Window Watch: As Newcastle plan a spree, can Man Utd offload dead wood?
Ralf Rangnick, left, and Eddie Howe, right: Looking to build their squads over the January transfer window. Pictures: PA
There's only one thing challenging Christmas, the Covid crisis and St Stephens’s Day fixtures for column inches in Premier League football this year - and that’s the January sales.
The transfer window opens on Saturday, January 1 and closes, for all leagues across Europe, at 11pm on Monday, January 31, and despite the financial impact of the pandemic there are plenty of clubs willing to spend.
Heading that list is Newcastle United following a recent Saudi takeover which means the club suddenly has a transfer kitty to match even the Big Six.
How easy that money is to spend when your team is anchored in the relegation zone is hard to predict, but it certainly spices up the window and creates increased demand in the market.
Manchester United, now under the temporary direction of Ralph Rangnick, also have money to spend as they prepare to build a squad for their next manager, whilst Manchester City were financially buoyant enough to spend €120m on Jack Grealish in the summer. With Ferran Torres set for Barcelona, will they go again for Harry Kane after being turned down last time?
There is added drama in the European market, too, with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe still rumoured to be open to transfers away from Dortmund and PSG with a host of suitors jostling for position.
Here we analyse the situation at all 20 Premier League clubs as the January sales prepare to open....
The Gunners appear to be on a roll but are still searching for a striker to be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s successor. Dusan Vlahovic, with 15 goals in Serie A already this season at Fiorentina is the top target and has just turned down a new contract. But he won’t come cheap – and Arsenal have major rivals for his signature, including Man United. In midfield, Georginio Wijnaldum on loan from PSG would be perfect, but not easy to negotiate. Mikel Arteta says he is building something long-term and wants good characters at a good price.
Aubameyang is an obvious contender having been stripped of the captaincy for breaking club discipline. Eddie Nketiah is out of contract soon, whilst Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Sead Kolasinac and Folarin Balogun aren’t getting game time.
New manager Steven Gerard wants extra creativity plus defensive cover. Dele Alli and Kieran Trippier are his top targets, but their wage demands could be an issue. Villa have also been linked with Divock Origi and Joe Gomez from Liverpool, plus Glen Kamara and Ryan Kent at Rangers.
It may be time for Keinan Davis to move on, whilst Conor Hourihane is out of favour and striker Wesley, out on loan at Brugge, could be sold to raise funds.
The focus is more on keeping a defence which has been Burnley’s bedrock together. James Tarkowski, out of contract in 2022, is linked with a variety of clubs as is Ben Mee. Burley spent their money in the summer and are unlikely to go big again, but a loan for Chelsea’s Ross Barkley is possible.
If Newcastle or West Ham offer stupid money then Tarkowski remains a potential departure. That would be good news for Brentford who have a sell-on clause.
Expect the Bees to be busy in a bid to maintain their promising start. Wing-backs and wide forwards are high on the list – although a move for Brazilian Vanderson at Gremio seems to have collapsed. A centre-half is needed too.
Young striker Marcus Forss needs game time and is being linked with a loan move to the Championship. Forgotten winger Joel Valencia could move on too. Pontus Jansson has been the centre of speculation but prefers to stay.
If any team is crying out for a striker it’s Brighton. For a team with so much possession, they don’t score enough goals from any area of the pitch. But where will they find one in the current market?
It’s a tight squad at the Amex and there’s not much room to move people on, although the Republic of Ireland’s Aaron Connolly could do with a loan move along with young defender Haydon Roberts. Director of Football Dan Ashworth is wanted by Newcastle - would he take players with him?
With Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta all out of contract in the summer, there’s work for Chelsea to do in the market. Juve’s Matthijs de Ligt is a possibility in defence, whilst Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves seems to be a confirmed target, too. Despite signing Romelu Lukaku in the summer, if another striker arrived it wouldn’t be a surprise.
