The January transfer window is almost upon us as clubs look to add new faces to their squads to ready themselves for the business end of the season. Premier League clubs, awash with money from the league’s broadcasting deals, have already had their winter window plans underway.
While certain clubs will undergo significant retooling to find the missing pieces of their jigsaws, some clubs will prefer to play the waiting game until the summer window comes round. It has been the norm in recent years for Premier League clubs to lead the January window activity, and 2017 should be no different.
League leaders and Premier League betting odds favourites Chelsea are on an 11-game winning streak, and it seems nothing of note can be added to their side. The Blues, however, don’t have adequate cover for top scorer Diego Costa, while their three-man defence could look hopelessly out of depth if one of the centre-backs is absent. Reinforcements in those areas would suffice for Antonio Conte’s men.
Liverpool’s Sadio Mané has international commitments with Senegal for the African Nations Cup, hence adding attacking reinforcements is a priority for the Reds. Philippe Coutinho is injured, as is Danny Ings. Some players linked with the club are Julian Draxler, Christian Pulisic and Sardar Azmoun.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have somewhat stuttered in recent weeks, but the arrival of Gabriel Jesus should add more verve to their attack. It’s their porous defence that has been in the spotlight, as Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk looks to be the latest to be linked to the club.
Arsenal’s priority should be the contract extensions of Alexis Sánchez and Mesut Özil, while a new right-back to provide cover for Hector Bellerin is also a necessity.
Tottenham have lacked bite in attack this season, with their summer arrivals—Moussa Sissoko and Georges-Kévin Nkoudou—struggling. Wilfried Zaha has been on fire this season, and he could be a good addition to Spurs’ attack.
Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United have fewer worries but Victor Lindelöf continues to be linked with the club, and so do Antoine Griezmann and Nélson Semedo. There should also be a few players moving away from Old Trafford, particularly the likes of Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin.
Everton could pounce on Manchester United’s excesses by signing Depay and Schneiderlin. Elsewhere, West Ham could be in a battle to keep Dimitri Payet beyond January.
West Brom could also be seen vying for the surpluses of the top six, with the Baggies’ strong showing giving Tony Pulis some bargaining power over the club’s new owners. Southampton’s biggest job will be to keep Van Dijk, as will be Crystal Palace’s with Zaha.
There could be a slew of new signings for the league’s bottom half dwellers. Survival for some could hinge on a couple of inspired additions, while any error in judgment could have harsh ramifications which could lead to relegation.
