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Six problems that Premier League clubs need to solve in January transfer window

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The January transfer window is open for business, giving Premier League clubs an opportunity to strengthen their squad for the second half of the campaign.

The mid-season window is a notoriously difficult time to get value for money, but that won’t stop clubs from assessing the market. The teams who have been struggling may dip their toe into the water out of desperation, while those doing well may be tempted to make an opportunistic signing.

There have been some huge signings in January in recent years – Martin Odegaard to Arsenal, Luis Diaz to Liverpool and Bruno Fernandes to Manchester United among them. Of course, it doesn’t always go to plan though, just ask Chelsea, who splashed out £88.5million for Mykhailo Mudryk in January 2023.

Those cautionary tales aren’t likely to give clubs pause for thought. Here Mirror Football takes a look at the biggest problems that the traditional big six clubs in the Premier League could address in the transfer window.

The Gunners have been rocked by the hamstring injury suffered by Bukayo Saka, with their 1-0 win over Ipswich showing their struggles to create chances from open play. Those difficulties are nothing new, but will be exacerbated by Saka’s absence.

Asked if the club would consider bringing in reinforcements in the January window, Mikel Arteta replied: “We don’t know. We will see, hopefully we don’t see any more injuries.” In fact, Arteta wanted another option in wide areas in the summer, but a pursuit of Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams came up short.

Arsenal are ready to offload Marquinhos, who hasn’t met the standards in that position, and a top-class winger with a goal threat would be ideal. Al-Ittihad have shown interest in Leandro Trossard, but Arsenal won’t let him leave mid-campaign.

The Blues are in a strong position heading into January, having done plenty of business over the past few years. While there are reports that they are interested in signing another centre-forward to compete with Nicolas Jackson, the focus will be on Enzo Maresca continuing to develop those he already has.

In the meantime, Maresca would like to trim the number of players he works with at the club’s Cobham training ground. At least five players have been earmarked for an exit, chief among them Ben Chilwell, who is earning £200,000-a-week while not playing. Maresca wants a happy camp and would like Chelsea to negotiate the exits of Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka in particular.

Arne Slot’s side are riding high, top of the Premier League and Champions League and looking forward to a semi-final in the Carabao Cup. They have enjoyed a brilliant season so far, having largely decided to stick rather than twist in the summer transfer window. One of the signings they did make, Federico Chiesa, has been a flop so far and Liverpool are not likely to gamble in January.

What they could do with, though, is another centre-back. Ibrahima Konate has been missing since the 2-0 win over Real Madrid on November 27 and Joe Gomez went off injured in the 5-0 thrashing of West Ham on Sunday. More depth in central defence wouldn’t go amiss in the New Year.

Ruben Amorim has more problems than most right now. The Portuguese manager is still getting used to the glare that comes with the United job and has shown signs of irritation when continually asked about the subject of Marcus Rashford. While there are plenty of areas he would ideally like to strengthen in January – left wing-back being the most obvious – what he really needs is a solution to the Rashford problem.

Finding a buyer for a player on £325,000 per week won’t be easy and United’s £40m asking price is likely to prove too steep for the vast majority of interested parties. Some clarity – be it via a sale, or a reintegration to the squad – is needed over January.

What City need is blindingly obvious. Ever since Rodri was confirmed to have suffered a serious knee injury it was clear Pep Guardiola needed to find a solution in holding midfield. He hasn’t managed to do so, with Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan and Rico Lewis struggling to stem the flow of attacks coming towards City’s goal.

With the transfer window open, expect an all out pursuit for Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi. The Spaniard rejected a ÂŁ50m move to Liverpool over the summer, but reports suggest he could be ready to leave his hometown club in January. He could be the perfect signing for Guardiola.

Ange Postecoglou has turned Spurs into great entertainers, but they are anything but solid. A whole host of injuries has made things even worse of late and defensive reinforcements are needed in January with Tottenham’s Premier League-leading attack being undermined by their leaky defence.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are currently absent and Radu Dragusin has been struggling alongside youngster Archie Gray. Another centre-back is desperately needed if Postecoglou is going to sure up the defence and reduce the uncertainty around his future in charge.

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