There are just three days left of the winter transfer window — and most Premier League clubs seem to be wrapping up their business.
This does not mean that every manager or head coach has every single gap in his squad filled. In fact, many of them might dream tonight and tomorrow of that one extra signing that would help them get over the line in achieving their goals for this season.
So, who would that be for each top-flight side? The Athletic asked its reporters for their idealised signing — and in some cases, fantasy — for their squad before the deadline at 7pm Monday UK time (2pm ET). Here, they give their replies.
Arsenal
Julian Alvarez
Let’s be honest, Arsenal are not in urgent need of reinforcements. A summer expenditure in the region of £250million has given manager Mikel Arteta a squad of enormous depth. That’s reflected in their performances this season: Arsenal are currently top of the Premier League and also finished the league phase of the Champions League in first place.
Arsenal have spent big and look on course to reap the rewards. Not only is there no great urgency around new recruits — presumably there’s also not a great deal of money left to spend. It would be a considerable surprise if Arsenal entered the winter market in any meaningful way over these final few days.
However, if there was one area they could somehow address, it might be the centre-forward position.
Summer signing Viktor Gyokeres has not yet convinced, Gabriel Jesus is not long back from a long-term injury but has always been an erratic finisher, Kai Havertz has not yet proven his fitness after a lengthy absence of his own and Mikel Merino remains principally a midfielder who has filled in up front.
A truly elite striker, such as Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, might still be the missing piece of the jigsaw.
James McNicholas
Aston Villa
Kyriani Sabbe
Aston Villa are well-stocked in most areas now, owing to the arrival of Tammy Abraham easing forward concerns and that Leon Bailey is back to being used, perhaps temporarily, as an option out wide.
While this area will have to be revisited in the summer, Villa’s lack of a reliable understudy for Matty Cash could do with being solved. Andres Garcia is a young right-back and not yet entirely trusted by manager Unai Emery to start matches. So Club Brugge’s Kyriani Sabbe would be an excellent option. At 21 years of age, he has time on his side, can learn and develop incrementally as Cash’s understudy and, having played wing-back previously, offer attacking thrust in matches when Villa need something different.
Jacob Tanswell
Kyriani Sabbe would suit Villa (Jill Delsaux/Belga/AFP via Getty Images)
Bournemouth
Arthur Avom
Bournemouth have been one of the league’s busier teams in this window. Rayan has arrived from Vasco de Gama to replace Antoine Semenyo, who moved to Manchester City, while the talented Alex Toth coming in from Ferencvaros adds extra cover in midfield. Goalkeeper Christos Mandas has joined on loan from Lazio, too.
The middle of the park is still an issue, however. Justin Kluivert recently had surgery on his left knee, Tyler Adams is sidelined for several more weeks at least after tearing the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee in December and Marcus Tavernier sustained a hamstring injury in the 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. In his Friday press conference, coach Andoni Iraola said that the club would like at least one more signing in these final days of the window.
If they opt to bolster their midfield, French sister club Lorient’s Arthur Avom could prove a decent option. Avom, 21, has played in 17 of Lorient’s 19 Ligue 1 games this season, recording one assist, and also started four of Cameroon’s five outings at the recent Africa Cup of Nations. A holding midfielder who can play as a No 8 or No 10, he offers versatility, and his contract runs out in the summer.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Brentford
Hakon Haraldsson
After the chaos of last summer’s transfer window, Brentford head coach Keith Andrews will welcome the relative serenity of this one. His side recovered quickly from the departures of last season’s two leading goalscorers, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, and now sit comfortably eighth on 33 points, with no pressing need for winter reinforcements.
If Brentford do dip into the market before Monday night’s deadline, Andrews may look to bolster their midfield creativity. Brentford are one of the league’s most effective counter-attacking sides, but can lack guile against deep-lying opponents. With Mikkel Damsgaard struggling for consistency and fitness, and record signing Dango Ouattara yet to convince following a summer move from Bournemouth, this is an area that could benefit from strengthening.
