What the Premier League Big Six need in January transfer window

The Premier League has paused for the final international break of 2024, but while the leading players are away representing their countries, the recruitment teams at the top clubs are drawing up plans for the January transfer window and plotting the moves that could transform or save their hopes and ambitions for the season.

Some clubs, including Liverpool and Chelsea who sit first and third respectively, are exceeding expectations, while Manchester City and Arsenal (second and fourth) are slightly off the pace in comparison to recent campaigns. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, are both marooned in midtable, with United firing manager Erik ten Hag last month and hiring Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim in an attempt to rescue their season.

And while many clubs now view business in January as something to avoid due to a lack of available talent and the risk of a short-term deal becoming an expensive mistake, it remains an opportunity to sign a player who can make a crucial difference. Virgil van Dijk and Luis Suárez (both Liverpool), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal) and Olivier Giroud (Chelsea) have all proved to be big successes after signing for their new clubs in the winter window.

So with January on the horizon, what do the Big Six clubs need to do, and which deals could make all the difference?

Liverpool

Premier League position: 1st
Summer spend: £41.5 million (according to Sky Sports)
Notable long-term injuries: Alisson Becker (goalkeeper), Federico Chiesa (forward), Harvey Elliott (midfielder)

Liverpool are well ahead of schedule under new coach Arne Slot, who has taken the team to the top of the Premier League and the Champions League tables despite no major additions to the squad he inherited from Jürgen Klopp.

Chiesa has registered just 78 minutes in all competitions since completing a £10m transfer from Juventus at the end of August. The 27-year-old Italy international, who has endured an injury-ravaged past three years, has done little to suggest he can make an impact in the second half of the season.

Liverpool tried and failed to negotiate a deal with Real Sociedad for Spain midfielder Martín Zubimendi, and Slot said at the time that the club would not pursue an alternative simply to make up the numbers, but with Liverpool going strong on all fronts so far, a renewed move for Zubimendi in January cannot be ruled out. Slot remains a big admirer of the 25-year-old, who could add depth and quality to the Anfield squad.

The ongoing uncertainty surrounding the futures of Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who are all out of contract in the summer, might yet prove a distraction in the months ahead, and a resolution to all three situations would be a boost for Slot. However, a new midfielder should be the priority. Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones have done well this season, but now is the time to strengthen a crucial area of the squad.

Ideal January signing: Zubimendi. Liverpool know from the summer that it would be a tough deal to do and that they could face competition from Man City, but Slot’s team would be making a move from a position of strength.

Manchester City

Premier League position: 2nd
Summer spend: £33.6m (according to Sky Sports)
Notable long-term injuries: Oscar Bobb (forward), Rodri (midfielder)

Man City are in uncharted territory right now, having lost four successive games for the first time since 2006, with Pep Guardiola never before having suffered that losing sequence as a manager. City are five points adrift of Liverpool, and there is uncertainty over Guardiola’s future due to the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach so far choosing not to extend his contract, which expires in the summer.

On the pitch, the loss of defensive midfielder and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has proved to be a hammer blow. The 28-year-old Spain international is out for the season after suffering an ACL injury in September and, without him, City have suddenly started to look vulnerable.

City’s squad remains strong and deep, albeit with several key players now aged 30 or older, but there can be no escaping the reality that Rodri’s injury has left a huge hole in the team. A move for Zubimendi, Liverpool’s top target, would help solve the problem. Zubimendi is Rodri’s understudy in the Spain team and is regarded as one of the best midfielders in Europe.

City’s off-field battle against the 115 Premier League charges might make it impossible for them to do serious business in January. The reigning Premier League champions could win another stack load of trophies this season, but they could also be hit with a massive fine and points deduction if they lose the legal case — they deny all charges — so signing for City right now would a big risk for any player.

City have the money to do a deal for Zubimendi, but that might not be enough to make it happen.

Ideal January signing: Zubimendi. However, there might be too many obstacles for City to overcome to clinch a deal for the Real Sociedad midfielder.

Chelsea

Premier League position: 3rd
Summer spend: £219.6m (according to Sky Sports)
Notable long-term injuries: None

Maybe Chelsea’s £1 billion spending spree wasn’t so ridiculous after all. After two years of throwing money at the best young talent in football, it finally looks like it might have been money well spent. Enzo Maresca’s team are in third place and showing signs of being title challengers. OK, perhaps that’s a little premature — Chelsea are only three points ahead of 10th-place Tottenham — but Maresca has at least found a formula that proved elusive to predecessors Mauricio Pochettino, Frank Lampard and Graham Potter.

The former Leicester City coach has settled on a group of players and made some big calls on high-profile departures, most significantly Raheem Sterling’s loan to Arsenal, but Chelsea are still troubled by inconsistency. They are riding high, but they have won two and drawn three of their past six league games, so their progress seems to be fragile.

What Chelsea need in January, however, is what Maresca is unlikely to get: experience. With an average age of 23 years, 149 days this season, Chelsea are the youngest team ever to play in the Premier League — Leeds in 1999-2000 are closest at 24 years, 162 days — and Maresca’s side hasn’t used a starter older than 27. The inconsistency behind Chelsea’s pattern of results could be lessened by the addition of one or two senior players to help guide this young team; while it hasn’t been Chelsea’s policy since the club was taken over by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, an old head in the side could make all the difference.

