The 2026/27 summer transfer window is well underway and there remains plenty of business still to be done in the Premier League.
While Tottenham are trying to get their business wrapped up early with the midfield additions of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, Liverpool are amongst those assessing the market as Andoni Iraola settles into life on Merseyside.
Meanwhile, Elliot Anderson became the second most expensive signing in Premier League history when trading Nottingham Forest for Manchester City in a deal worth £116m.
Transfer activity is expected to ramp up following the conclusion of the World Cup, and the bet365 News Team have taken a look at one thing that every Premier League team needs this window.
AFC Bournemouth
A Marcos Senesi replacement
Bournemouth are renowned for being a selling club, and so a fair share of their business in recent windows has been replacing players who have left for sizeable fees, including Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, Illia Zabarnyi and Dominic Solanke.
So far they’ve recruited flawlessly – with Adrien Truffert, Eli Junior Kroupi and Evanilson amongst the signings who have impressed – and they’re now tasked with finding a successor for Marcos Senesi, who joined Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at the Vitality Stadium.
James Hill stepped up to the plate last term and he’s expected to be a part of Marco Rose’s plans for the forthcoming campaign, but Bafode Diakite featured scarcely under the stewardship of Andoni Iraola in the second half of last season.
Even in the event that the Frenchman is called upon on a more regular basis, the Cherries are short in the centre back department and reinforcement is needed.
Arsenal
A creative left-winger
The departure of Leandro Trossard has heightened the need for a new left-winger.at the Emirates. It doesn’t need to be an out-and-out winger in the style of a Noni Madueke, and more of a wide playmaker might suit.
The obvious candidate is Morgan Rogers, who’s been happy to drift into the left half-space at Villa Park. Aston Villa need to bring significant money in from player sales and there are no more lucrative players to sell than Rogers. The England man would also provide stiff competition to skipper Martin Odegaard as a more traditional number 10.
Aston Villa
Midfield reinforcement
Aston Villa were probably expecting few changes to the midfield department heading into the transfer window, with Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana, John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Lamare Bogarde amongst Unai Emery’s options in the engine room.
However, an ACL injury to Onana and Man Utd’s decision to trigger Tielemans’ £35m release clause has left the Villans alarmingly short in midfield.
While the arrival of Johan Manzambi will add depth to Emery’s squad, there’s an overarching sense that the West Midlands outfit will need at least one more midfielder when taking into account the fact that they will face the added demands of UEFA Champions League football next term.
Brentford
A dynamic, ball-winning central midfielder
Brentford have swiftly conducted some interesting business in the early stages of the window with the purchases of winger Jaidon Anthony, central defender Jannik Schuster and veteran forward Callum Wilson.
Even without speculation concerning Mathias Jensen’s long-term future, Keith Andrews will be looking for upgrades in the engine room, especially when Jordan Henderson is not getting any younger.
The Bees would benefit from a ball-winning midfielder who is confident at dictating possession. They missed out on Hayden Hackney to Everton, while Tottenham’s Pape Matar Sarr has been linked.
Brighton
Experienced right-back cover
The end of the 2025/26 term coincided with the end of Joel Veltman’s six-year spell with Brighton, leaving the club as a free agent following the conclusion of his contract.
While the Dutchman never set the top-flight alight on the south coast, he proved a dependable servant for a series of managers and was renowned for his versatility.
Even with the presence of Veltman, the Seagulls’ need for a right-back was glaring, employing Mats Wieffer – who is a central midfielder by trade – in the position for much of last season.
The club have already confirmed the signing of Portuguese right-back Costinha, but their requirement for experienced cover in the position remains.
Chelsea
An attacking left-back
The move to bring Xabi Alonso to Stamford Bridge was interesting partly in how different his play style will be to his predecessors, and partly due to how much control he’ll have over the team. A manager, rather than a head coach, Alonso wants more influence than is typically afforded to Premier League bosses these days.
In losing Marc Cucurella, Chelsea have lost a quick full-back who was always keen to join attacks. While he eventually won the Stamford Bridge faithful over, his defending left lots to be desired, often putting out fires rather than anticipating them. It gives Alonso a clean slate, however, to bring in his own man in a position that was so important to him at Bayer Leverkusen.
Alonso had Alex Grimaldo in Germany where he scored 10 goals and laid on 13 assists from his wing-back position in their Bundesliga-winning season, and the Spaniard would love to have a similar output from whoever the club end up signing.
