This is gonna be fun. Some of these teams really do suck and itʼll take a lot more than just one move, but I wanted to challenge myself and see which singular move I think will improve each of the top 6 the most. Letʼs look at 2 players per team, one that would be perfect as a fit, and another more realistic move. Weʼre gonna start from the worst, and see how we can improve each team. Let’s get started!
6th place: Manchester United
Perfect transfer: Antione Griezmann
Realistic transfer: Aaron Wan-Bisakka
Ah, our good pals United.
What a glorious mess we have here. Picking one player as a perfect transfer is challenging because they have so many holes to fill, so iʼm going with a player in attack thatʼll fit the most amount of holes; Griezmann. He can play RW, ST, and even CAM. Heʼll plug in great for that side up front, playing next to presumably Rashford & Martial, and could also cover at striker too if Rashford is hurt or off of form. That would be an amazing singing, but I doubt itʼll happen however as Griezmann is rumored to go in the £120 million range, and united could spend that money in other places, since they need many improvements, especially in defense. .
More realistically however, is Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Wan-Bissaka plays RB for Crystal Palace has taken the prem by storm this year, leading all fullbacks in Dribbles completed with 61, interceptions with 82, and in tackles with 124, at 21 years old. He would be perfect for a united back line that has struggled recently, to say the least. Heʼs under contract until 2022, so expect him to cost around the £45-50 million range if united wanted to get him. But they should, heʼs a beast.
5th place: Arsenal
Perfect transfer: Samuel Umtiti
Realistic transfer: Gianluca Mancini
Next up, good olʼ Arsenal. Now Arsenal have fewer holes to fill than United, but theyʼre just as big. Specifically in defense. My perfect transfer would be Samuel Umtiti, the 25 year old defender from Barcelona. We all know about Umtiti by now, heʼs a monster. The problem is that heʼs been very injury prone these last two years. He only played in 14 league matches in 18/19, while playing in 25 the two seasons prior. Defensive unreliability is something Arsenal cannot afford. Also, he would be very expensive, well over the £100 million range. So we need to look at better options.
Meet Gianluca Mancini. He plays for your new favorite club, Atalanta (see previous blog made by Nicholas Marsh) heʼs 23 and a solid defender for the club. Heʼs 6ʼ3, and a beast in the air, winning 2.5 arial duels per game. He also makes 1.5 tackles a game and about 2 interceptions a game, making him a potentially solid piece for Arsenalʼs defense. Pair that with the fact Arsenal can easily pick him up for under £30 million, heʼd be a steal for the club just like Torreria.
4th place: Tottenham
Perfect transfer: Tanguy NʼDombele
Realistic Transfer: Angeliño
Spurs are interesting, they donʼt really have any glaring weaknesses, apart from lack of squad depth. Trying to make a transfer for a first team player is a bit rough. A Moussa Dembele replacement would be nice as sissoko has looked good there this season, but NʼDombele would be an obvious upgrade at this position. Heʼs a perfect replacement for Dembele, as NʼDombele is a fantastic dribbler, averaging 2 dribbles a game in ligue 1 and almost 3 in the Champions League. However, like most transfers in the ‘perfectʼ category, heʼs a little pricey, rumored to be £75 mil+. I think spurs can spend that £75 mil+ on getting a lot more squad depth, rather than on a single player.
Now on to the most interesting and bold player choice I think iʼm going to suggest. Spurs have a problem at LB, Danny Rose is off form and is looking to be phased out, and while Ben Davies is a good defensive LB, an attacking LB seems to be more favored in the modern game. This is where Angeliño comes in, as for PSV this season he racked up 9 assists in the league, averages 2 key passes, 1.5 crosses and 2.3 long balls a game. Heʼs no slouch in defense either, making 1.5 tackles a game and 2.3 clearances a game. Pair that with the fact heʼs 22 and would cost around £25 mil, and heʼd be a perfect fit for spurs, who might look to move Davies into a more central role in defense.