Ideal January signing: Joshua Kimmich. Versatile, hugely experienced, a serial winner and young enough at 29 to provide long-term value. The Germany midfielder is out of contract at Bayern Munich in the summer, so a January deal could suit all parties.

Arsenal

Premier League position: 4th
Summer spend: £101.5m (according to Sky Sports)
Notable long-term injuries: Kieran Tierney (left-back), Riccardo Calafiori (defender), Takehiro Tomiyasu (defender)

Arsenal are still in the title race, but only just. After getting out of the blocks quickly in the past two seasons, when they finished runners-up to Manchester City on each occasion, the Gunners have made an indifferent start this time around and are already nine points behind leaders Liverpool.

With just 11 games gone, though, Arsenal have time to rediscover their form and get their injured players back to fitness and form. If that happens, Mikel Arteta’s side can still push for the title.

Arsenal’s problem is the same as it has been for the past two years, though, in that they still don’t have a proven goal scorer. Kai Havertz continues to be Arteta’s choice to lead the line, and he is a scorer of important goals. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are also capable of weighing in with big goals, too, but Arsenal are now desperate for a genuine centre-forward.

A move for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko was considered last summer before the club chose not to take the plunge. Ivan Toney was another name in the frame before Arteta opted against a move for the England forward, who eventually left Brentford for Saudi club Al Ahli. Arsenal stood aside while Galatasaray sealed a loan deal for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.

Havertz can’t carry the goal-scoring burden alone if Arsenal are to challenge for the title, so a move for a centre-forward has now become a must. The issue is that goal scorers don’t come cheap. With a €100m release clause at Sporting, Viktor Gyökeres is a deal that could be done, but that might be too steep for Arsenal.

Ideal January signing: Gyökeres. The 26-year-old Sweden international could be a game changer for Arsenal. He is the hottest striker in Europe right now and perfectly suited to the Premier League.

Tottenham

Premier League position: 10th
Summer spend: £133.5m (according to Sky Sports)
Notable long-term injuries: Wilson Odobert (midfielder), Richarlison (forward)

These are testing times for Spurs and manager Ange Postecoglou, with last season’s bright start and hints of a title challenge nothing more than a distant memory. The Tottenham picture is confusing, though. They have lost three of their past five games in all competitions, but the two wins during that run were a Carabao Cup victory against Manchester City and a 4-1 hammering of Champions League qualifiers Aston Villa. Spurs also have a 3-0 win at Manchester United on their record this season.

Five wins, five defeats and a draw is the tale of their league campaign so far, and it points directly at the inconsistencies that Postecoglou is attempting to eradicate. Injuries to Micky van de Ven and Richarlison have been significant blows, while James Maddison has struggled to rediscover his form from last season in the No. 10 role. Spurs lack quality in midfield, however, and that is where they need to strengthen in January if they can find the funds.

With a Carabao Cup quarterfinal at home to Man United looming on Dec. 19, the outcome of that game could be decisive in terms of what the club can do, and whom they can attract. If Spurs make it through to the semifinals, they would become a much more attractive proposition to potential signings.

Ideal January signing: Angel Gomes. The England international is out of contract at Ligue 1 side Lille at the end of the season. Having started out at Man United, the 24-year-old is Premier League ready and would add quality to Postecoglou’s midfield.

Manchester United

Premier League position: 13th
Summer spend: £205.9m (according to Sky Sports)
Notable long-term injuries: Kobbie Mainoo (midfielder), Tyrell Malacia (left-back), Luke Shaw (left-back), Leny Yoro (centre-back)

Ten Hag paid the price for United’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season — the second worst was the one he oversaw last season — by losing his job as manager last month. Amorim will take charge of his first game as Ten Hag’s successor against Ipswich Town on Nov. 24 after arriving from Sporting.

Despite their woeful start, which included 3-0 home defeats against Liverpool and Spurs, United are just four points behind fourth-place Arsenal. Amorim inherits an imbalanced squad, but it is still close enough to the top teams for the season to be salvaged.

With Amorim favouring a 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 formation at Sporting, he might encounter early problems in terms of making that system work at United. Quite simply, United lack the players to fit the key areas, most notably the wing-back positions. Amorim will also quickly realise that United’s central midfielders lack the pace and dynamism provided by his Sporting midfield players, so he will have to make a big decision in January as to whether to target a new wing-back or midfielder as the club are unlikely to be able to afford both.

If Shaw can return to fitness and stay fit, then he will solve the left wing-back issue, leaving Amorim to use either Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui on the right. That would then point to a new midfielder being the main objective. Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte are the best options available at Old Trafford, but a key addition would be a box-to-box midfielder with plenty of energy and quality on the ball.

Ideal January signing: Carlos Baleba. The Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder is one of the emerging talents in the Premier League and, at 20, would be regarded as a long-term addition to a United midfield that needs to replace Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.