Coventry City
A centre-back upgrade
There are several positions Frank Lampard will be eager to strengthen upon Coventry City’s return to the Premier League and a new centre-back will be high on his wish list.
Lampard currently has the quartet of Bobby Thomas, Liam Kitching, Joel Latibeaudiere, and Luke Woolfenden at his disposal, but the Sky Blues boss is all too aware of the importance of acquiring Premier League quality to shore up his backline.
While Carl Rushworth’s future remains uncertain, a new goalkeeper is also of the utmost importance for Coventry, while an upgrade on Jay Dasilva at left-back might be in the offing.
Crystal Palace
A centre-back
Like former Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, newly appointed boss Pierre Sage is expected to play a back three and so numbers in the centre back department is key.
The Eagles signed Jaydee Canvot in preparation for Marc Guehi’s inevitable departure – with the England international making the switch to Manchester City in January for £20m – but they could now be forced back into the market for a defender with Maxence Lacroix attracting interest from Chelsea.
Even in the event that Palace manage to retain the services of the Frenchman, defensive cover is needed – with Sage’s side set to play a minimum of 48 games next campaign – but Lacroix’s departure should force them into the market for a starting, ready-made defender.
Everton
Full-back reinforcement
While it’d be easy to just select the right-back position as an area of concern following the departure of long-term servant Seamus Coleman, Everton left-back Vitalii Mykolenko has faced backlash from the Toffees faithful in recent years and may benefit from competition.
Mykolenko’s only contender for the left-back spot in the 2025/26 season was Adam Aznou – who made just one appearance in all competitions – while the Toffees’ right-back woes are summed up by the fact that central defender Jake O’Brien was utilised there for most of the campaign due to the regular absence of Coleman and Nathan Patterson.
Targeting a player who can play at both right-back and left-back could prove a shrewd decision, with Tottenham defender Djed Spence amongst those linked with a Merseyside switch.
Fulham
A clinical striker
The departure of Raul Jimenez leaves Fulham extremely light at the top of the pitch, with just Rodrigo Muniz and Jonah Kusi-Asare remaining as their senior striker options.
Whilst Muniz has shown that he is capable of scoring goals at this level, he has proven to be unreliable in recent seasons. Kusi-Asare on the other hand, has played just 79 minutes of Premier League football.
Dimitar Berbatov was the last Craven Cottage forward to hit 15 Premier League goals all the way back in 2012 and the time has come for the West London outfit to invest in a serious number nine.
Moves for either Dusan Vlahovic or Gonzalo Garcia would give Fulham fans plenty to get excited about and they could help bridge the gap between mid-table and the European places.
Hull City
A strong spine
Hull City achieved the improbable last season by securing promotion via the play-offs despite being under an embargo that prevented the club from paying any fees for new signings.
What Sergej Jakirovic achieved amid the circumstances was impressive, but he will know that there is little room for sentiment and that significant investment will be required over the coming weeks if the Tigers are to have any hope of avoiding relegation.
In order to do so Hull's top priority should be bringing in solid, experienced players that can be relied upon to produce the necessary quality in the Premier League. The club would be wise to take inspiration from what Sunderland did last summer to completely overhaul their squad ready for the rigors of top flight football.
Ipswich Town
A proven top-flight goalkeeper
The goalkeeper department was a glaring problem for Ipswich Town in their return to the top-flight in the 2024/25 season, and they simply can’t afford to make the same mistakes again.
The fact that the position was split between Arijanet Muric (18 apperances), Alex Palmer (13 appearances) and Christian Walton (seven appearances) that campaign speaks for itself, with former boss Kieran McKenna failing to find a stopper that he could depend upon.
Ipswich boasted the joint-second best defence in the Championship last term, but they will face new challenges in the Premier League. After strengthening the forward line with the marquee signing of Emersonn, they need to target a goalkeeper capable of playing in the top-flight.
Leeds United
A top, reliable goalkeeper
The goalkeeping department at Elland Road is undergoing a significant makeover following the departures of Karl Darlow and Illan Meslier, while Lucas Perri is reportedly attracting interest from Italy.
Even if Perri is to remain in West Yorkshire, the Brazilian did little to inspire confidence following a shaky debut season which resulted in him falling behind Darlow in the pecking order.
Leeds have tied Alex Cairns down to a new deal, but the 33-year-old is no more than a third-choice option at best, and Daniel Farke desperately requires a reliable shot stopper before the new season begins.
