One transfer every Premier League club needs before deadline day

This season we’re doing football journalism differently. Join The i Paper Sport channel on WhatsApp here to vote for the club Daniel Storey should cover this week on The Journeyman The new football season is upon us. With the Premier League returning next week and the World Cup delaying most transfer business, every club in the top division still has work to do to be ready. We have gone through every Premier League club, diagnosing one piece of business that is more crucial than any other for them to address weaknesses or empty spaces in their squads… Arsenal – Left winger Arsenal have already signed Christos Tzolis, but we should expect the Greek winger to be the Leandro Trossard replacement: starting in Europe and domestic cups but a bench option in the league. Gabriel Martinelli’s career has stalled a little, so it’s no surprise to see Arsenal move for a superstar option. The problem? Now that we know Vincius Jr isn’t joining, where do they turn next? Aston Villa – Left-back Ian Maatsen hasn’t really cemented a place as Villa hoped he might, so with Lucas Digne (and his punchy wages) off to Paris Saint-Germain, Villa need a starting left-back. Atletico Madrid’s Matteo Ruggeri is one option; Unai Emery needs someone who can overlap and create chances from wide with Morgan Rogers leaving. Bournemouth – The new Semenyo New Cherries boss Marco Rose needs to add to his squad (Photo: Getty) Not much to ask, is it? Bournemouth have already been busy and perhaps they will settle for Amine Adli, David Brooks, Rayan and Justin Kluivert sharing starts out between them (remember they have European football too). But if there was an opportunity to add a ball-carrying winger to speed up counter attacks, Marco Rose would surely appreciate it. Brentford – A starting left-back Rico Henry is Mr Brentford but is unlikely to be starting too many Premier League matches this season and his injuries are still a concern. Keane Lewis-Potter deputised at left-back last season but you suspect Keith Andrews might like him to operate a little further forward. And those are the only two options right now. Brighton – A Welbeck replacement Danny Welbeck was the only Brighton player to score more than five times in the league last season. The highest-scoring forward after Welbeck was Georginio Rutter, with three. Brighton have European football this season and the only new striker cost £3m from Benfica. Banking on one of their two Greek babies hitting it big feels like a massive gamble. Chelsea – A high-class winger It is genuinely hilarious that I am writing that Chelsea need a winger. They have on their books (deep breath): Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Jamie Gittens, Morgan Rogers, Mykhailo Mudryk, Geovany Quenda, Emmanuel Emegha and Alejandro Garnacho (on loan). And how many of them would get into Arsenal or Manchester City’s team? One. Unless Rogers is playing as a winger, there are still gaps. Coventry City – An experienced centre-back Coventry’s business has been pretty slow, but they have at least turned the loan deals of Frank Onyeka and Carl Rushworth into permanent signings and also opted for potential with Aurele Amenda and Caleb Yirenkyi. But that defensive line, which did concede 45 times last season in the Championship, needs a reliable enforcer. Ipswich signed Issa Diop; Coventry need something similar. Crystal Palace – A creative midfielder Palace need creative additions to support the likes of Adam Wharton (Photo: Getty) Crystal Palace need depth across the pitch ahead of a Europa League campaign that will test the squad more than the Conference League journey did. With £70m spent on Brennan Johnson and Jorgen Strand Larsen in January, budgets are reportedly tight. But the only two players to create more than 30 chances in the league last season were Yeremy Pino and Adam Wharton; this team needs more creativity from midfield or out wide. Read more: Crystal Palace are in muddy waters again Everton – A right-back (eventually) The Seamus Coleman era is over after 17 years. The Nathan Patterson era barely even started. Jake O’Brien has performed ably at right back for a long time, but the actual Prime Minister of the UK has spoken about the need for Everton to sign a new one so we can presume that it should be high up the list. Read more: Everton’s squad overhaul: Four targets, Moyes tensions and Grealish latest Fulham – A guaranteed performer I’m very prepared to look silly here, but I’m a little worried about Fulham. They have replaced the dependable Marco Silva with the inexperienced Alvaro Arbeloa and have since signed two young Real Madrid fringe players who share an agency with Arbeloa and Shea Charles. Add in the loss of Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson and Fulham badly need experience, goals or both. Hull City – Creativity