One player every club needs to complete their line up this season.
So far this summer most Premier League club’s have been active in a transfer market that has been boosted (or inflated) by the World Cup. Many have already equipped their sides with exactly what they need, whilst others continue to search for the perfect addition to their sides. Below is a list of players that each Premier League club (Side’s M-W anyway) need to sign to help complete their assault on a league that is growing ever more difficult.
Manchester City
What They Need:
An experienced centre-back that still has plenty of miles left on the clock. Though Martin Demichelis grew into his role at the tail end of last season his patchy early form and Vincent Kompany’s injury problems meant that City were vulnerable at the back.
Ideal Man:
Raul Albiol. The former Real Madrid man has the right blend of age and experience to suit City’s purposes, and regular action in their first team would stand him in good stead to win back his spot in the Spanish national team.
Who they’ve been linked with:
Manchester United
What They Need:
Some guts and creativity in the middle. United were too easily overrun in the centre of midfield last season as Marouane Fellaini failed to live up to expectation and though they have the resources to fill their wide positions it is in the centre that they require immediate attention. Centre-backs are also welcome.
Ideal Man:
Arturo Vidal. The Juventus star is one of the world’s finest central midfielders and should he become available United cannot, and will not, waste any time in bringing him to the club. His passing and vision is better than anything they have now and he wouldn’t be so prone to mistake as others in the side currently are.
Who they’ve been linked with:
Newcastle United
What They Need:
A creative wide player that can replace what they will soon lose with Hatem Ben Arfa.
Ideal Man:
Wilfried Zaha. The United youngster still has a bright future, and away from one of the country’s major cities he won’t have the same kind of distractions to keep derailing his progress. Young and hungry, he still has a lot to prove and ding so at a club with something to prove would ensure that all are pulling in the same direction.
Who they’ve been linked with:
Queens Park Rangers
What They Need:
An experienced central midfielder that has been there and done it in the Premier League. capable of leading by example as well as uniting the dressing room when needs be.
Ideal Man:
A Kevin Nolan figure – popular amongst players and fans alike. Still with bags of ability and would not be out of the realms of possibility, however, ‘Arry will probably splash out £15m on a name discovered swirled down on the back of a cigarette packet before leaving mid-season saying he never had a chance.
Who they’ve been linked with:
Southampton
What They Need:
Everything. The Saints’ squad has been decimated this summer in all positions besides in goal. Luckily, they have money to spend and a manager that (hopefully) knows how to spend it.
Ideal Man:
Martin Kelly. The Reds youngster would fit right in to the same ethos that the club have been pursuing with their youth policies and he would be a direct replacement for the departed Luke Shaw.
Who they’ve been linked with:
Stoke City
What They Need: Young creative players that will make the side exciting to watch now that there has been a sea change in terms of tactics and style at the Britannia.
Ideal Man:
Bojan. The Barca youth product has failed to live up to his promise at some of Europe’s biggest and best, now while that doesn’t make him a bad player, it does mean that perhaps he just isn’t as good as everybody originally hoped. However, at Stoke the pressure would be off, and he could concentrate on doing what he does best.
Who they’ve been linked with:
Sunderland
What They Need: Gus Poyet needs to offload a lot of the deadwood that Paolo Di Canio signed and subsequently left him with. All positions ideally need strengthening and it could be a very busy summer at the Stadium of Light.
Ideal Man:
Kurt Zouma. The young Frenchman is highly-rated but still needs some time to develop in the Premier League. With that in mind the two could help each other out over the course of the campaign.
Who they’ve been linked with:
Swansea City
What They Need:
Now that Michu has departed for Napoli the club are in need of some creative firepower to replace him. With Bony set to follow the Spaniard out the door they have moved to cover themselves by bringing in Bafetimbi Gomis from Lyon.
Ideal Man:
Scott Sinclair. The only time Sinclair looked anywhere near his best was while he was at the Liberty Stadium. He is set to leave the Etihad this summer and Garry Monk would do well to move quickly to bring him on board.
Who they’ve been linked with:
Scott Sinclair
Jefferson Montero
Tottenham Hotspur
What They Need:
Full-backs and strikers. Defenders in wide positions are in short supply at White Heart Lane and the less said about their strikers the better.
Ideal Man:
Ben Davies. Spurs have had a lot of success with signing young Welshmen in the past and Davies looks as though he could be the latest in a long line of newly found talent in the hills and valleys.
Who they’ve been linked with:
West Bromwich Albion
What They Need:
Everything. Albion’s squad is dangerously low on numbers as well as quality in all departments.
Ideal Man:
Jack Rodwell. The England hopeful would likely come on board on loan, but he would add some serious presence in the middle of the park.
Liked With:
West Ham United
What They Need:
Strikers. Last season the club were left with just Carlton Cole and a half-fit Andy Carroll (once he’d returned) to score their goals and at times the club were even forced to line up without someone leading the line.
Ideal Man:
Somebody like Darren Bent. The 30-year-old is a proven goalscorer and with the creative talent in the midfield that Sam Allardyce can now utilise his numbers would likely tun into double figures.
Liked With: