An Alternative Deadline Day: Creating Trades for the Premier League's Top 6
Let's be honest; January's transfer deadline day was a major disappointment.
Desperately hoping to feast on a major deal or two in the Premier League, we instead ended up with only slim pickings to digest over the coming months.
There was a club-record transfer fee paid out—by Burnley for Robbie Brady. An Italian striker headed to England, but only Southampton fans really got excited about Manolo Gabbiadini's arrival.
Now we have to wait until the summer for our next transfer fix.
In the NBA, however, they have their own version of deadline day. At 3 p.m. ET (8 p.m. GMT) on Thursday, the trade window comes to a close. It's not an actual window, but you get the idea.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report has come up with some hypothetical trades that could aid the Premier League's big six.
While some of the teams may need a short-term boost in the race to finish in the top four, others might welcome potential solutions to long-term problems.
The aim here is to strike deals that are (relatively) fair to both sides. To avoid overcomplicating matters, players can only be moved between clubs in the English top flight.
Trading Places: A Brief History and Criteria for Deals
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While the Premier League doesn't see NBA-style trades, that's not to say swap deals haven't happened in the history of the competition.
Two of the most notable player trades involved players named Cole.
In 2006, Arsenal sent left-back Ashley Cole to Chelsea in exchange for William Gallas and a £5 million payment.
Andy Cole, meanwhile, headed to Manchester United from Newcastle United in a deal completed in January 1995.
The price to pay for one of the country's leading strikers was £6 million and Keith Gillespie, a return that led to Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan having to calm angry supporters on the steps of St James' Park.
And therein lies one of the major issues with sporting trades.
Once the move is confirmed (even strongly rumoured), the rest of the world immediately reacts. There's always viewed to be a winner and loser, even if that instant verdict doesn't stand the test of time.
Unlike in the NBA, there are no Premier League draft picks available to sweeten an offer, although the basketball franchises also have to take a salary cap into consideration when making trades.
Don't take these faux deals too seriously, though. Just forget what you know and answer this one simple question: Who says no?
1. Chelsea
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Needs: Potential Diego Costa replacement, upgrades on Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses.
The trade: Nathan Ake, Michy Batshuayi and Asmir Begovic to Everton for Romelu Lukaku.
Despite speculation over a new contract, Diego Costa's long-term future at Chelsea remains unclear.
Asked about his first-choice striker's future, Blues boss Antonio Conte said, per Sky Sports: "Yes, I'm confident, but I repeat now it's important to keep the great concentration for the present."
However, Costa's head was clearly turned in January by talk of a lucrative transfer in China.
According to Tony Little of The Sun, the player's reward for choosing to stay put at Stamford Bridge will be a five-year deal worth £220,000 per week, which would make him Chelsea's highest-paid player.
Yet, until the club officially confirms the paperwork, they have to consider alternative options. Trading for Romelu Lukaku now would, therefore, be a proactive move, rather than a knee-jerk reaction to Costa leaving.
The Belgian—who has scored 16 league goals for Everton this season—failed to make an impact during a previous spell with Chelsea, although that hasn't put him off returning one day.
"Will I return to Chelsea? We'll see," Lukaku told Het Laatste Nieuws (h/t Yahoo Sports). "There is no denying that the English league is perfect for me, but there are nice clubs elsewhere, too."
Everton may have lofty ambitions with new owners and manager Ronald Koeman in charge, but they aren't making the Champions League next season. And judging by his tweet during Manchester City's 5-3 win over AS Monaco on Tuesday, Lukaku holds the competition in high regard.
The Toffees would need a sizeable haul to part with their biggest asset.
They've got the best out of a forward Chelsea rejected before, so Michy Batshuayi looks to be worth a gamble. As for the other two players in the three-for-one package, Asmir Begovic is a huge upgrade on Everton's goalkeeping options, and Nathan Ake—who impressed this season while at Bournemouth—is a defender with a bright future.
2. Manchester City
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Needs: Goalkeeper not named Joe Hart, defenders who can actually defend.
Trade 1: Fabian Delph and Kelechi Iheanacho to Leicester City for Kasper Schmeichel.
Manchester City's eight-goal thriller against Monaco on Tuesday was a wonderful spectacle.
"There was an anarchic brilliance to Tuesday's 5-3 clash, a dizzying collision of two teams that excelled in attack and defended disastrously. The sense may be that whichever is the least flawed at the back will progress," Richard Jolly wrote for ESPN FC.
