The transfer window is something that is avidly looked forward to by football fans from all over the world. Last summer witnessed probably the craziest transfers of all time.
A rampaging PSG side roped in two of the most talented wingers in the world for astronomical amounts. Neymar’s world record move to the Parisian club dominated headlines all through the summer.
However, here in England, the clubs did not hold back either. The top-flight clubs in the Premier League spent around 1.4 billion pounds on their transfers this season. However, as we await January, this record could be broken soon too.
Though January is generally the quieter of the two transfer windows, things could change this time around. Midway through the season, the top-six clubs have their fair share of problems to address. Hence it would not be a surprise if the big clubs spend a fortune for bringing in new recruits to better their teams.
Let us look at who might be the players whom these clubs would intend to sign in the coming few weeks:
#6 Arsenal: Thomas Lemar (AS Monaco)
The Gunners had a relatively quiet summer as most of their attention was focused on keeping hold of Alexis Sanchez. They signed Alexandra Lacazette for a club record transfer fee and landed Sead Kolasinac for free.
Now as January approaches, Arsene Wenger would already be sweating over his lack of transfer activity some months ago. Sanchez has cut a sorry figure and has displayed a lack of passion while representing the Gunners. Mesut Ozil has been brilliant, but still, looks set to part ways with the Emirates very soon.
Except for the inconsistent Danny Welbeck and the wayward Alex Iwobi, Arsenal does not have depth in attack. Even Jack Wilshere has not signed a new deal even though his contract runs out in the summer.
Under such circumstances, Wenger could once again turn to a player with whom his team was extensively linked in August.
Thomas Lemar nearly completed his move to the Emirates ahead of the current season. When most of his teammates left AS Monaco, Lemar had to stay put due to some deadline day fiasco.
Reportedly, the young Frenchman wanted to feature in the Champions League and hence opted to ditch a move to the North London club at the last moment.
As Wenger would soon be running out of attacking options, Thomas Lemar could be the perfect addition to the squad.
His amazing pace, skills, and composure while finishing off attacks sets him apart from other lads of his age. The AS Monaco player can play in any attacking position as his versatility is an added boon.
Moreover, Arsene Wenger has always thrived while working with French players.
Thomas Lemar would not have any communication issues with the team’s first choice forwards that are Alexandra Lacazette and Olivier Giroud. This could ease his transition to life in England.
Certainly, Arsenal need to go all guns blazing to sign the French sensation.
Also read: Premier League 2017/18: 5 most shocking signings of the summer transfer window
#5 Liverpool: Virgil Van Dijk (Southampton)
Jurgen Klopp is a very likeable manager, no doubt. The German’s charismatic nature is ably complemented by the attacking style of football that he likes to present.
Heavy metal football, high pressing, recovering the ball, fast counter attacks... there is so much to love about the attacking dynamism of Liverpool when they are in full song.
Liverpool have completely transformed their attacking ideology under the former Borussia Dortmund boss. The signing of Mo Salah has reaped rich benefits too.
The Egyptian has proven his doubters wrong by being the highest goal-scorer in the League this season.
However, nothing comes without a fair bit of chink, does it?
As much as Liverpool relies on their attacking flair, at the same time, Klopp has had to compromise with his defensive shape too.
The manager’s failure to land a good central defender has hurt Liverpool many a time this season. The club’s current top choice centre-backs are Joel Matip, Ragnar Klavan, and Dejan Lovren.
Woof! Try winning the league in a decade with that partnership at the back.
Lovren has been downright ridiculous many times in the past few months. He looks overawed with the pressure and commits fouls, which let us say; only Lovren can commit. He was humiliated by the brilliance of Harry Kane at Wembley.
Then in the Merseyside derby, he made a silly foul on Dominic Calvert Lewin to hand Everton a penalty. Ragnar Klavan has been shaky and inconsistent too.
It has been said that Matip would need the support of another centre back to bring out the best of his game too.