Brentford’s recruitment tends to favour young, relatively unheralded players with strong underlying numbers. Lille attacking midfielder Hakon Haraldsson fits that profile, with the 22-year-old Iceland international registering 14 goal contributions in France’s Ligue 1 since the start of last season.
Conor O’Neill
Brighton & Hove Albion
Alex Jimenez
Unfortunately, Bournemouth already have Brighton’s ideal signing in their clutches.
The 20-year-old Spaniard impressed at right-back, marking Kaoru Mitoma in the recent 1-1 draw against Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
The summer loan move of Jimenez from Milan to Bournemouth is set to become permanent. The former Real Madrid prospect is the type of player Brighton need to find at right-back to succeed Joel Veltman, who is now 34 and whose contract expires in June — fast, energetic, adventurous and spiky.
Andy Naylor
Burnley
A winger
The loan deal for James Ward-Prowse of West Ham fills the Josh Cullen-shaped gap in midfield, but given Burnley’s league position, it’s fair to say there are several other areas where an ideal signing would help their bid to avoid a third Premier League relegation in five seasons.
Jaidon Anthony, Jacob Bruun Larsen and Loum Tchaouna have all had their moments this season in wide positions but Marcus Edwards’ creativity has made a huge difference since being given a run in the side over the Christmas period. Their 18.4 non-penalty expected goals total is the second lowest in the league, so creating more high-quality chances will be crucial to forcing their way back into the survival fight.
With Edwards on one flank, complementing him with another winger who can be a game changer, ideally with a different skillset that includes physicality and pace, would fit the bill. Finding that type of player, for a reasonable price, is the difficult part.
Andy Jones
Chelsea
Jeremy Jacquet
Chelsea have a few issues to worry about, which is why they are looking for a centre-back, a central midfielder and an attacking player.
The need for a centre-half has to be regarded as the biggest priority, especially with Levi Colwill having been out since August with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury. Chelsea rarely look convincing at the back, and have kept just two clean sheets in their past 12 matches.
Wesley Fofana’s minutes have to be managed due to his various injury issues since joining from Leicester City in 2022, and his form has been mixed in any case. Trevoh Chalobah is their most consistent central defender, however there is a good chance he will be sold in the summer. Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo face uncertain futures, too.
Highly-rated 20-year-olds Mamadou Sarr and Aaron Anselmino have enjoyed loans at Strasbourg and Borussia Dortmund. The latter has just been recalled, and both should have parts to play going forward. Yet there is a good reason Chelsea are pursuing Rennes centre-half Jeremy Jacquet so strongly. If he does not arrive this month, the club want something agreed so he can join them in the summer instead.
When Chelsea were winning Premier League titles, they had great centre-half pairings — the current side are still searching for theirs.
Simon Johnson
Chelsea are pursuing Jeremy Jacquet (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
Crystal Palace
A centre-back
Any half-decent new arrival at any position would be welcome at Crystal Palace. But the priority must be a centre-back to replace recently-departed club captain Marc Guehi.
They were already light in defence, and manager Oliver Glasner has no intention of changing his system to accommodate a back four. That leaves a choice between Jefferson Lerma, who is not a natural centre-back having largely played in midfield, Jaydee Canvot, whose inexperience has shown in his inconsistent performances and Chadi Riad, who has spent most of the past 18 months out injured.
The numbers are there in terms of bodies, just about, but bringing in an experienced player who is comfortable in possession and carrying the ball out from the back as well as being strong defensively is crucial to improving a defence which has been so vulnerable during Palace’s current 11-game winless run.
Matt Woosnam
Everton
A full-back
The most glaring issue for David Moyes’ side is their lack of attacking thrust and quality from the full-back positions. This leaves the wingers isolated and makes it harder for Everton to break down teams who sit deep and saturate the middle.
They tracked several right-backs in this window, as was the case last summer, but arguably need upgrades on both flanks — Jake O’Brien and Vitalii Mykolenko have just one combined assist this season.
Strasbourg’s Guela Doue, an Ivory Coast international, or Juanlu Sanchez of Sevilla would offer an improvement on the right.