Yet the second-half onslaught should not completely overshadow City's defensive deficiencies.
Vincent Kompany cannot stay fit. Nicolas Otamendi appears unable to remember what his job is. John Stones, meanwhile, was a big-money purchase who continues to suggest he cannot actually defend.
A trade for a centre-back would, therefore, make sense. However, striking a deal for a new goalkeeper still seems the more pressing concern.
Claudio Bravo simply hasn't settled since arriving from Barcelona. If Willy Caballero is the answer, you don't want to know what the question is. And there seems more chance of Barack Obama and Donald Trump enjoying a golfing weekend away than Pep Guardiola welcoming back Joe Hart from Torino with open arms.
Could Kasper Schmeichel be the answer to the problem? He came through the ranks at City but made just nine first-team appearances before joining Notts County.
The Foxes do have Ron-Robert Zieler on their books to take over between the sticks.
Adding Fabian Delph and Kelechi Iheanacho—two players who are well down Guardiola's pecking order—might just refresh a squad that looks in serious danger of dropping into the Championship a year after winning the title.
If Leicester still wanted more for their current No. 1, City could throw in the future rights to defender Eliaquim Mangala once he returns from a season-long loan spell with Valencia.
3. Tottenham Hotspur
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Needs: Squad depth, someone decent to play up front not called Harry Kane.
The trade: Moussa Sissoko to Crystal Palace for Wilfried Zaha.
Tottenham Hotspur's first-choice XI doesn't have a glaring weakness.
The issue for manager Mauricio Pochettino, though, comes when he scratches beneath the surface. Spurs lack depth, leaving them overly reliant on the starting lineup to remain healthy.
They tried to add two more pieces to their squad in the summer, but neither Vincent Janssen nor Moussa Sissoko have (so far) made a big impact at White Hart Lane.
There is still time for both to come good. Heung-Min Son was a peripheral figure in his first year in north London, but this season the South Korea international has become a regular for Pochettino.
Son has contributed seven goals, helping to ease the burden on Kane's shoulders.
However, Spurs could still do with another attacking option. They had a bid turned down for Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha last August but, according to Tony Banks of the Express, they will renew their interest in the player this summer.
With our trade deadline, they don't have to wait until the clocks have changed. Sissoko is a different type of player, one who may be more beneficial right now in Palace's bid to beat the drop.
If that's not deemed enough to acquire Zaha, though, Tottenham could instead offer a combination of Kieran Trippier, a full-back who has to play second fiddle to Kyle Walker, and young midfield prospect Josh Onomah.
Zaha's trickery out wide would offer Pochettino a different element to use, particularly against teams who set out to stop Spurs playing.
4. Arsenal
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Needs: Someone—anyone—to prevent Arsenal fans from slipping into the abyss.
Trade 1: Carl Jenkinson and Francis Coquelin to Leicester for Jamie Vardy.
On the bright side, Arsenal are in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup (where they will face non-league opposition) and remain on course to qualify for the Champions League for an umpteenth straight season (it would actually be 20 years in a row).
However, nothing appears to be bright at Arsenal right now.
Star men Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are yet to sign new contracts. Manager Arsene Wenger's future also remains unclear, while a section of fans feel the time has come for the Frenchman to step aside.
If Wenger wants to make a deal to help in the short term, he might go back in for a previous transfer target who initially turned him down.
When Arsenal came calling, Vardy stayed loyal to Leicester City last summer. In hindsight, considering his struggles this season (the forward has managed just five league goals), he may regret that decision.
Now, though, a move to the Emirates Stadium—in exchange for two players Arsenal can live without—could be just what the England international needs to rediscover some form.
If Francis Coquelin feels like too much to give up for a misfiring forward, just cast your minds back to the 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich on February 15. Per Squawka, Arsenal's defensive midfielder failed to make a single tackle during his 77 minutes on the pitch.
Trade 2: Alexis Sanchez to Liverpool for Philippe Coutinho.
In NBA terms, Sanchez's value is depreciating as long as his contract is running down. Sure, he keeps on scoring goals, but he could be a free agent in the summer of 2018.
Instead, Wenger could trade for Philippe Coutinho—a player who signed a five-year extension with the Reds in January—and leave Liverpool to deal with Sanchez's contract situation.
