EPL Transfer News: Deals That Could Tip in Favor of the Top 4 Clubs

With the countdown to the end of the 2011 summer transfer window already begun, teams look to make their final moves and get the team they will compete with for the first half of the season. Many clubs have already bought early, bought up their side and are comfortable with the players they have.

But what makes the dying embers of the transfer window the most exciting is those teams that think the player that is the answer to all their problems still lie out there.

Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea are the early leaders of the Premier League pack. They have handled business in their first three games and to no one’s surprise are living up to their status as favorites to win the league.

But to sustain this kind of success throughout the season is the real mark of a championship side. All four have already made headlines with their signings thus far, but when you are playing the high stakes game of big time football, it is never enough.

All will be looking to get an advantage over the other in the first half of the season and create a gap the others cannot close. To do so, they will make deadline deals to strengthen and improve their already quality sides.

Here is one player each team could get that would greatly improve their chances of glory come May.

Wesley Sneijder to Manchester United

Sneijder’s name has been linked to United all summer. Even with Ferguson getting his goalie for the future in David de Gea, prominent winger in Ashley Young and young defensive prodigy in Phil Jones, he has persisted in going after the Dutch international.

His play over the past several years has been nothing short of exceptional. He is a total player with speed, vision, skill and finishing ability found in few midfielders. He also has a champions mentality, winning three league titles in three different leagues, including a Champions League and runner-up finish at the 2010 World Cup.

As of right now, the matter that is holding up the move is supposedly a dispute over the player’s wages. He has been adamant about a deal which is believed to total him around £250,000 a week. Ferguson has asked him to lower the price. Rumors suggest he may be willing to negotiate, but nothing concrete as of yet.

With United’s 8-2 thrashing of Arsenal over the weekend, the idea of playing a player anywhere near that amount, on top of the £35 million or more it would take to get him there seems unnecessary. The youth that Ferguson has seems to be exhibitioning for the crowds and have done a more than adequate job thus far. Besides single handedly rebuilding the English national team, Fergie also has a deep bench that features last year’s Golden Boot winner in Dimitar Berbatov and the all-time legend Ryan Giggs.

However, as the season progresses and the competitions pile up, the need for experienced veterans who understand what it takes to win will become ever more pressing. United has been to the Champions League final two of the past three years and both resulted in losses to Barcelona’s quick passing attack. Sneijder has that quality necessary to control the ball and have Barcelona play to their tempo.

In this infantile age of the season many at United can say ‘Sneijder who?,’ but if they were to secure his services for the rest of the season, they way be odds on favorite to take the league and make a deep run in Europe.

Carlos Tevez Stays at City

It is undeniable that City has finally announced themselves as legitimate contenders in the Premier League. After several windows of big name and high priced signings, they have assembled a squad that has become the most feared and ferocious in all of England. Many have started to compare their high powered attack to that of Barcelona’s where they retain possession, eat away at the opponents' will and finally attack in impressive fashion.

The signing of Sergio Aguero was the biggest by any English club this summer both in name and price. However, there is absolutely zero regret over it at the moment as the Argentinean has already netted three goals and been a part of many others. Edin Dzeko has finally arrived at Eastlands and is beginning to show as the same player they bought from Wolfsburg last summer.

Throw that in with a healthy Yaya Toure, a reinvigorated Gareth Barry and David Silva finally playing with players who can stay with his pace, you have a team that many have predicted to win the title.

But this kind of success is a fragile thing, especially when it is new to a team. City is loaded with talent, but much of it is in youthful vitality and relative inexperience at a winning level. Should things start to go awry as they are bound to do, egos and personalities start to eclipse the team and what they had could be lost forever.

Part of the reason that United have been so successful over the past two decades is Ferguson’s acute awareness of balancing veteran stoicism with youthful energy. Carlos Tevez is the kind of player that can provide this grounding at City.

Tevez is a player who worked his way meticulously up the footballing ladder. He was only ever the star on losing sides and played a supplementary role where he won. But this kind of experience gives him the necessary attitude to make sure that the youngsters at City understand that winning does not come easy and it is even more difficult to sustain over a long period of time.

Aguero is well aware of the importance a player like Tevez can have on a team. He told Sky Sports “I hope he (Tevez) stays and we get to play many games together, but it's up to Roberto Mancini to make that decision."

