Ranking the Premier League clubs by how busy they need to be in January as Liverpool, Tottenham shortfalls addressed | OneFootball

The January transfer window is fast approaching and Premier League clubs will be finalising their plans for where to strengthen – so who’s set to do the most business?

As the midway point of the Premier League season nears, clubs will know if they’re where they want to be in the table or not, and in turn if they need to reinforce their squad. However, January isn’t always the easiest time to do business in the transfer market.

That said, the January 2025 window was much busier than a year before, so it remains to be seen how the upcoming 2026 window will pan out.

We’ve predicted which clubs have the most to do in the transfer window, ranking them from who’ll have to be the busiest to who should be the quietest.

West Ham United

It has been a challenging first half of the season for West Ham, who have already replaced head coach Graham Potter with Nuno Espirito Santo and will have to have some changes to their squad up their sleeve to boost their chances of survival.

Sky Sports News claimed in October that West Ham want at least one striker, midfielder and defender – clearly indicating their need to strengthen the spine of their team.

The striker position will be the main priority, which will be frustrating for a side who’ve been saying the same thing for years and struggling to bring in a solution that actually works as they’d want.

Niclas Fullkrug is on his way out to AC Milan and will need replacing as the first port of call.

Tottenham Hotspur

If Spurs are to threaten the top four by the end of the season, they’ll need more than they have now.

Question marks have recently been asked of their main goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who could be replaced for an upgrade.

But there are just as many doubts at the other end of the pitch, with Spurs lacking a left winger to rely on and being mindful that they could do with a more reliable striker.

Midfield is another department they would top up in an ideal world.

Fulham

Marco Silva emerged from the summer transfer window a frustrated figure after seeing Fulham wait until deadline day to do most of their business.

“I don’t want to put a number on it,” Silva said at the start of December when asked about how many signings are still needed.

“These three, four months created a different scenario for us. Of course, we had one or two things last summer that were not possible for us to do, because we had some players in the last days of the market.

“We are working together, myself, staff and the board to see if we can do it and if we can do it quick in the first days of the market.”

Fulham are known to be exploring ways to strengthen their attack, among other areas such as midfield.

Wolves

Wolves’ status as the basement side in the Premier League implies they have several weaknesses in their squad and could improve with new additions.

According to The Athletic, areas they are seeking to improve include in goal, in midfield (potentially with a no.10) and right wing-back.

However, any business conducted will have to be with the prospect of Championship football for 2026-27 being on the back of their mind.

Crystal Palace

Oliver Glasner wasn’t thrilled with Palace’s approach in the summer and has implored the club to boost their options in January, since they are still juggling European commitments as well.

“If you play European football for the first time in your history, you should invest and not save,” he said after their loss to Manchester United at the end of November.

“We are doing well, we are still in a good position in the league and in all four competitions. I think January is too late. We will have played more than 50% of our games. Ismaila [Sarr] we lost him today with an injury and also he goes to AFCON so everything we are facing now, it’s not surprising.

“Everything was pretty clear and I didn’t say anything but today I think it is also time to speak about it that we missed the chance to play an even better season in the summer.”

Moreover, Marc Guehi is set to enter the last six months of his contract and would need to be replaced if Palace take their last chance to cash in on him.

Right wing-back is another area of concern depending on the severity of Daniel Munoz’s injury.

Liverpool

Despite embarking on their biggest ever transfer window in the summer, Liverpool have shown themselves to still have gaps in their squad throughout their faltering title defence.

On deadline day, they were close to signing Guehi but didn’t. A subsequent injury to Giovanni Leoni means centre-back is an area they lack depth in.

Liverpool could also consider adding another winger after failing to replace Luis Diaz, not to mention the Mo Salah fall-out, while cover in defensive midfield might be beneficial – although whether they choose to go down that route in January or wait until the summer remains to be seen.

And keep an eye on whether they find short-term cover at centre-forward after Alexander Isak’s injury.

Manchester United

The main area for Man Utd to strengthen in 2026 is their midfield, with plans to sign one reinforcement in January and another in the summer.

But United might not stop at just one signing for January, since Ruben Amorim may also like to improve his wing-back options again.

Furthermore, there have been calls for a more experienced striker to add to the ranks.

There’s also AFCON now underway, which has taken Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad Diallo away from availability for a short while. Cover may be needed.

Manchester City

City were the big spenders last January, boosting their squad with the likes of Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush.

They could be attentive to opportunities to strengthen this time around too, although it would mainly be for depth.

For example, they are over-reliant on Erling Haaland to get the goals up front – which should soon be relieved with the capture of Antoine Semenyo – and suffer without Rodri in defensive midfield.

Finding a more natural right-back than Matheus Nunes would also look like a logical move.

Newcastle United

Newcastle haven’t had the best of luck on the injuries front recently and how their players recover may have an impact on their January business.

Keep an eye on their goalkeeping situation, with Aaron Ramsdale currently on loan from Southampton but rumours persisting about interest in finding a more permanent successor to Nick Pope.

According to The Athletic, Newcastle have also shown interest in strengthening at full-back and in midfield.

