The transfer window in England comes to an end very soon, as no team can register a player following the September 1st end date. The majority of Premier League sides have gone about making some fine acquisitions early this summer to deal with areas where they have identified a problem area from the season just gone or to replace outgoings from the squad. However, there are those sides that have been forced to go back into the market following the loss of players in a position but have not yet been able to strengthen the area that they identified as a weakness because of a new issue identified following the opening fixtures of the season.
So which Premier League sides still need to dip into the transfer market to address their issues?
Everton – Striker
Sean Dyche has had a horrible start to the Premier League season. Everton were torn apart in their 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park. The side were poor all over the pitch, but things got particularly bad when Dominic Calvert-Lewin left the pitch with a head injury. This was a complete contrast to their decent performance in their opening-day defeat against Fulham.
Everton created countless chances against the London side but could not find the net, showing their dire need for a forward. Calvert-Lewin has been incredibly injury-prone over his career, and since Neal Maupay joined the Toffees, he has been inconsistent in front of goal.
Rumours persist about Everton signing Che Adams to fill this desperate need for the Merseyside club. However, their pursuit of the Scottish international may be in vain, as he has been vital in securing late wins against Plymouth Argyle and Sheffield Wednesday. Adams may be kept by Southampton due to the evidence that he is essential to the club's push for promotion.
Everton may have left it too late, as they are desperate for a striker and don’t have the money, given their financial problems, to make a dramatic late signing. The club may have to settle for an option that is short term.
Liverpool – Midfielder
Liverpool did act early in the summer to refresh their midfield and solve this problem as the club bid farewell to James Milner, Naby Keïta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, replacing them with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. However, the sudden decision to sell Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to sides in Saudi Arabia has left the club in turmoil, as the club’s only defensive-minded midfielder was 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic, a player who was carrying an injury into preseason.
The recent drama involving Roméo Lavia and Moisés Caicedo has shown how desperate Liverpool are for a defensive midfielder. The recent signature of Wataru Endo has been Jurgen Klopp trying to solve this problem. The ease with which Chelsea and Bournemouth have played through the Merseyside team shows that there is a need to bring in a player that can protect the defence.
The rumour mill has been working overtime about who Liverpool will sign now that Chelsea have signed their two top targets for the position. It has been stated that Liverpool is linked with the likes of Abdoulaye Doucouré (Crystal Palace), Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina), and Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern Munich). It is almost certain that should Liverpool sign any of these players, they will have to pay above the odds.
Wolves – Striker
The problems at Wolves have been incredibly well documented. The club lost their manager, Julen Lopetegui, and replaced him with Gary O’Neil. O’Neil did a fine job last season keeping Bournemouth in the league against all odds, and Wolves will hope that he can do the same for them.
The club has lost key players such as Raúl Jiménez, Adama Traoré, and Rúben Neves. However, their performances against Manchester United and Brighton showed that they are missing a man to convert the chances they are creating. Matheus Cunha has shown he is not clinical in front of goal, and the club needs to bring in a player to fulfil this need to ensure they have a chance of remaining in the Premier League as they battle relegation.
Yet, despite the need for Wolves to bring in a few new faces, particularly a striker, this does not seem possible. Lopetegui left the club, with a lack of transfer activity being a key reason. There seems to be little chance of Wolves finding a solution to their problems. The club will have to go without a clinical striker for the season and hope O’Neil can work some magic. The club has left it too late to solve their many issues.
Manchester United – Midfielder
Manchester United went out to the transfer market early, bringing in Mason Mount from Chelsea, Rasmus Højlund from Atalanta, and Andre Onana from Inter Milan. However, despite their eagerness to sort their squad out before the season, the club has been exposed in midfield.
The club has, for years, been ridiculed by other clubs’ fans for not getting their business done early in transfer windows and being extorted when making deals. The same fate may happen as the club requires a central midfielder to address the link between attack and defence.
The Red Devils have been heavily linked with a move for Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina. The midfielder had an impressive World Cup in Qatar and would be a great addition to the Manchester United midfield. Another rumour that has been circling is that the club will sign Gravenberch from Bayern Munich. The Dutchman was a former player in Erik Ten Hag’s Ajax squad and thrived under the manager. Fans would be hopeful that Gravenberch could perform the same way he had before under Ten Hag if he were to be signed by United.
However, like all the clubs that have been mentioned in this list, they will be required to pay above the odds for any signing.
All the clubs mentioned in the list are desperate for signings as they look to address their individual problems. However, it may be considered that the clubs have left it too late, as they will be required to pay above the odds as the selling teams know the desperation that the buying teams are operating in.
Brendan Mc Gilligan
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