There are players struggling for minutes – not least Ross Barkley and Saul Niguez – and plenty of youngsters to replace them, should they go. If the Blues need to bring in money, then Timo Werner is one to keep an eye on. Man United are keen, as well as clubs in Germany and Italy.
Most of Palace’s work was done in the summer, so don’t expect a big January. Wing-backs are a priority, with Lucas Digne at Everton strongly linked. There’s also talk of a new contract for Wilfried Zaha, which would be even better news for Palace fans.
Jean-Philippe Mateta has been a flop on loan from Mainz, which is a worry considering Palace are due to pay £15m for him once he plays 15 games. The answer? Move him on before he gets there. New boss Patrick Vieira is still assessing his squad, so it may be too early for other departures.
Where do you start? It’s not going well for Rafa Benitez despite all the millions spent already. He needs a creative midfielder, with Philippe Coutinho linked (although the former Liverpool man has been offered to everyone). Aaron Ramsey is another option. Considering Benitez has said he wants the club to sign players ‘who want to be here,’ neither seem that likely.
Lucas Digne is out of favour and likely to be sold, with Vitaliy Mykolenko of Dinamo Kyiv already lined up to replace him. It must be time for striker Cenk Tosun and midfielder Fabian Delph to depart, too.
There’s a need for another forward and central midfielder, given the way that Leeds struggle when Patrick Bamford or Kalvin Phillips are injured, as they have been recently. Marcelo Bielsa doesn’t like to buy in January because it takes too long for players to adapt to his style of play, however. So, nobody is holding their breath.
Leeds aren’t actively looking to offload players, but they may face a battle to keep winger Raphina in the long term. He’s been their outstanding player and big clubs are hovering. Jack Harrison is out of favour and could attract interest.
Given their miserable record at defending corners this season, plus injuries to key players, defenders are top of the list – even if most rumours seem to focus on attacking midfielders.
Amid reports that Youri Tielemans has turned down a new contract, there’s panic amongst Leicester fans about losing him. It’s unlikely to happen in January, though. Timothy Castagne is also wanted by Juventus, but Leicester have the financial muscle to survive without selling for now.
Given the strength of Liverpool’s squad it’s more about waiting for the right person to become available, with Erling Haaland an obvious example. January is not usually the right time for that level of transfer. However, they have been linked with striker Karim Adeymi at Saltzburg, Jude Bellingham at Dortmund and Jarrod Bowen at West Ham. All look like summer deals.
This won’t be a busy window for Liverpool, but defender Nat Phillips has permission to leave, with West Ham and Newcastle interested. There has been speculation over Mo Salah’s future as contract negotiations continue, but Liverpool fans can relax. The Egyptian isn’t going anywhere soon.
What they need: There’s no great urgency for a new signing at City, who are top of the league with the squad they have. Even the media is getting bored of asking when they will sign a striker after yet another four-goal victory. Dusan Vlahovic and Erling Haaland are the contenders for a marquee move, and of course Harry Kane, but City seem relaxed about the timing.
Ferran Torres to Barcelona is on the cards. Oleksandr Zinchenko is another valuable squad man who could go if bids come in. Newcastle are interested (but the Magpies have been linked with just about every player in European football, so don’t read too much into that).
Ralf Rangnick’s first window is going to cause a buzz and United have been linked with a ludicrous number of players amid rumours they have €120m to spend. There’s serious interest in Erling Haaland, and that would be the marquee signing that says United are back. Pulling it off in winter, though, won’t be easy (and will require a bigger budget). The first priority is a midfielder, with Boubacar Kamara at Marseille and Amado Haidara at Leipzig scouted.
It’s a good time to root out some of the under-performers who have been around too long. Antony Martial wants to leave on loan to Sevilla, Jesse Lingard is wanted by Newcastle and West Ham, and Phil Jones needs a fresh start. Edinson Cavani is likely to depart if United bring in a forward, with Barcelona monitoring the situation.
