The perfect January signing for every Premier League club

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 3 Nov 2025 15:08 GMT
• 11 min read

Analysis

The January transfer window is never short on drama, and with just a matter of weeks before the market opens, this one promises to be no different.

Every Premier League club has a problem to solve, and FootballTransfers has identified the player who could make all the difference.

Whether it’s Manchester United’s midfield, Liverpool’s defence or West Ham’s attack, here’s the ideal signing for each side.

Arsenal

Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille): Central midfielder

There are very few issues with Arsenal’s current squad and they are deservedly the odds-on favourites to win the Premier League this season.

However, things could be derailed if either Martin Zubimendi or Declan Rice suffer a long-term injury problem. Christian Norgaard and Mikel Merino are capable back-ups, of course, but adding a younger alternative could be smart given the Gunners are building a squad for the present and the future.

Lille’s 18-year-old wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi fits that profile perfectly and he has already been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks.

Current ETV

Ayyoub Bouaddi

M, DM (C)

Lille

Ayyoub Bouaddi

M, DM (C)

Lille

€35.3M

ETV Range

€31.7M - €38.8M

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Aston Villa

Abde Ezzalzouli (Real Betis): Winger

Aston Villa have recovered from a dismal start to the new Premier League season, but their attack is still yet to completely click and adding reinforcements in January may be smart.

Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott have barely featured since their arrival on loan this summer, while fellow new arrival Evann Guessand is still yet to score his first goal in the English top flight.

Adding a versatile attacker could therefore be helpful and Real Betis’ Abde Ezzalzouli is the perfect candidate. He already has four goal contributions in just 482 La Liga minutes this season and he is comfortable playing on either flank.

Bournemouth

Dario Osorio (Midtjylland): Winger

Smart recruitment has underpinned Bournemouth’s immense ascent to Premier League regulars and they will need to be savvy in the market yet again in 2026 amid their pursuit of an Antoine Semenyo replacement.

The Ghana international is wanted by every top Premier League club and a sale is expected to take place next summer.

Landing a long-term heir in January would therefore be smart, in order for the replacement to acclimate to Andoni Iraola’s system, and Midtjylland’s Dario Osorio could be the perfect target. The 21-year-old, who was close to joining Bournemouth over the summer, has five goals and seven assists so far this season.

Brentford

Richarlison (Tottenham): Striker

Igor Thiago has filled the void left by Yoane Wissa expertly well this term, however his form has already resulted in fairly substantial transfer interest from across the Premier League.

Even if Keith Andrews’ side are able to retain the 24-year-old, landing another centre forward in January could be crucial to improve the depth of attacking options available to the Bees head coach.

Richarlison has been heavily linked with a Tottenham Hotspur departure in recent weeks and Brentford could do far worse than bringing the Brazilian across London to bolster their forward roster.

Brighton

Ismael Saibari (PSV): Attacking midfielder

After allowing Julio Enciso, Facundo Buonanotte and Matt O’Riley to depart this summer, Brighton’s options in attacking midfield have diminished significantly and Georginio Rutter is the most obvious candidate for a starting berth.

Diego Gomez can also play in a more advanced role, while Brajan Grada could be moved centrally, but adding a new alternative to Rutter would still be sensible during the January transfer window.

PSV Eindhoven’s Ismael Saibari appears to be the best option on the market following an immense start to the season that has seen him score 10 goals in 15 matches across all competitions.

Burnley

Imran Louza (Watford): Central midfielder

Burnley have the lowest xG of any club in the Premier League so far this season and although Scott Parker’s side are more defence-orientated, they need to add creativity if they want to survive this term.

Jaidon Anthony has performed well on the left flank and fans are happy with the potential of Loum Tchaouna on the right, so signing a creative midfielder must therefore be a priority in January.

Parker has preferred a robust midfield unit this campaign, but adding a player like Watford’s Imran Louza could be a masterstroke. He has five goals and two assists in the Championship this term and he could help Burnley in their bid to avoid relegation.

