With the summer transfer window open again, football writer Alex Keble identifies the type of player that each Premier League club might target in the market.
Arsenal – striker
It is no secret that Mikel Arteta is looking for a goalscoring centre-forward, with RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko reportedly on Arsenal’s radar.
We all know why. Kai Havertz was the Gunners' top goalscorer in the Premier League with just nine goals – only the joint 26th-highest tally in the division – while Arsenal’s total Expected Goals (xG) of 61.6 was only the sixth highest, (as seen in the table below) and marginally above Crystal Palace’s 61.3.
Those figures are simply too low for a title challenger.
Arsenal need someone with a killer instinct who can take half-chances against deep defences, break open a low block with their movement, and disrupt the team's sideways passing with direct centre-forward play.
Aston Villa – right-back
Villa have been searching for a new right-back since last summer, but events in the final two months of the season - when they missed out on a UEFA Champions League place - brought that need into sharp focus.
Axel Disasi’s inability to defend against Jeremy Doku triggered Manchester City’s last-gasp winner in April, and a huge error made by Matty Cash at Old Trafford on the final day led to Emiliano Martinez’s red card and another costly defeat.
Unai Emery's side concede more attacks down their right flank (39 per cent) than any other area, and comparing Cash to left-back Lucas Digne reveals Villa's relative weakness defending their right side.
AFC Bournemouth – centre-back
Dean Huijsen’s £50million move to Real Madrid has left an obvious hole in the Bournemouth defence - and it is one that could get wider with reports that Illia Zabarnyi is a target for multiple clubs.
Andoni Iraola desperately needs at least one centre-back, especially given that defending wasn’t Bournemouth’s strongest point; their 11 clean sheets last season ranked 11th and eighth for xG conceded (49.31).
Huijsen is superb defensively - he ranked second among Premier League centre-backs for interceptions per 90, with 1.89 - but just as important was his line-breaking progressive passes. He will be difficult to replace.
Brentford – right-winger
Brentford's focus must be on a possible replacement for Bryan Mbeumo, who has been heavily linked in the media with a move to another Premier League club.
Mbeumo scored 20 goals and assisted a further seven in 2024/25, amounting to 41 per cent of Brentford’s final total of 66.
With clubs reportedly circling around Yoane Wissa too, it is essential Brentford work on replacing some of Mbeumo’s output.
They need a new dribbling right-winger; someone who can run directly at defences on the counter-attack and chip in with goals and assists.
Last season, 39 per cent of Brentford’s attacks came down their right; only three clubs had a higher percentage on that side of the pitch. If Mbeumo leaves he will be sorely missed.
PL teams with most right-sided attacks 2024/25
| Team | Left side | Middle | Right side |
| Arsenal | 32% | 25% | 43% |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham | 36% | 24% | 40% |
| Everton | 36% | 24% | 40% |
| Brentford | 36% | 25% | 39% |
| Southampton | 37% | 25% | 38% |
Brighton & Hove Albion - striker
Although Brighton have already secured the signing of Charalampos Kostoulas, the 18-year-old is possibly too raw to immediately become their first-choice No 9.
Kostoulas scored seven goals in 22 league matches for Olympiacos in 2024/25, suggesting Brighton still need a goalscorer.
They cannot rely indefinitely on 34-year-old Danny Welbeck, whose 10 goals last season saw him hit double figures for the first time. Brighton’s attack often looks blunt when he is absent.
Burnley – striker
Quite rightly, Burnley have been praised for their brilliant defensive feats in the 2024/25 EFL Championship campaign. Only 16 goals were scored against them, setting a new record for the fewest goals conceded in a 46-match English league season. Their 30 clean sheets are also a record, jointly held with Port Vale, then a Third Division North club, in 1953/54.
But Burnley will need to score more often. Josh Brownhill was their top scorer in the Championship last season with 18 goals, yet from central midfield it is highly unlikely he can repeat that feat at Premier League level.
Dutch attacker Zian Flemming had their second-highest league tally with 12 strikes. A pure goalscorer - and one with Premier League experience - would be a big help.
Chelsea – goalkeeper
There has been consensus at Chelsea on Robert Sanchez lacking the authority - the positioning or the control of the ball in his area – to flourish at Stamford Bridge.
He is a good shot-stopper, although nine Premier League goalkeepers have performed better than Sanchez (2.1) in terms of bettering their xG on target conceded.
Tellingly, Sanchez's total of five errors leading to goals was the joint-most by goalkeepers in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace – centre-back
Looking underneath the headlines, stats reveal the main problem at Palace: they conceded more Premier League goals (51) than expected (50.38) last season.
The early termination of Trevor Chalobah’s season-long loan spell, in January when Chelsea recalled him, was a blow and Palace's issue is even more urgent considering Marc Guehi's contractual status.
Guehi, who was reportedly the subject of a bid from Newcastle United last summer, is now entering the final year of his current Palace deal.
Oliver Glasner needs at least one new central defender to join his back three.
Everton – right-back
Although David Moyes initially got a tune out of centre-back Jake O’Brien on the right, it was only a temporary solution and Everton often relied on 39-year-old Ashley Young, who featured in 32 Premier League matches last season.
More attacks were made against Everton on their right (40 per cent) than in any other area, providing further evidence they could do with an energetic specialist in this role.
