One player each Premier League club should sign in the January transfer window

Ladbrokes looks at one player all 20 Premier League clubs should sign in the January transfer window to help them achieve their goals for the season.

Liverpool have been near perfect so far this season, with Arne Slot only failing to win four of the 19 Premier League games he's managed for the Reds since taking over from Jurgen Klopp over the summer.

However, for the rest of the Premier League, there's a lot of room for improvement over the second half of the season, with January the perfect opportunity to add to the squad and freshen things up.

So, without further ado, join Ladbrokes as we run you through each Premier League club and suggest one player they should sign in the January transfer window to help them achieve their goals for the remainder of the season, kicking things off with Arsenal.

Arsenal signed Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad in the summer, so why not add his former team mate Martin Zubimendi in January?

Zubimendi turned down the chance to join Liverpool in the summer, but the feeling according to several reputable journalists is that the midfielder is now open to leave his boyhood club and coming to the Premier League, with the Emirates the perfect home for him.

The Real Sociedad man is the ideal number six that Mikel Arteta wants, and that's been shown by the fact that Arsenal have tried to sign him several times over the last few years. Zubimendi is comfortably in possession as well as defensively, and would allow Declan Rice to play as more of an advanced eight, something that Arteta seems to want to do.

With a release clause of around £60m too, a deal with sign Zubimendi may be easier to complete than others this month, a time where selling clubs usually hike up their prices to avoid losing key players mid-way through the season.

Fikayo Tomori has only played in eight of AC Milan's 14 Serie A games this season, with the English defender being tipped for a move back to the Premier League in January.

We think he'd be the perfect fit for Aston Villa, who despite an inconsistent start to the season, will still be dreaming of finishing in the European places come May of this year.

Diego Carlos is a bit of a defensive liability, and Tyrone Mings is taking his time to get back to full fitness after rupturing his ACL in August 2023.

The signing of Tomori would allow Ezri Konsa to play more permanently at right-back, something Unai Emery seems to want to do, allowing Pau Torres to have a more reliable defensive partner to play alongside. This signing, in the eyes of our experts, makes too much sense.

A name that some Premier League fans won't have heard before ix Georgios Kyriakopoulos, but he's the man who we think Bournemouth should be targeting this January.

Considering star left-back Milos Kerkez is wanted by the likes of Man United and Liverpool, we think the Bournemouth recruitment team need to be thinking about a replacement for the Hungarian, and that's where Kyriakopoulous comes in.

According to Fbref, the player who is most similar in terms of their underlying stats to Kerkez is the Monza defender, and with a market value of less than £5m, this represents a fantastic value for money deal.

Kerkez may not leave in January, but bringing in Kyriakopoulous on the cheap to play alongside the Hungarian for a half a season before becoming the full-time starting left-back may be the smartest move here, and definitely something Bournemouth will be thinking about doing already.

A player linked to Brentford over the summer was Luton's Alfie Doughty, but whilst nothing materialised before the season started, we think the Bees should move back in for the talented wing-back this month.

Doughty is able to play as a conventional left-back, as well as a more attack-minded wing-back, which definitely suits the more fluid and flexible way Thomas Frank likes his Brentford players to be.

Rico Henry is on his way back from a ACL injury, but bringing in Doughty would mean that Brentford are less reliant on their left-back when he is able to play again, ensuring that he can get up to full speed without having to be rushed back.

Unfortunately for Brighton, it’s probably time to start planning for life after Lewis Dunk, so a central defender is the player the Seagulls should aim to sign in January.

Young defender Arouna Sangante is actually Le Harve’s club captain, but at 22 the Senegalese international represents the type of high-potential signing Brighton love to make, especially considering his market value of under £10m.

Good on the ball and when he has to defend, Sangante could partner the ever-impressive Van Hecke when Dunk is missing, with the aim of establishing the pair as a long-term defensive duo for the club.

To be honest, Chelsea shouldn’t sign anyone in January. Enzo Maresca is getting his team in a good place and they’re firmly in the running for a spot in next season’s Champions League.