Chelsea

Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa): Attacking midfielder

STATS

Morgan Rogers

M (CRL)

Aston Villa

Morgan Rogers

M (CRL)

Aston Villa

All Tournaments

2025/26

• 14

  Games

• 1

  Goals

• 2

  Assists

View all stats

After missing out on Xavi Simons this summer, Chelsea eventually completed a surprise loan move for Facundo Buonanotte.

However, despite featuring in cup competitions, the Argentine has only made one Premier League appearance so far this season and with Cole Palmer’s groin issue not going away, signing long-term target Morgan Rogers would be a wise move. He has starred at Aston Villa since his arrival in 2024 and he would crucially provide competition on both flanks too.

Centre-back and goalkeeper are also areas that could be upgraded, however the Blues have a deep defensive roster when everyone is fully fit, while Robert Sanchez has performed well for the majority of this campaign.

Crystal Palace

Nathan Ake (Manchester City): Centre-back

Marc Guehi will leave Crystal Palace sooner or later as his contract ticks down to its expiry at the end of June. Even if Oliver Glasner’s side can retain him until the end of the season, it makes sense to start bedding in his replacement as soon as possible.

Palace have been linked with moves for Max Kilman and Nathan Ake, with the Manchester City fringe player potentially the easier deal to conclude given West Ham are in the grip of a relegation battle.

Everton

Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli): Centre-forward

Everton spent comparatively big on Thierno Barry in the summer, but there is a sense of urgency that the Toffees need more reliability in front of goal than the young Frenchman is currently capable of giving them.

Barry has yet to score for the club while Beto has netted only once. Given the creativity that Jack Grealish, Iliman Ndiaye and Tyler Dibling possession, they should be doing better.

With Ivan Toney being linked with a move back to the Premier League from the Saudi Pro League, he would be an ambitious but perfect option for the Merseyside club, who could provide him an excellent platform to promote himself before the World Cup next summer.

Fulham

Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough): Central midfield

Fulham have been going along steadily so far this season but could use a little more drive from the centre of midfield, where Marco Silva’s side can appear a little one-dimensional and defensive at times.

Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic are both steady options but they lack an attacking dimension that could elevate the Cottagers. Between them, they have just two goals in over 140 appearances for the club.

Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney is a player who has been scouted by Fulham on several occasions. His price point looks attractive, he has scope for improvement and can operate as a more dynamic central midfield option than Silva currently has on offer.

Leeds United

Dennis Cirkin (Sunderland): Left-back

Leeds’ season might be going reasonably well, but their summer signings have struggled to make a positive impact, with Lucas Perri, Gabriel Gudmundsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin all flopping so far at Elland Road.

It feels that the Lilywhites could realistically replace any of that trio, yet the one they would probably wish to upgrade most rapidly is Gudmundsson, whose lack of form since arriving from Lille has been alarming.

One option that could be explored is that of Dennis Cirkin at Sunderland. He’s missed much of the season due to injury but even when fully fit will struggle to get much game time ahead of Reinildo at the in-form Wearsiders. At 23, he could be a smart, budget-friendly solution.

Liverpool

Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace): Centre-back

Perhaps the most important Liverpool deal in their big-spending summer was the oner that didn’t get done. The Reds’ move for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi fell apart at the 11th hour on Deadline Day, leaving Arne Slot’s side lacking in cover at centre-back.

Although they signed Giovanni Leoni, the young Italian was quickly struck down by a serious knee injury and is unlikely to play again this season.

It’s no secret that the Premier League champions need more cover at centre-back, and Guehi would be the perfect solution – even if it’s a deal that will be very difficult. In signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle, the Reds have shown they are capable of pulling off the seemingly impossible. This is easy by comparison.

Current ETV

Marc Guéhi 

D (CL)

C. Palace

Marc Guéhi 

D (CL)

C. Palace

€40.3M

ETV Range

€36.3M - €44.3M

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Manchester City

Lucas Stassin (Saint-Etienne): Centre-forward

Having spent lavishly over the past couple of transfer windows, Manchester City are well stocked across the park, yet there is one area in which they are arguably lacking: depth at centre-forward.

