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The 2021-22 season is upon us and some clubs are still in dire need of change if they are to improve upon their performance from last campaign.
With less than a month to go until the summer transfer window shuts, clubs will desperately be on the look-out to sign new players and strengthen their squad. There are also clubs who will be looking to clear out deadwood from their squad in order to raise funds.
Many clubs across Europe have assessed how their 2020-21 season panned out to identify clear weaknesses in their squad which they have to address. However, there are still some sides that are yet to do so. Without further ado, here are five clubs who still need to do business in this transfer window:
#5 Arsenal
Arsenal endured a disappointing 2020-21 campaign. The Gunners finished 8th in the Premier League and will not be playing European football for the first time in 26 years. Mikel Arteta has a lot of problems to address in his squad and is running out of time to do so.
Out of the signings that Arsenal have made so far, Ben White is the only one that is an immediate starter. Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga have huge futures ahead of them, but do not seem ready to play every week for the Gunners.
Arsenal are looking to sell players to raise funds, but have found it difficult so far. Granit Xhaka looked destined to leave for Serie A outfit Roma earlier this summer, but is now reportedly set to sign a contract extension. Players like Hector Bellerin, Sead Kolasinac, Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah are all set to depart this summer.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta is desperately in the hunt for an attacking midfielder who can provide competition to Emile Smith Rowe. Apart from that, the Gunners still need to find a right-back to replace Bellerin. They will also potentially need a new striker if Alexandre Lacazette decides to leave the club this summer.
The Gunners need to bring in the right players to ensure that last season's disaster is not repeated. However, at the moment, Arsenal don't look good enough to be back to challenging for a top four finish in the Premier League.
#4 Liverpool
Injuries derailed Liverpool's title defense in the 2020-21 season. The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Jordan Henderson missed extended periods of time last time out. The two central defenders sustained season-ending injuries early on in the campaign.
Liverpool have addressed their defensive issues to an extent by bringing in Ibrahima Konate earlier this summer. However, squad depth is still an issue for Jurgen Klopp's side. The Reds are preparing to lose the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Divock Origi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer and will have to bring in players to replace them on the bench.
Liverpool also have the huge task of bringing in a replacement for the now departed Giorginio Wijnaldum. The Dutchman signed for French giants PSG earlier this summer and was an integral cog in Klopp's side.
The Reds are in dire need of an out-and-out striker as well. Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota have led the line for Liverpool in the past, but none of them are recognized centre-forwards. Bringing in a striker would allow Liverpool to have another source of goals, something which Firmino and Jota aren't renowned for.
If they were to bring in these reinforcements before the transfer window closes, one can expect Liverpool to be back in contention for the Premier League title.
#3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid are usually big spenders in the transfer market and are often not afraid to make blockbuster deals in order to strengthen their squad. With Carlo Ancelotti's appointment, one would have expected Los Blancos to be splashing the cash to bring the club back to its dominant best.
However, Real Madrid have had a relatively quiet transfer window in terms of arrivals so far. The club have only signed former Bayern Munich defender David Alaba as a free agent. This will come as a surprise given the players that have departed the club this summer.
Losing their first-choice centre-back partnership in Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane has definitely weakened Real Madrid from the 2020-21 campaign. Los Blancos cannot rely on the likes of Eder Militao and Nacho Fernandez to consistently partner Alaba at the heart of their defense.
The prospect of signing PSG's Kylian Mbappe also looks to be out the window for now. This means Real Madrid should look elsewhere to find a back-up striker for the aging Karim Benzema.
It looks like the Spanish giants are setting themselves up to make a huge splash in next summer's transfer window. However, not strengthening adequately this summer may jeopardize their 2021-22 campaign.
#2 Juventus
Juventus had a disastrous 2020-21 campaign to their standards. The perennial title favorites ended up finishing fourth in the league which ultimately led to Andrea Pirlo being sacked. Massimiliano Allegri's arrival promised a fresh start and the Italian tactician is seemingly the right man to bring the club back to their best.
However, Juventus have not done anything of note so far this transfer window. The Bianconeri have wasted most of the window trying to sign Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli, a deal which looks to be dead in the water. Allegri needs to revamp his midfield in order to be able to challenge Inter Milan for the Scudetto in the upcoming campaign.
Juventus have only signed Brazilian wonderkid Kaio Jorge from Santos so far, but it is a move looking towards the future of the club. The club are yet to strengthen their first team and are running out of time to bring in the reinforcements needed to become a dominant force in Serie A once again.
#1 Barcelona
With Lionel Messi's departure from the club, it is time to usher in a new era at Barcelona. The Argentine has been synonymous with the Blaugrana for almost two decades, but the Catalan giants could not afford to retain him this summer.
This is mainly due to Barcelona's failure to offload players. La Liga sanctioned the club earlier this summer, forcing them to massively reduce their wage bill before the start of the 2021-22 season. But the club have not made any progress in that regard.
With a week left until the start of the new campaign, Barcelona still have to part ways with at least 5-6 players in order to reduce their wage bill. The Blaugrana may also have more issues to address this window, as new signing Sergio Aguero reportedly wants to leave the club following Messi's departure.
Ronald Koeman has been left out to dry by the club's handling of transfer business this window. Barcelona are a complete mess right now and have less than a month to steady the ship.