Wenger would never allow this to happen (not after seeing Robin van Persie win a title with Manchester United), but just imagine the reaction on ArsenalFanTV if Sanchez left to join a top-four rival.
5. Liverpool
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Needs: Goalkeeper, long-term left-back, centre-back, striker willing to run around.
The trade: Daniel Sturridge to Southampton for Virgil van Dijk.
Liverpool would happily consider doing (yet another) deal with Southampton to get Virgil van Dijk.
The Reds previously raided the south coast for a defensive lynchpin in Dejan Lovren. Still, Jurgen Klopp's side has conceded 30 league goals this season, the most of any team in the top six.
Van Dijk, meanwhile, has excelled in England since heading south from Celtic. He has an average rating of 7.42 with WhoScored.com, and at 25, he still may not have reached his peak.
Southampton would not be keen to see another leading name leave for Liverpool, following in the footsteps of Lovren, Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Sadio Mane.
However, an ankle injury sees Van Dijk sidelined for Sunday's EFL Cup final against Manchester United. With no real concerns over losing their top-flight status, would they consider doing a deal now?
Goalscorers are hard to come by (Southampton just forked out £14.45 million for Manolo Gabbiadini), and despite an injury record that goes on longer than the full version of Fool's Gold by the Stone Roses, Sturridge is a risk plenty of Premier League teams would be willing to take.
Liverpool's continued quest to find a first-choice No. 1 could also be solved via a trade.
Southampton's Fraser Forster and Jack Butland of Stoke City could be potential targets, even if the latter has not played since last March due to injury. His trade value is unlikely to get any lower than it is now.
The problem, though, is the Reds' lack of assets to send the other way. They could put Emre Can on the trade block, particularly as his current deal expires at the end of the 2017/18 season.
But current squad members Ragnar Klavan, Alberto Moreno and Lucas Leiva aren't budging the needle for other clubs. Sturridge is easily Liverpool's most valuable trade chip.
6. Manchester United
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Needs: Left-back, holding midfielder to eventually replace Michael Carrick.
Trade 1: Luke Shaw to Southampton for Oriol Romeu.
Luke Shaw is going through a sticky spell at Manchester United. Actually, to borrow a line from Blackadder Goes Forth, it's the stickiest situation since Sticky the stick insect got stuck on a sticky bun.
The left-back has not impressed manager Jose Mourinho, who confirmed before Wednesday's Europa League tie with AS Saint-Etienne that Shaw is now fourth choice for the position.
"Why has Luke Shaw stayed behind in Manchester? Because I am playing with Daley Blind, with Marcos Rojo, with Matteo Darmian and all of them are playing the way I like a full-back to play," Mourinho said, per Stuart Mathieson of the Manchester Evening News.
Shaw is exactly the kind of player other clubs would want. He's struggling right now, but he is only 23 and has played for England. In NBA terms, he's a first-round draft pick that flashed talent yet failed to fully deliver.
Southampton—the club where Shaw made his name, tempting the Red Devils to cough up £31.88 million—could offer him a familiar place to find his mojo again.
In return, Manchester United could take Oriol Romeu, a player Mourinho knows about from his second stint in charge at Chelsea.
A holding midfielder, Romeu averages 3.4 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game in the Premier League, per WhoScored.com. He also boasts an 85.2 pass-completion rate, proving he's comfortable on the ball once he's won it.
The first instinct here is to think Manchester United are giving up way too much in this exchange. However, if Shaw is as far down the pecking order as Mourinho suggests, there's little point in hanging on to him. The longer he stagnates in the stands, the more his value drops.
Trade 2: Anthony Martial to Arsenal for Mesut Ozil.
Now this is a blockbuster trade, the Premier League's version of All-Star centre DeMarcus Cousins going to the New Orleans Pelicans from the Sacramento Kings.
Mourinho worked with Mesut Ozil at Real Madrid. The Germany international understands what the Portuguese demands from his players, while Arsenal would get a prized asset for someone with a contract that expires in 18 months.
"We always liked him, even when he was in Lyon," Wenger said of Anthony Martial in October 2015, per the Press Association (h/t the Guardian).
So, from question marks over Ozil and Sanchez, the Gunners would suddenly have Philippe Coutinho and Martial to build around in the long term.
Trade 3: Wayne Rooney to Everton for peace of mind.
Because it just doesn't seem right that England's leading scorer should head to China for one final payday just yet.
All statistics used in the article are from WhoScored.com unless otherwise stated.
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