While Erling Haaland continues to bang in goals at an outrageous rate, it’s gone largely unnoticed that the Plan B in that area could be a weak link for Pep Guardiola’s side. Omar Marmoush can play the role but has only one Premier League goal in six months.

Ideally, City want a prolific, young centre-forward in the mould of Haaland, who is happy to learn from the Norway international while picking up the scraps when it comes to first-team minutes. Belgium U21 international Lucas Stassin at Saint-Etienne fits the bill nicely. He would be relatively low cost and is open to a January transfer as he is currently playing in France’s second tier.

Manchester United

Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest): Central midfield

It was a surprise that Man Utd didn’t move for a central midfielder in the summer given that Ruben Amorim doesn’t seem to fancy either Kobbie Mainoo or Manuel Ugarte, while Casemiro wasn’t held highly in his estimations until a strong start to the season.

The Red Devils definitely need cover here, and Elliot Anderson looks their best bet in an ideal world - even if getting Forest to sell in January will be no easy task. With the England midfielder the best fit for United in terms of his playing style and in terms of the club’s desire to snap up Premier League-proven talent, he’s the player they should be chasing.

Newcastle United

Kobbie Mainoo (Man Utd): Central midfielder

Following Newcastle's damaging loss against West Ham, Eddie Howe commented that his team looked nothing like what he is used to seeing, while Gary Neville accused them of looking lethargic.

With that in mind, Howe should look to sign a midfielder to inject more energy into his team and that player could be Kobbie Mainoo.

The Manchester United man is looking likely to leave Old Trafford in January in order to ensure his place in the England squad for the 2026 World Cup. Would he rather stay in England than move to, say, Napoli?

Nottingham Forest

James Trafford (Man City): Goalkeeper

Matz Sels signed a new contract with Nottingham Forest in the summer but his form has declined from the superb performances of last season. In 10 matches so far this campaign, Forest have conceded 19 goals with him between the sticks.

Forest should look to sign a new goalkeeper, not necessarily as a replacement for Sels, but someone who can come in to provide competition and perhaps give him the impetus to refind his good form.

One player they should look to bring in, potentially even on loan, is James Trafford. The Man City keeper was signed back by Pep Guardiola in the summer, but he was somewhat threw under the bus thereafter as the club also signed Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Sunderland

Marc Guiu (Chelsea): Striker

Sunderland have made a wonderful start to the season and will remain in the top eight after Matchday 10 no matter their result against Everton on Monday.

Goalscoring has been a bit of an issue, though, as they have found the back of the net on just 11 occasions in nine matches. Only one player, Wilson Isidor, has scored more than one goal in the league.

The Black Cats have been strongly linked with another loan move for Marc Guiu after he had to prematurely return to Chelsea at the beginning of the campaign.

Tottenham

Jonathan David (Juventus): Striker

It has been two years, but Tottenham are still yet to find a player to replace the goals of Harry Kane.

Dominic Solanke was never going to be that player and is always injured anyway. Randal Kolo Muani is currently at the club on loan from Paris Saint-Germain but hasn't hit the ground running, while Richarlison isn't a natural number nine.

They were strongly linked with Jonathan David in the summer only for the Canadian to join Italian giants Juventus. That hasn't worked out, so he may very well move on after just six months, potentially to the Premier League. Will they want to pay a fee for a player they could have signed for free a few months ago, however?

West Ham

Joshua Zirkzee (Man Utd): Striker

The acquisition of Niclas Fullkrug has been nothing short of a disaster for West Ham as he's barely played due to injuries, while the signing of Callum Wilson in the summer as backup was wholly uninspiring.

The Hammers have scored just seven goals in 10 matches and more firepower is required.

Though Joshua Zirkzee is by no means a goal machine, he could inject some quality up top and West Ham have been linked with a January loan approach for the Dutchman.

Wolves

Nicolas Raskin (Rangers): Central midfielder

Wolves sacked manager Vitor Pereira so January acquisitions will depend on the desires of the new manager.

They undoubtedly need more quality and more fight in the middle of the park.

They were previously linked with Nico Raskin of Rangers, though his stock has fallen slightly over the last couple of months.