The team is beginning to tick well, so why make additions that aren’t needed to mess with that chemistry?

Chelsea have made more than enough signings over the last two years, so it’s not like they’re in needed of new additions. We’re advocating for them to keep things the same and not make any additions, before assessing things again over the summer. 

Lyon have serious financial issues right now, so it could be worth throwing a bid their way for star player Rayan Cherki, and that’s what Crystal Palace should do.

Cherki is more of a 10 but has the ability to play out wide, similarly to Ebere Eze, so he’d be perfect for Palace’s 3-4-2-1 system. 

A top player on his day with bags of potential to continue to improve, Cherki could view a move to Palace as a stepping stone, just like Michael Olise, where he stays for a few seasons before getting an even bigger move to one of Europe’s bigger clubs. 

Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be set to leave Everton in the summer on a free transfer, with Arsenal one of the clubs interested, so signing an established striker to replace him should be high on the priority list for the Toffees this January

Jonas Wind represents good value for money for Everton, given that he’s able to play as a second striker as well as a sole number nine.

Wind's versatility will definitely make him of interest to the Everton board too, with the fact the Danish striker is able to play in a variety of positions being pivotal with there being an air of uncertainty surrounding the club's managerial situation.

Fulham have been great this season, there's no denying that, and expected points, suggest they should be right at the top of the Premier League.

However, the one issue Fulham have had is the inconsistency of their attackers so far this campaign, with Raul Jimenez showing glimpses of the player we saw at Wolves, but not enough on a regular basis to put Fulham in the European places.

So, we think Evan Ferguson of Brighton could be a smart pick-up for the club, especially considering the Irishman is available on a six-month loan deal, meaning the outlay for Fulham would be minimal.

Marco Silva would allow Ferguson the ability to start as the number nine for an attack-minded Premier League side, something that would also be of interest to Brighton and the player. He's got all the minerals to be a top player, but Ferguson needs regular minutes, and Fulham are able to offer him that.

One thing Ipswich did well in January was signing players from the Championship who, if the club were relegated, wouldn't mind dropping down to England's second-tier with them.

That was the idea with the signing of Liam Delap, but the ex-Man City player has done so well that is Ipswich do get relegated, which the bookies are backing them to do, then he's expected to move to another Premier League club, with Tottenham and Chelsea interested.

So, we think the club should be going after a young striker who wouldn't mind playing Championship football next season, which is why we've settled on Jonathan Burkardt from Mainz as the ideal January signing.

Burkardt profiles similarly to Delap in terms of his underlying statistics, and having scored 10 goals in 14 Bundesliga games this season, he's clearly shown that he's got an eye for goal too.

With a market value of around £15m too, Burkardt could be the signing Ipswich make this January, with the idea that a potential Delap sale would recoup all of that fee, and then some.

The player Leicester should be targeting this January is someone they knew well, and that's former player Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

KDH thought he'd walk straight into the Chelsea team when joining this summer considering he moved with Enzo Maresca, his former manager at Leicester last season.

However, it hasn't worked out that way, and Dewsbury-Hall finds himself behind Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the pecking order.

So, Chelsea will want to see their signing playing more regular football, and there's no better place for him to do that than at this former club, Leicester.

A loan move makes sense for all parties here, and it wouldn't take KDH long to settle back into life with the Foxes, allowing him to hit the ground running and work on keeping Ruud van Nistelrooy's side in the Premier League

Forget new signings, January needs to be all about keeping their existing players for Liverpool.

Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all out of contract in the summer, and given that many view them as the best players in their respective positions in the world, losing even one would be a huge blow.

There’s no one on the market that Liverpool can sign to replace their three star men, so why even bother? Focus on retaining the players and signing them to new deals before focusing on winning the Premier League, which they are the odds-on favourites to do.

The issue Man City have in signing a six this January is that any new player will be aware that his place will go back to Rodri when he’s back from his injury ahead of the 25/26 season 

Ricci from Torino is an interesting option though, given that he can play six and eight, so there’s the ability for him to play alongside Rodri next season. 