Attacking areas v Everton - PL 2024/25
Fulham – winger
Although Marco Silva’s game plan often revolves around crosses into the penalty area, there is a marked lack of pace in his Fulham side.
The Cottagers could do with more creativity, as they ranked joint-19th for through-balls played last season (43) and 18th for attempted take-ons (542).
It can leave Fulham a bit one-dimensional. More artistry out wide, with pace in the dribble to beat a player and open a defence without relying on crosses, could help them improve on their 11th-placed finish.
Leeds United – centre-back
Leeds are looking to strengthen the spine of their team, recognising they need reinforcements in multiple positions to be able to compete in 2025/26.
But a centre-back with Premier League – or at least top-level – experience should be prioritised. Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk don’t have much of that, and more importantly, Daniel Farke's teams don’t traditionally defend well at the top level.
His Norwich City side of 20219/20 conceded 75 goals, more than anyone else in the Premier League that season.
Liverpool – left-back
After replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold with Jeremie Frimpong, the next priority for Arne Slot ought to be providing competition for Andrew Robertson.
Over time, 31-year-old Robertson has lost a little of his pace and athleticism, recording fewer goals and assists year on year – until he only managed a single goal involvement in 2024/25.
Robertson's PL goals + assists last four seasons
| Season | Total |
|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 13 |
| 2022/23 | 8 |
| 2023/24 | 5 |
| 2024/25 | 1 |
That’s partly as a result of playing a deeper role under Slot, but nevertheless there is space for a younger talent able to better defend and attack on Liverpool's left flank.
Manchester City – right-back
Pep Guardiola’s summer rebuild has been dramatic so far but there’s more to come, with right-back being another area City are known to be focusing on.
Kyle Walker looks to be on his way out, while last season's alternatives Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes are both central midfielders by trade. They managed just 10 goals or assists between them in 2024/25.
But more important than the attacking output is the defensive side of things. City miss Walker’s recovery pace, and with Guardiola increasingly focusing on transitional, vertically-inclined attackers, the capacity to backpedal is more important than ever.
Manchester United – striker
Man Utd under-performed their xG by 10.6 goals last season, the second-biggest margin in the Premier League, suggesting that they need better finishing, not more chance creation.
Rasmus Hojlund scored four Premier League goals, Joshua Zirkzee three.
When they have creative players like Bruno Fernandes in the squad, a Man Utd No 9 needs to be netting more.
Their 406 chances created and 524 shots were, on both counts, sixth-highest in the Premier League last season.
Newcastle United – right-winger
The longstanding calls for an upgrade on the right wing is perhaps a little unfair on Jacob Murphy who, after scoring eight Premier League goals last season and assisting 12, must wonder what more he needs to do.
But watching Newcastle play, the ball tends to get stuck on the right more than the left, lacking the fluency and sharpness in the final third we see through Anthony Gordon on the other side.
Even if Murphy keeps his place in the starting XI, Newcastle could do with competition for him.
Nottingham Forest – central midfielder
Given they will also be playing UEFA Europa Conference League football, Forest need reinforcements all over the pitch – particularly in the middle of the park.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side won’t be able to sit deep quite so often in 2025/26. They no longer have the element of surprise, which means they will have to move towards a more progressive way of playing.
Yet they don’t currently have the central midfielders to play a metronomic role. Last season, Forest had the fifth-worst short-passing accuracy (87.3 per cent), while only three teams miscontrolled the ball more often than their 563 times.
Sunderland – defensive midfielder
The loss of Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund is a big one, and it undoubtedly makes the already difficult challenge of retaining their top-flight status considerably harder.
Only three teams in the history of the Premier League era have been promoted from the Championship when scoring fewer goals than Sunderland’s 58, perhaps suggesting they need to prioritise being strong at the back.
Sunderland need a powerful defensive midfielder to break up the play then. Last season, Bellingham won possession 244 times, the seventh-highest figure in the Championship.
Tottenham Hotspur – winger
Rumours are swirling about Son Heung-min's future, and with Spurs also reportedly interested in reuniting Thomas Frank with Mbeumo, it’s likely the new head coach wants more goalscoring wingers in his squad.
Dominic Solanke scored only nine Premier League goals last season, but rather than add a new striker, Spurs need to get better service – and better dribblers – around him.
They lacked sharpness in the final third too often under Ange Postecoglou. A more direct winger can help the team open up.
West Ham – striker
Yet again, West Ham are in need of a striker.
Niclas Fullkrug, Michail Antonio, Danny Ings and Evan Ferguson scored only five Premier League goals between them in 2024/25, underperforming against an xG of 7.2.
Unsurprisingly, only five Premier League teams scored fewer than West Ham’s total of 46 goals. That is a worrying trend for a possession-centric Graham Potter, whose Brighton and Chelsea teams both struggled to create chances.
If there was ever a head coach who needed a reliable goalscorer, it’s Potter. West Ham fans know all too well how difficult it is to find one.
Wolverhampton Wanderers – left-back
Losing Rayan Ait-Nouri would be bad enough, but with Matheus Cunha also gone Wolves have lost their entire left flank.
Ait-Nouri and Cunha, who have signed for Man City and Man Utd respectively this summer, provided 19 goals and 13 assists between them in the Premier League last season. Those combined 32 involvements represent a massive 59 per cent of all the goals Wolves scored (54).
As you might expect, Wolves predominantly attacked down the left side of the pitch (40 per cent), but that will have to change unless Vitor Pereira can find replacements for both players.
