Some teams need a complete overhaul. Others just need that one missing piece. But every club on this list – from title-chasing Arsenal to whatever Manchester United are right now – has a glaring hole that must be filled before 2025/26 rolls around.
We’ve ranked the top 10 positions which need addressing in the Premier League this summer.
10) Manchester City: Right-back
We were torn between Manchester City and Aston Villa needing right-backs in the 2025 summer transfer window but Pep Guardiola’s side were given the edge considering Unai Emery actually has one at his disposal, even if Matty Cash is someone the Spaniard will likely try to replace this summer.
Rico Lewis has struggled this season and is someone Guardiola is keen to play in midfield, with Matheus Nunes, naturally a midfielder, deputising at right-back in the absence of Kyle Walker, who fell out of favour and was loaned out to AC Milan in January.
It will likely be a big rebuild at the Etihad this summer but Rodri’s return will be better than any signing Guardiola can make. The ACL injury he suffered completely f***ed City’s season.
They have defensive frailties and starting Nunes right-back has certainly played a part in that, though Pep has been forced to deal with lots of injuries at the back. Manuel Akanji has been out for ages, John Stones is a constant sick note and Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake have had their issues. The champions signed two centre-backs in January, so a right-back is next on the agenda.
9) West Ham: Striker
“But the motivation, sorry we were s*** and I’m very angry. It is not the first time where we score a goal and then the next goal kick we just shoot the ball long. We don’t try to play football anymore. We don’t push up anymore, we just sink and that’s not the way we want to play… The coach was very clear with what he wants, we have to do it all and everyone has to do it.”
Niclas Fullkrug was refreshingly honest and hilariously furious in his post-match analysis of West Ham’s 1-1 draw against relegated Southampton on Saturday. A lot needs to be addressed this summer and ironically, we’ve decided to hone in on the position of the guy who was brave (or just angry) enough to call out his side’s s*** performance(s).
We’re struggling to remember a season when we haven’t said West Ham need a striker. Lo and behold, this year is no different. They could also do with a new centre-back, left-back and two defensive midfielders as well, mind. And maybe a new manager.
8) Bournemouth: Goalkeeper
Having a reliable goalscorer is something fan narratives will make you believe is the most important thing in football, but there is nothing quite as comforting as a reliable pair of hands in net. It breathes confidence throughout the whole team knowing you don’t have to worry about a dodgy player in between the sticks and for all the criticism he has received throughout his Premier League career, Kepa Arrizabalaga has been a safe bet for Bournemouth this season.
Kepa is currently on loan from Chelsea and there is an expectation that he will join the Cherries permanently, which will be a huge sigh of relief for Andoni Iraola, especially if he can get that particular business done early on this summer.
Neto, 35, is set to return from his loan at Arsenal having played one minute for them up to now and it’s clear Iraola doesn’t fancy him, which is fair. Failing to swiftly sort out the futures of both goalkeepers could create an almighty mess at the Vitality, creating the possibility of Neto starting in the Premier League next season.
As a side note, Bournemouth need to sign a new right-back. Julian Araujo was brought in last summer but he has failed to impress in the appearances he has made, though a long-term injury has prevented him from proving himself. You get what you get with Adam Smith and he is a terrific professional and captain, but this is a position Iraola must seek to improve at the end of 2024/25.
7) Liverpool: Striker
Had Mohamed Salah not signed a new contract, Liverpool‘s need for a new striker would be a lot more urgent. Still, there is no doubt Arne Slot needs to bring in a No. 9 this summer, especially with Darwin Nunez heading for the exit door.
With the majority of the Reds’ goals coming from Salah on the right, Slot will likely target someone who can enable him and Cody Gakpo or Luis Diaz to be the main attacking outlet.
Nunez’s chaos makes him both a brilliant and horrible player to have, but it really depends on the situation. Going for someone more refined, consistent and clever is the priority. Whom? Not sure, really. Matheus Cunha, maybe? Hugo Ekitike, perhaps? Even with the Premier League title coming to Anfield, Slot is going to be a busy man in the 2025 summer transfer window.
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6) Liverpool: Left-back
There is a debate to be had over what Liverpool’s summer priority position should be: a new left-back or striker? Evidently, we think it’s the former. A new right-back should definitely be signed but Slot does not need to spend big money on one, with Conor Bradley good enough to come in to the starting XI following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s much-maligned free transfer to Real Madrid.
Andy Robertson is a Liverpool legend but his race is run. Milos Kerkez is the natural replacement and the only player we will mention as a potential signing with any kind of conviction.
5) Manchester United: Centre-midfield
How long have you got? This top 10 could have been occupied by Manchester United alone and while that might feel like our wet dream, it most certainly is not.
Realistically, Ruben Amorim needs a new goalkeeper, centre-back, wing-back and a few forwards, but that is only realistic if United win the Europa League AND sell several players for big money. Not happening, is it?
That means Amorim needs to be very clever about his summer recruitment. Finding a midfield partner for Manuel Ugarte has to be one of his primary focuses. Bruno Fernandes must be utilised further up the pitch for me, Clive.