So, Liverpool’s pursuit of Virgil Van Djik needs to go up a notch now. The Dutch centre-back has been sporadically used this season. However, his quality at the back remains unmatched in the League.
Van Dijk has great positional awareness and is a delight in the air too. He has a strong stature and can bully the forwards with his intelligence inside the box.
Southampton was adamant about keeping hold of him in the summer. However, Liverpool’s increased insistence might force them to change their stance.
Liverpool will have to dig their pockets deep to bring Van Djik to Anfield. However, he could be worth every single penny.
#4 Tottenham Hotspur: Malcom (Bordeaux)
Tottenham Hotspur have endured mixed fortunes this season. The Lilywhites began the season on a high note after having finished second in the league last season.
However, this season, a glaring drawback has been quite visible in the Tottenham squad. The lack of quality players on the bench meant that Mauricio Pochettino has not been able to rest his players in less important games.
Spurs caused one of the biggest upsets of the season when they thrashed Real Madrid in the Champions League this season. Pochettino has shown time and again that he is capable of leading this Spurs team to unprecedented success.
The amount of talent in their dressing room in envious at times. However, once the busy Christmas period kicks in, Tottenham have no chance but one to play the duo of Harry Kane and Dele Alli in almost all games.
Moreover, their attacking quartet of Son, Kane, Eriksen, and Alli has featured in almost all the games this season. Kane and Alli sat out for brief spells due to injury worries and that hurt Tottenham a lot too.
So, what would be the solution to this now?
Dele Alli likes to play on the wings but is most influential when he is given the free role behind Kane. This means that a good right-winger is of utmost necessity for the Spurs.
Malcom has been a bright shining light in France this season. Despite playing for Bordeaux, which by no means is a top-tier club, he has displayed immense potential.
Malcom is a player with the great technique and intelligence in the final third. He has a lethal left foot and uses it to whip in some decisive crosses into the box. The Brazilian is always amongst the goals and has scored nine times already this season.
He has garnered interest from Manchester United too. However, there is no better coach that Mauricio Pochettino for younger players now. Poch understands the youngsters' mentality, spends hours working on and improving their game.
He has had a huge hand in Harry Kane and Dele Alli’s improvements as professional footballers. Particularly from a footballing perspective, this could be a very fruitful partnership between the player and the club.
#3 Chelsea: Alex Sandro (Juventus)
English Premier League is undoubtedly the toughest of all the leagues in European football. Relentless competition from rival clubs and the busy December month takes a toll on most of the players.
Hence, there is a necessary requirement to keep worthy backup players in each position. This allows the manager the freedom to rotate the starting XI.
Chelsea has failed to match their last season’s levels this season. However, the more worrying factor for the manager and the fans has been the lack of a good backup in the left back position.
Marcos Alonso has been in scintillating form this season. The Spaniard is a treat to watch when he wanders ahead with that commanding nature. Alonso’s deliveries inside the box make him an indispensable part of Chelsea’s lineup.
There is way too much dependence on him to play every single game for the Blues. Cesar Azpicueleta can play as the left wingback.
However, Azpi is too crucial in the back three and hence he hardly plays at Alonso’s position nowadays.
With Chelsea advancing in the Champions League, Antonio Conte should react well by forcing for a move to buy Alex Sandro in January.
Sandro’s unhappiness has become a part of the media folklore at Turin. His disagreements with Max Allegri have been well documented and a move away looks imminent.
Recent history has shown that Juventus are weak in keeping hold of their star players.
The only doubt that remains is whether or not Alex Sandro will agree to play a secondary role to Marcos Alonso?
Sandro has been one of the best left backs in the world in the last few years. The Brazilian is a hard tackling, intelligent defender and guards his flank well.
His exploits going forward are quite menacing to the opposition, honestly. Sandro can often be seen in the opposition box, waiting for the perfect loose ball to pounce upon.
The Brazilian is a strong player too and hence that will help him tolerate the harsh, physical game of the Premier League. Moreover, the relation between him and Allegri is at an all-time low currently.
