Which Position EVERY Premier League Team Needs To Strengthen NOW

Some are obvious and some - not so much. As such, this is going to be a pretty research-heavy post, so please do consider following and subscribing-to my blog, as well as on my relevant social medias. I really pour my heart and soul into these, so informing those close to you about this blog would really help me to achieve relevance. While I don't plan on quitting any time soon, I would ultimately like to make a career out of this so that I can continue for years to come, and spreading the message with even one or two other people would really assist my cause. In today's post I will be pointing out which position every Premier League team needs to strengthen before the transfer window slams shut. I hope you enjoy!

Arsenal: Central Midfield

I originally thought that maybe I would go for center back. Left back could also do with some strengthening. I really couldn't decide what to go with - until I looked at the roster that is. You would expect your standard Premier League team to have quite a few players in central midfield. Title contender Liverpool has 5 and a pretty stock-average Newcastle team has four. Arsenal have 1 player on loan and a single permanent player: Joe Willock. Not only this, but you could argue he isn't even a central midfielder at all, but rather an attacking midfielder. This means last season they had, drumroll please, zero, with Willock out on loan. No wonder they came eighth.

Aston Villa: Goalkeeper 

Aston Villa are going to have one of the most stacked attacks in the league next season. In my planned predictions video I have decided to put them slightly below what I've seen other people put them, and the reason is simple: defensive depth. They are already running it thin with only two left- and right-backs, but it was a decision between the keeper and center-back positions, where they have two and three players respectfully. That is just ridiculous. Two center back injuries and they're going to be playing Matt Target and Ashley Young, two left-backs, in the same four-man defense. I ultimately chose keeper though, because with injuries to Martínez and Steer they can't exactly slot anyone between the posts with no fuss. I'm sorry Villa, but two keepers is just ridiculous. Even with one injury, one keeper can't exactly play FA Cup, Carabao Cup and the League simultaneously. 

Brentford: Goalkeeper  

Again. Two in a row with only two keepers. This is ridiculous. Three goalkeepers is cutting it thin. Again using a bigger and smaller club, both Manchester United and fellow newly-promoted team Norwich have four, which is about right. Even if United were to have de Gea and Henderson were to be injured, Tom Heaton and Lee Grant could come in, two perfectly competent goalkeepers. Two proper injuries within the first 25 games, and you're completely screwed. There's no coming back from that. 

Brighton: Left (Wing) Back 

There's hipster football. Then there's madness. And then there's playing a center back in the wing back positions. The only registered left back is Michael Karbownik, who Potter clearly doesn't rate because, after signing him from Legia Warszawa they've just proceeded to send him back there on loan. While he seems to be remaining at the club, Graham Potter has stated that he needs time adjusting and will not be utilized as a constant starter or anything like that. This means they should probably aim to bring in an experienced left-wingback to fill in and pass his skills down to the young pole. I did consider talking about the fact that they don't have a right wing, but as their normal formation doesn't contain one I deemed it to be less worrying than the lack of left-back depth. 

Burnley: Attacking Midfielder  

Burnley are famous for having extremely limited squads, and this is shown as they scrape the bare minimum in pretty much every position. My main issue was in four positions; the two wings, central midfield and attacking midfield. The fact that they play with all these positions frequently is worrying, and I have noticed players such as Josh Brownhill pictured above often having to fill in in attacking midfield and on the wings rather than playing in their preferred roles. With central midfield having two players just like defensive midfield, and Burnley often playing with right or left midfielders rather than wingers, I decided to go with attacking midfield. Another shrewd Championship signing of a young attacking midfielder and they could challenge top half. 

Chelsea: Left Wing 

While I considered addressing the issue of their best central midfielder being Mateo Kovacic, it was ultimately a choice between the wings. The only official Right Winger is Callum Hudson, and his only compatriot on the left is Pulisic. It came down to which other players can play in those positions and the three other players who have experience on the wings, Werner, Batshuayi and Ziyech all prefer the right. If left midfielder Kenedy were to remain at Chelsea, they would at least have a back-up option comfortable out on the left.

Crystal Palace: Right Wing 

While Zaha and Schlupp play as a left winger and left midfielder respectfully, they don't have a solid option wide on the right. This seems even more bonkers when you see that they usually play with one, although to their credit they may well not with the loss of Townsend and a new manager. I have seen Ayew play there a few times as well, so they could try convert his game so he is a winger. As of now, though, they need a right wing and fast. Also, please comment below whether you heard about Gary Cahill's move from Palace to Rangers, because I only found out about it when I searched to see why Transfermarkt doesn't list him in the Palace squad!

Everton: Attacking Midfield 

Everton are stacked and have enough players in pretty much every position. Their lack of depth on the left wing doesn't mean much to a team who don't play with them. However, they often play attacking midfielders and if Sigurdsson were to be arrested for issues I'd prefer not to address here, the fairly injury-prone James Rodriguez would be their only player in that position. 

