With less than two months remaining until the 2025 winter transfer window, most Premier League sides have had a decent look on the overall make-up of their respective squads and will be looking to address some of the positions that need further strengthening.
In this article, we take a look at the remaining Premier League teams alphabetically and one position they each need to reinforce during the January transfer window.
Leicester City: Forward
Jack Clarke
According to reports from the summer, Leicester City were watching the situation of Ipswich Town left-winger Jack Clarke. However, the 2015/16 Premier League champions opted instead to bring in a combination of Jordan Ayew and Bobby De-Cordova Reid in competition for Stephy Mavididi.
One thing Leicester City have struggled with on the attack is retaining the ball under immense pressure in the final third. They have been guilty of often giving the ball away due to misplaced passes and failure to beat opponents and get crosses in. This is exactly what Clarke does exceptionally, and that is why the 23-year-old winger is being pursued by the Foxes.
Clarke is a graduate of the Leeds United academy, having left for Tottenham Hotspur before performing well recently for Sunderland ahead of moving to the Tractor Boys.
Liverpool: Forward
Jean-Philippe Mateta
The talented Frenchman has shone at Crystal Palace in recent months, particularly towards the end of last season as he showed some prolific form.
The Reds could perhaps do well to sign someone like Mateta as an upgrade on Darwin Núñez, who has blown hot and cold for much of his time at Anfield.
There are reports of a hiccup in the Frenchman’s contract negotiations. Mateta’s current contract with the Eagles is due to expire in the summer of 2026, so this could be a worrying development for the club.
It remains to be seen if Palace feel they can afford to give Mateta the pay rise he’s asking for, which could perhaps work in Liverpool’s favour as that kind of money surely wouldn’t be as much of an issue for them.
Manchester City: Defensive Midfielder
Alan Varela
According to recent reports, Manchester City are looking for some cover for Rodri, and their interest has emerged in Porto’s Alan Varela. The 23-year-old joined the Portuguese club in the summer of 2023 after an impressive spell at Boca Juniors.
Varela is a deep-lying combative midfielder. He is not as well-endowed in possession as Rodri, but he understands his role as a tempo-setter very well and rarely gives the ball away. He impressed in the Champions League last season, helping take Porto all the way to a penalty shootout in the last 16 against Arsenal. Varela is rumoured to have a release clause of €70 million, which is well within City’s capabilities.
Varela’s strengths off the ball could help City tighten up at the back. With Rodri absent for the season, Pep Guardiola’s side have looked porous at the back and have just two Premier League clean sheets.
Manchester United: Left-back
Federico Dimarco
Another left-back that United have recently been linked with is Inter Milan’s Federico Dimarco. The Italian is also capable of playing on the wing and has caught the Red Devils’ eyes with his recent performances.
Injury issues have prevented Dimarco from having a significant impact in this season’s UEFA Champions League, but he has started every game in the Serie A, scoring one goal and producing a further two assists. He would suit Ruben Amorim’s style of play seamlessly.
Also read: One position every Premier League team need to address — Part 1
Newcastle United: Centre-back
Marc Guéhi
After an impressive end to the season under Oliver Glasner at Palace and a good Euro 2024 campaign, Guéhi was a man in demand, and when interest from Tyneside started making headlines, many were excited about the prospect of him playing in black-and-white. That excitement continued throughout August, until the final days of the window when it became clear Guéhi would remain at Selhurst Park.
Guéhi has endured a difficult start to the season, although his performances have improved in recent weeks. Newcastle United, on the other hand, have already lost thrice in the league. Fabian Schär, Dan Burn, Emil Krafth, and Lloyd Kelly have all played at centre-back this season; it certainly won’t hurt Eddie Howe’s chances of European qualification if the Magpies added Guéhi to their ranks mid-season.
Also read: One position every Premier League team need to address — Part 1
Nottingham Forest: Striker
Santiago Giménez
Mexican striker Santiago Giménez stayed at Feyenoord after a second bid from Premier League side Nottingham Forest fell through earlier this summer. According to ESPN, Giménez made the personal decision to turn down Forest despite weeks of negotiations between the two sides.
Giménez joined the Dutch side from Liga MX’s Cruz Azul in July 2022 on a four-year contract and made an instant impact. In his first season, the forward netted 23 goals in 45 games across all competitions, propelling Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title. He bettered that tally last season with 23 goals in 30 league games.
Southampton: Striker
Danny Ings
Southampton were keen on re-signing West Ham striker Danny Ings earlier this summer. It is believed the Hammers were willing to let Ings leave the club with just 12 months left on his contract.
Ings made just seven starts in 30 total appearances for the Irons in the 2023/24 campaign and is unlikely to force his way into Julen Lopetegui’s plans.
When the January transfer window comes, the Saints will either look to acquire Ings’s his services on a loan deal or agree a free move in the summer.
Tottenham Hotspur: Centre-back
Andreas Christensen
Spurs were reportedly in for a centre-back this summer and had their eyes on Barcelona’s Andreas Christensen. The Denmark international represented Chelsea in the Premier League before joining the Spanish side in 2022.
New Barça boss Hansi Flick wanted to let go of either Christensen or Eric García this summer, with the club ever in need of trimming their wage bill, but they failed to offload either centre-back.
Christensen’s contract set to expire in the summer of 2026 and the Blaugrana are expected to agree a fee in the region of €25 million. Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy would, therefore, want to explore an offer for him in January.
West Ham United: Striker
Igor Jesus
According to Brazilian outlet Globo, West Ham have flown board members over to Brazil to propose a formal £30m bid for Igor Jesus. A move at this price would make the 23-year-old the Hammers’ eight-most expensive signing of all time.
Jesus has bagged eight goals and three assists in 22 games for Botafogo since joining them back in July on a free transfer. Before that, he was a huge hit out in the UAE with Shabab Al-Ahli, bagging 43 goals and 20 assists in 87 games.
With Julen Lopetegui short on attacking firepower, especially in the #9 role, shelling out £30 million for the young Brazilian seems like a risk worth taking as the Irons find themselves in 14th in the table.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Forward
Zakaria Aboukhlal
Gary O’Neil’s side are still waiting to record their first topflight win of the season, having managed just three draws from their opening ten matches. The Wolves hierarchy, headed by sporting director Matt Hobbs, have expressed an interest in Aboukhlal.
The 24-year-old is capable of playing on either wing as well as centrally. As per reports, Wolves have made contact with their Toulouse counterparts to determine whether it may be possible to sign the Morocco international at the turn of the year.
Aboukhlal has so far contributed with four goals and one assist from ten Ligue 1 outings this campaign. Wolves are looking for an initial loan deal with the option to buy in the summer, with Aboukhlal’s contract at Toulouse running until June 2026.
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