One Signing Every Premier League Club Must Make in Final Month of Transfer Window

The sand is slipping through the hourglass. Just under a month of the transfer window remains.

Despite the disruption of the World Cup, Premier League sides have already been frantically recruiting before the new campaigns begins on Aug. 21, after which they will only have until Sep. 1 to finish any outstanding business.

Significant movement is still projected, both in terms of incomings and outgoings in England’s top tier. Every single one of the league’s 20 clubs still have areas where they must improve, with some issues set to be exacerbated by departures.

Here is one position every Premier League club must strengthen during the rest of the window.

Arsenal—Central Midfielder

Bruno Guimarães appears likely to join Arsenal. | Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Arsenal’s opportunistic pursuit of Vinícius Júnior has been dominating headlines and while the club could use an additional left winger, central midfield is in greater need of reinforcement.

The Premier League champions were over-reliant on Declan Rice last season, an arduous and exhausting campaign significantly depleting his engine—as evidenced at the World Cup. Elsewhere, Martín Zubimendi had a wobble during the second half of last season, Myles Lewis-Skelly is yet to be entirely trusted in midfield and Mikel Merino could be more useful as a versatile, impact substitute.

Martin Ødegaard, Eberechi Eze and the flexible Kai Havertz are all offensive options, meaning Arsenal would hugely benefit from another box-to-boxer capable of sharing minutes with Rice. Bruno Guimarães is their leading target and the Newcastle United star could certainly make a title-winning squad even better.

Aston Villa—Left Back

Aston Villa have lost some key players this summer in Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers, and they could soon lose Lucas Digne, too. The Frenchman appears destined to make his return to former side Paris Saint-Germain, leaving Unai Emery incredibly short of options at left back.

Should Digne depart, then Villa will be left with just Ian Maatsen in the role. While a capable, attack-minded fullback with huge potential, another option is needed with Villa competing in the Champions League once again this season.

Bournemouth—Winger

Rayan of Bournemouth — Could Rayan leave this summer? | Jacques Feeney/Offside/Getty Images

Outside of Rayan, who is the subject of transfer interest from Europe’s elite and Saudi Arabia, Bournemouth aren’t blessed with a great deal of depth in the wide forward department. Ben Gannon-Doak, David Brooks and Amine Adli are hardly inspiring options for new manager Marco Rose.

Right back is another area that needs bolstering, but the Cherries appear set to sign Juanlu Sánchez in the position, shifting focus back onto new wingers. Let’s not forget that they lost Antoine Semenyo last winter and must handle the extra workload of Europa League soccer in the new term.

Brentford—Left Back

Keith Andrews needs reinforcements. | Harry Murphy/Getty Images

Brentford have a few areas that require inspection before the summer is out and the club have already made some new additions. However, one department yet to be bolstered is left back, with the club’s current options hardly spectacular.

Rico Henry’s injury history means he cannot be trusted this season—the Englishman has made just 41 appearances across the past three campaigns—and Keane Lewis-Potter is not a natural left back. Signing a more orthodox and reliable option is a must.

Brighton & Hove Albion—Striker

Brighton & Hove Albion’s transfer plans have now changed. The Seagulls have already made a number of signings, but the recent exit of Danny Welbeck to Chelsea means a new striker is now essential. They must replace the veteran’s 13 Premier League goals from last term.

At present, Fabian Hürzeler has just three center-forward options, all of whom are under the age of 22 and yet to prove themselves in the Premier League. With Conference League soccer to contend with this season, too, a clinical striker needs to be top of the wishlist.

Chelsea—Goalkeeper

Robert Sánchez must be replaced. | Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Getty Images

Chelsea have been typically active in the transfer market already under new manager Xabi Alonso, but are yet to strengthen in between the sticks. Despite an improved 2025–26 season from Robert Sánchez, the Spaniard is not a strong enough goalkeeper to take the Blues where they want to be.

Signing another stopper has long been a priority for Chelsea, who attempted to recruit Mike Maignan from Milan last year, but rumors have been quieter this summer. Whether Alonso trusts his compatriot Sánchez remains to be seen, or perhaps the precocious Mike Penders will be handed an opportunity to shine.

However, Chelsea realistically need an elite goalkeeper to make rapid improvements.

Coventry City—Left Back

Coventry City need a goalkeeper and a deal for the permanent signing of Carl Rushworth is close to being completed. Once that has been finalized, the Midlands side appear set to pivot to the search for a new left back.

Light of top-quality contenders in the position, Frank Lampard needs a tried-and-tested Premier League defender capable of thwarting some devastating right wingers up and down the country. A ruthless striker is also on their wishlist.

Crystal Palace—Center Back

Crystal Palace are desperately short at center back. After losing Marc Guéhi in January, they have now seen Maxence Lacroix join Chelsea. That leaves just a few options, with Chris Richards joined by Chadi Riad and Jaydee Canvot as senior first-team players.

The Eagles appeared set to sign Chrislain Matsima from Augsburg, but the deal ultimately fell through. Now they must turn to alternatives, with at least one if not two additions required in the heart of Pierre Sage’s backline.

Everton—Defensive Midfielder

A new striker remains a possibility following inconsistent campaigns from Beto and Thierno Barry, but a defensive midfielder is a greater priority right now. After all, Everton lost Idrissa Gana Gueye for free this summer and while they signed midfielder Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough, a true enforcer is still lacking.

Given the way Everton play under David Moyes, prioritizing a strong, structured defense over attacking freedom, it’s of paramount importance they have somebody capable of effectively screening the back four.

