Cliff Notes – What the Big Six Premier League teams need to do before January window
- Arsenal: Need to secure a reliable midfield backup for Martin Ødegaard, potentially through a short-term loan, to maintain their title challenge amid his injury concerns.
- Manchester City: Require reinforcements in fullback positions and midfield, with a focus on acquiring a forward to support Erling Haaland, potentially targeting Antoine Semenyo.
- Chelsea: Must address depth issues in goal and defence, while also considering a world-class centre-back and goalkeeper, despite an overload of attacking players.
What the Big Six Premier League teams need to do before January window
The January transfer window opens for business in just under a month, on Jan. 1 2026, and the Premier League’s traditional Big Six — Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur — all have issues to address heading into the second half of the season.
Arsenal are attempting to hold off the chasing pack to win a first title since 2004, while City and Chelsea are both close enough to the Gunners to overtake Mikel Arteta’s side between now and May.
Liverpool, United and Spurs, meanwhile, are all in a state of flux as each spent big in the summer, but bad results and underperforming players have left respective coaches Arne Slot, Ruben Amorim and Thomas Frank needing to solve key issues in their teams.
So while players, coaches and supporters are all focusing on the busy December fixture list, the directors of football and recruitment teams at the top clubs will now be deciding what they need and how they can do the deals that could mean the difference between success and failure this season.
ARSENAL
WHAT THEY NEED: Arteta has built the strongest Arsenal squad since Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles delivered the club’s last Premier League title in 2003-04 and a £250 million summer spending spree has put them in pole position to be crowned champions this season.
In terms of goalkeeper, back four and forward line, Arteta now has at least two players for every position — a point underlined by third-choice center forward Mikel Merino scoring a crucial equalizer in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea. But despite signing Spain international Martín Zubimendi during the summer, Arsenal arguably lack real depth in midfield and the one player they have no replacement for is captain Martin Ødegaard.
Injuries have restricted Ødegaard to just four league starts and three substitute appearances so far this season, and despite his absence, Arsenal have opened a five-point lead at the top. But without the Norway international, Arsenal lack creativity and invention in midfield and that could haunt them later in the season if they fail to sign reliable cover and Ødegaard continues to struggle for fitness.
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HOW CAN THEY DO IT?: Max Dowman will develop into a creative midfielder, but the teenager does not turn 16 until Dec. 31, so Arteta cannot rely on the youngster to fill the void if Ødegaard misses out. But with Arsenal stacked in all areas and the club having spent big in the summer, the best option in January could be a short-term loan move for a player with the ability to stand in for Ødegaard, but also with the knowledge that he will only be a Plan B for when the captain is sidelined.
Options will be limited because of the caliber of player required, but domestically, Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo, who linked impressively with Declan Rice for England at Euro 2024, might be available, but only if United can find a replacement for the unsettled 20-year-old.
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MANCHESTER CITY
WHAT THEY NEED: City spent £360m over two transfer windows in 2025, but Pep Guardiola’s squad remains short of top-quality fullbacks, a solution to Rodri’s ongoing fitness problems in midfield and reliable forwards to share the goalscoring burden with Erling Haaland.
Homegrown midfielder Nico O’Reilly has become Guardiola’s favored option at left back and the 20-year-old might yet go to the World Cup with England in that position. But City need an upgrade on Matheus Nunes at right back and there is a clear need for reinforcements in midfield due to Rodri making just six league appearances this season following last year’s cruciate ligament injury.
And further forward, the risk of Haaland missing games through injury or suspension means that City desperately need a new forward, especially with Omar Marmoush due to head off on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt later this month.
HOW CAN THEY DO IT?: Thanks to so much on-field success in recent years, including their participation in this year’s lucrative FIFA Club World Cup, City have plenty of financial headroom to do deals in January. AFC Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo is a target and with the Ghana international available for a £65m release clause, it is a transfer that City could do quickly.
Ghana’s failure to qualify for AFCON also means Semenyo would be available for selection throughout January. City are also one of several clubs interested in Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson and could test Forest’s resolve with a big bid next month.
The 23-year-old has become an England regular this season and could command a fee close to £100m, but it is a deal that City could do.
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CHELSEA
WHAT THEY NEED: Since the Todd Boehly/Clearlake consortium took charge of the club in May 2022, what Chelsea need has not always been translated into who Chelsea sign, and January is unlikely to be any different. Enzo Maresca’s squad is overloaded with attacking players, but there is a lack of real depth in goal, in central midfield and in defense so reinforcements in both areas would improve Chelsea’s title chances.
A world-class center back and goalkeeper would be top of Maresca’s wish list, and the Chelsea coach might also push for a left back to provide reliable cover for Marc Cucurella.
