\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s almost time for the madness of another transfer window, but which clubs will be going into the 2026 window looking to rectify mistakes of 2025?<\/p>\n
Plenty of money was spent last summer, some wisely, some wastefully. Across the Premier League, many clubs still have unresolved issues that they had expected to fix last year.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve ranked 10 transfer mistakes from 2025 that need rectifying in 2026 and we\u2019ve somehow managed without mentioning Spurs, since their problems stretch much further than their transfer mistakes. Also, they might not be a Premier League club next season\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Nottingham Forest deployed their customary scattergun approach to the summer transfer window, in some cases signing multiple players in the same position.<\/p>\n
Some were bound to get left behind. Among those who have been most severely starved of game time is James McAtee, who was seeking a platform to make a name for himself away from Manchester City. The name of \u2018Cole Palmer\u2019 was evoked more than once.<\/p>\n
The attacking midfielder has only started one Premier League game for Forest since his move, and that was in September.<\/p>\n
McAtee had plenty of suitors in England and abroad last summer. It\u2019s hard to say he chose the right one. Still only 23, McAtee has time to make up for what has been a wasted year.<\/p>\n
Leaving Forest might be the only way to achieve that; he can only hope he still has a few alternative suitors in the queue.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
After helping Burnley win promotion from the Championship, James Trafford became an in-demand goalkeeper.<\/p>\n
The subject of bids from Newcastle United and Manchester City, Trafford opted to return to the latter, where he had been developed in the academy.<\/p>\n
Little did he know that City would soon jump at the chance to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain as a replacement for Ederson.<\/p>\n
In hindsight, Newcastle would have been the better choice for Trafford. Looking to move on from the Nick Pope era, Newcastle would have theoretically offered him far more starting opportunities and the chance to be a long-term No. 1.<\/p>\n
They could yet have a vacancy again in the summer depending on what happens after Aaron Ramsdale\u2019s loan from Southampton, but Trafford will have a wider range of suitors.<\/p>\n
City may want him to bide his time, but Donnarumma is only a few years older and represents quite the (massive) obstacle. Trafford can\u2019t allow himself to become trapped for any longer than necessary.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
If Arsenal bottle it and fail to win the league title<\/strong> from here, it will be another summer of questions about what they need to change to take the next step (again).<\/p>\n The centre-forward role was the popular answer last year, which led to the signing of Viktor Gyokeres after his 54-goal season with Sporting CP.<\/p>\n Nobody would have reasonably expected Gyokeres to get near those numbers for Arsenal, so he hasn\u2019t been a complete disaster of a signing, but those who were initially sceptical of the former Brighton man might have been onto something.<\/p>\n His hold-up play has been lacking this season, while his tally of 12 goals in the league is respectable but underwhelming.<\/p>\n At the age of 27, Arsenal hoped they had found a striker set to enjoy his prime at the Emirates. But a centre-forward could be on their shopping list again this summer if they aren\u2019t convinced. Julian Alvarez, anyone?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n A lot could be said about Trent Alexander-Arnold\u2019s decision to leave his boyhood club Liverpool for Real Madrid, where he has suffered from injury issues and been part of a trophy-avoiding side.<\/p>\n Alexander-Arnold\u2019s decision could easily be regrettable, while Madrid themselves will have some doubts if they signed the right kind of long-term successor to Dani Carvajal (who was caught mocking Trent this week<\/strong>).<\/p>\n But arguably the bigger misstep was in how Liverpool replaced Alexander-Arnold. Or didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Many of their signings have struggled this season, contributing to a feeble title defence, but you can understand why they went for players like Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.<\/p>\n At surface level, Jeremie Frimpong had his appeal too. Liverpool needed a right-back who could replace Alexander-Arnold\u2019s output and Frimpong was one of the best available.<\/p>\n But the Dutchman was used to playing as a wing-back for Bayer Leverkusen, a role redundant in Arne Slot\u2019s system.<\/p>\n Frimpong has sometimes been forced to play as a winger, which opens up the question of whether Liverpool need a more natural right-back. It wouldn\u2019t be the most glamorous signing, but it might be among the most necessary.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Everton\u2019s hit rate from last summer\u2019s transfer window doesn\u2019t look too high; \u00a335m man Tyler Dibling remains goalless and former Bayern Munich prospect Adam Aznou has been unused in the Premier League.<\/p>\n But the big concern will be whether \u00a326m striker signing Thierno Barry is good enough to lead their line for the long term.<\/p>\n Barry took until December to open his account in the Premier League and has only added five more, while Beto is Everton\u2019s top scorer this season, but isn\u2019t the most convincing and is approaching the final year of his contract.