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Premier League teams will be allowed to sign players from June 10th when the transfer window officially opens. Some teams have already signed players, although are yet to confirm them. Some teams have signed free agents. There is no time to waste as teams look to gain an edge over their opponents.
The Premier League's top four teams all have experienced managers, and their clubs will want to invest in those managers. Depending on where the teams finished in the top four last season, their objectives will differ. Below we look at one area that each team can improve on for next season.
Tottenham Hotspur - Signing defenders
Tottenham Hotspur made moves in January when they bought Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur. Kulusevski is on a loan deal, but Tottenham intend to make it permanent this summer. Those signings helped improve the midfield and attack, but it is the defense that needs the most investment. Antonio Conte specifically needs a left centre-back and a right wing-back.
Ivan Perišić signed for the club earlier this week as a free agent. He predominantly plays as a left wing-back and was one of Inter Milan's key players last season. On the right, Spurs should look at Djed Spence, who had a stellar season on loan at Nottingham Forest from Middlesbrough. Forest were promoted to the Premier League, but Spence has gone back to Middlesbrough. A brilliant option.
Chelsea - Signing a midfielder
Chelsea finally got back to functioning as a proper football club on May 30th when the Todd Boehly consortium officially took charge. Since then, there has been radio silence at the club as people wait and watch to see what's next. The club is due to undergo a rebuild which should address multiple areas, but one key area is midfield.
Jorginho and N'Golo Kanté are both aging and injury prone, and with one year left on their contract, they are both likely to leave the club. Chelsea need to replace any departing player with an elite midfielder. The ideal player for the position is Declan Rice. Rice began his youth career at Chelsea and has not hidden the fact that he wants to play for the club.
The problem for Rice is that he has two years left on his contract with an option for a third. West Ham have publicly stated that they would want around £150 million, but a bid of around £90 million should get them to the table. Declan Rice is not willing to sign any extensions at the club and is intent on leaving. It is up to Chelsea to see whether they can force West Ham's hand.
Liverpool - Signing a forward
Signing a forward would not have been on Liverpool's radar a few months ago, but Sadio Mané does look set to leave the club. Divock Origi has already departed, and with Firmino and Mohamed Salah also approaching their final years, questions need to be asked. Fabio Carvalho has signed for the club from Fulham, while Luis Diaz joined the club in January.
Salah and Firmino could probably stay for the current season, which means one offensive signing should be enough. What Liverpool have missed over the last few years is a traditional striker. Origi was a great super sub but didn't have the quality to lead the line regularly.
A player that is attracting attention from all over Europe is Benfica's Darwin Núñez. Núñez is a traditional centre-forward, but the 22-year-old is still far from the finished product. His finishing is of high quality and likes to drift out wide and create for others. Jurgen Klopp could polish the player, but he will cost a a pretty penny, something that Liverpool don't usually spend. The Reds, however, might want to open the purse strings for once.
Manchester City - A midfielder
Manchester City have already made the statement transfer of the window by securing Erling Haaland's signature for next season. They have also added Julian Alvarez, who is highly regarded in Argentina. The attack has been resolved for next season, but the team needs a replacement for Fernandinho.
Kalvin Phillips would be the ideal solution to the problem. Phillips is an English midfielder and as tenacious as they come. He will bring a bite to the midfield, and having worked under Marcelo Bielsa, he has a good engine in him. It would have been easier for City to buy him if Leeds United had been relegated, but now a substantial fee will need to be paid. Not a problem for City.
Whether or not the above mentioned clubs manage to buy any of the mentioned players is yet to be seen. The transfer window will end on the first of September but the Premier League season starts on the sixth of August. The teams will want to get the main transfers in before pre-season starts during the first week of July. A long few months ahead.
