mads Rasmussen. Brentford go about their recruitment a little differently to most, so do not be surprised to see a leftfield move. The 19-year-old Hugo Siquet enjoyed an impressive breakthrough campaign for Belgian side Standard Liege. The teenager registered five assists from just 16 league appearances last season, as well as ranking in the top 10 in the division for both tackles and key passes per game.

Brighton: Adam Armstrong

Brighton’s woes in front of goal last season were well documented. They created more clear-cut chances than Arsenal but ended up two places above relegation with fewer goals scored than Crystal Palace. Adam Armstrong finished last season with 28 goals in the Championship and has already been heavily linked with a Premier League move after Blackburn missed out on promotion. With the £50m sale of Ben White almost complete, there is money there to sign a striker.

Burnley: Nathaniel Phillips

If there is more Burnley player than Nathaniel Phillips, I am all ears. The 24-year-old did a superb job helping Liverpool during their injury crisis last season but it seems as if he does not have a future at the club. Phillips finished last season as our best rated centre-back in the Premier League (7.29), with no defender winning more aerial duels per game (5.6). There will soon come a time when the partnership between Ben Mee and James Tarkowski breaks up and Phillips is the ideal defender to come in.

Chelsea: Danny Ings

Chelsea face are likely to fall short in their pursuit of Erling Haaland in this window but know he has a release clause next summer. It would be foolish to spend big on another striker this summer but it should not deter them completely. With 12 months left to run on his current deal, Danny Ings could be a good option. Jorginho was Chelsea’s top scorer in the league last season with seven penalties. Meanwhile, only Harry Kane (41), Mo Salah (41) and Jamie Vardy (38) have scored more goals than Ings (34) over the last two Premier League campaigns.

Crystal Palace: Youcef Atal

Crystal Palace handed Joel Ward a new contract earlier this summer but signing a new right-back should be a priority for new boss Patrick Vieira. Palace should also be looking to capitalise on his Nice connection to pick up Youcef Atal. The 25-year-old looked destined for big things a few years back only for a knee injury to derail his progress. It’s been a slow road back for the versatile full-back but, if Palace can get him back on the right path, they not only have a hugely talented player on their hands but also someone who they can sell for an enormous profit down the line.

Everton: Téji Savanier

Rafa Benítez is keen to overhaul Everton’s midfield this summer with a big clearout planned before he can start to add his own players. Téji Savanier has flown under the radar in Europe for years. He has more assists across the last three Ligue 1 campaigns than Neymar or Kylian Mbappé, while also ranking third for most possession won in the midfield third (369) in that time. It would be fascinating to see Savanier in the Premier League.

Leeds United: Farid Boulaya

Even though Leeds are pursuing Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, adding a creative spark to their midfield should still be a priority for Marcelo Bielsa. Their interest in Rodrigo de Paul over the last 12 months suggests they have that position in mind. After a couple of seasons warming the bench for French side Metz, 28-year-old Farid Boulaya really kicked on in 2020-21 with 14 goal involvements in 33 games. Leeds scored 15 goals from set pieces last season and Boulaya would make them even more dangerous from dead ball positions. Only three players created more chances from set pieces than Boulaya in Ligue 1 last season (32).

Leicester City: Julian Brandt

Leicester have gone about their business with great efficiency this summer and anything more at this point would certainly be a bonus. There is still room to improve in attack and that might become more pressing should James Maddison depart. Marc Albrighton is also 32 later this year and Ayoze Pérez has done little to suggest he can string a consistent run of form together. Borussia Dortmund may be willing to let Julian Brandt leave this summer and he would be a superb signing for the Foxes. He is still only 25, so there is time for Leicester to pick up a talented player for a lower fee and get him back on the right path.

Liverpool: Dani Olmo

It has been a frustrating summer for Jürgen Klopp. He has been told he must sell before he can buy and those departures are taking longer than expected. With Liverpool keen to shift Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi, another attacker will be required before the new season. Versatility will be important and for that reason Dani Olmo fits in perfectly for Liverpool. Capable of playing a variety of positions in midfield and attack, he could solve a lot of problems for the team. He has the workrate to match, ranking second in Europe’s top five leagues for most possession won in the attacking third (41).

Manchester City: Harry Kane

Wanting Harry Kane and signing him from Tottenham are two entirely different things. It’s going to be tough to agree a deal with Daniel Levy but Manchester City need him. Sergio Agüero has gone and Gabriel Jesus has done nothing to suggest he can confidently replace him long-term. Kane finished last season with both the most goals (23) and most assists (14) in the Premier League – the first player to do so in a single campaign since Andy Cole in 1993-94. He also surpassed the 20-goal mark in the league for the fifth time in his career.

