What the top teams need in the January transfer window

With the transfer window once again open, it provides the ideal opportunity for Premier League managers to assess their squads and decide which names are either for the exit door or top of the shopping list. For those clubs at the bottom of the table, it is a case of finding personnel that may aid their quest to avoid relegation to the Championship and for those operating at the top they will be keen to add the name or names that may get them over the line in terms of the title. Liverpool and Man City are the two favourites, with Man City at near evens and Liverpool at 11/4 at time of writing. Let's have a look at the two current title contenders transfer options.

Liverpool

While for the team that currently sits on the highest rung of the league ladder, they may be looking for additional defensive reinforcement and although Liverpool have coped admirably for now, the question is whether they can cope until the end of the season. On the evidence of their recent defeat to Southampton, the answer to that is perhaps not and with Jordan Henderson playing out of position at centre back, it is clear to see that manager Jurgen Klopp is running out of viable options to call upon.

Because although to those who watch from their armchairs, the simple solution is to go out and buy a new defender or two this month, unfortunately it is not that easy, and Liverpool will have to make sure they find a player who can be considered a perfect fit. A perfect fit that will not come cheap and when you consider that their initial remit would be to fill the sizeable but temporary void left behind by Virgil Van Dijk in October, largesse expenditure is unlikely to be on the agenda. The Turkish international, Ozan Kabak, has been rumoured several times over the last month, and may be a possibility, as his asking price of £25million may be acceptable.

At the same time, Liverpool will need to ask themselves at what price is defending their Premier League crown worth and if Jurgen Klopp feels that the bank needs to be busted to facilitate such an act, then he will not be shy in going to the board and asking for the war chest to be opened.

Man City

Of course, Liverpool are not the only team that have a missing piece of jigsaw and you only need to look at their nearest rivals from the past couple of seasons, as evidence of this and with Manchester City stuttering in attack, will Pep Guardiola now look to bolster this area of his squad. With Sergio Aguero’s niggles turning more into lengthy injuries and Gabriel Jesus failing to become the heir apparent to the Argentine’s Etihad crown, it has undoubtedly caused headaches for the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss.

A headache that could be eased by the end of the month, if City were to land another world-class forward and although this is a club that is awash with funds, trying to land such a target will not be easy.

Rumours of a bid for Harry Kane have resurfaced as of late, although at just £100m as the starting price, that may only good enough to buy the Tottenham talisman’s left foot and instead the focus may be better placed on Erling Haaland instead. With the German outfit stuttering in the Bundesliga this season, it looks as if the Norwegian may be edging closer towards the Signal-Iduna exit door, the question is whether such a move takes place before the end of the January transfer window. I guess only time will tell.