Summers Transfers Major English Premier League Clubs Must Make
Here are the summer transfers Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool must make in the upcoming transfer window.
This article will address one transfer need for the aforementioned major English Premier League clubs and suggest one signing for each.
Don’t hesitate to comment below with your opinions.
Liverpool
1 of 6TRANSFER NEED: Pepe Reina is a liability and Liverpool have to replace him.
He is tied with Adam Federici and Thomas Vermaelen for the second-most errors made in the Premier League this season (6).
There are 15 goalkeepers who have made more league-saves than Reina, so not only is he mistake-prone but he doesn't make enough saves.
TRANSFER SUGGESTION: Kevin Trapp, Eintracht Frankfurt, Age: 22
People who throw Marc-André ter Stegen's name around evidently don't follow the Bundesliga consistently.
Last summer? Yes, he was exceptional—bar the last stretch of the season—and was arguably the most dominant goalkeeper in Europe.
This season? No. Why sign a keeper devoid of form?
Though, there are extenuating circumstances for Marc-André crashing back to earth.
Borussia Mönchengladbach lost their security blanket in Roman Neustädter to Schalke, who won back the ball 209 times in 33 league games.
More importantly, BMG relinquished Dante, the leader of their back-line, and the Brazilian has replicated his influence for Bayern Munich.
Trapp is by far the in-form Bundesliga GK and holds a significant lead over his colleagues as Kicker and Bild's top rated shot-stopper.
Arsenal
2 of 6TRANSFER NEED: Move Jack Wilshere into the No. 10 role and start Santi Cazorla as a false winger on the left.
This frees up a pivot spot, and my suggested target will actually stay within his defensive zone therefore shielding the back four.
Jack's 28 tackles in return for conceding 21 free kicks is not a healthy ratio for a midfielder with defensive responsibilities.
Why force him to defend when his body is breaking down?
TRANSFER SUGGESTION: James McCarthy, Wigan Athletic, Age: 22
Why are people suggesting Étienne Capoue when he's been sub-par this season?
Loses the ball too many times trying Hollywood passes; exposes his back-line by roaming up the field akin to Alex Song; and hasn't shown enough leadership.
He has allowed the resentment of not being sold in the summer to affect his on-field performances.
This is a red flag because that's the same thing Yann M'Vila did, which consequently led to his downfall.
McCarthy is a solid midfielder who knows his role inside-out: safe in possession (completes 88.3 percent of his passes) and an excellent tackler (3.0 tackles per league game, 0.8 higher than Capoue).
Chelsea
3 of 6TRANSFER NEED: Sell Fernando Torres.
El Niño's negative body language shows he lacks confidence, and his low intangibles are holding back Chelsea.
Fernando, please leave.
TRANSFER SUGGESTION: None.
What's the point in stockpiling some of the world's best available prospects, only to not use them?
Give Nathaniel Chalobah a chance as a defensive midfielder because he'll actually tackle, unlike Frank Lampard.
Don't forget about Josh McEachran, who is composed in possession and technically very good.
If the defending at the back continues to be calamitous, play Nathaniel there—his versatility is handy.
Thank West Bromwich Albion and recall Romelu Lukaku so he can be the club's real No. 9.
Tottenham Hotspur
4 of 6TRANSFER NEED: A centre-forward who can take some pressure off Gareth Bale.
Jermain Defoe's 10 league goals from 101 shots is woefully inefficient.
Emmanuel Adebayor probably spends more time thinking about his bank account than scoring goals for Tottenham Hotspur.
TRANSFER SUGGESTION: Christian Benteke, Aston Villa, Age: 22
The Belgian is a weapon in the air (has won 225 headers in 26 Premier League games) and prolific in front of goal.
If he can score 12 goals and accumulate four assists with Villa, imagine the productivity with the Spurs.
Manchester City
5 of 6TRANSFER NEED: A world-class forward that will deliver week in, week out.
Carlos Tévez wants to leave (per Massimo Marioni at The Metro), so Manchester City would be foolish to offer him a new contract.
Edin Džeko is eying a move to the Bundesliga, and Roberto Mancini has talked about the possibility of the Bosnian leaving (via Tim Rich at The Independent).
TRANSFER SUGGESTION: Falcao, Atlético Madrid, Age: 27
City are win-now and with 21 goals in 24 La Liga games, Falcao can hit-the-ground running.
What about John Guidetti? It remains to be seen if he can recapture his Feyenoord form after contracting a virus (from Simon Mullock at The Mirror), to which he has spent this season building back his strength.
Manchester United
6 of 6TRANSFER NEED: Midfield reinforcement.
Father time is catching up to Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes; Darren Fletcher's future is still up in the air; Anderson was and never will be a No. 6; and Phil Jones will fill the holes in the squad, meaning he'll rotate from defence to midfield.
The Michael Carrick-Tom Cleverley double-pivot partnership is great...but it can be better.
TRANSFER SUGGESTION: Kevin Strootman, PSV Eindhoven, Age: 23
The Dutchman has really extended his defensive obligations as he runs all over the field trying to make tackles.
Coupled with metronomic passing and his physical attributes, he is an obvious transfer target for Manchester United.
That being said, there are concerns with him not rising to the occasion in big-games i.e. 3-1 loss to Ajax and 2-1 loss to Feyenoord.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, EPLIndex.com and Squawka.com.
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