With less than a week to go in the summer transfer window, some Premier League teams are still in need of additions.
After three games, the battle lines have already been drawn.
Teams have already had to readdress their aims for the season ahead, for both good reasons and bad.
For example, Everton, who’s aim was probably to scrape a Europa League spot a few weeks ago should now be seriously looking at a potential Champions League spot.
Meanwhile, Sheffield United have probably come down to earth after their high of last season and will hope that they are not this years’ sufferers of second season syndrome.
Yes, it is very early days, but a good start is half the battle as they say.
One way that clubs could possibly reignite their flame in the months ahead is by looking at new additions.
Managers will have a good idea about exactly what holes in their squad need filling after their start to the season.
There are some unfortunate teams that need to fill a few positions, so we will look at the sides with just the one glaringly obvious gap (sorry Fulham fans).
Problems already solved
We noted Manchester City’s need for a centre-back, which was a problem solved by the signing of Ruben Dias.
Leicester’s right-wing gap has been filled by Cengiz Under, while Ben Chilwell has solved Chelsea’s left-back issue.
Spurs have signed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to add steel to their midfield and Arsenal have got Gabriel through the door at centre-back.
Manchester United are the only team that have not sorted their highlighted issue. However, their pursuit of Jadon Sancho continues while they have also begun to look at alternatives.
While these six sides still have some issues that need addressing, this article will focus on some of the less-spoken about sides in the league.
Newcastle
What they need
Steve Bruce plays a very defined style of football. He is the cliche British manager, focused on organization and defensive structure.
Yet Newcastle have the talent going forward to play a much more intriguing style.
In Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron, Ryan Fraser and Joelinton, the Magpies should have the crux of a very exciting frontline.
Yet they need to be played in their proper positions, with a style of play to suit them. This is particularly the case for their record signing, Joelinton.
In Jonjo Shelvey, Isaac Hayden the Longstaff brothers and Jeff Hendrick, they have some decent midfielders. Yet none of them are really stand-out footballers.
That’s why a quality midfield all-rounder is what the North-East side really need.
Who to target
There are two midfielders with a similar style that Bruce should be targeting.
These are Liverpool’s Marko Grujic and Bournemouth’s Philip Billing.
Both are tall, strong 24-year-olds who do a good job from both an offensive and defensive sense.
Grujic is the better option, but he will also be more expensive. If Liverpool didn’t already have so many central midfielders, he could be a semi-regular at Anfield by now.
For Hertha Berlin in 2019/20, he scored four goals and got one assist. He completed 0.4 key passes, one dribble and 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game.
The Toon army would undoubtedly love the Serbian if he moved to St. James’ Park.
Sheffield United
What they need
After three rounds of Premier League fixtures, Chris Wilder’s men are the only side yet to get on the scoresheet.
The Blades have four decent strikers, but none of David McGoldrick, Oli McBurnie, Lys Mousset or Billy Sharp are proven scorers, at least at Premier League level.
Yes, they lack creativity, proven by the fact that they have taken the least amount of shots in the league.
There may be a fear that their system has been found out and that opponents are able to stop their overlapping centre-backs from creating chances.
Yet an intelligent in penalty box finisher beside McGoldrick would surely lead to more chances coming their way.
Who to target
Sheffield United have been heavily linked to Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster, and this would be a wise choice.
Ok, Brewster has not proven himself as a Premier League goalscorer.
But all the signs point towards him taking the league by storm.
11 goals in 22 Championship games at 20 years old is a great achievement, especially considering his loan spell at Swansea was his first taste of regular first-team football.
Liverpool are still big fans of the player, which is clear due to the rumoured buy-back clause that will be included in any deal to sell the frontman. If Jurgen Klopp rates a player, he is more than likely very, very good.
2.5 shots per game is a great record, proving that the Englishman is capable of getting himself in position to shoot.
If his potential new teammates can find him, he will score goals.
West Bromwich Albion
What they need
Ok, ok, so West Brom probably need to upgrade three positions to have any chance of Premier League survival.
They need a more reliable goalkeeper than Sam Johnstone and probably a decent goalscorer.
Yet they managed to put two past Everton and three past Chelsea, so maybe they will manage to score a few goals this season, with wing wizards Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira sharing the goalscoring and creative burdens with Callum Robinson up top.
Their problem so far this season has been conceding.
They have played a 5-4-1 this season, which has clearly failed to keep goals out.
They would be better off playing a 4-3-3/4-5-1, in order to tighten up in midfield, and signing a solid centre-back partner for Semi Ajayi.
Who to target
If the Baggies have the funds, they should go all out for Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan.
Footmercato report that the 20-year-old has a price tag of €20 million, which would be a large sum for West Brom to stump up.
Yet the Frenchman would probably prove to be worth every penny, especially if he helped keep Slaven Bilic’s men in the Premier League.
His stats may be slightly skewed because he split his playing time last season between centre-back and right-back. Yet he was still very impressive.
Simikan made 4.4 tackles and interceptions per game in Ligue 1 as well as 1.1 clearances.
He is already immense in the physical aspect, with the pace to match his strength. If he was paired with Ajayi there would be little chance of any teams beating them in behind.
West Ham United
What they need
West Ham are one of the more peculiar sides in the league.
Last summer, they made some very intelligent signings in Sebastien Haller and Pablo Fornals, yet neither have been used correctly at all.
They have added more great talent in Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek to a side that already contains stars like Declan Rice, Felipe Anderson and Issa Diop.
Essentially, they have a star-studded squad, yet their manager David Moyes is probably not the best man to utilize them.
Despite all these very useful players, the Hammers were involved in a relegation scrap last season.
In terms of personnel, there is one area they do need to strengthen though, and that is at fullback.
Before the season started, Ryan Fredericks would have been thought of as a player that needed upgrading. However, he has had a phenomenal start to the season, so we will focus more on the left side.
Who to target
There were two players in particular that West Ham should have been looking at from the Championship – Rico Henry and Jay Dasilva.
Yet both are currently out injured, with no timescale on their respective returns just yet.
However, Aaron Cresswell should be able to cover until their prospective new signing is fit again, so Moyes should still be having a serious think about the duo.
If not, then there is a trio of Eredivisie talent that could be perfect for a move to the London Stadium.
These are Vitesse’ Max Clarke, AZ’s Owen Wijndal and Feyenoord’s Tyrell Malacia.
Clarke is the oldest of the three at 24, yet his homegrown status could possibly make him the best option.
20-year-old Wijndal is probably the hottest prospect of them all after he got six assists in 24 games in his breakout season last campaign.
He will no doubt be in demand very soon, so the Irons should strike before some of Europe’s big boys start to sniff around.
A cheaper alternative is Malacia, who is 21.
He only played 12 times last season as he began to settle into first-team football, yet still provided three assists.
What was even more impressive was his strength in the tackle – 3.3 per game is an outstanding return, especially when his young age is considered.
He is raw, yes, but he is certainly very talented, while he most likely won’t be too expensive.
