January Transfer Window: One Need Each Major Club Must Fill This Winter

The summer transfer window has just ended, and we have now had a moment to let the dust settle and assess the moves of every major European club.

The biggest and best clubs on the continent have seemingly gotten even stronger, which does not bode well for those second-tier teams who hope to compete for silverware.

However, while the giants of Europe made a lot of moves and filled a lot of needs, there are still plenty of weak spots in almost every team.

What follows is a list of the remaining needs in many of the top clubs in Europe's three best leagues—best according to the UEFA coefficient.

I have looked at the four biggest clubs in Spain and England as well as the two biggest teams in Germany.

After reading, I hope to hear your own thoughts and opinions on what the greatest needs of these and other top European teams are.

Arsenal

Major Summer Signings

Lukas Podolski (Koln)

Olivier Giroud (Montpellier)

Santi Cazorla (Malaga)

Remaining Needs

After Alex Song left for Barcelona, Arsenal fans were left waiting to see who his replacement would be. The transfer window is now closed and there is still no top-class defensive midfielder in North London.

Along with the attack that should get better with time, defense could be a big concern for the Gunners this season. There is simply not a lot of depth.

Bringing in one of the defensive midfielders that were linked to the club this summer—such as Michael Essien or Yann M'Vila—would have improved the defense and stabilized the midfield.

Now Arsene Wenger will hope that Abou Diaby can stay fit and continue to improve while also praying that Jack Wilshere can get back soon and regain form quickly.

Atletico Madrid

Major Summer Signings

Cata Diaz (Getafe)

Emre (Fenerbahce)

Cristian Rodriguez (Porto)

Remaining Needs

If talking about just starters, Atletico Madrid have a strong enough team to compete with the best in Europe, including the Big Two in Spain.

Unfortunately, they don't have the revenue or rich ownership to have the quality depth to compete with those two teams over the course of an entire season.

While many positions are comparatively light, the biggest problem areas are on the flanks.

The gap in quality behind fullbacks Juanfran and Filipe Luis is too great to ignore. A major injury to either player could ruin their season.

If Atletico are truly going to close the gap in La Liga, they need to go after another fullback this winter.

Barcelona

Major Summer Signings

Jordi Alba (Valencia)

Alex Song (Arsenal)

Remaining Needs

Barcelona filled a major need when they signed left-back Jordi Alba. Eric Abidal's absence last season proved just how valuable he was to the club.

Unfortunately for Barcelona fans, the central defense is still weak and light on options.

The first few matches of the season have already shown how much Barcelona needs to bring in a top center-back in order to get back to the pinnacle of European football.

Not only that, but signing Alba just gives Barcelona two great attacking options out wide, but fails to make the defense much better with the full-backs still struggling to trade defensive duties often enough.

Bayern Munich

Major Summer Signings

Dante (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao)

Mario Mandzukic (Wolfsburg)

Xerdan Shaqiri (Basel)

Claudio Pizarro (Werder Bremen)

Remaining Needs

Most teams in Europe have at least one glaring weakness in the squad that causes major concern for fans. Bayern Munich is simply not one of those teams.

The runners-up in Germany and Europe last season had arguably the best summer transfer period on the continent.

They now have quality depth at every position. The injuries to Mario Gomez and Bastian Schweinsteiger are really the closest thing to a hole that the club has.

Borussia Dortmund

Major Summer Signings

Marco Reus (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Julian Schieber (Stuttgart)

Remaining Needs

Bortmund were fortunate enough to have signed one of the best and most exciting young players in Europe when they got Marco Reus.

They lost Shinji Kagawa, but having a better player in Reus and a healthy Mario Gotze will make the loss much easier.

Dortmund starts this season with one of the strongest starting XIs in all of Europe, but what they still lack is depth.

In an era where Europe's richest clubs spend tens of millions of euros on players who sit on the bench, quality depth is what wins trophies.

While every major area is comparatively light for Dortmund, perhaps the lightest area is out wide.

Gotze will likely move back to the middle, which leaves few options beside him for a team playing three competitions this season.

Chelsea

Major Summer Signings

Marko Marin (Werder Bremen)

Eden Hazard (Lille)

Oscar (Internacional)

Cesar Azpilicueta (Marseille)

Victor Moses (Wigan Athletic)

Remaining Needs

When a club regularly spends as much money as Chelsea does, it is surprising to have needs remaining in the club.

Striker is a bit of a problem area with Fernando Torres no longer the elite striker he was, with only the inconsistent Daniel Sturridge and Victor Moses behind him on the bench.

The bigger issue may be in defensive midfield, though. This is the weakest and shallowest position in the starting XI.

John Obi Mikel is a divisive figure amongst the Blues faithful, with some fans thinking he needs to be upgraded and others seeing him as a player who has developed into a class player.

The early signs of concern in link-up play from the back and enforcing the midfield shows that the former may be a bit more correct.

Manchester City

Major Summer Signings

Jack Rodwell (Everton)

Maicon (Inter)

Scott Sinclair (Swansea City)

Remaining Needs

With the signing of Javi Garcia, the reigning Premier League champions not only fill a need in midfield, but also greatly improved the central defense.

Still, while the trio of Garcia, Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott could become the best in England, depth is still needed at center-back.

Man City fans saw last season that injuries at the back change the entire makeup of the team. Without Kompany on the pitch, Man City is far more vulnerable.

The Citizens are strong enough to compete for a title with the team they currently have, but having an extra quality center-back to rotate in non-league matches would help them get to that next level.

Manchester United

Major Summer Signings

Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund)

Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

Remaining Needs

All summer long, Man United fans have dreamed of bringing in a Javi Martinez-type player who can anchor the midfield and be a creative force in the center of the pitch.

It was seen as the biggest problem area after last season, and no one currently on the team can play as a true defensive midfielder.

Sir Alex Ferguson thinks Michael Carrick can be a pivotal part of the team, linking up with the attack and controlling possession.

Some see him as a lesser version of Xavi who will be all United need in midfield, but those people undervalue what makes players like Xavi and Andrea Pirlo so great.

Having a great defensive mid like Sergio Busquets or Arturo Vidal affords those two stars freedom and safety to do what they want.

Without the safety of a shielding ball-winner, Carrick and the rest of United's midfield will still struggle against the best teams in England.

Real Madrid

Major Summer Signings

Luka Modric (Tottenham)

Michael Essien (Loan, Chelsea)

Remaining Needs

Real Madrid had a rather mild transfer period compared to years past. The biggest need went unfilled, though.

Alvaro Arbeloa is a solid right-back, but he is not world class and has often proved to be the weak link in defense.

After being linked to a number of options all summer, Los Merengues were unable to sign a top player and will have to wait until at least January to fill that hole.

Valencia

Major Summer Signings

Joao Pereira (Sporting Lisbon)

Andres Guardado (Deportivo La Coruña)

Fernando Gago (Real Madrid)

Aly Cissokho (Lyon)

Nelson Valdez (Rubin Kazan)

Remaining Needs

Considering the limited funds the club had to work with, Los Che were one of the biggest winners from the summer transfer window.

They lost Jordi Alba, but used that money from that and other sales to fill almost every major need at the club.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem area from last season went unresolved again this summer.

The central defense is still subpar. Adil Rami and Victor Ruiz form a solid partnership, but they are nowhere near an elite pairing.

Fernando Gago will add a lot of protection for his back line, but more depth and, frankly, more talent is still a big need for Valencia.

This is something that may need to be addressed this winter if Los Che are going to retain that third-place spot in La Liga.

Follow @MichaelCernaBR