Leeds: Left Back 

While I knew Firpo was coming in to replace Alioski, I did not know how terrible the left back situation was at Elland Road. They have to rely on a young man they only signed weeks ago to nail down and keep the left back squad. And do it with no injuries. And with only four center backs, they certainly won't have one to spare for this role. They need a new left back - and fast. Nobody too big, but someone who has a little experience and can assist Firpo if not occasionally replace him. 

Leicester: Center Back 

Leicester have recently been playing a back three recently, and it has really been working for them. However, they seem to be going the same way as Liverpool last season. Jonny Evans is set to return to training soon and should be back within 5 games into the new season. However, disaster struck when Wesley Fofana's leg was broken in a friendly match versus Villareal. This leaves them with only two fit center backs, and they will probably need to bring someone into the team from the academy as well as signing a good back-up or even starting option.

Liverpool: Central Attacking Midfielder 

Since the departure of Coutinho, Liverpool have found a lot of success. However, they have really missed his midfield flair and would do really well to bring in someone good. A Coutinho return could actually be the answer now that he is being frozen out of Barcelona, but a more like-for-like Wijnaldum replacement like Youri Tielemans would also be a great help for the Reds. 

Manchester City: Left Back 

Let's all take a moment to laugh at City. After Jadon Sancho, a City academy graduate, arrived at Manchester rivals United from Dortmund, City payed over two thirds of that fee, 100 million pounds, on Jack Grealish. No disrespect to the player, but he is not on Sancho's level despite commanding such an exorbitant fee. He'll be fighting for his spot with Mahrez, Torres, Foden and Gundogan, because neither Sterling nor de Bruyne could logically be dropped for him. 

Manchester United: Center Back 

Manchester United are really solid in pretty much every position. While Fred needs to be replaced, the players are there. van de Beek and McTominay are both ready to partner Pogba in the heart of the United midfield. One issue could be the lack of numbers at center back. They currently have 5 center backs, and even though Varane seems to be coming in both Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzabe heavily linked with a move. They may also need one or two to fill in on the left with Telles injured. It shouldn't really be an issue though.

Newcastle: Center Back 

Newcastle usually play with a back three, so having four center backs is really not a good idea. We have already seen them scramble when injuries occur, and while the four center backs they do have are all quality players, they need at least two more to sleep easy without having to worry about injuries too much.

Norwich: Right Winger 

I am a huge fan of Norwich's exciting 4-2-3-1 formation, but it will have to change if they cannot find at least one more player for the right. While they have brought in talented 25-year-old Milot Rashica, he has no deputy, meaning he probably won't be ready to slot right in to Premier League Football and will have no like-for-like deputy who can come into the team to replace him if needs be.

Southampton: Left Back 

Southampton have seemingly found a long-term replacement for Ryan Bertrand, and I think Southampton fans should really be excited about the arrival of explosive attacking full-back Romain Perraud, whose highlight reel can be found here. He is, however, their only first-team left back, and he will need back-up for the up-and-coming campaign if Southampton are to push for top ten again.

Tottenham Hotspur: Goalkeeper 

Spurs actually have a really gifted squad, one that in theory should take them into the top six. I don't see that as likely, but the Londoners definitely have really good squad depth in every position. While Harry Kane doesn't really have a like-for-like replacement, the real answer is probably keeper. Lloris and Whiteman are their only permanent keepers, with Gollini on loan there from Atalanta as well. It's not a disaster, but a fourth keeper would be ideal.

Watford: Attacking Midfield 

I'm sorry, but this squad screams Championship standard. Their highest-valued center back is valued at lower than Southampton's, a team that fished fifteenth last season's, cheapest. Ismaïla Sarr is their highest valued player by far, and would be more expensive than all their keepers and defenders put together. Not a single defensive player is valued at €5 million. They really need an injection of quality from a solid attacking midfield option, kind of like Palace bringing Eze in to help Zaha.

West Ham: Left Wing 

If it wasn't for their 4-2-3-1 formation, you would have to be worried about the lack of any central midfielders apart from Noble, so step forward left wing, where despite it being an important part of their line-up they have no back-up option for Saïd Benrahma. Generally the team is in pretty good shape and they could go far in the Europa League.

Wolves: Left Wing 

TRANSFERMARKT HAVE A MISTAKE ON THEIR WEBSITE! Despite being one of the most trusted sources of football stats in the world, Transfermarkt have failed us by listing left back Marcal as a "defense" on the Wolves page, while all the other players are listed normally as "center back", "left midfielder", etc. Anyway, while they do not need another "defense", Wolves could do with signing a back-up for the injured Pedro Neto.

Just a congratulations to Brazil for winning the Olympic Gold. This post took even longer than expected, probably about seven hours altogether, so please help me by making sure that time wasn't a complete waste by following me here or on social media and even more importantly, spreading the word about my blog. Feel free to comment disagreements or post requests below and I will "see" you all next time. Noah ( ͡╯ ͜ʖ ͡╰)