One in, one out: The business each Premier League club could do in January
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The January transfer window is a curious thing. It offers clubs the chance to turn their season around partway through with the addition (or subtraction) of personnel. The temptation to go out and pay over the odds for that new striker, a star defender, or midfield wizard can seem irresistible when the winter draws in. Therefore, we have identified one player each Premier League team could sell this January, but also one man they could buy.
Arsenal - Buy: Milan Skriniar
Arsenal are crying out for defenders, and Skriniar is one of the most sought after players in Europe. The centre-half has time on his side at the age of 23, but has already shown himself to be a perfectly capable presence in the heart of a back four. For a team that need to get a) better, and b) younger at the position, Skriniar is perfect for Arsenal.
Arsenal - Sell: Mesut Ozil
When you pay a player £350,000-a-week, he has to offer the team something each game and the manager must trust him. Neither of those apply to Ozil. If arsenal get a decent offer, they should cash in and use the money to improve other areas.
Bournemouth - Buy: Emiliano Buendia
If you’ve never heard of Emiliano Buendia, allow me to introduce him to you. The 22-year-old is a winger for Norwich and is an incredibly exciting player to watch. Agile, direct and willing to take on any player who dares to stand in his way. Bournemouth are well set at the wide positions with Ryan Fraser and Josh King, but their depth is thin.
Bournemouth - Sell: Jermain Defoe
Bournemouth have already agreed to let Jermain Defoe leave in this window. The veteran has no desire to sit on the Cherries’ bench and a move is the best thing for all parties.
Brighton - Buy: Ismaila Sarr
Brighton are a fairly complete squad, with a well-organised defence, creative midfielders playing alongside box-to-box workhorses, and a goal-machine in Glenn Murray. I think they need a new backup to Murray, however, with new signing Florin Andone not setting the world alight. If the Seagulls wanted to add a prospect, Ismaila Sarr of Rennes would be a great choice. The 20-year-old is as fast as they come, and is happy either as a striker or a winger. The modern forward, as it were.
Brighton - Sell: Ezequiel Schelotto
Brighton are in pretty decent shape but Ezequiel Schelotto is a bit of a spare part. He’s been linked with moves away and Brighton could look to cash in on him.
Burnley - Buy: Neal Maupay
This should read “Burnley – Buy any forward with pace”. With Aaron Lennon ruled out through injury, Sean Dyche’s squad is looking painfully slow. Many are likely to be after the Brentford man in Maupay, who was tipped with numerous moves during the summer. Maupay would add a much needed dimension to the Clarets’ attack.
Burnley - Sell: Tom Heaton
Burnley have three goalkeepers worthy of starting in the Premier League. Nick Pope should be first choice when he’s back fit, whilst Joe Hart only arrived in the summer for a decent fee. Cashing in by selling Heaton could provide Sean Dyche with much needed funds to help boost his squad as they look set for a major relegation battle.
Cardiff - Buy: Che Adams
I just don’t think starting Callum Paterson up there every week is what you want when trying to stay in the Premier League. I could be wrong, but it would by no means hurt Cardiff to add some new attacking firepower. With 12 goals and three assists so far this season, Birmingham’s Che Adams is a prime candidate to make the step up to the top-flight.
Cardiff - Sell: Gary Madine
Cardiff need to invest in order to stay in the division. Gary Madine looks like a player who might be below the level needed in the top flight but he’s a good Championship player and as such, he could be sold to a promotion chasing team to free up some funds for Neil Warnock.
Chelsea - Buy: Gonzalo Higuain
The Milan striker has fallen out of favour at the San Siro, and Chelsea seem ready to pounce. Higuain is understood to be a favourite of Maurizio Sarri, having previously spent time together at Napoli. With Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud failing to satisfy the Italian tactician, it is expected that Chelsea will sign at least someone to take over at the top of the formation this January.
Chelsea - Sell: Alvaro Morata
Chelsea need to find a new striker but they can’t do that until they let Alvaro Morata go. The Spaniard arrived with a huge reputation but he’s not lived up to the billing and a change is needed.