Everton

David Moyes will be celebrating a year back in charge of Everton in January and he will be hoping to be backed again in the transfer window.

Everton would benefit from signing a more established right-back, while they also could have room for another midfielder – and will need to work out whether to fill that space with a new signing or by recalling Harrison Armstrong from his loan at Preston.

Finally, an experienced striker could make a difference for Everton after summer signing Thierno Barry waited until December to open his Premier League goalscoring account.

Brentford

Brentford are feeling the strain of having a thin squad impacted by injuries at the moment, so Keith Andrews is interested in exploring their options for the winter window.

“I think the club are always looking at options, and it’s been well-documented at the last window,” he said. “I’m sure there’s going to be options that we will look at and look to do in January if we feel it’s right.”

The attack will be where Brentford do the most work, given their over-reliance on striker Igor Thiago and the long-term injury suffered by Fabio Carvalho.

But Sky Sports News has also highlighted their hopes of strengthening in defensive midfield.

Aston Villa

Villa have built some serious momentum recently to recover from their slow start to the season, so the January window could help them preserve their form.

Depth in the striker department seems to be their main concern, a year on from the sale of Jhon Duran. Ollie Watkins won’t be sold, but he could soon have a new teammate vying for his position.

Keep an eye on whether they manage to send Harvey Elliott back to Liverpool as well, amid his lack of gametime, and whether that could open up space for a new winger to arrive.

This will be the first window Villa have navigated since Monchi stepped down from his role as their president of football operations. It’s worth remembering that PSR issues may still be on the back of their minds.

Leeds United

To give themselves the best chance of avoiding relegation, attack is the main area Leeds will need to upgrade in January.

They were keen to add another winger towards the end of the summer window, but a recent switch to a 3-5-2 formation might mean a centre-forward will come back onto the radar instead.

The new shape could also lead to them exploring their options at centre-back to ensure they have enough depth.

Burnley

Burnley were one of the busiest clubs in the summer after earning promotion back to the Premier League, but they find themselves in the relegation zone and among the lower scorers in the division.

Staying in the Premier League after getting there is a tall order these days, so they might not be able to let the January window pass them by without some attempt to salvage their situation – but it depends on how much room they have left after their post-promotion recruitment drive.

Bournemouth

January may have to be a reactive window for Bournemouth, who are faced with mounting interest in their star forward, Antoine Semenyo.

If Semenyo does leave – as is now expected, with Manchester City confident they’ll be his final destination – they would have to look for a replacement to help retain their goalscoring edge.

There are also clubs queuing up for midfield prodigy Alex Scott, so that could be another position that would need replenishing.

Sunderland

Sunderland impressed with their summer business after earning promotion to the Premier League, with plenty of eye-catching additions to their squad.

They’ve impressed on the pitch too and have every reason to believe in a top-half finish.

It could encourage them to add extra sparks to their squad – maybe in midfield – but they can also be content with what they’ve built to get to this point.

That said, they are the club most affected by absences for the Africa Cup of Nations and may need some short-term reinforcements.

Brighton

Brighton’s main concern will be the centre-forward role after a season-ending injury to Stefanos Tzimas.

Addressing whether a new signing could be the solution, head coach Fabian Hurzeler said: “It can be, yes, but regarding the transfers I always emphasise that we will make decisions together. So, we are in exchange, we try to understand the situation, what do we need and then try to find the best solution.”

A recall for Roma loanee Evan Ferguson has been touted, but he has also been linked with other clubs.

Other areas they have been tipped to look at by Sky Sports News include midfield, with a view to a succession plan for Carlos Baleba.

Nottingham Forest

Sean Dyche has started to turn Forest’s form around, but is well aware that January can be an ‘awkward’ transfer window.

Finding cover for injuries will probably be the manager’s main expectation, such as in midfield or at left-back.

“January is always an awkward window anyway,” he said. “There are no guarantees you get the right players who fit and all that in January.

“The way that football is, everyone is open-minded – all clubs. That is certainly the way me and my staff work, and we have already been speaking to the powers-that-be about options with the recruitment side of things.

“It is an ongoing process now – keeping links with players, possibles, probables, availability, contractual situations, all of that. It has become part of the business.

“Most clubs, including this one, are constantly keeping an eye out for what-ifs. We have been very stretched with injuries, everyone knows that; there comes a point where we can’t keep getting this stretched and we are going to need everyone to be fit.”

Chelsea

You can never rule out Chelsea under their current regime from being active in the transfer window and spending big sums in January, but The Athletic has claimed they aren’t planning to add to their squad this winter.

One area that could come into focus is the goalkeeping department, but current first-choice Robert Sanchez has enjoyed some resurgent form recently, so any change might be to who backs him up if Filip Jorgensen pushes for an exit.

Chelsea will also have to weigh up their striker depth after Liam Delap’s injury issues.

Arsenal

Arsenal had an excellent summer in the transfer window, filling most of their areas of need with strength in depth.

As such, they don’t have much left to do to improve their squad. However, after falling short in the past few title races, they would be wise to stay alert to potential signing opportunities.