Where all 20 Premier League clubs should strengthen before the season | Premier League
Arsenal: central midfielder
Declan Rice was worked to the bone by Arsenal last season, playing 4,456 minutes in all competitions. This showed at points during the World Cup, when the midfielder’s body looked on the verge of breaking down. Arsenal need high-quality reinforcements in the centre of the pitch so Rice can occasionally have a rest. Christian Nørgaard struggled to get on to the park last season, with Mikel Arteta seemingly not trusting the former Brentford captain. An extra midfield option could prove crucial to Arsenal retaining their crown.
Aston Villa: left-back
Aston Villa have finished in the top seven for the last four years and they won the Europa League last season. They need more depth in the squad to establish themselves among the Premier League’s elite permanently, but may lose the left-back Lucas Digne to Paris Saint-Germain. Ian Maatsen is a fine player but he cannot play every week in a season that includes a Champions League campaign, hence Villa’s interest in signing Pervis Estupiñán from Milan.
Bournemouth: right-back
Adam Smith is a Bournemouth legend who has made more than 400 appearances for the club but he is 35. Max Aarons and Julián Araujo were signed to replace him but, for one reason or another, things have not worked out for them. And Álex Jiménez has gone out on loan to Fiorentina. Marco Rose needs to make a statement signing at right-back so Smith can finally rest.
Brentford: left-back
Brentford have already addressed their biggest weaknesses, but they could do with an upgrade at left-back. Rico Henry has struggled for fitness and form since suffering a horrific injury three years ago. He played 30 games in all competitions last season but made four errors leading to shots – the joint most of any Brentford player. Reinforcing the left flank would also free up Keane Lewis-Potter to play further forward if Keith Andrews wants to utilise him more on the wing.
Brighton: central midfielder
Brighton will have been planning for James Milner’s retirement and Pascal Gross’s ageing legs for a long time. Only six midfielders over the age of 34 played in the Premier League last season, and two of them did so for Brighton. They are thin in the middle of the park and there’s also the possibility of more departures. Carlos Baleba is frequently linked with a move and Yasin Ayari’s impressive performances at the World Cup may have caught someone’s eye. Nobody scored more goals from outside the penalty area at the tournament than the Sweden midfielder. Brighton could do with someone else in there even if Baleba and Ayari stay.
Chelsea: goalkeeper
Chelsea have spent more than £200m this summer – £117m of it on Morgan Rogers – but still have several problem positions. They seem keen to sign a centre-back and should add depth in central midfield and on the left wing, but a goalkeeper is where the most urgent attention is needed. Robert Sánchez has never truly convinced. Since he joined in August 2023, he ranks second in the Premier League for errors leading to shots (17) and errors leading to goals (seven). Of the worst 10 culprits in both metrics, Sánchez has made the fewest appearances and played the fewest minutes. Mike Penders has arrived from Strasbourg but, at 20, he is one for the future. Xabi Alonso does not want to start his tenure worrying about the reliability of his first-choice goalkeeper.
Coventry: goalkeeper
There are a lot of unknowns for Coventry as they return to the Premier League after 25 years, not least how well the centre-forwards Haji Wright and Ellis Simms will take to leading the line against the best defences in England. But the biggest unknown of all is who will be between the sticks, because Coventry do not have a first-choice goalkeeper. They want to make Carl Rushworth’s loan deal permanent, but have not been able to agree a fee with Brighton. Only Bristol City keeper Radek Vitek (+8.5) prevented more goals with his saves in the Championship last season than Rushworth (+8.2). Without him, there’s a big hole that needs filling.
Crystal Palace: centre-back
Pierre Sage used a back three in all of Lens’ league games last season, so it’s likely that Crystal Palace will continue to employ the 3-4-2-1 formation that served them so well under Oliver Glasner. They will need more depth at centre-back, though. Having lost Marc Guéhi to Manchester City in January, their Premier League win rate last season dropped from 35% with the England international starting to 22.2% without him. Jaydee Canvot is an adequate replacement, but Palace are still short on numbers at the back. If Maxence Lacroix also leaves the club, their need for another centre-back will become even starker.
Everton: right-back
Séamus Coleman’s 17-year stay at Everton has come to an end and Nathan Patterson is also expected to depart, meaning Jake O’Brien is likely to be their only remaining recognised right-back. Well, we say “recognised right-back”, but the consensus among Everton fans is that the hulking Republic of Ireland international is not dynamic or technical enough to be a full-back. James Garner has also filled in there from time to time. It has been a problem position for a while now.