Crystal Palace - Buy: Steven Skrzybski
I feel really confident about this one. Steven Skrzybski is a striker for Schalke in Germany, and a very good one. The 26-year-old joined from Union Berlin only in the summer, but if Palace could find a way to pull it off, this could be considered one of the signings of the season. The Berlin-native has found playing time hard to come by, but has made his limited chances count in Gelsenkirchen.
Crystal Palace - Sell: Alexander Sorloth
Crystal Palace need goals, badly, but Alexander Sorloth isn’t the man to provide them. He’s actually useless and doesn’t seem to belong in the Premier League.
Everton - Buy: Lars Stindl
Which striker do Everton want to sign this January? I’m going to suggest Lars Stindl of Borussia Mönchengladbach. The 30-year-old would bring some experience to Goodison Park at the position, and finally liberate Richarlison back to the wing.
Everton - Sell: Cenk Tosun
Everton are another team who are desperate for a striker. Cenk Tosun was supposed to be that man, but Marco Silva clearly doesn’t fancy him. Everton should look to move Tosun on and get as much money back as they can, then invest in a new striker.
Fulham - Buy: Fernando Marçal
Fernando Marçal is a central defender for Lyon, and that is something Claudio Ranieri badly needs. Fulham desperately need to stop conceding so many goals, and so this could feasibly be any player with experience of playing in a back four. Ranieri may have a job on his hands to keep the Cottagers up, but could be just one or two signings away from securing survival.
Fulham - Sell: André-Frank Zambo Anguissa
Fulham signed André-Frank Zambo Anguissa in the summer but it simply hasn’t worked out. He could be sold back to France now and Fulham could look to get back as much of their £30m outlay as possible.
Huddersfield - Buy: Alexandre Guedes
The Vitoria S.C. striker is a well-rounded threat and has scored four goals in the Portuguese top-flight this season. Huddersfield are currently picking Steve Mounie up front, which just won’t be enough if they are to be playing Premier League football next year. If they buy Guedes, they buy some goals.
Huddersfield - Sell: Laurent Depoitre
Laurent Depoitre’s job is to score goals but he hasn’t been able to find the net in 20 appearances this season. If Huddersfield are to pull off a great escape, they’ll need to find a striker and do so fast. Shipping off Laurent Depoitre will increase the limited transfer budget for the Terriers and create space in their squad.
Leicester - Buy: Toni Villa
To put it plainly, Rachid Ghezzal is rubbish. As such, I think Leicester need another winger. Toni Villa has been a key man out wide in Real Valladolid’s campaign this year, and the 23-year-old could stand to blossom into superb attacking threat in the Premier League.
Leicester - Sell: Kelechi Iheanacho
Bar an ageing Jamie Vardy, Leicester don’t have too many goal threats, especially as Kelechi Iheanacho has never really impressed when given a chance. Clubs looking for a striker would likely pay a decent fee for the Nigerian.
Liverpool - Buy: Ryan Sessegnon
The Reds fans would love to see this one! Sessegnon was one of Fulham’s most electrifying players on their promotion charge last season, and even if the 18-year-old hasn’t reached his peak in the Premier League yet, he may well do at Liverpool. A versatile left-sided player, Sessegnon could be a useful signing for Jürgen Klopp.
Liverpool - Sell: Alberto Moreno
Alberto Moreno has already publicly admitted that he’s unhappy with how he’s been treated at Liverpool and with his contract about to expire in the summer, it makes sense for the Reds to cash in. Andy Robertson is the obvious first choice for Liverpool, and the likes of Nathaniel Clyne and James Milner can provide backup if Moreno does leave.
Manchester City - Buy: Ben Chilwell
City’s depth at the left-back position isn’t fantastic (when held to their high standards), and Pep Guardiola is said to be besotted with the Leicester youngster. When City come calling, it’s hard to say no. Will the financial powerhouse snap up yet another young English talent?
