The signing every top six Premier League club needs to make this summer
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Coral looks ahead to the summer transfer window and the one signing that each of the top six clubs in the Premier League needs to make.
On the whole, the January transfer window was incredibly quiet, especially when compared to last year. Last month, £96.2m was spent by Premier League clubs, with Crystal Palace spending a league-high £30.5m on signings.
In 2023, by contrast, Chelsea spent over £96.2m on just one player, Enzo Fernandez. The Argentinian midfielder moved from Benfica to the Premier League for over £105m, which is nearly £10m more than every single club spent in the January transfer window this year.
So, with the most recent transfer window being quiet for the top six clubs in the Premier League, expect the biggest teams in England to go all out in the summer. As such, Coral looks at one signing that Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea each need to make ahead of the 2024/25 season.
The signing every top six Premier League club needs to make this summer
Arsenal – Frenkie de Jong
Most people will suggest that Arsenal need number nine in the summer, but in Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard who can play the position to a high standard, so they definitely need to look elsewhere for reinforcements.
Havertz was signed by Arsenal to play as a centre-midfielder, and while he can also do the role there well, he’s far better as a striker, which he showed during his incredible performance earlier this year during the Gunners’ 3-1 win over Liverpool.
So, Mikel Arteta will likely be highlighting the middle of the park as the place his side can add to most, and we’re going with Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona as the man he should be targeting.
The former Ajax man is one of the world’s best midfielders, but it’s been reported that Barcelona would be willing to sell him as they look to generate some much-needed funds.
If those reports are true, Arsenal should be one of the club’s trying to bring Frenkie to the Premier League, after the Dutchman rejected a move to Man United in 2022. He’d immediately slot into the midfield alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard and it wouldn’t take him long to learn how to play in Arteta’s system.
This signing, in truth, makes an awful lot of sense.
Chelsea – No one
A bit of a cop out here, but we’re saying that Chelsea shouldn’t be signing anyone this summer. Instead, the Blues need to focus on sales.
Chelsea have signed upwards of 30 players over the last four transfer windows, and their squad is now far too bloated. While they’re still lacking quality in various areas of the pitch, they instead need to focus on having the players already at the club gel and get used to playing together.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side can make signings in future windows, and you best believe that they will, but for now they need to focus on selling players, not only to reduce the size of the squad, but also to generate funds to ensure they’re compliant with the league’s spending rules.
Liverpool – Jeremie Frimpong
If Ruben Amorim becomes Liverpool manager for next season, as he’s expected to, then it’s just a matter of time before Trent Alexander-Arnold becomes a permanent midfielder.
While Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley have played incredibly well when deputising for Trent this season, the Reds should still be highlighting right-back as an area for improvement, and Amorim could look to a man playing for Xabi Alonso, the man Liverpool originally wanted to become their next boss.
Flying full-back Jeremie Frimpong suits Amorim’s system down to the ground, and if he plays the same way at Liverpool as he has done at Leverkusen, then the Dutchman should be on his wishlist.
With a release clause of under £35m too, Frimpong is exactly the kind of signing Liverpool look to make, with the Reds often looking for younger players on the market for a reasonable price, which is what the ex-Celtic and Man City man will be.
Man City – Joshua Kimmich
Joshua Kimmich is somewhat out-of-favour under Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich, and the German may be looking to leave the club this year.
If he does, a move to the Premier League could be in his future, and Man City will definitely be interested in securing his services, with the Cityzens reported to be monitoring the situation.
The midfielder, who can also play at right-back, has the versatility to work in a Pep Guardiola system, with the Spaniard actually being the manager who brought Kimmich to Bayern Munich in 2015.
Now, with Kimmich out of favour with Tuchel, it could be the perfect time for him to reunite with Guardiola.
Man United – Jean-Clair Todibo
This is a deal that should actually be quite easy for Man United to pull off, which cannot be said for the majority of the business the Red Devils have done in the transfer windows over the last few years.
Todibo, a tall, ball-playing defender plays his football for Nice in his native France. The club is owned by INEOS, who as of February 2024, now have had their 25% stake in Man United confirmed by the Premier League.
The 24-year-old would solve a lot of the issues United are dealing with right now. He’d give Erik ten Hag another outlet to play out of defence, something that is crucial for the way the Dutchman wants to play.
Due to financial constraints, United weren’t able to bring Todibo to the Premier League in January, but they should (and almost definitely will) look to revisit the deal and make it happen in the the summer.
Tottenham Hotspur – Ivan Toney
Tottenham have done well since losing Harry Kane in the summer, perhaps better than many fans expected they would.
Heung-min Son has starred through the middle at various points this season, and Richarlison has done well when called upon to play as a striker, but it’ll still be a position that Ange Postecoglu looks to strengthen within his squad this summer.
The man who they should be going for is Ivan Toney. The Englishman is back from his ban and amongst the goals once again. Brentford have all-but confirmed that he’ll be leaving the club this summer, and if he does, Tottenham could become his next home.
Toney is quite similar to Kane, not only in the sense that he’s a top striker with a great eye for goal, but also in the fact that he can drop deep and bring others into play. While he might not be as good as Kane was for Spurs, the Brentford man would be a fantastic replacement and a smart signing.
Before we get to the summer transfer window, there’s still the remainder of the 2023/24 season left, and it’s all still to play for in the Premier League.
There’s currently a three-horse title race to win the league, with Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal all within three points of each other and in the running.
Below is a breakdown of the odds, from Coral, for the 2023/24 Premier League winner.
- Liverpool – 6/5
- Man City – 9/5
- Arsenal – 5/2
All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.
