Who should the struggling Premier League teams sign in January?
With the Premier League now in full swing, it’s business as usual at the top of the table for Liverpool and Man City. The Reds have come roaring out of the blocks and are already starting to pull away slightly from the Sky Blues and from the other teams in the Premiership.
Watford, Newcastle and Aston Villa will all be wishing they could say the same about themselves, but unfortunately, they can’t. All three teams sit nervously in the relegation zone and are struggling to get out of it.
The time is right to buy some new players and make a few signings in January, but who?
Watford
Watford have picked up just two points this season, which isn’t a good look for a Premiership side, although they did somehow manage to pull off a 2–2 draw against the Gunners. Their midfield can sometimes be complacent and would be worth tightening up.
Attacking midfielder James Maddison has become a target for Manchester United for the January transfer window. He scored seven goals in his debut season at Leicester City and has got this season off to a strong start. Watford could also consider making a move for him.
Newcastle United
Things haven’t been much rosier for the Magpies, who sit just above Watford in the table. In fact, they look pretty bleak after a 5–0 whopping away to Leicester City. The Foxes may be in ruthless form, but Newcastle have some big problems, defence and possession being two of the main ones.
Who could they bring in? Toby Alderweireld, who’s up for a free transfer in January. The Spurs central defender is a key player in a Tottenham team that started with optimism but have had a disappointing season so far, including a 7–2 Champions League annihilation by Bayern Munich. Signing Alderweireld on a free transfer would be a master stroke and could really reinforce the defence, but they may have to do boardroom battle with Arsenal, who could also be interested in Alderweireld.
Aston Villa
Like Newcastle, Aston Villa have also collected just five points in the Premier League so far. Despite some heavy losses to Tottenham and Arsenal, they’ve still been able to stand up to Burnley and West Ham United with 2–2 and 0–0 draws respectively. Villa are well organised defensively, but they defend so deep that other teams can enjoy possession too close to Villa’s own goal. They’ve been looking to change this style.
Adding a midfielder could inject some flexibility into the team. Tottenham were pretty clear last season that they were willing to sell Christian Eriksen, but he’ll come with a challenging price tag. The Belgian midfielder has illustrated sublime passing and a talent for serving players with delicious through-balls. He prefers to pass forward than backwards.
In the Premier League, anything can happen, so it’s worth checking out football tips online to see who the experts think will go up or down or even who might score and turn games around. Things are looking grim for Watford, Newcastle United and Aston Villa just now, but all three times have real fight in them and won’t just roll over and accept a future in the Championship. Let’s see what happens next.