<\/p>\n Everton\u2019s striker search is far from over<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Only Liverpool know why they left it so late to try and sign Marc Guehi last summer, but it\u2019s fair to say that the plan backfired.<\/p>\n Liverpool were left empty handed<\/strong> when Crystal Palace failed to secure their own replacement in time, before selling Guehi to Manchester City in January.<\/p>\n Liverpool can\u2019t rectify their mistake of not finalising the Guehi signing by signing Guehi himself this summer, but they can\u2019t ignore their need to strengthen at centre-back.<\/p>\n Jeremy Jacquet is on his way from Rennes, but he hasn\u2019t played since January due to injury. Liverpool may well need another centre-back, especially with Virgil van Dijk turning 35 this summer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n After dropping Illan Meslier for Karl Darlow for the run-in that led to their promotion from the Championship last season, Leeds made Lucas Perri their record goalkeeper signing in the summer.<\/p>\n But Daniel Farke has found himself turning to Darlow again for most of the second half of this season, with Perri earning his appreciation for his efforts on their run to the FA Cup semi-finals but falling short of the standards they were hoping to see in the Premier League.<\/p>\n With Meslier and Darlow due to become free agents this summer, Leeds will be looking at the goalkeeper market anyway, but there\u2019s a growing feeling that they might need to spend on a new first-choice keeper again.<\/p>\n Where that leaves Perri, after the amount they invested in him, remains to be seen.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n There were many questions about whether Chelsea really needed two more wingers when they signed Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens last summer.<\/p>\n Given their performance levels since, there\u2019s unlikely to be so many doubts this year about whether it\u2019s a position they need to upgrade again.<\/p>\n Garnacho has only scored one Premier League goal for Chelsea and Gittens is yet to get off the mark; they may both only be 21, but Chelsea are not a club whose decision-makers are brimming with patience.<\/p>\n Our colleagues at TEAMtalk are reporting that Chelsea have made signing a new left winger a priority<\/strong> for the summer.<\/p>\n The signing of Liam Delap up front hasn\u2019t worked out either, but the more promising form of Joao Pedro should lessen the need for centre-forward to become an area to rectify.<\/p>\n Never say never on that front, but Chelsea focusing their energy on options for the wing is far more sensible. Not that Chelsea ever really do sensible.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Few Premier League players have endured as much of a wasted year as Harvey Elliott.<\/p>\n Hoping to establish himself as a regular top-flight starter away from Liverpool, he joined Aston Villa on loan. He has since featured in just four Premier League games, never for more than 45 minutes.<\/p>\n Villa have been hesitant to use Elliott too much due to a clause that would force them to buy him<\/strong> if he played in a certain number of games. As such, he has been stuck.<\/p>\n Whose was the mistake? Elliott\u2019s for choosing Villa? Villa\u2019s for signing a player they weren\u2019t fully convinced by? Liverpool\u2019s for putting a clause in that has actually hampered Elliott\u2019s development?<\/p>\n What\u2019s now clear is that the 23-year-old badly needs to find a new club this summer. Leeds United may return\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Newcastle were intent on getting a huge fee for Alexander Isak if they had to sell him to Liverpool, and in turn they knew they risked being held to ransom for their replacement targets once selling clubs got wind of just how much money they had to burn.<\/p>\n Thus, \u00a369m was spent on Nick Woltemade and \u00a355m on Yoane Wissa. Sometimes it feels like it may as well have gone down the drain.<\/p>\n Woltemade showed some promise early on, but Wissa was ruled out until December due to injury. Between them, they have only scored eight Premier League goals this season. And combining their tallies is generous to Wissa, who was responsible for just one.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Eddie Howe has struggled to work out Woltemade\u2019s best position. Is he a #9 or a #10? If it\u2019s the latter, it only heightens the need for Newcastle to start over in their search for a worthy Isak successor.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t for want of trying. They had plenty of strikers on their shortlist last summer, but kept facing rejection.<\/p>\n The landscape of the striker market will look different this year, but Newcastle need to find someone to get them firing again. Their \u00a355m winger signing Anthony Elanga has flopped too.<\/p>\n TEAMtalk are now reporting that Wissa is up for sale<\/strong> after just one year at St. James\u2019 Park. Woltemade may be granted a stay of execution, but he isn\u2019t looking like the striker Newcastle need either. Back into the market it is\u2026<\/p>\n <\/div>\n7) Liverpool replacing Alexander-Arnold<\/h2>\n
6) Everton\u2019s striker search<\/h2>\n
5) Liverpool failing to sign Guehi<\/h2>\n
4) Leeds looking for a No. 1<\/h2>\n
3) Chelsea\u2019s left winger chase<\/h2>\n
2) Harvey Elliott finding his post-Liverpool platform<\/h2>\n
1) Newcastle adequately replacing Isak<\/h2>\n