4) Brighton: Centre-back
Brighton showed great ambition in Fabian Hurzeler’s first summer in charge, attempting to improve in almost every position, but they did not sign a new centre-back, much to our surprise. Jan Paul van Hecke is fine, yes, but Lewis Dunk’s club legend status probably played a part in that. Although he is injured, Igor Julio has been all but written off as well – he doesn’t look like becoming a top-tier Premier League centre-back unfortunately.
Dunk’s form should be highlighted more than it is, in truth. He has been miles off it recently and Brighton are paying for it. He is obviously not the sole reason their recent form has been horrendous but a better centre-back next to Van Hecke would have made a positive difference.
Brighton don’t need us to identify targets for them; they are among the best in the business and some unknown Chilean will undoubtedly appear for £2million and be worth £200million by next January. Adding the right centre-back will make a huge difference to one of the most inconsistent teams in the division.
The Seagulls seem to go through the most contrasting spells under Hurzeler, either being the first or last team you would want to play against. Their transfer savviness lifts the ceiling higher than clubs like Brentford, Bournemouth and Fulham and this is a transfer that must happen to get closer to the ‘Big Six’.
3) Chelsea: Striker – not a goalkeeper!
We don’t want to hear anything about Chelsea needing a goalkeeper. Enzo Maresca has said they will not sign one this summer and he is one of the most honest, transparent managers in the game; just use the ‘we are not title contenders’ point as an example, he was 100 per cent correct there.
Filip Jorgensen and Robert Sanchez are both bloody dodgy, though coming in and out of the team under Maresca hardly helps their sharpness and confidence. They are error-prone and neither seems to want the No. 1 shirt, which opens the door for a couple of goalkeepers who have been out on loan this season: Djordje Petrovic and Mike Penders. The latter is apparently the next Thibaut Courtois and we have all seen Petrovic before; while he is not amazing, he is better than Sanchez and Jorgensen, and he is having an incredibly productive season at Strasbourg with fellow Blues loanee Andrey Santos.
For what feels like the ninth year in a row, Chelsea are heading into a summer transfer window desperately needing to sign a striker. Nicolas Jackson was hot and cold before picking up an injury in February and has just been cold since returning, not creating a solid case for being Chelsea’s first-choice striker in 2025/26.
The big question is always who the bloody hell these clubs should prioritise signing. Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap appears to be the Blues’ top target but they are also in the picture for the players expected to move this summer like Benjamin Sesko, Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres.
What is for certain is that a new striker is the missing piece of the puzzle at Stamford Bridge and has been for a while now. They will likely target another new centre-back and re-signing Marc Guehi would be so Chelsea, but getting a goal machine in the door is crucial.
2) Arsenal: Striker
Is Mikel Merino the long-term striker solution for Arsenal? Of course not. Has he still been a superb stopgap for them with Kai Havertz out? Definitely. Finally, is Havertz the man to lead the line for the Gunners when he returns from injury? No – and we have known that for a while.
Mikel Arteta signed Havertz as a midfielder and reluctantly put him up front halfway through 2023/24, which ended up being a very productive tactical switch. The German even started this season well but gradually faded, strengthening the Arsenal striker narrative when the January transfer window came around. For one reason or another, Arteta was not given a new striker and a week after the winter window closed, Havertz suffered a season-ending injury.
Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge fell by the wayside and again questions are being asked about Arteta’s recruitment. He has bought plenty of defensive players but his only attacking signings have been Raheem Sterling, Marquinhos, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Willian. We are not even going to count Havertz as a signing for his front three.
Arsenal will surely change that this summer and Sporting striker Gyokeres is reportedly Arteta’s top target after the unattainable Alexander Isak – who will surely only be a realistic target if Newcastle United miss out on Champions League football. RB Leipzig’s Sesko is also in contention and has a release clause in his contract.
There is no doubt that this is the position Arteta needs a world-class reinforcement in and if he gets it right, they should win the Premier League next season.
A defensive-midfielder is also a big priority for the Gunners but Martin Zubimendi’s move from Real Sociedad seems all but confirmed, meaning we ignored the temptation to include them twice.
1) Manchester United: Striker
The Red Devils have invested heavily in the striker position in the last two transfer windows, spending a combined £100m+ on Rasmus Hojlund in 2023 and Joshua Zirkzee in 2024. Neither player looks like a natural goalscorer and the latter doesn’t even look like a natural striker. Zirkzee fits one of the two roles behind the No. 9 in Ruben Amorim’s system, while Hojlund doesn’t seem suited for the Premier League unfortunately.
He is still very young so we are not completely writing him off, but given Zirkzee’s inability to lead the line, it will be another year of Hojlund being relied on as United’s only natural No. 9 who can legally buy a beer.
There are so many issues Amorim must address this summer and winning the Europa League to qualify for the Champions League would go a long way to helping him do that. Without that extra £100m income, it will be an extremely difficult summer with multiple academy graduates – like Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho – being made available for transfer.
Improving up front will go a long way to improving Amorim’s United but there is so much work to be done. We are not convinced a prime Thierry Henry could do much to fix this team. Despite that, a new striker has to be their priority.
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