Patrick Boyland
Fulham
A striker
Stop the count after 23 league games, and there would be a clear winner for Fulham’s player of the season.
Harry Wilson has scored eight goals and assisted another four, making him the easy choice. However, another attacker is playing a vital role in Fulham’s impressive rise up the table — and he needs help.
At 34, Raul Jimenez was not supposed to be leading the line for 90 minutes every week this season. According to Transfermarkt, no top-flight striker over the age of 30 has played more games for club and country in 2025-26 than the Mexican. A hamstring injury that’s kept Rodrigo Munoz out since early November has left head coach Marco Silva with little choice but to play Jimenez, but this transfer window presents an opportunity to add reinforcements up front.
And fortunately for Fulham fans, they could be on their way.
Justin Guthrie
Leeds United
Jorgen Strand Larsen
It is no secret Leeds would like to add Jorgen Strand Larsen to their ranks before the window closes on Monday night. While The Athletic reported on Thursday that Crystal Palace were close to an agreement for him, a deal for the Wolves striker has not yet been completed.
Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte satisfied Leeds’ need to add a left-footed, creative type who can play on the right flank, but Strand Larsen would be seen as a bonus. He’s 25, 6ft 4in (193cm), scored 14 Premier League goals last season, and is seemingly out of favour at a club almost certain to be in next season’s Championship.
Leeds are right on the limit of their profitability and sustainability (PSR) projections, but with some careful rebalancing of the finances, this could be a swing worth taking.
Beren Cross
Liverpool
Ousmane Diomande
It’s pretty obvious Liverpool need defensive reinforcements, but if they could find a centre-half who also plays right-back, that would certainly help.
Step forward, Ousmane Diomande, the 22-year-old Sporting CP star. He’s right-footed, strong, reads the game well and chips in with the odd goal. Granted, he’d be expensive at a time when Liverpool are stretched following a huge summer spend, but the need for another addition is crucial with injuries to key players now a real issue.
Gregg Evans
Manchester City
Kenan Yildiz
It would be a bit rich to want Manchester City to sign somebody else this month, considering they have bought the two best players in the Premier League market already in Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi.
There may not be too much more business to be done come the summer either, but with Bernardo Silva looking likely to depart after nine years’ service, it is tempting to look at players such as Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace. But I’ve got a theory that Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz would fit City like a glove, so I would like to see that put to the test.
Sam Lee
Manchester United
Elliot Anderson
Much of the noise in and around the club suggests Manchester United will have a quiet end to the winter window. Last weekend’s hamstring injury for Patrick Dorgu means interim head coach Michael Carrick will need to recalibrate his squad at both the left-back and left-winger positions, but United, in theory, have enough bodies available for the 15 remaining matches of their season to muddle through.
However, this is a piece asking for ideal signings, rather than realistic ones.
Earlier this month, United confirmed that 2025-26 will be Casemiro’s final season with them, meaning Carrick — or whoever is confirmed as the next permanent head coach — will be in need of an all-action midfielder. Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest fits the bill nicely: a rare roving midfielder who makes his team better but still finds plenty of time to make the opposition worse.
It would be ideal to get Anderson through the door now because 1) there’ll be a long list of suitors for the 23-year-old in the summer, and 2) he’s likely to be fatigued then, having played for England at the World Cup.
Forest could put as much as a £100million price tag on Anderson after that tournament. Maybe Sir Jim Ratcliffe can win this week’s Euromillions and make an early move for his services.
Carl Anka
Elliot Anderson would be an ideal signing for several clubs (Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images)
Newcastle United
Elliot Anderson
Nothing about this suggestion is realistic, given Newcastle appear highly unlikely to sign anyone before Monday’s deadline, beyond perhaps a versatile defender.
This is as much an emotional declaration as anything else. Anderson was the academy graduate Newcastle felt forced to sell due to profitability and sustainability (PSR) constraints in June 2024 and he has since blossomed into an England international who, based on other midfield transfers, is likely to cost £100million or more when he leaves Nottingham Forest.
Able to operate across the midfield, the 23-year-old would provide bite and physicality during Joelinton’s ongoing injury absence, while also offering creativity in attack, which Newcastle have lacked, especially in away matches.
