The European soccer season is back in action. And the second half of the season is crucial to title ambitions and team rebuilds. I’m here to provide some information about what the top teams need this window, and their financial ability to fulfill those needs.
The top team’s needs heading into this window
Many teams look to the January transfer window to bolster their squad depth or get a new quality signing. These are some things on the top teams across Europe’s to-do-list:
Real Madrid
Real Madrid faced an odd predicament. Injuries ravaged their side, seeing their two starting center backs (Alaba and Militao), along with Courtois, out because of ACL injuries. They currently have Kepa on loan to resolve the goalkeeping issue. But one injury to either Nacho or Rudiger, both over 30 years old, could prove fatal to the side. They possess the financial means to either invest in a quality young center back or sign a more proven veteran. However, the need for a striker persists at Casa Blanca.
Neither Vini Jr. or Rodrygo are in their natural position or playing up to their own potential in the inverted winger role that Ancelotti has them. Both are more suited to wider positions with a striker to play off of. Someone who matches Benzema’s style of play could further strengthen the sides attack by providing another source of goals and allowing Vini and Rodrygo to flourish.
Los Blancos can solve one of these problems by signing or loaning a player but the presence of a starting striker might deter Real Madrid hopeful Mbappe from joining in the summer.
Barcelona
Where to start. Barcelona is lacking up front. They are lacking in the midfield. Barcelona is lacking in the back. With injuries to Pablo Gavi and Ter Stegen, the Catalan squad has proven fragile in every sense of the word.
They need to invest in competition for Lewandowski to encourage him to start producing up front. Barcelona needs a central defensive midfielder to help in the buildup and protect the backline. They need a true right back who won’t play inconsistently. However, financial restrains tie Barcelona’s hands behind their backs. And it isn’t likely that we see many signings from the Blaugrana.
Atletico Madrid
There aren’t many holes in the Atletico Madrid side. They have a good source of both goals and assists from Morata and Griezmann. They have one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Jan Oblak. Furthermore, their defense and offense have been solid this season, with the second fewest goals against and the third most goals for.
The only obvious flaw within the side is the age, which is the second highest in the league. This should be an easy fix if Atletico move on some older players for a profit, while still investing in promising younger players.
Manchester United
In short, they need a new eleven. The most obvious problem is up front. United’s front four (three CAMs and a ST) have a combined 21 goal contributions this season. For perspective, Julian Alvarez alone has 23 goal contributions in all competitions.
Additionally, United need a new center back. They’ve struggled this season in that position given Harry Maguire and Varane’s poor form. The situation only seems worse when you account for Lisandro Martinez’s long term absence due to injury.
However, the Red Devils don’t have much financial freedom, given that they spent $202 million over the summer. So, what we may see them do is sell a couple players, like Martial or Casemiro or Varane, and book the monetary gain from those transfers as immediate profit. This would allow them to free up some spending money in compliance with the FA’s financial fair play rules.
Manchester City
Typically, teams that come off seasons of historic success see a dip in performance. This can be attributed to multiple reasons, for instance the selling of players, low motivation, or plain arrogance. This has been the case for Manchester City. They sat fourth in the Premier League on Christmas day and dropped points early in the season against teams like Crystal Palace, Chelsea, and Wolves.
In my opinion though, these were not the result of arrogance or a lack of quality, but injuries. Kevin de Bruyne and, more importantly, John Stones were out for most of the games in which City dropped points. With both fully healthy, City don’t need to fill many holes this January.
One thing they lack, however, is a player like Gundogan. He captained the side and controlled the midfield, facilitating the movement of the ball between lines and across the field. They haven’t suffered yet because of his absence, but they might feel it in a year or two when other veterans retire.
Tottenham
Tottenham has been flying this season, especially given their status as a small and unknown club in London. And although injuries have decimated the squad, Tottenham look fit and ready again to challenge for a spot in European soccer next season.
Postecoglou has already introduced a new striker, Timo Werner, who will bring speed and work rate up top. Additionally, he signed Radu Drăgușin, who played as a defender for Genoa prior to his loan. Ange hopes to bring depth and youth to his backline and hopefully generate some competition for the starting role.
In terms of new players, Tottenham don’t need much however. They could use a two-footed winger or outside forward who feeds Richarlison cutbacks or crosses. This player would be able to play both sides and provide depth as well as variety in the Spur attack.
Otherwise, the only thing that resembles a need for Tottenham is a midfielder. They lack depth in the 8 and 6 positions so Tottenham would benefit from a Connor Gallagher-type player.
Arsenal
For starters, Arsenal simply don’t have the financial means to buy players. We know this given that they opted to loan David Raya rather than buy him. So what can they do to achieve some of their title ambitions this season? Many people cite Arsenal’s goal scoring woes as what is keeping them from success.
However, I think differently. Since December 9th, Arsenal has scored 7 goals in 6 games. Five of those came from this week’s win against Crystal Palace. Just hearing these numbers, I seem crazy. But when looking at the underlying stats, you see that across these 6 games, Arsenal had 13.18 expected goals (xG) from 33 shots on target. Therefore, it’s not a problem of creating chances, or the quality of those chances. It’s purely a mental issue to do with composure in front of goal, and a new striker won’t solve this.
Other minor improvements, Arsenal could make are in the right wing and central midfield positions. On the right wing, Saka is the only option, which would hurt Arsenal if an injury occurred. Additionally, Havertz is a great player, but he doesn’t give the decisive pass that Arsenal need, so a player like Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace could give competition in that role. Another positive note about Eze is that he can play in many positions, as an 8, 10, 7, or 11, so he would solve the winger issue as well.
Liverpool
Like Man City, Liverpool don’t have many holes in their squad. They’ve put up quality performances and shown that they have the unique ability to win a scrappy game. Furthermore, they are the top defense in England, as well as the second best at scoring. This is due to their high energy “gegenpressing” system, which relies on pressing high up the field after losing the ball. In doing so, Klopp uses this to ensure defensive stability by winning the ball away from their own goal, and for offensive purposes: to win the ball near the other team’s goal and go forward quickly.
However, injuries and an aging squad are the foremost problems. Liverpool’s transfer decisions this window would be for future seasons, not the remainder of this one. Their aging center backs should be weened off playing time next year to make room for promising young singings. Furthermore, Mo Salah, the foremost creative player at Liverpool, has the most goals and assists. Taking this into consideration, Liverpool should sign a creative young-ish player who both scores and assists to learn from Mo Salah, especially given his injury, that would sideline him for at least a month.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the January transfer window presents a crucial opportunity for soccer teams to address their specific needs and strengthen their squads. As clubs strategically navigate the market, the decisions made in this transfer window could have a significant impact on their performance and aspirations for the remainder of the season. And sometimes, the difference between a piece of silverware or not can come through a team’s ability to address problems within the squad.
