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