It’s a pipe dream, admittedly — but the remit was ‘ideal’ signing, not ‘realistic’.
Chris Waugh
Nottingham Forest
Matty Cash
Remembering that the brief was ‘ideal’ signing, rather than one that is likely to happen, there would be a lot of logic to Nottingham Forest resurrecting their summer interest in one of their academy graduates.
Forest are keen to sign a left-back in the coming days and, while Cash operates for Aston Villa on the right side, the club already have Ola Aina and Neco Williams who are comfortable playing on the left, so adding another full-back to their ranks would still fill the void left by Oleksandr Zinchenko’s recent departure.
Bringing back Cash would mean another club homegrown player for their quota in the Europa League — and it would ensure that Ryan Yates and Zach Abbott are not the only two players in the dressing room who can help to extend Forest’s proud record of having at least one of their former academy kids in every matchday squad since the 1940s.
Paul Taylor
Sunderland
Hayden Hackney
This is a moot topic, given that Sunderland are highly unlikely to strengthen before the window closes on Monday night, shortly before kick-off in their home game against Burnley. With the goal of avoiding instant relegation back to the Championship already close to being achieved with the current crop, and the club’s player-trading model heavily reliant on finding the sort of value that is normally in hibernation in January, there’s little chance anyone listed here rocks up at the Stadium of Light in the next three days.
Still, in the interests of teamwork, let’s have a think anyway.
Oscar Bobb would have been a very welcome addition on the wing, but he’s just moved from Manchester City to Fulham.
The need is obvious: creativity from midfield. Hayden Hackney is an all-rounder but also one of the Championship’s best at getting his team upfield, and would have no qualms helping out a Sunderland side who will continue to prioritise defensive solidity until May — and probably beyond.
There’s no chance he’ll be prised out of a Middlesbrough team who are on the promotion hunt over these next three days but, in the world of the hypothetical, he’d fit well on Wearside.
Chris Weatherspoon
Tottenham Hotspur
Adam Wharton
Maybe this is unrealistic, but hear me out.
It is impossible to look past Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace as the one player who could transform what Tottenham can do in the middle of the pitch. Wharton’s great skill, his special gift, is to be able to pass the ball forward to his team-mates. He makes it look like the easiest, simplest thing in the world. Which is striking because Spurs’ current midfielders generally make it look like trying to solve a niche branch of quantum mechanics.
It does not help that the two most progressive midfielders, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, have missed the whole season so far following knee operations. Yves Bissouma, who can also pass forward, has only made one league start after various disciplinary and injury issues. The rest of their midfielders tend to be more about running and energy.
The fear for Spurs fans is that they have missed the boat on Wharton, that he may already be out of their range after another brilliant season. But in an ideal world, he would be the man pulling on the white shirt for an unveiling video between now and Monday night.
Jack Pitt-Brooke
West Ham United
Charlie Cresswell
Charlie Cresswell would be an excellent addition. The 23-year-old centre-back has shone in Ligue 1 for Toulouse and was part of the England squad that won the Under-21 European Championship last June.
West Ham’s loan offer for him was rejected last summer, and his performances have led to more suitors in this window.
Maximilian Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos have struggled with consistency, though Jean-Clair Todibo has shown improvement since Nuno Espirito Santo became head coach at the end of September. Their fellow defender Igor Julio has had his season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion cut short, due to a lack of game time.
Cresswell would be the last piece of the jigsaw to boost their Premier League survival hopes.
Roshane Thomas
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Ruben Neves (on loan)
Wolves could land Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham in the next couple of days, and it is still doubtful that they would stay in the Premier League for next season, given they currently sit 17 points below safety with 15 games remaining.
So the next three and a half months will be about leaving the top flight as painlessly as possible, and what better way to make what will be a grim period somewhat enjoyable than re-signing the poster boy of this latest eight-year spell among the domestic elite, who is now plying his trade in Saudi Arabia.
There is no realistic prospect of Ruben Neves returning to Molineux, but this would be a dream.
Steve Madeley
