It is transfer deadline day and the final part of CollinsBeans trawl through who needs what and what each club will probably end up with in the Premier League. Read on to distract you from Jim White’s head exploding over on Sky Sports News...
16. Swansea City
What they need
If current form is anything to go by, then not very much. Swansea have been excellent so far this season, performing way beyond expectation with a very fluent passing game. Several of their players are on a superb run of form. However, all squads need improving and you feel that Swansea could do with one or two quality additions to ensure they keep this momentum going. A top-notch centre forward to provide competition for Danny Graham would perhaps be first on the list.
The ideal signing
A proven Premier League goal scorer.
Who they’ll end up with
The answer is a bit redundant, as Swansea seem to have conducted their January business nice and early. Josh McEachran has arrived on loan from Chelsea, and on paper he will fit in very nicely and should be an excellent addition. Gylfi Sigurdsson has also arrived on loan, and the former Reading man always looked like a fine prospect to me. The less well known Darnel Situ has been signed from Lens after a deal was initially agreed in the summer, and BBC website favourite Rory Donnelly has been secured from Cliftonville. A forward with a bit more experience may have been preferable, but given Swansea’s current form, I’m not going to criticise Brendan Rodgers’ transfer activity at this point in time. (James Platt)
17. Tottenham Hotspur
What they need
With a squad of quality performing exceptionally this season, it’s quantity that Spurs need, adding some back up for the talent they have in the first team. Their main issue is however that what they need primarily is to move on a lot of the deadwood they have in their squad to free up the wages and funds that could sign a player or two that could really make a difference in the second half of the season. Heurelho Gomes, Sebastien Bassong, Vedran Corluka, Niko Kranjcar, Giovani dos Santos, Steven Pienaar and Roman Pavlyuchenko are all theoretically available and moving these players on could fund the big name signing that Redknapp has wanted for a while. Cover at centre half for the always precarious Ledley King and also an explosive big name striker would top the Tottenham bill.
The ideal signing
If Redknapp is able to move players on then being able to secure Emmanuel Adebayor permanently from Manchester City would be the definition of ideal. The Togo international’s arrival this season has allowed the Tottenham system to thrive, with attacking midfielders being brought into the game of his ability to lead the line. As ever the stumbling block is his wages. A tempting offer to Fulham for Brede Hangeland would provide a rock solid option at centre back as could Christopher Samba, who has long been courted by Redknapp. If funds were available, then a foray for a big, exotic name like a Hulk from Porto or a Fernando Llorente form Athletic Bilbao could just make the difference in Spurs turning a good season into a great one.
Who they’ll end up with
Not to sound like a stuck record, but it really depends on who they are able to move on. What with some off the pitch ‘distractions’ potentially taking the managers eye of the ball, the chances are that Tottenham will be going with what they have as they try to keep themselves in the title race. (Matthew Snelling)
18. West Bromwich Albion
What they need
Like most of the league, West Brom’s issues seem to centre on goal scoring, however finding a way to accommodate both Shane Long and Peter Odemwingie and a system that would allow them to shine could probably solve the problem and also save them some money. West Brom is a prudent club where the Chairman Jeremy Peace doesn’t easily like to part with the clubs money and a deal has already collapsed that looked to be in place for Szabolcs Huszti, a midfielder with Zenit St Petersburg midfielder. Some additional creativity in a rather functional looking midfield would also help the team’s ability to put the ball in the back of the net.
The ideal signing
They have decent strikers (OK, outside Marc Antoine-Fortune) but have to find a way to combine them. A creative, attacking midfielder who could supply some bullets would help with the conundrum.
Who they’ll end up with
Very little by the sound of it. Don’t take my word for it, listen to these quotes that we saw in The Guardian today from Brom’s captain James Morrison when he was asked if there would be any last minute deals at the club; "I doubt it. It sums us up. I think it's our policy that we don't bring players in so I don't expect it to happen. The Zenit one [Huszti] is dead so there you go. We've had injury problems. This club can go places but it doesn't build. We just settle for being in the Premier League and I believe with the group of players we've got we can kick on." (MS)
19. Wigan Athletic
What they need
Looking at the league table, quite a lot really, but more specifically the men from deep in the heart of Rugby League Territory need to find some backbone. There is an extreme brittleness to the team and lack of quality at the back has been exposed far too often. Despite possessing a quality goalkeeper in Ali El Habsi, Gary Caldwell and Antonin Alcaraz fill you with no confidence whatsoever. You could argue they need a goal scorer (as does half the Premier League) but Wigan has some exciting, if unpredictable talents that always (OK, sometimes) look like they can nick a goal. What they really need is an experienced hand that can provide some leadership to the rag tag League of Nations that make up Wigan’s squad.
The ideal signing
A grizzly veteran that has seen everything and knows how to survive a relegation dog fight would do nicely, a sort of anti Nigel Quashie if you like. Someone who could put their foot on the ball as well as their foot into a tackle is needed and much as it pains us to say things like this in public, if Wolves no longer want Karl Henry then Wigan could do a lot worse (they already have Steve Gohouri after all). Up top, they have been linked with Bristol City’s Nicky Maynard, which would be an excellent signing. Maynard has scored some top quality goals and he is definitely worth a punt in trying to find that elusive goal scorer.
Who they’ll end up with
Despite looking like they need some reinforcements at the back and in the middle, most of Roberto Martinez’s attention has been on the creative side of things (which is perhaps part of the reason why Wigan are where they are). The manager has already secured the signature of the Chile winger Jean Beausejour from Birmingham City for about £3 million but given past history any further arrivals are likely to be from the lower half of the SPL or from Honduras. Maybe not what you want in a desperate fight against the drop... (MS)
20. Wolverhampton Wanderers
What they need
As with so many of the teams languishing in the bottom half of the table, it’s creative players with real quality that are desperately needed. These types are not easy to come by though. Mick McCarthy, quite rightly in my mind, got annoyed with the BBC recently when they paid Wolves the rather backhanded compliment of trying hard – you would expect that from a professional sports team. Running around and putting in effort is a prerequisite. What Wolves need is some guile and a few more goals.
The ideal signing
In the ideal world, Wolves would secure a playmaker that has fallen out of favour with one of the league’s bigger fish. Yossi Benayoun or Joe Cole, for example, would be absolutely perfect. This is rather unrealistic though, so a slightly lesser name would perhaps be more likely. Robert Snodgrass from Leeds could work – an exciting forward player with skill and an end product.
Who they’ll end up with
A tricky one to answer as to date, Wolves haven’t been heavily linked to anyone. Given their precarious status in the league, it’s unlikely a big name will arrive, so McCarthy will probably have to poke around the Championship or secure a more obscure name from Europe. Don’t be surprised to see an on-form British star from the football league turn up at Molineux. (JP)
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