Antonio Conte can make use of his ever-good Italian connections to lure one of the finest talents from Europe to Stamford Bridge.
#2 Manchester United: Andreas Pereira (on loan at Valencia)
Sometimes we look for the solution of a certain problem all over the reference books, realizing in the end that it was at the back end of the question paper.
Manchester United look depleted creatively in the absence of Paul Pogba and that certainly is not a good sign for the team. In Pogba’s absence, Manchester United virtually slipped out of the title race.
Pogba’s ability to boss the midfield with sheer confidence brings a new dimension to the team. There is always a certain spark around him and hence the impact of his injuries have proven to be costly for the Red Devils this season.
Rumors have linked Jose’s side to the likes of Carlos Soler and Leon Goretzka in recent weeks. However, a move to bring back Andreas Pereira looks to be the best option for Manchester United currently. Mainly because;
a) A big money move will add unnecessary pressure and criticism on Jose Mourinho.
b) Any other foreign recruit will take a fair amount of time to adapt to the playing style here.
c) Andreas Pereira already has the experience of playing with the likes of Martial and Rashford.
It is not only about saving the expenditure for the club’s board. Andreas Pereira has the creative element that can help Jose immensely now.
The Brazilian can play on the wings and is adept at putting in accurate crosses. His dribbling can help United orchestrate the play from the centre of the park.
Pereira’s versatility and technical ability make him worthy of challenging for a starting spot in Jose’s team. He can thread in some wonderful through-balls and might be a better attacking option than a certain Ander Herrera.
Moreover, his interlinking with players like Martial, Rashford, and Lingard would be interesting to see. The four of them have spent some time together at United and the manager would be excited to put up such an exciting attacking quartet on the pitch.
United might need to do a lot of convincing to cut Pereira’s loan deal short. The Spanish club would hate to disrupt their squad at a time when they are going strong in the league.
However, Jose had hinted earlier that the Brazilian has the ability and talent to challenge for a starting spot. Is it the correct time to bring him back in?
#1 Manchester City: Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund)
Manchester City have hardly put a step wrong this season. Under Pep Guardiola’s tutelage, they have strived for perfection.
There is a certain aura of invincibility surrounding Manchester City these days.Teams are being humiliated and records are being crushed.
However, Pep is already looking to make possible adjustments to make his side entirely enviable.
Fernandinho has been incredible for the Sky-Blues this season. He has been the engine at the centre of the park, running tirelessly to get things done on the pitch.
The Brazilian has been rock solid while shielding the defence. He hardly lets the balls get past him and quickly recovers if it ever does. However, at 32, he is not getting any younger and the gaffer is looking for possible replacements for him.
Julian Weigl is one name which pops to the head when a team is looking for a young defensive midfielder.
Pep always likes his team to have a composed, traditional defensive midfielder shielding his defence. Undoubtedly, Sergio Busquets was the best player of that mould that Pep has ever managed.
However, if the Catalan boss broadens his outlook and takes a look at Germany, he will find his man. Julian Weigl is one player who has risen through the ranks to become an integral part of the Dortmund team.
Weigl possesses all the attributes that one demands from deep-lying central players. The German can thwart off attacks with ease. He makes clean tackles and is very disciplined in his approach.
His reading of the game is precise and that helps him get into positions a second earlier than his opponent. Another thing that separates him from other players of his age is Weigl’s impeccable passing ability.
In his two and a half year career at Dortmund, Weigl has had a pass accuracy of 90.5%. He often builds attacks from the back and sticks to his job amazingly. Julian Weigl’s level of concentration defies his age.
Pep wants his players to stick to their positions constantly. He once famously subbed off Thierry Henry at halftime just because the Frenchman had gotten out of his position to score a goal!
At 22 years of age, Julian Weigl will get the opportunity of learning the trade from none other than Guardiola himself. The former Bayern boss was instrumental in Sergio Busquets' overall growth as a footballer.
We could see a similar partnership taking place at Etihad very soon!
Also read: 5 Premier League summer signings who have impressed so far