Fulham—Winger

Fulham will miss Harry Wilson. | Getty/Gaspafotos

Once Fulham sign Gonzalo García from Real Madrid, they will have gone some way to remedying their issues at center forward. Next they will turn their attention to signing at least one new winger, with the club desperately short of bodies after the exits of Harry Wilson and Samuel Chukwueze.

In terms of out-and-out wide men, Oscar Bobb and Kevin are Álvaro Arbeloa’s only candidates, neither of whom have been particularly impressive at Craven Cottage. Fulham will be in big trouble if they fail to address their need for speed on the flanks.

Hull City—Winger

Hull manager Sergej Jakirović — Sergej Jakirović will have plenty of new faces in his roster come the start of the term. | Trevor Wilkinson/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Hull City have already made four additions this summer and the club’s owner, Acun Ilıcalı, has promised another eight signings before the window closes. At least one of those should be a winger, with the Tigers lacking star options in attack.

Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey appears likely to make the move north this summer, but that might not be the end of Hull’s reinforcements on the flanks. To stay in the Premier League, they must improve their collection of wide forwards.

Ipswich Town—Central Midfielder

Gary O’Neil has a big job on his hands at Ipswich. | David Rogers/Getty Images

Like their fellow promoted sides, Ipswich Town need plenty of fresh faces to improve their roster, with eight players already recruited. However, Gary O’Neil still awaits the addition of a central midfielder.

A move for Burnley’s Florentino Luís appears close to being completed, but that might not stop Ipswich from re-entering the market for another engine room operator. As things stand, O’Neil is also battling fitness issues in his midfield, only underscoring the need for reinforcements.

Leeds United—Striker

Leeds United’s impressive second half of the 2025–26 season was aided by a flurry of goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but an alternative striker to the England international might be needed given his record of injury problems.

Leeds won’t want to have to rely on Lukas Nmecha or Joël Piroe for an extended period if Calvert-Lewin was to become sidelined, but finding a clinical No. 9 capable of sharing goalscoring duties won’t be straightforward.

Liverpool—Winger

Bradley Barcola is wanted by the Reds. | Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Liverpool have glaring holes across their roster despite last summer’s record-breaking spend. A new center back would do nicely, as would another right back and defensive midfielder. However, signing a winger is currently top of the to-do list.

Following Mohamed Salah’s exit, Liverpool signed Víctor Muñoz from Osasuna to ease their growing problems on the flanks, but he’s more suited to playing on the left wing. The Reds need sombody capable of playing on the right flank to replace Salah.

PSG’s Bradley Barcola is their leading target despite his preference for playing on the left, but any deal would be extremely expensive.

Manchester City—Right Back

Enzo Maresca is overseeing his first transfer window for the club. | May JAMES/AFP/Getty Images

Manchester City have spent big on Elliot Anderson, but he’s the only immediate first-teamer recruited to date. Following the exits of Manuel Akanji, John Stones, Nathan Aké and Bernardo Silva, more signings are needed ahead of Enzo Maresca’s debut term.

One area that has long been missing an elite option is right back. Matheus Nunes was converted into a defender by Pep Guardiola, while academy graduate Rico Lewis has also featured sporadically in the role.

However, City’s previous interest in Tino Livramento and admiration for Malo Gusto suggests they still want a fresh face at right back.

Manchester United—Central Midfielder

Casemiro is now just a memory at Old Trafford. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Manchester United have already started addressing their biggest roster issue by signing two in central midfield, although a third addition in the department is still important, owing to the lack of a direct replacement for Casemiro.

Youri Tielemans is more of a progressive forward-thinking midfielder. And while Andrey Santos has defensive qualities, a real destructive force in the center of the pitch would make a huge difference to the balance of the team. Carlos Baleba and Manu Koné are most heavily linked.

Newcastle United—Left Back

Lewis Hall — Hall’s departure would leave Newcastle short. | Pablo Rodriguez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Newcastle have endured a traumatic summer so far which has seen Eddie Howe sacked, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon leave, and Guimarães strongly linked with Arsenal. If Hall were to join Man Utd, albeit for a huge fee, it would add to the growing dumpster fire.

It would also leave Newcastle alarmingly short at left back, an area that needs strengthening no matter Hall’s future. The Magpies could also do with signing a right back to cover for Livramento, so a versatile fullback addition would tick two boxes.

Nottingham Forest—Central Midfielder

Elliot Anderson needs replacing. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

The obvious area Nottingham Forest must strengthen is the engine room, with a new central midfielder utterly essential following the departure of Elliot Anderson to Man City. It appears unlikely they will replace the England international with somebody of the same caliber, but they must at least try.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall is their favored replacement, although striking a deal with Spurs might be tough given the Swede’s lofty asking price. Perhaps looking abroad might be the more cost-effective option, even if it’s riskier.

Sunderland—Left Back

Reinildo celebrating. — Reinildo (pictured) and Arthur Masuaku could be upgraded. | Will Palmer/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Sunderland have already signed a fullback this summer, but Thomas Meunier is an option for the right-hand side. Now they could add a left back to their ranks, with 32-year-old duo Reinildo and Arthur Masuaku not wholly inspiring options.

Régis Le Bris must prepare for a surprise European campaign, meaning the Black Cats need to seriously bolster their team to juggle continental and domestic duties. A new winger is also on the club’s radar.

Tottenham Hotspur—Winger

Roberto De Zerbi has been backed. | Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur have quickly acted on last season’s disaster by signing a host of new names. Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke and Mateus Fernandes have all cost big sums, while Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dúbravka have arrived as free agents.

Spurs still need to sign a winger, however, which was a department where they regularly came up short last term. With Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert still injured, Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus and Manor Solomon are the options at present, with the latter potentially leaving this summer.

Splashing the cash on an explosive, goalscoring wide forward would be wise.

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