Premier League 2025/26: Teams who need to sign players in January

The January transfer window presents clubs in the big leagues with an opportunity to tweak their squads to reach their immediate goals going into the second half of the season.

Here, we look at some of the Premier League teams that should be looking for signings in the January transfer window. 

Aston Villa

Aston Villa competed in the Champions League last season, but they came up a bit short in the Premier League and ended up in Europa League places. The Villans also looked to be struggling at the start of this season, not being able to score goals and dropping points against teams they were expected to beat.

Though Villa have since got their form back on track, they are still not performing at a level consistent enough to ensure Champions League qualification or win the Europa League come May.

Even though Aston Villa didn’t make many signings due to financial restrictions, they did loan in big-name players like Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott, though head coach Unai Emery hasn’t utilised many of them. On paper, Villa have a decent first XI, but they do lack quality squad options in case of injuries or poor form from vital players.

Going into January, Aston Villa need midfield and defensive backups, but given their need to comply with the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), they’ll need to look at reasonable options that can deliver results but on an economic package.

Villa could go for Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva or Everton’s James Garner to add experience in the middle. Both these players are in the last year of their respective contracts and could be convinced to move.

Chelsea

The Blues capped off a successful 2024/25 season with Champions League qualification, along with winning the Conference League and Club World Cup titles. However, Chelsea’s form has been erratic this season, which can be attributed to their injury crisis at the back.

Chelsea have lost the second most points (8) from a winning position. Since the loss of Levi Colwill early in the season, their defenders have fallen like ninepins, with Benoît Badiashile, Josh Acheampong, and Tosin Adarabioyo all having spells on the sidelines.

Head coach Enzo Maresca spoke about the need for defensive reinforcement as early as the end of the summer transfer window. While Chelsea missed a trick by not signing a world-class goalkeeper then, their priorities ought to be elsewhere on the pitch for the short term. With Colwill out until the start of next season, and Badiashile yet to return, Chelsea should target an experienced defender this January if they want to mount a serious title challenge in the second half of the season.

Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi and Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke could be decent options, given both are solid ball-playing centre-backs that suit Maresca’s style of play. They could also attempt to bring back Marc Guéhi, who is in the last year of his contract and almost moved to Liverpool in the summer; Crystal Palace are unlikely to let him go easily, but they also wouldn’t want to lose him for free.

Fulham

Fulham were one of the handful of Premier League clubs who made very few signings in the summer. As a consequence, they haven’t hit the ground running this season and are currently languishing in 15th place in the league table.

The Cottagers have suffered due to injuries, with most of their forward line sidelined. Moreover, some key players who performed exceptionally well last season have looked a shadow of themselves thus far, especially their top goal-getter from last season, Raúl Jiménez. Even Alex Iwobi has been rendered ineffective due to playing in different positions. Meanwhile, Rodrigo Muniz is due for surgery and is likely to have a long spell on the sidelines.

Fulham need a forward. If Marco Silva is prepared to give up on the creativity in the middle of the park in favour of physical presence, he could do with an attacking midfielder capable of regularly chipping in with goals on top of creating chances.

One player of interest for Fulham is American centre-forward Ricardo Pepi from PSV, who has been in good nick this season. They have also been linked with Middlesbrough’s deep-lying playmaker Hayden Hackney.

Ultimately, getting reliable options in the final third of the pitch could very well be the difference between a comfortable mid-table finish and relegation for Marco Silva & Co.

Liverpool

Defending champions Liverpool have struggled this season even after making record signings in Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. With a massive exodus from the club, the Reds seem to be in transition, with the new players still finding their feet.

However, Liverpool’s issues are also related to the positions they failed to address in the summer: a defensive midfield and centre-back. Liverpool have still not replaced Fabinho, who left ahead of the 2023/24 season, and while Ryan Gravenberch performed well last season, he isn’t a deep-lying operator, and Liverpool’s defensive issues on turnovers and counters have been exposed this season.

For the centre-back position, Liverpool had signed young Italian Giovanni Leoni in the summer and seen a late move for Marc Guéhi collapse on deadline day. With Leoni suffering a long-term anterior cruciate ligament injury early in the season, they have been left short at the back, with Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konaté being injury-prone and not in the best of form at the moment. To add to their woes, Konaté is in the last year of his contract and not looking likely to sign a new deal.