Links to Olympiacos’ highly-rated Konstantinos Tzolakis have recently surfaced, while Leeds should at the very least be enquiring about the availability of Manchester City’s James Trafford, who will not be content with another season playing second fiddle to Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Liverpool
A Mohamed Salah replacement
Signing a right-winger who can replicate Mohamed Salah’s numbers may prove a near impossible task for Liverpool’s recruitment team, but their need for reinforcement in the position is glaring regardless.
The Reds’ current options in the department include Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott, both of whom are expected to leave the club after featuring scarcely in the 2025/26 campaign.
With Yan Diomande set to stay at RB Leipzig or join back-to-back European champions Paris Saint-Germain, the Merseyside outfit need to ramp up their search for a right-sided attacker and fast.
Manchester City
Cover at right-back
A new era is dawning at Manchester City following Pep Guardiola's departure and Enzo Maresca has the unenviable task of attempting to step into the shoes of by far the most successful manager in the club's history.
City have already spent big in the transfer market with Elliot Anderson arriving from Nottingham Forest in a deal worth a club record £116million, but the former Chelsea boss is expected to remain busy in the market this summer - with the signing of a new right back reportedly a priority.
Matheus Nunes impressed in the role throughout last season but City will want suitably cover should anything happen to the Portuguese, and a burgeoning talent like Wolves' Pedro Lima could fit the bill.
Manchester United
A left-sided attacker
Manchester United were able to get through last season with a small squad due to a schedule that saw them play a record-low 40 games. They can expect to play around a dozen more games this term and they've addressed a couple of holes in midfield with the talented Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.
Michael Carrick still needs a third midfield signing -- Santos goes some way to replacing Casemiro while Tielemans is a much needed passer -- but the injured and inadequate Manuel Ugarte needs improving on.
More pressingly now however is a new left-sided attacker. United aren't in the same market as their rivals, looking at the likes of Yan Diomande and Morgan Rogers, rather targeting West Ham's Crysencio Summerville.
Matheus Cunha had an impressive first season at Old Trafford, but was forced to hold down the position on his own following the arrival of Michael Carrick, and another option is still needed.
Newcastle
A statement signing
It's fair to say that Newcastle's transfer activity last summer left large swathes of the club's fanbase frustrated. The period was dominated by the will-he-won't-he speculation surrounding Alexander Isak's future, and while the Swede did ultimately depart for Liverpool for a British record fee, the Magpies' signings failed to live up to expectations.
Despite boasting one of the wealthiest owners in world football in the form of the Saudi Public Investment Fund - Eddie Howe's side have consistently missed out on their transfer targets in recent years, with Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi being just one example.
Anthony Gordon has already left the club and it appears Bruno Guimaraes may soon join him. Newcastle need to assert themselves in the transfer market and bring in the kind of player that can inspire confidence on Tyneside. Omar Marmoush is out of favour at Manchester City and would be a big step in the right direction.
Nottingham Forest
An Elliot Anderson replacement
While an inability to retain the services of Morgan Gibbs-White could prove damaging, failing to replace Elliot Anderson would be catastrophic.
The central midfielder – who joined Manchester City for a club record £116m fee on 2nd July – played a vital role for the East Midlands outfit as they retained their top-flight status in the 2025/26 campaign, maintaining his standards irrespective of which manager was at the helm.
Anderson’s dynamic skillset may prove hard to replace with one new addition, but the funds recouped from selling the England international should give Forest the resources to shore up the engine room.
Sunderland
Centre-back cover
Whilst European action is a tantalising prospect for Mackems, it is certain to place huge pressure on a squad that has had just one season back in the top-flight.
Sunderland will play a minimum of 48 games next season with the addition of Europa League football and we've seen time and time again with the likes of Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest just how detrimental that can be on league performance.
Centre-back is a potential issue of concern. Omar Alderete was a fantastic signing last season, however, little niggles that he suffered at the back end of last season should come as a warning ahead of a more intense campaign this time around.
With Nordi Mukiele able to fill in on the right at the heart of defence, Sunderland should sound out a left-footed centre-back to provide competent cover for Alderete.
Tottenham Hotspur
A starting striker
After a second successive season in which the club fell well below their standards, Tottenham have wasted little time in commencing a complete overhaul of their squad ahead of Roberto De Zerbi's first full season in North London.
Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson have all already joined Spurs this summer, but the club still lacks the kind of attacking focal point capable of matching their lofty ambitions.
A number of players have been brought in over the last two seasons to fill the Harry Kane-shaped hole as the Spurs spearhead but none have been able to come close to emulating the England captain's remarkable record in front of goal. De Zerbi would be wise to add some additional firepower before the window slams shut.