3rd: Chelsea
Perfect transfer: .. LOL
Realistic transfer: Any returning loaneeʼs
Welp, we had to get here eventually. Look, I clown on chelsea a lot, but the fact they managed 3rd is a goddamn miracle. Now with their transfer ban being upheld, they kinda canʼt bring in any players, and they desperately need to. That squad is not great, so the only hope they have is to bring back players on loan. The ones I see best to improve the squad are Bakayoko & Tammy Abraham. Bakayoko has had a resurgence playing for Milan, with him being a massive arial presence with 2.3 duels won a game. He also makes 2.5 tackles a game and 1.5 interceptions a game. He would be key for that midfield.
But the real big one is Abraham. He has been on absolute FIRE for Aston Villa, with 26 goals in 39 matches for them. He averages 3 shots a game, with 2 coming inside the penalty box, so heʼs already showing intelligence with his shot selection at 21 years old. Pair that with 1 dribble a game, and 3(!) arial duels won a game, heʼs exactly what chelsea need to challenge for top 4 again next year.
2nd: Liverpool
Perfect transfer: Nabil Fekir
Realistic transfer: Houssem Aouar
My teams turn! Our biggest weakness is creativity in midfield, and we almost got a guy who couldʼve pushed us to the prem title last summer in Fekir. Heʼs an amazing dribbler and creator averaging about 1.6 dribbles and 2 key passes per game. He did fair a physical for Liverpool which is why he didnʼt join last summer. I think heʼs now even more expensive, surpassing the £100 million mark, and I think we should look elsewhere.
Like for instance, literally next to him. Aouar has been amazing for lyon as well, averaging 2 shots, 2.6(!!) dribbles, 2.4 tackles and 1.4 key passes per/90 minutes in the Champions League. Those are some baller ass numbers, and heʼs only 20 years old. Donʼt worry though, cause it gets better. Heʼs only rumored to be about €45 million, about half what Fekir would cost. He would be literally perfect for Liverpool, as Klopp hasnʼt historically favored a normal 10, but a more creatively flexible player, one that can defend as well as spring attacks together (ex. Naby Keita.) This would be amazing for Liverpool, a move that would keep them in the fight for the prem for years to come.
1st: Manchester City
Perfect transfer: Casemiro
Realistic Transfer: Rúben Neves
Time for the easiest, yet still challenging, bit of this, well, challenge. How do you improve City? A team thatʼs managed 198 points the last two years? Well, there are two ways. One at LB and one at a future Fernandinho replacement. Which way do did I choose? Well LB was been played by Mendy before he was hurt, and Zinchenko has been great there the last half of the season. But I mean, Fabian Delph played most of the 17/18 season at left back for them and they still scored 100 points. So it really doesnʼt matter who the hell plays there, you could play a literal sequoia tree at LB and City would still fucking manage 90 points in the league. So i went with the latter. Casemiro is the 2nd best CDM in the world behind Kante, and would just be perfect as a Fernandinho replacement. But I highly doubt Real sells him, as heʼs now their best player. Heʼs a savage, we all know this, and he would get to learn how to play the role from the master himself, but i just donʼt see the transfer happening.
Now a transfer that will probably, definitely, maybe, most likely, finally happen is Rúben Neves to City. Maybe. Look, heʼs been rumored to go to city for what feels like a decade, and his price has only gone up and up and up since then. So I realistically have no idea if he will actually transfer or not, but if thereʼs any player that they will get for Fernandinhoʼs replacement itʼs probably him, and it should be. He averages over 2 tackles & interceptions, 6(!!!) long balls a game, as well as 1.6 dribbles. He also averages 2.1 shots, nearly all of which come from outside the area. Heʼs 22, should be cheaper than Casemiro, heʼll be a monster for city. I just have no goddamn clue if theyʼll finally pull the trigger or not.
Well there you go, who i think each of the top 6 should sign this summer! I had a blast writing this, and its perfect timing as the premier league transfer window opens May 16th. Silly season is among us Lads, and I for one cant wait to see the chaos.
Author: Logan Smith - 22, from Florida. Liverpool fan for 4 years now, also just a huge fan of the sport of football. You can find me on twitter @smittyboy8833