smarterscout SPECIAL REPORT: Premier League transfer targets
No one knows when the next Premier League transfer window will open and shut, but when it does there's sure to be a huge scramble for talent. Clubs will want to come storming into the new season to make up the revenue they've lost because of the pandemic. The best way to do that is with the perfect new signing. So who should get the call?
To come up with this list, we first used the "Search by club" tool available to our Pro users to find the weaknesses at each club. Then we used the other search tools to find similar players to the ones who might leave ("Search by similar player"), players whose metrics were improvements on the ones being replaced ("Search by metrics"), or just players who fit the desired profile (smartersearch). Just for fun, let's look at the table from the bottom to the top:
20. Norwich. Whatever happens in their relegation battle, the Canaries are likely to lose Emiliano Buendia to a wealthier club. To fill in, they'll need another aggressive passer who's also an avid defender – and without breaking the bank. The answer might be Sivasspor's Emre Kilinc, the Turkish international who's out of contract in the summer. He's left-footed, unlike Buendia, but can play on both sides and is more effective in attack at RW.
19. Aston Villa. As we wrote recently, it's not over yet... but the problems with Villa's defending are systemic, making relegation unfortunately quite likely. Jack Grealish won't stick around to play in the Championship, so the Villans will need a number 8/10 player who dribbles and passes towards goal. Look no further than Reading's John Swift, the former Chelsea prospect who's still only 24:
18. Bournemouth. Aaron Ramsdale hasn't been the most reliable shot-stopper, but other clubs may still be interested because of his youth and admirable qualities as an outfield player. If that problem takes care of itself, a more important move may be finally to cut Dominic Solanke loose and find a more effective young striker. Solanke's attacking output is mediocre, but that's not such a concern at his age. More worryingly, he's among the weakest finishers in open play in the Premier League. So why not upgrade with a relatively affordable option like Salzburg's Patson Daka, who excelled in Erling Braut Haland's shadow? Or if a bit more risk is acceptable to lower the price, Blackburn's Ben Brereton might fit the bill. Both are smarterscout young prospects.
17. Watford. It's time to cash in on Troy Deeney, who'll be 32 soon and would still have plenty of value in a league like the China Super League or MLS. A much younger CF who's good in the air, likes a pass, and is active as a defender is Ollie McBurnie. He'd get more minutes at Watford than at Sheffield United, so perhaps he'd give up a chance at European glory for living large in London?
16. West Ham. Mark Noble said it himself in an interview with talkSPORT – the club can no longer rely on him the way they did in his younger years. So where can West Ham find another deep-lying jack-of-all-trades in attack? Surprisingly, in California. Jackson Yueill of the San Jose Earthquakes is one of the most promising American midfielders, and his style is almost identical to the way Noble played back in 2016-17, which was one of his best seasons. Yueill is excellent both ways in ground duels, though he can't compare to Noble as a finisher:
15. Brighton. Glenn Murray is 36. Aaron Connolly is 20. The Seagulls need someone besides Neal Maupay who's able to contribute a little more week in, week out – even better if it's a player who can offer something different while still fitting into Graham Potter's high ball retention style. To make things easy, they could go back to Brentford for Maupay's former teammate Ollie Watkins. He's become more of a pure striker but is still a prolific link-up passer – and a great finisher in open play to boot. Another versatile option, especially for a club that's a fan of the Belgian league, is Siebe Schrijvers at Bruges.
14. Southampton. The Saints' style has changed markedly under Ralph Hasenhuttl, and they need a goalkeeper who can move the ball up the pitch quickly... and also stop shots better than Angus Gunn and Alex McCarthy, who are both especially weak on headers. An exciting option would be Dominik Livakovic, the 25-year-old Croatian international, at Dinamo Zagreb. His outstanding shot-stopping has been one reason why Dinamo have dominated the Prva Liga this season, with just six goals allowed and 14 clean sheets in his 19 starts, many of them as captain.
13. Newcastle. Signing Valentino Lazaro on loan in January with an option to buy was a solid move for the Magpies. They needed more quality in wide positions, optimally a player who could perform as a wide midfielder or an out-and-out winger. But Lazaro and Allan Saint-Maximin can't paper over the Toon's lack of a quality striker. For all the talk about Joelinton's value in the air and as a passer, those qualities might also be available in another player with higher attacking output... for example, in Paul Onuachu or Jean-Pierre Nsame. Genk's Onuachu is no better at finishing than Joelinton, but he does get a lot more shots off. Nsame is an outstanding finisher in open play but has had a riskier style at Young Boys. Pick your poison:
12. Everton. As we wrote earlier, the Toffees need a dedicated DM who can clear things up in front of the back line and also happens to have impeccable ball retention. Even though Jean-Philippe Gbamin has apparently returned from injury, he doesn't seem to be the answer. If they can swing it, Teun Koopmeiners – captain at AZ Alkmaar – would probably fit the bill and the ethos of the club. And did we mention he could score? As an alternative, with Vicente Iborra now preferred to Andre-Franck Anguissa at Villarreal, Everton could try to secure the Cameroonian international's services providing the Spanish club decide not to exercise their option to buy him from Fulham.