An entire new squad would be handy – but current thinking is that the club’s new Saudi owners will target six players in the window, including loans. They need to bring in quality performers who will adapt quickly, so those with Premier League experience are the targets with money not an issue. Jesse Lingard and Antony Martial from Man United, Joe Rodon from Spurs, James Tarkowski from Burnley, ex-Man City striker Edin Dzeko and England full-back Kieran Trippier are the most persistent rumours. Reports of a big bid for Dusan Vlahovic show Newcastle’s ambition, but also suggest the Magpies are living in cloud cuckoo land.
Midfielder Sean Longstaff and striker Dwight Gayle are available for transfer, with the Championship calling. Others could leave once new arrivals land – but how many saleable assets are there?
The big problem this season for Norwich has been scoring goals, just eight delivered before Christmas. A striker to help out Teemu Pukki, who has five of them, is vital but also a creative midfielder because Emi Buendia, the lynchpin of last season’s promotion side, hasn’t been replaced. Nobody has delivered more than two assists.
Midfielder Todd Cantwell, once highly rated, is strangely out of favour and form. So, if Norwich need to sell in order to buy, he’s an obvious contender. But don’t expect too many departures, the big need is to strengthen the squad.
The Saints did most of their work in the summer and are pretty content with their squad. Much could depend on injuries but the primary target is an attacking midfielder if all goes to plan. A goalkeeper is a long-term requirement, too, with Sam Johnstone at West Brom tipped for a summer free transfer.
Given the pressures of the pandemic, there are unlikely to be many outgoings at St Mary’s. Instead, the primary aim is to hold on to captain James Ward-Prowse who was the subject of speculation in the summer and has had an excellent start to the season. Aston Villa still want him but the England man signed a five-year contract in August, so the Saints look safe.
Antonio Conte wouldn’t have signed at Spurs if there was no money to spend in the market. So, is it time for managing director Fabio Paratici to flex his muscles? Tottenham are focusing most of their efforts on the summer window, but a couple of major arrivals now would boost profile and signal their intentions to other targets. The dream scenario is they bid big to beat Arsenal to Dusan Vlahovic, but Lorenzo Insigne from Lazio is more realistic. A midfielder and winger must surely be a priority.
Dele Alli was top of the list to sell, until he suddenly burst back onto the scene this month. He has admirers, including Newcastle, so it may depend on what bids come in. The same can be said of midfielder Harry Winks.
Watford did an awful lot of business in the summer and normally you’d expect January to be quiet. But will new manager Claudio Ranieri have his own targets? The Hornets look vibrant in attack but need major improvements in defence, and so that’s where the focus will be in the market. Man United centre-back Phil Jones is the latest to be linked as well as Arsenal’s Sead Kolasinac.
Ismaila Sarr has plenty of admirers, including Newcastle. Watford know selling now is dangerous and no player is worth as much as Premier League survival. But if he can be sold early and the money re-invested in January, it might prove attractive.
If the key to progress is strengthening when you’re already strong, then this is a significant window for West Ham. Given their form this season they have a real chance to go for Champions League football, so will the chequebook be opened? Jesse Lingard is an obvious target after how well he did at the London Stadium on loan last season, and a striker to support Michail Antonio would be ideal. It’s also their last chance to snap up James Tarkowski from Burnley before he’s available on a free in the summer, and the whole world starts bidding. With Angelo Ogbonna injured, this may be a priority.
Winger Jarron Bowen has been linked with Liverpool, but it would be a huge surprise if the Hammers sanctioned a move at this stage. Even loan deals are unlikely with Covid absences requiring a bigger squad.
There’s been real signs of improvement under Bruno Lage and Wolves are ambitious enough to want to strengthen. They love a Portuguese signing, and midfielder Renato Sanches from Lille is tipped to be the next.
There’s nobody Wolves want to offload, but they do have players coveted by other clubs. Chelsea would like Ruben Neves, Newcastle like Conor Coady whilst Liverpool and Spurs like Rayan Ait-Nouri. But the Wanderers won’t be a pushover in negotiations. Chelsea might be the hardest to turn down.
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