Football
Transfer guide for EPL Clubs
Huddersfield Town
What do they need?
To keep hold of David Wagner, first and foremost, and it will not be easy with Leicester City reportedly circling. If Wagner does stay, he will need to be ruthless with a squad that has overperformed for the last two seasons but cannot necessarily be relied upon to do so again. The most obvious positions for upgrade are left wing, right wing, centre-forward and right-back.
What will they get?
Sticking with type, Wagner will shop at the lower end of the Bundesliga, higher end of the German second tier and the Championship. Put all those in my magic transfer machine and you come out with Sonny Kittel, Michael Gregoritsch and Cyrus Christie. If any of those three end up signing, I will demand a finder’s fee.
What’s been said?
“We just haven’t got round to sorting it. Seriously. We just trust each other and it will be done. David is a fantastic head coach and one I am very proud of. But he also knows that he loves this club. He loves the fans and feels the unity, and because we are so far behind the curve in infrastructure he also knows that there’s big projects to achieve here and he can be the one who brings it all together” – Chairman Dean Hoyle, May 17.
Leicester City
What do they need?
Wes Morgan is hardly ready to be put out to pasture, but a more mobile central defender to complement Harry Maguire would make sense. A right-back is a must, but so too is a central midfielder and perhaps even a wide player to provide competition for Marc Albrighton. Up front, if Jamie Vardy stays then Fousseni Diabate and Kelechi Iheanacho are good reserve options, but the elephant in the room is Riyad Mahrez, and he’s blowing his trunk to tell you he fancies a move. There is a fair amount of deadwood to clear.
What will they get?
Ricardo Pereira looks like solving the right-back problem, a brilliant signing given his reputation and the uncertainty over Leicester’s managerial situation. Adrien Silva will genuinely feel like a new signing come August, but the lack of wide players – should Mahrez leave – is a concern. Norwich’s James Madison might be just out of Leicester’s league, but how about Liverpool’s Harry Wilson, Brentford’s Ollie Watkins or trying to refine Adama Traore? That or scouting Europe, of course.
What’s been said?
“We work not just in the transfer window period but all the season together with the directors and the recruiters and the owners to prepare for next season, and to have all the response to replace some players, to bring good options and good additions in the squad. It is important not just to work in the summer, we have worked since October and it is important to try to develop the squad” – Claude Puel, April 24.
Liverpool
What do they need?
Tweaking, rather than wholesale changes. Mohamed Salah won’t be leaving, whatever you may be told, and Jurgen Klopp made more changes to his first team on a game-to-game basis than any other manager in the Premier League. Klopp will still want a central defender and a wide forward to cope with the workload of participation in four competitions. Naby Keita arrives in central midfield, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury and Emre Can’s likely departure might call for another midfielder. Don’t rule out a goalkeeper either, but four first-team arrivals would be the expected maximum.
What will they get?
A young wide forward who can be eased gently into the first-team picture is the most obvious signing, with Nabil Fekir and Malcom both heavily linked. Christian Pulisic would be another interesting name to add to that list. There have been rumours of Juventus selling Sami Khedira to Liverpool if Can joins them, which I’m several sorts of onboard with. Young Porto defender Diogo Leite has been mentioned a couple of times. You would expect Klopp – the Premier League’s most emphatic long-term manager – to buy young. The level of players might depend on whether Liverpool are European champions.
What’s been said?
“We will probably sign a couple more players in the summer because we need more depth in the squad. To bring in players who are 200% better than what we have will be difficult but we had a problem when Philippe Coutinho left and Adam Lallana and then Emre Can became injured. You can never remove all injury risk and the boys still did brilliantly, but of course we will try to strengthen the squad because that’s how it is” – Jurgen Klopp, May 6.
Manchester City
What do they need?
Not much, given the season just gone. Given that Benjamin Mendy and Aymeric Laporte will have full pre-seasons, both will be far more up to speed with Pep Guardiola’s demands. There is clearly room for another central midfielder with Fernandinho now 33 and going to the World Cup, while Guardiola may also choose to add one more attacking player just to stop any complacency setting in. Plus, with Pep’s merry band of attackers all going to the World Cup, there is the potential for fatigue when fighting on four fronts next year.
What will they get?
Who they want. This Manchester City season being followed by Guardiola’s new deal means that most players will fancy joining the project. Napoli’s Jorginho is the obvious choice in midfield, given the sheer number of times his agent has mentioned it. The attacking signing could be Wilfried Zaha or Riyad Mahrez, but I fancy City to sign a younger player who will not expect to start much in his first season.
What’s been said?
“We cannot invest – people don’t believe me, but we don’t have the money for £300m every season. Yaya is leaving so we have to replace him. Maybe one other up front. Just one or two signings. We have four competitions. It is tough. We need new faces to compete” – Pep Guardiola, May 16.