Fulham: centre-forward
Fulham need more players who can score goals. Raúl Jiménez (nine) and Harry Wilson (10) accounted for 19 of their 43 Premier League goals (excluding own goals) last season and they have both left on free transfers. No one else scored more than four league goals last season. More will be expected from Rodrigo Muniz (one goal), Samuel Chukwueze (three goals) and Kevin (one goal), but Fulham clearly need greater depth in attack. Álvaro Arbeloa, the new manager, is keen to sign Gonzalo García from Real Madrid but Fulham need at least two fresh faces.
Hull: wide forward
Hull City desperately need to add a few splashes of quality to their attack. Oli McBurnie has the physicality to lead the line, but the 30-year-old needs players to run off him to be effective. Hull have sold Kyle Joseph to Middlesbrough and have not tried to re-sign Joe Gelhardt after his loan, meaning they are light in attack.
Ipswich: striker
Most promoted sides are let down by a lack of precision in both boxes. By signing Issa Diop, Ipswich have secured a proven defender to play alongside Dara O’Shea. But they need more firepower up front. George Hirst has reached double figures for goals in a season only twice and the £24m signing Emersonn has never scored more than six league goals in a single campaign (though he is only 22). Daizen Maeda is a much-needed addition from Celtic.
Leeds: goalkeeper
Leeds signed Lucas Perri from Lyon last summer for £15.6m in the hope he would solve what had become a problem position. He didn’t. Karl Darlow, originally acquired as backup to Illan Meslier in 2023, ended up playing more games in the league last season. But Darlow then left on a free transfer, ultimately joining Manchester United. Leeds also opted to let Meslier’s contract expire. Their remaining goalkeeper options are Perri, who underwhelmed in his first season, and the 33-year-old Alex Cairns, whose most recent competitive appearance was for Salford in the 2023-24 season. They need another keeper.
Liverpool: right-winger
Mohamed Salah’s final season at Liverpool was his most underwhelming, but he still had a hand in 22 goals across all competitions. In terms of what he achieved in nine years at Anfield, Salah is one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history and close to irreplaceable. His output last season is not irreplaceable, though. A dynamic wide attacker who provides goals and creativity – such as Bradley Barcola – is on the agenda, and Andoni Iraola has a good track record developing such players.
Manchester City: winger
Enzo Maresca has addressed one hole in the Manchester City squad by signing Elliot Anderson, but he could do with another option on the flanks to give City more attacking variety. At the end of last season, City lacked strength in depth on the wing. Antoine Semenyo struggled during the run-in and City did not have a quality replacement to turn to on the bench. Savinho regressed in his second season in England, starting only seven league games and scoring one goal, and Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki are better in the middle.
Manchester United: central midfielder
Michael Carrick’s central midfield options have been enhanced by Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans. It’s a pretty good start, but they need more. If we categorise Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount as No 10s, Manchester United had only three senior central midfielders last season: Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte. Casemiro has joined Inter Miami and Ugarte would probably have left too had he not suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the World Cup that will keep him out for most of the season. United still need an athletic, ball-winning midfielder.
Newcastle: full-back
We could have picked a few positions for Newcastle but have chosen full-back as they need one for each flank or, failing that, someone who can play on both sides of the defence. Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall are two of the best full-backs in the Premier League, but they have had injury problems and Newcastle lack depth now that Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth and Matt Targett have departed. Dan Burn can fill in at left-back but that is not ideal; they have Leo Shahar at right-back but he is an unproven teenager; and Alex Murphy can fill in at left-back but he is more of a central defender.
Nottingham Forest: centre-back
Let’s assume replacing Elliot Anderson is a given for Nottingham Forest. The other area they need reinforcements is centre-back. Oliver Glasner, their new coach, swears by a back three; he lined up with three or five at the back in every game during his two seasons at Crystal Palace. Forest have several centre-backs already – Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato and Jair Cunha, plus a couple of prospects – but bringing in at least one more defender with experience of playing in a back three would not go amiss.
Tottenham: winger
When Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski are fit again, Tottenham will have a couple of good options on the right flank. However, they are not on the club’s pre-season tour to New Zealand and Australia, and may not be available for the start of the season. On the left, Spurs have only Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert, neither of whom can be relied upon for consistent output. Between them, Tel and Odobert racked up just four goals and three assists in a combined 55 league appearances last season. Odobert is also recovering from a serious knee injury and will miss at least the first few months of the season. That leaves Tottenham with almost no options out wide. They need at least one winger.
Sunderland: creative midfielder
After a very busy transfer market last summer and an extremely successful first season back in the top flight, Sunderland have been quieter this time around. That is understandable but, with a first European campaign since 1973 coming up, they need more depth, and that could mean reinforcement across the pitch. They could really do with a little more creativity, having generated just 23.2 expected goals in open play in 38 league games last season – only relegated Burnley and Wolves fared worse.
This is an article by Opta Analyst