Of course, there is also the small matter that he is the league's reigning Golden Boot winner. It is always to the advantage of the manager to have a goal scorer like Tevez in his back pocket.

City is already a stacked side ready to win their first Premier League trophy and challenge for Europe. What they need most is not talent that can be statistically measured on the field. It is a player like Tevez who can make sure that the players know what it takes to reach those goals.

Craig Bellamy to Liverpool

Kenny Daglish spent quite a bit of money this summer to construct a team that would not only get back into Champions League, but also challenge United back for the crown of winningest club in English history.

So far, this season has been moving right along. After a 1-1 draw the opening weekend to a tough Sunderland side, they would register back-to-back wins against the much maligned Arsenal and a competent Bolton. What is more is that the pace and veracity they played with in the second half of last season has carried right over into this one.

Luis Suarez has continued his assault on English defenses after being honored as MVP of this summer’s Copa America.  Similarily, Lucas is quickly establishing himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the game.

New arrivals this summer Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson have been an impressive duo and both have already found the back of the net. And Stuart Downing has lived up to his billing as Daglish’s most expensive purchase with effective wing play down the left side.

With Steven Gerrard yet to play, they already have an impressive side that expects to get even better with his return.

Despite all the greatness Daglish has helped reinstill in the club, they are remarkably barren depth wise up front. Only Suarez, Andy Carroll and David N’Gog have significant experience at this level of the game. Should one go down to injury, it could ruin the Reds comeback season.

Craig Bellamy may not be the top of barrel choice when looking for a player to put your side on top, but his style of play is exactly what Liverpool needs. Carroll and Suarez are not ones for physical play. Bellamy could easily be slotted into games against more physical sides, like Stoke, and not only compete well against them, but also alleviate the risk of injury to the stars.

After spending around £50 million already this summer, Daglish cannot have much left in the wallet. This is evident in what appears to be holding up the transfer. Not the argument over the amount of the fee, but the fact that the fee exists at all. Mirror Football reports “they will not pay a fee for Bellamy on top of his £80,000-a-week wages.”

It looks as if Daglish is attempting to take advantage of the excess of talent that has recently struck the Eastlands. Either way the landing of Bellamy may not be the ideal signing at the time, but it should go a long way in bolstering a team that is ready to make a push back to the top.

Luka Modric to Chelsea

The transfer saga of Luka Modric has been the talk of the summer around England. It has been a soap opera of sorts, a he-said, she-said game, that has made everyone look everything from evil to desperate. But as it looks now, Modric could be the key to Chelsea taking back the Premier League title.

New manager Andre Villas-Boas has done little in the way of supporting the whirlwind of speculation that has circulated around London over the fate of the Croatian. He had been rumored for a move 10 miles south to Stamford Bridge before Villas-Boas was even introduced as coach.

We all know the story by now: Chelsea makes a bid, Spurs reject, Chelsea makes another bid, Redknapp says 'hands-off,' Modric hands in transfer request, etc.

Before the season kicked off, fans were split over the necessity of the midfielder. Some felt that without his innate ability to unlock defenses, the Blues were doomed to another season of poor movement in the midfield. Others felt that the new tactics and confidence Villas-Boas had instilled in the players would be enough to put them back on top.

However, as the season has gotten under way, it appears more and more likely that Chelsea is willing to give Spurs whatever they would like for the creative play of the man that has been marked as the savior in west London.

Sadly, Frank Lampard seems to be falling by the way side in Villas-Boas’ system, especially when asked to play with Fernando Torres ahead of him. For years, he has been the face of the Chelsea attack and helped guide this team to the greatest period in its history. But it seems his age is catching up with him and he won’t last forever in this speed driven attack Villas-Boas has devised.

At age 33, a replacement is not only needed, but necessary. It would seem the best time to find that player may be now as the midfield is already lacking in depth.

The latest offer for Modric has been rumored to be everything from £30 million flat to £35 million plus Yossi Benayoun and Salomon Kalou.

Whatever the final outcome may be, it is obvious for now that Villas-Boas is building a team for the future. With all of his signings thus far being under the age of 23 and an insistence of playing Torres, the striker of the future, Modric would just add to a club that looks to be very well off in the future. But for now, his abilities would go a long way in getting Chelsea back to the top of English football.

Who Else?

What players do you think could come to the top club's to tip the balance in their favor?