11. Crystal Palace. Palace just keep on doing what they do... grinding out results with an absolute minimum of glitz. But given the failure of Max Meyer and Andros Townsend to make an impact this season, they could use some help up front, particularly if it removes any temptation to play Jordan Ayew at RW. With Ayew operating centrally or at LW and Wilfried Zaha anywhere across the line, who could play alongside? Optimally it would be someone with a cross in him who's also an avid defender like Ayew. Calvin Stengs would be the dream transfer, but if he's not keen on Southeast London then the Eagles could try to prise Filip Kostic away from Eintracht Frankfurt or Jack Harrison from promotion-bound Leeds.
10. Burnley. Ashley Westwood has been a loyal servant of Lord Dyche of Kettering, but he doesn't offer the same tenaciousness as a defender as most of the other Clarets. A player who does – and who can pass the ball up the pitch quickly the way Dyche expects – is Julien de Sart at Kortrijk. Plus, he's already experienced in English football – even Northern English football – thanks to his stints at Derby and Middlesbrough (and fortunately that warning badge is for him at DM, not CM):
9. Arsenal. The king is not dead, but rather somewhat withdrawn, and maybe he's more of a sultan, anyway. Mesut Ozil's time at the Emirates is surely drawing to a close, at age 31 with a year left on his contract. So who can become the Gunners' new playmaker? On whom could they depend the way they did on Ozil's mercurial passing gifts for so many years? We searched high and low in our database and couldn't find many players ready to step up to the challenge. Stengs could probably do the job, though it might be a waste of his speed not to play him in a wider position. Martin Odegaard would be an excellent option, providing Real Madrid were willing to let him go (and if so, they'd probably prefer that he left Spain). Or, for a more speculative project, they could take a look at Bologna's teenage smarterscout young prospect Emanuel Vignato, who's having his breakout season at Chievo Verona.
8. Tottenham. With the departure of Christian Eriksen, Spurs find themselves in a similar situation to Arsenal's. They haven't replaced their main playmaker, and even recent signing Steven Bergwijn is out injured. They'll probably join the Odegaard sweepstakes if they can, but if that doesn't work they might want to consider Brentford's Mathias Jensen. He's Danish, too! If not, they could try for Gladbach's Florian Neuhaus.
7. Sheffield United. Chris Wilder has tuned his machine so well that it's hard to find a player who doesn't fit in like a perfectly aligned gear or camshaft. There's room for improvement in a couple of areas, though. Clearly the Blades might like to have a more outstanding player among their rotating committee of strikers. But signing one may be tough precisely because there are so many strikers already in the squad with well defined roles. We might suggest looking for an attacking improvement on George Baldock at RM/RWB, and Marcel Sabitzer of Leipzig could be just the ticket. Plus, he already looks good in red and white.
6. Wolves. Nuno Espirito Santo has also done an excellent job making the pieces fit together, yet there's one issue in need of his attention. Leandro Dendoncker's current positioning in Premier League play, straddling the midfield line, doesn't seem to suit him. He was much more effective playing further forward in the Europa League this season and domestically last season. Jorge Mendes might want to look into Andrey at Vasco de Gama, who shows shades of a young Paulinho. But for a more immediate fix, a player who does excel in the position Dendoncker's been given – and is much more mobile – is Donny van de Beek:
5. Manchester United. They've pretty much solved one problem with the arrival of Bruno Fernandes, but there's another one lurking on the back line. Injuries and inconsistency have plagued the central partnership in particular, and we think it's time to admit that Victor Lindelof may not be Premier League quality. For a ball-playing CB upgrade who can still offer a mix of passing and dribbling, why not plump for Edmond Tapsoba?
4. Chelsea. We don't know what happened to Kepa when he sailed across the Bay of Biscay and hopped the train to London. Maybe he left a bunch of saves in the first-class compartment. Regardless, Chelsea need a better shot-stopper who can do a lot of link-up play. If they can send Kepa back to Spain, they'll be looking for a new GK with a future, too. That's Alex Meret at Napoli – a shot-stopping prodigy who's only 23.
3. Leicester. Harvey Barnes has been a revelation for the Foxes this season. He's not the greatest finisher, but apart from that he's got everything you'd want from a winger in attack. Ayoze Perez has been steady enough when he's played on the right, but his more natural position is coming inside. So is there a mirror image of Barnes at RW? We'd suggest a couple of teenage prodigies who would fit snugly under Brendan Rodgers's (right) wing: Isaac Atanga and Adam Hlozek:
2. Manchester City. There's more than one club in Manchester with a problem at CB. Fernandinho has been an excellent stopgap, but it's time to get serious about a position that the men in blue have struggled to fill. Aymeric Laporte and John Stones ought to be the everyday starters at LCB and RCB, respectively, but neither has shown the durability or consistency required. So at LCB, the club might want to consider an excellent possession player like Diego Llorente, who moved to Real Sociedad from Real Madrid for just €7m in 2017, or perhaps Dayot Upamecano of Leipzig, if they fancy a bidding war. On the right, Ruben Dias is a smarterscout young prospect who's been having a very good season at Benfica – and it just so happens that his technical director, Pedro Marques, used to be global lead for football performance at City Football Group.
1. Liverpool. Obviously Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah are the main guys up front for the Reds, but after the top three they're a bit thin. Takumi Minamino hasn't made much of an impact yet, and Divock Origi – despite his legendary performance in last season's Champions League – has never been a reliable option in the league. The club need someone who can truly compete as a winger or striker... and that man, to no one's surprise, is Timo Werner. Mach es fertig, Jurgen! Or rather, get it done, Michael! We'll leave you with the pure majesty of these numbers:
[Photo: Steffen Proessdorf]