Manchester United: Wilfred Ndidi

Nothing short of a genuine title challenge will be deemed satisfactory for Manchester United this season but it’s hard to see that happening unless Ole Gunnar Solskjær signs a defensive midfielder. A move for Wilfred Ndidi is unlikely to happen out of nowhere at this stage of the window, but he is the ideal midfield destroyer required. Ndidi averaged more tackles per game than any other player in the Premier League last season (3.7) and is one of the best in his position in the division. The arrival of Boubakary Soumaré at Leicester perhaps suggests that the Foxes know they cannot hold on to Ndidi for much longer.

Newcastle United: Joe Willock

After the impact Joe Willock made at Newcastle last season, there is simply no way the club can see out this transfer window without bringing him back. The 21-year-old scored in seven straight appearances to close out the campaign, a feat only Alan Shearer has managed for the club. Impressively, four of those goals came against Manchester City, Liverpool, Leicester and Tottenham. Despite only starting 11 league games for Newcastle, he finished as their second top scorer in the league with twice as many goals as big-money signing Joelinton.

Norwich City: Roland Sallai

Norwich have already signed replacements for Emiliano Buendia and Oliver Skipp this summer and now they should be looking to help Teemu Pukki. The Finland international made a bright start in Norwich’s last season in the Premier League before tailing off dramatically. Norwich’s current back-up striker is Jordan Hugill, who only scored four goals in 31 league appearances last season. Norwich have used Germany as a pool to sign players a lot under Daniel Farke so that should continue here with Freiburg’s Roland Sallai. The 24-year-old has five goal involvements in seven competitive matches for Hungary in the last 12 months, notably catching the eye in the group of death at Euro 2020. Sallai is also capable of playing out wide, not restricting him to just a back-up role to Pukki.

Southampton: Brandon Williams

Southampton have already signed French left-back Romain Perraud to replace Ryan Bertrand but they still need another option at full-back, preferably one who can play in both positions. James Ward-Prowse had to play at right-back at times last season so Southampton must be hoping they can get a loan deal over the line for Manchester United’s Brandon Williams. After a bright breakthrough at Old Trafford, Williams has shown he may not make the grade at United full-time but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a successful Premier League career elsewhere. He needs to curb his enthusiasm for a tackle, however. Last season he almost had as many bookings (four) as starts (five) for United.

Tottenham Hotspur: Cristian Romero

The sale of Toby Alderweireld has made signing a new centre-back a top priority for Tottenham and they will continue to plug away for Atalanta’s Cristian Romero. The 23-year-old is coming off a superb year in which he finish as our highest rated centre-back in both Serie A (7.14) and the Champions League (7.67), as well as winning the Copa América with Argentina earlier this summer. Tottenham’s new sporting director, Fabio Paratici, will have to use his contacts in Serie A to get a deal over the line for his new club.

Watford: Matvey Safonov

Watford have already strengthened plenty but one area where they still look a little light is between the sticks. Ben Foster is winding down his career and he only lost the No 1 shirt to Daniel Bachmann last season because of injury. Prising Matvey Safonov from Krasnodar may prove tricky now the Russian Premier League is underway but the 22-year-old should be an option for the Hornets. Only two goalkeepers made more saves per game than Russia international last season (3.9), with an encouraging save success rate of 72.6%.

West Ham United: Matheus Pereira

West Ham’s aim should be to sign Jesse Lingard but it appears Manchester United have priced the Hammers out so David Moyes should now be looking at West Brom’s Matheus Pereira. West Brom are keen to sell after they were relegated from the Premier League and it’s a surprise no one has snapped up Pereira yet. He finished last season with 17 goal involvements for a poor Baggies side and was the only player in the Premier League to win possession at least 30 times in the defensive, middle and attacking thirds of the pitch.

Wolves: Javi Galán

Wolves may consider signing a new left-back before the window shuts given the injury woes of both Jonny and Marcal. They will not have a free run at signing Javi Galán from Huesca but they should be going all out for the 25-year-old. He was a standout performer in Spain last season, finishing the campaign in our team of the season in La Liga. Galan ranked fourth in Europe’s top five leagues for dribbles completed (121), while also completing an impressive 77.2% of his attempted tackles. – The Guardian