But this is Chelsea, so if a goal scorer becomes available in January, don’t be surprised if they divert funds away from priority areas to sign yet another forward.
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HOW CAN THEY DO IT?: Chelsea failed to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan this past summer, but France’s No. 1 has yet to sign a new contract at the San Siro and the Italian club, out of European competition this season, would find it tough to reject a sizeable offer in January because of Maignan’s existing deal set to expire next summer.
The same applies to Marc Guéhi at Crystal Palace, another player who is entering the final six months of his contract. The former Chelsea youngster is one of the best center backs in the Premier League and an England regular, so he would instantly solve Maresca’s central defensive issues.
And with Chelsea focusing on young players with the potential to develop, don’t rule them out of the chase for Forest’s Anderson. They could also make a move for Manchester United’s Mainoo.
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MANCHESTER UNITED
WHAT THEY NEED: United had a good summer window, adding goalkeeper Senne Lammens and forwards Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko — all upgrades on players they replaced — but coach Ruben Amorim still has big holes to fill.
The club want two new midfielders and are also in the hunt for wingbacks to suit Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation, but the imminent departure of Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui to AFCON will hamper United’s ability to do business in January because players potentially heading for the exit door — Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee — will need to be available to play.
There is an overall need for improvement, but right now, United’s priority is overhauling their midfield department, centrally and out wide.
HOW CAN THEY DO IT?: United are struggling to create the financial headroom to do much business in January, despite an acceptance that smart deals next month could propel the team into contention for UEFA Champions League qualification.
The club will listen to offers for Mainoo, Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte and Tyrell Malacia, but allowing any to leave before the end of AFCON on Jan. 18 would leave Amorim desperately short of players. However, if the United hierarchy can unlock some funds, it could make a move for one of its key midfield targets — Anderson, Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba and Angelo Stiller — in January.
United could be busy in the second half of the window once Mbeumo, Amad and Mazraoui return from AFCON, but of their midfield targets, only VfB Stuttgart midfielder Stiller seems likely to be affordable and available next month.
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LIVERPOOL
WHAT THEY NEED: Having spent £450m on new players during the summer following their Premier League title success, Liverpool should be closed for business next month. Liverpool needed Isak, Wirtz to ease pressure on Slot, and they did
But aside from a bright start by Hugo Ekitike, none of the summer arrivals have so far delivered at Anfield and coach Arne Slot still has big issues to address. The deadline day failure to sign Guéhi from Crystal Palace has left Liverpool without cover at center back and the team is also lacking in midfield.
And despite the huge focus on attacking players in the summer — Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak all arrived for combined fees just short of £300m — Slot’s side still needs replace Luis Díaz’s craftiness out on the wing, who moved to Bayern Munich in the summer.
HOW CAN THEY DO IT?: Liverpool have plenty of money in the bank for January signings because of fees raised by outgoing players — £260m this summer — plus Premier League prize money. So the club will be active and able to compete with rivals such as Manchester City in the race to sign Bournemouth’s Semenyo.
Liverpool might also try again for Palace defender Guéhi, but with the 25-year-old entering the final six months of his contract at Selhurst Park, the England defender might opt to exploit his free agent status in the summer. However, with January offering Palace their final chance of securing a fee for Guéhi, Liverpool are likely to make an early move for the centre back.
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TOTTENHAM
WHAT THEY NEED: Judging by the criticism and boos that have rained down on Thomas Frank and his players in recent weeks, Spurs would seem to be a team in need of major surgery in January.
But while Frank’s squad would benefit from upgrades in every department, the club has made plenty of additions in recent windows, so it would be a damning indictment of their recruitment if they embarked on a big window next month.
Long-term injuries to Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have hit Spurs hard, but signing replacements for key players who will return at some stage is unlikely.
Spurs also completed summer deals for Mathys Tel, Randal Kolo Muani and Mohammed Kudus, so attacking reinforcements are difficult to envisage, but a proven goal scorer to compete with Richarlison and the injury-hit Dominic Solanke would boost the team’s prospects.
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HOW CAN THEY DO IT?: Despite a £100m cash injection by the club’s majority owners in October, those funds have been assigned to strengthening Tottenham’s financial position, so will not be diverted into a January transfer fund.
Everton’s interest in former striker Richarlison could unlock a move for Ivan Toney, a player Frank knows well from his Brentford days, who is keen to return to the Premier League from Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli.
But Everton are also considering a move for Toney, so Spurs could have a big say in the England forward’s future.
Spurs don’t have an abundance of players they could off-load for a significant fee, so it is likely to be a difficult window, especially with the club having to navigate it without Daniel Levy following his exit as executive chairman in September.
