If we thought the EPL was exciting, the incoming transfer window looks even better.
There are several Premier league teams vying for a slice of the player market. Gone are the days of the big four clubs. Now there are have close to ten English clubs on the hunt for talent.
Leicester
Firstly, we have an exciting team in Leicester, looking to hold onto their stars, while adding depth to their squad. Next season the club will be not only defending their title, attempting to bring off another fairytale in the Champions league.
Who they sign is anyone’s guess. The likes of Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante and Jamie Vardy seemingly came from nowhere. Will the club uncover a new star or rely on experienced veterans. Leicester will probably buy proven Premier League players who have shown consistency throughout their career.
They must spend money, and with the cash coming in from qualifying for the Champions League they’ll have cashed-up kitty this summer.
Leicester may look to buy Danny Ings, should Liverpool get another striker. A high energy player, Ings has the capability to be a good back-up to Vardy.
Alternatively, they could invest in Fulham’s Moussa Dembélé whose potentially the next big striker in the EPL.
They’ll need to buy another box-to-box midfielder, perhaps look to bring in a player like Nabil Bentaleb who is unlikely to leave Spurs, but a player of that calibre is required now for Leicester.
Steven Caulker’s career has seemingly hit a brick wall after being touted as a England defender. Leicester could pick him up for cheap. Considering his potential, he could prove to be an excellent buy.
Spurs
Spurs arguably have the most well rounded team in England. They have a great deal of depth, though they need support for Harry Kane.
The appeal of Champions League football will attract quality players to Spurs, though it looks unlikely that Mauricio Pochettino will ‘splash around the cash’.
He has built his reputation on developing young, home-grown players at Southampton and now Spurs, evident with the rise of Harry Kane and Deli Alli.
Expect Spurs to be linked with Saido Berahino. Despite having a rather dull season, he proven potential and would be a good back-up starter should Kane get injured.
Spurs will most likely buy another centre-back, Despite having Eric Dier who has proven his worth as a defensive midfielder. Pochettino should look at securing the Southampton pair, Fonte or Van Dijk, two solid centre-backs.
Liverpool
This will the Klopp’s first proper transfer window and he’s got an excellent opportunity to shape his squad.
Klopp’s known for his quick counter-attacking football, based on smart, fast players. However, he recently stated that he’s trying to play possession football.
He will probably give a greater starting role to Jordan Ibe, a good young player who has already been exposed to Klopp’s style.
Expect Klopp to offload Christian Benteke and perhaps even Daniel Sturridge. He fits Klopp’s style, but his injury woes could prove costly. Klopp may be better off investing in a new striker.
Liverpool still have Ings to come back from injury, and Divock Origi who has flourished under Klopp. His call on Sturridge will largely determine much of Liverpool’s summer trade activity.
Liverpool may sign Alex Lacazette from Lyon, he could also buy Berahino should they need another striker, or Klopp may decide to keep Origi and sign another striker to provide competition.
Klopp has a tough dilemma. He inherited two quality attacking midfielders in Phil Coutinho and Roberto Firmino. Klopp has historically played with two wide wingers. Yet his current squad suits a formation with two attacking midfielders in a 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree structure.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Klopp signs Sadio Mane, an excellent winger and attacking midfielder with goal scoring potential. He may also bring in Ilkay Gundogan to add quality to the central midfield. In light of his lack of first team action, Klopp may be reunited with Gotze.
Should the Reds need another centre-back, with Mats Hummels officially going to Bayern, they could get a bargain with a cut-price star, perhaps Medhi Benatia.
Klopp will most likely look to Germany for another keeper. The Germans have become renowned for producing quality keepers. Bernd Leno is a quality young talent, but perhaps Klopp may look to a more experienced keeper in Rene Adler.
Manchester City
Arguably the most interesting team to watch this summer is Manchester City, with a huge transfer kitty and an incoming Pep Guardiola to whet fans’ appetites.
Guardiola, like Pochettino, has a reputation of developing home grown talent. He has introduced several youth players into the Bayern first team such as Josh Kimmich.
Expect Guardiola to sell Wilfried Bony and put his faith in Kelechi Iheanacho. City already has a strong attacking third with Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, and Raheem Sterling.
But City’s midfield will be revamped by Guadiola. Yaya Toure’s work rate is starting to decline and Fernandinho remains as the only genuine class centre midfielder.
Guardiola could surprise by bringing Thiago from Bayern. City needs a class defensive midfielder to dictate the tempo of the game, in the manner of Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso.
Guardiola may go after Javi Martinez to fill the role. He currently plays under Guardiola at Bayern, and despite injury problems would be a good signing for City.
Expect Guardiola to bring in two new full-backs.
Guardiola may invest in English players to fill these roles, as City needs to recruit more home grown players to meet the required registration quota.
Manchester United
With Jose Mourinho likely to take over at the Old Trafford, United fans are expecting things to turn around quickly, starting with the summer transfer market.
United should look to bolster their depth at centre-back. Despite playing well, Daley Blind is not a long-term proposition. It would not be surprising if Wayne Rooney moved to China in a big money move. It would free up the wage bill and bring in around ₤30 million.
The clubs owners, the Glazers, have made it clear they will make available to the manager a large transfer budget. However, spending a lot of money is not necessarily the wisest move for the club.
This summer they just need add depth to have a squad capable of challenging for the title. Who they buy is anyone’s guess. the club is linked with every player under the sun. Who knows, the club might actually land Cristiano Ronaldo this year.
United can learn a lot from their recent transfer windows. What the club must avoid is buying players simply because they were available. The cases of Marouane Fellaini and Angel Di Maria come immediately to mind.
Arsenal
Arsene Wenger will do what he does best, and that’s not spend money. He buys the players which he believes will benefit the team.
He’ll only buy a new striker if the right player emerges for the right price. He might pounce on Karim Benzema if Madrid choose to sell, but don’t expect Wenger him to fork out ₤60 million on him.
Wenger may also choose to buy Sturridge if Liverpool decide to sell their injury-prone star.
However, with their current injury woes it would be unwise for Wenger to spend on another star who will sit on the physio table for half the season.
Arsenal will probably buy an extra centre back. Perhaps they may try to poach Raphael Varane or Marquinhos.
Both are excellent players with a French connection, which is an attraction to Wenger.
However, they are likely to be sold for big money, so Wenger will probably miss out on both.
Chelsea
Despite their lacklustre season, you really can’t see how they could improve their squad. They have over 30 talented players on loan, so the depth of talent is exceptional.
Conte will likely invest in his defence and buy another experience centre back to cover for John Terry. He might also buy a right back to replace Brani Ivanovic, who’s over 30 and in decline.
The difficulty will be holding all their stars without the incentive of Champions League football.
With so much money floating around, this looks like the most exciting transfer window to date.
However, with so much competition for players will their prices become inflated? Will we see the price of English players sky-rocket yet again, only time will tell.
Who do you think these clubs will buy?
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