Manchester City - Sell: Fabian Delph
City’s squad is so strong that it’s hard to pick any obvious players to be sold. However, the fanbase are less than impressed with Fabian Delph and would like to see an upgrade on the England international.
Manchester United - Buy: Kalidou Koulibaly
Who knows if Ed Woodward is paying any attention to what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants, but it’s hard to imagine him not pining for the colossal Napoli centre-half. A veritable man-mountain, it should be considered that signing him would keep Phil Jones far away from the starting lineup.
Manchester United - Sell: Matteo Darmian
Matteo Darmian’s time at Man United looks to be coming to an end. The full-back hardly gets a sniff of first-team action and a few teams in Italy are interested in him.
Newcastle - Buy: Will Vaulks
If funds are limited, Will Vaulks could be a great option. The Rotherham defensive midfielder is one of the more reliable holding players in the division, and could slot in alongside any of the current Newcastle midfielders to add even more defensive stability to an already secure Magpies back line.
Newcastle - Sell: Jacob Murphy
Jacob Murphy hasn’t delivered the goods for Newcastle and Rafa Benitez is in desperate need of a transfer budget. Selling Murphy to the Championship could allow Benitez to invest in other areas of his squad.
Southampton - Buy: Jordan Torunarigha
You bought one Bundesliga centre back in the summer, so why not go and get another one? The 21-year-old Torunarigha has impressed for Hertha Berlin so far this campaign in the heart of the defence, and is also heavily involved with the German U20 setup. A worthy investment, I would say (looking at Wesley Hoedt here).
Southampton - Sell: Manolo Gabbiadini
It’s crazy to think that Manolo Gabbiadini is on his way out of the exit door at Southampton considering the start he made to his career on the South Coast. However, he hardly gets a look in these days and with teams in Serie A chasing him, he’s likely to return to his homeland this month.
Tottenham - Buy: Abdoulaye Doucoure
This could also read – “Tottenham – Buy ANYONE”. Doucoure has been reaching new heights for Watford this year and the box-to-box presence would provide ample cover for Moussa Dembele whilst the Belgian tries to recover from an ankle injury.
Tottenham - Sell: Victor Wanyama
Totteham’s style has evolved and as such, they don’t need a player like Victor Wanyama anymore. He could fetch a decent fee too.
Watford - Buy: Joris van Overeem
What a great name ‘Joris’ is. Anyway, the FC Utrecht midfielder is a reliable option in the Eredivisie and I wonder if a club famed for developing players like Watford could turn Van Overeem into a Premier League level two-way player. If Doucoure does leave, the 24-year-old could be a superb replacement.
Watford - Sell: Stefano Okaka
Another Italian who could be heading home. Stefano Okaka’s time at Watford looks to be over and he’s likely to move on sooner rather than later.
West Ham - Buy: Morgan Sanson
The Hammers may have spent a lot in the summer, but I would love to see them go and chase Morgan Sanson in January. The Marseille midfielder would be at home at any depth in the middle of the park and would mean Manuel Pellegrini isn’t having to rely on the fitness of Jack Wilshere. Aged 24, Sanson has proven himself hugely important to Marseille this season, so he may not come cheap.
West Ham - Sell: Andy Carroll
West Ham’s recent signings have made huge impacts at the London Stadium and as such, they don’t need to rely on Andy Carroll anymore. He’s probably keen to get back to playing regularly again.
Wolves - Buy: Tammy Abraham
Wolves are said to be eager to sign the striker currently on loan at Aston Villa, not deterred by his sub-par season in the top-flight at Swansea last year. Chelsea are supposedly on the verge of cancelling Abraham’s loan at Villa Park and will then flog him to local rivals Wolves. That really is top rustling.
Wolves - Sell: Leonardo Bonatini
Wolves are clearly in the market for a new striker, with Tammy Abraham their top target. If they get a forward in, then Leonardo Bonatini’s career at Molineux will surely be over.