Ryan Giles and Oli McBurnie were Hull’s two most regular chance creators last season; Joe Gelhardt was third and his loan spell has ended. They have signed three central midfielders and a goalkeeper, but Hull are probably going to need to score at least 40 goals and I’m just not sure where the creative outlets are to make that happen. Read more: Hull City target Newcastle veteran with four other transfers on radar Ipswich Town – Final-third experience I’m impressed by Ipswich’s business, but they absolutely need another forward and it would be useful if he had a high floor. Emerson is the big-money arrival but has only scored eight career league goals. Daizen Maeda had a fine record in Scotland but will rely upon service. A physical striker with some experience would be ideal but – statement of the obvious – they hardly grow on trees. Read more: Ipswich Town’s biggest gamble isn’t the £107m spent Leeds – More depth up front Leeds cannot bank on Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring as many as last season (Photo: Getty) Leeds are in a strong position to kick on from last season, given their lack of European distraction and their form over the second half of 2025-26. That said, my brain still can’t compute that Noah Okafor, Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored 28 Premier League goals last season; more than Salah, Gakpo, Ekitike and Isak combined. And it also can’t compute that it can happen again. Liverpool – An elite right winger And I insert that positional caveat quite deliberately. Liverpool have lost Mohamed Salah and they have Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak who like to drift left. The current answer appears to be paying an awful lot of money for Bradley Barcola, whose natural position is on the left, and playing him on the right. Sorry but I’m just not convinced it works out for the price or solves the issues with creativity that Liverpool suffered last season. Read more: Liverpool’s five attacking transfer targets – with one clear favourite Man City – Yet another midfielder There exists a Bermuda Triangle-style vortex at Manchester City, where midfielders who ideally would replace Rodri sink without trace. Elliot Anderson joins Ilkay Gundogan (take two), Tijjani Reijnders, Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic and Nico González. Four of those five are still at the Etihad (although Reijnders is leaving) and yet they still need another midfielder even if Rodri doesn’t leave (and I think he will). Man Utd – A midfielder to build around I really like the move for Youri Tielemans, despite the number of matches in his legs. I quite like the move for Andrey Santos, although I think United have overpaid. The problem is that United needed a central midfielder to build around with Casemiro leaving, and I don’t think either of these transfers answers that conundrum. And now I’m not sure who really would. Newcastle – An experienced midfielder Newcastle are certainly having an overhaul. They have a new Red Bull head coach and have sold players for almost £250m. The ages of the replacement players so far: 18, 20, 20, (goalkeeper) and 24 (also goalkeeper). This can be exciting and this can work, but they need at least one player over the age of 27 to replace one of Tonali or Bruno. And I think he probably needs to be better than Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Read more: Inside Newcastle’s £150m transfer plans – with three signings expected Nottingham Forest – A natural wing-back Ola Aina does not look suited to the wing-back role in Oliver Glasner’s system (Photo: Getty) Business has been slow so far for Forest under Oliver Glasner, and if he is intent on replicating the wing-back system from Crystal Palace there is work to do. Neco Williams has the versatility to make it work on the left, but Ola Aina’s attacking productivity isn’t fit for this purpose and Aina may work better as the right-sided central defender who could shift over to make a four. Either way, Forest need at least one. Sunderland – A younger left-back There are no glaring gaps in Sunderland’s squad, but it’s also true to say that nobody can say with any certainty that it is deep enough to cope with Thursday-Sunday football either. One area of concern is at left-back, where Reinaldo and Arthur Masuaku are both still contracted but are also both 32. A younger, overlapping option would help with Thomas Meunier signed to play on the right. Tottenham – An elite striker Spurs have not been excellent at many things over the last few years, but buying attacking players for between £40m and £60m who turn out to be quite good but not good enough is one of them. And they are looking for a better striker because they already have Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert. And they need one. Read more: I have two big fears about Tottenham’s £140m transfer plans