Adam Wharton is an option too, but he seems like more of a risk considering his injury issues this season and the fact that City ideally need a player who can come in and hit the ground running, rather than someone who Pep Guardiola can mould into a superstar.

He’s a talented player too, with a great ability on the ball as well as when needed to defend. He’d be available for around £30m too, so City wouldn’t have to break the bank. 

Alphonso Davies solves a lot of issues for Man United with his ability to play left wing-back. Given that he’s out of contract on the summer too, signing him on the cheap could be an option for Ruben Amorim and co.

United have good defenders to suit Amorim’s system, but with Luke Shaw’s injury woes, a left wing-back is the key signing needing to be made, and the situation surrounding Davies means he’d be a shrewd signing too.

One thing Newcastle need is a right winger, and we think Lille’s Edon Zhegrova is a solid option here

Rayan Cherki is a good pick here too, but his inability to press like an Eddie Howe forward could make a deal unlikely.

Zhegrova on the other hand is a solid right winger with the ability to cut in on his left foot. He’d work very well with Anthony Gordon on the other wing and Alexander Isak up top, allowing Newcastle’s hard-working midfielders to focus on doing just that, working like dogs and winning the ball back.

Chris Wood is, without a doubt, one of the league's best nine number nines, and Nottingham Forest are lucky to have him at the club.

However, at 32, Wood has played more games than he's got left, so it's time that Forest's recruitment team started thinking about replacements for their star striker.

And that's where Yuri Alberto comes in, with a big from Forest expected to come in January for the Corinthians attacker, despite there also being interest from West Ham, Everton and other Premier League clubs in his services.

Forest have a good relationship with Corinthians, given that they've signed Murillo and Carlos Miguel from the Brazilian side, there may be a willingness from both parties to complete a deal for around £20m.

The logistics of the deal won't be easy, but Southampton should definitely speak to Liverpool about the prospect of taking Ben Doak on loan for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.

Southampton wanted to sign Doak on a permanent deal in the summer, but Liverpool opted to send the Scot out on loan to Middlesbrough, where he's shined so far this campaign.

With Southampton expected to be playing Championship football next season, a permanent deal may not be the smartest move, so why don't the Saints ask Liverpool to recall Doak and loan him out to a Premier League side, something his spells in the Scottish national team have shown that he should be more than able to deal with?

It makes sense for the player, for Southampton and even for football, with the only real sufferers being Middlesbrough, who may have their star winger taken away from them.

With a broken ankle, Tottenham are to be without Guglielmo Vicario for a good period of the remainder of the season, so a suitable second goalkeeper could be the move here for Spurs.

Keylor Navas is out of contract still, and after a few months with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League a few years ago, he’s got experience playing in England’s top flight.

Navas is at the stage of his career where he’d probably be happy playing Europa League games and Premier League fixtures whilst Vicario is out, and given he’d cost nothing, the move makes a lot of sense

While not a player, a move West Ham need to make in January is replacing Julen Lopetegui with Graham Potter who has been out of a job since leaving Chelsea in 2023.

West Ham have some of the world's most exciting attacking talent on its books, especially in the form of Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, but those players aren't being used to the best of their ability under Lopetegui, who is definitely a more defensive coach.

So, the Hammers need to find a more attacking manager, and there's no one on the market who fits the bill more than Potter for that. It's a move that needs to happen, more than any signing.

Wolves are right in the relegation mix this season, and considering the immense talent they've got in their squad, that shouldn't be a place Vitor Periera and co find themselves in.

For their proposed January signing, we're actually going with a Championship player, and that's Sheffiled United's Anel Ahmedhodzic.

The Blades have been great in the Championship this season, and are at the top of the table, with their Bosnian central-defender being a key part of the reason why.

With Wolves often dealing with defensive injury issues, Ahmedhodzic would be a smart-pick up, and given he's a Championship player right now, a deal worth around £15m could be enough to bring him in.

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