Though links with Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo have been making the rounds, Liverpool need to prioritise defensive reinforcement if they choose to dip into the market in January. Having splashed a lot of cash in the summer, I don’t see them making more than one substantial signing, and if it’s one player they end up signing, it had better be a centre-back they could rely upon.

Manchester United

Manchester United had an abysmal season last time out, ending their Premier League campaign in a lowly 15th place, with changes needed in most areas of the pitch.

In the summer, they brought in several league-proven stars in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo alongside youngster Benjamin Šeško to reinvent their frontline. However, they seem to have missed a trick in midfield.

With Ruben Amorim not showing faith in Kobbie Mainoo, and Manuel Ugarte’s signing not having worked as expected, United’s issues this season have stemmed from their inability to control the game in midfield. They do have one of the best playmakers in Bruno Fernandes, but they lack a physical presence in midfield to help them on transitions. This was also evident from United going for Carlos Baleba late in the summer, but an agreement could not be reached with Brighton.

The midfield pivot in Amorim’s heavily favoured 3-4-2-1 formation needs a top defensive midfielder alongside Fernandes. Recent rumours about United wanting to sign Elliott Anderson from Nottingham Forest are proof that even the United head coach has realised what kind of a profile he needs in the centre of the pitch.

There are a couple of top defensive midfielders in the league capable of bolstering this United team and helping them compete for Champions League qualification. While United could use Anderson’s presence in midfield, Forest’s reported valuation of £100 million could be a deal-breaker. They may go for Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, who is of a similar profile and would also be a great addition for less money.

In case Man United manage to bolster their midfield, Champions League qualification could become a realistic outcome come May.

Leeds United

Leeds United topped the Championship table in 2024/25 but have flattered to deceive yet again in the top flight. While fellow-promoted side Sunderland have taken the league by storm, Daniel Farke’s men haven’t been able to have the same impact and are currently sitting in 16th place, two points off the drop zone with problems galore.

Leeds’ major problem has been creativity, poor decision making in the final third, and an inability to score goals. They have scored a mere 10 goals in 11 games, which points towards massive issues in attack.

Leeds United could target Fulham winger Adama Traoré, who is pacy, likes to take on defenders, and is physical as well — the kind of profile they are missing in their front line. They were also interested in Fulham’s Harry Wilson and AZ Alkmaar’s Troy Parrott in the summer, who are decent players and would certainly boost their attacking potential.

However, with PSR limitations, Leeds are treading on thin ice and will need to sell a few players first. If they do not bring in the necessary reinforcements in the winter transfer window, they could soon be staring down the possibility of relegation back to the Championship next season.

West Ham United

The Hammers had a poor season in 2024/25, ending in 14th place, with the departure of influential player Mohammed Kudus further weakening their frontline.

As a result, West Ham haven’t started the 2025/26 season on the front foot either. They are currently sitting in the relegation places, and if they are to remain in the top flight, they had better be looking at mid-season signings.

West Ham have problems all over the pitch, but they need defensive reinforcement more than anything else, as Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo are not able to handle the intensity of the league. For context, West Ham have already conceded 23 goals in 11 games, which is the second-highest tally of goals conceded in the league after Wolves.

Due to PSR limitations, West Ham may have to look in other leagues for defensive reinforcement, as Premier League players would cost a bomb. West Ham are reportedly looking at Alexsandro from Lille, as he is a solid defender with the ball-playing ability most modern teams look for nowadays.

The Hammers should also be looking at a striker, as Niclas Füllkrug hasn’t worked out for them and is likely to leave in January. There have been reports linking them to Man United’s Joshua Zirkzee and Troy Parrott of AZ Alkmaar. Zirkzee hasn’t had regular play time at United this season, while Parrott has been in top form this season, albeit in a comparatively weaker league.

With the Premier League more competitive than ever this season, especially in the bottom half, it’s imperative for West Ham to recognise the issues and make quality additions if they want to have any hope of Premier League survival.