The summer transfer window is just around the corner and we know all you OJO football fans can’t wait to see what happens. The Premier League’s top dogs are already drafting up their shopping lists, ready to pack their trollies full of the best talent in order to finish top of the pile next season.
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola will need to bring in the contractors to build another trophy cabinet after another dominant season – but they’ll probably fancy one or two new players as well. Meanwhile, Liverpool need to go back to the drawing board if they want to bounce back from a difficult campaign.
We’re in for a treat as we look forward to a fascinating summer and we’ve put our OJO footballer hats on to work out what each of the ‘big six’ clubs needs to do.
Manchester City
As the experts in fairness, we don’t think it would be fair for City to add to their squad – they’re too good already!
John Stones and Ruben Dias have been a brick wall at the back, while Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden have been humiliating defences at the other end of the pitch.
Guardiola will still want to add to his squad though and with Sergio Aguero set to leave, they’ll be on the lookout for a traditional striker to lead the line.
Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Braut Haaland has caught the eye of every top side in Europe and if City can get their hands on him, they could become unstoppable.
Liverpool
If Liverpool want to keep up with City, they need to get players in – and quickly!
Jurgen Klopp’s team won their first league title in 30 years last season but with key players, including Virgil van Dijk, spending more time in the treatment room than on the pitch, they’ve struggled to keep up.
Van Dijk’s injury has left a gaping hole in defence and they’ll need to add quality cover at the back, an area that Anfield legend John Barnes suggested could need improving in our exclusive OJO footballer interview.
And they’ll need competition up top as well. It’s surprising Mohamed Salah’s back is still in one piece after carrying Liverpool’s attack all season, with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane struggling for form.
Manchester United
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been criticised left, right and centre since taking charge at Old Trafford and while they still don’t look like title challengers, they haven’t been too shabby this season.
Edinson Cavani is no spring chicken but he’s proven that age is just a number up front – yet his future is unclear, meaning United may be on the lookout for a replacement.
Haaland is unlikely due to his family connections with rivals Leeds and Man City but with Chelsea willing to let Tammy Abraham go, the England striker could be an option.
United could also reignite their long-held interest in Haaland’s Dortmund teammate Jadon Sancho, whose pace and creativity would go a long way to fixing their issues on the right wing.
Chelsea
Sometimes, change can be a good thing and replacing Frank Lampard with Thomas Tuchel has certainly worked for Chelsea’s defence so far (sorry Frank!).
But they’re still a bit at weak up top. You can’t help but feel sorry for Timo Werner, who has struggled at times, and in our exclusive OJO footballer interview, Blues icon William Gallas warned the German he has a lot of improving to do.
A top-level striker could be the missing piece of the jigsaw for Chelsea and perhaps Aguero may be tempted to extend his stay in the Premier League.
Tottenham
After a difficult season, what Spurs really need is a good break – a spa trip or a relaxing beach holiday, but they also need to keep hold of Harry Kane, who has suggested he could be open to a new challenge.
If Kane leaves, other key players such as Heung-min Son could follow, which will make it even more difficult to attract new signings. Tottenham have a lot of work to do this summer so they might need to put their holiday on hold.
Arsenal
The Gunners are in need of a huge makeover and desperately need reinforcements both at centre-back and in midfield, as their former player Emmanuel Frimpong discussed in our exclusive OJO footballer interview.
Barcelona duo Samuel Umtiti and Ousmane Dembele have regularly been linked with a switch to the Emirates and both would give the current Arsenal squad a huge lift.
Arsenal don’t have much in common with their bitter rivals Tottenham but they’ll also be wary of losing their key players this summer.
