Football365’s transfer guides: Part two

Matt Stead

Part one (Arsenal through to Crystal Palace) can be found here

 

EVERTON

What they need
A new manager, firstly. The very weird situation is that Everton will appoint a new coach who would immediately snap your hand off for no players coming in and no players going out. Unfortunately, that’s unlikely to happen. At least one of John Stones, Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley will surely depart, and possibly two. The incoming manager might have £100m to spend to buy a new spine. As for a quick to-do list, a back-up striker so that everyone can forget Oumar Niasse is needed, as is a goalkeeper to replace Tim Howard.

What they’ll probably get
If Lukaku and/or Stones leave, you can see this being a frantic post-Euro 2016 summer at Goodison Park. With Farhad Moshiri’s billions and zillions waiting in the kitty, silly season might be just around the corner. We’ve already had rumours of a £40m bid for Joe Hart. Saido Berahino has been touted as a replacement for Lukaku, but we could also see a £20m bid for a striker from France, Portugal or Russia coming out of nowhere in mid-August.

What’s been said
“Let’s hope we can energise the club. You can never take over a club. You become part of it and that’s what I’m hoping – to become part of a club. For me I bought into a new family and that’s what is special for me. I give them whatever I have” – Farhad Moshiri, March 13.

 

HULL

What they need
Smallish doses of quality. They must learn a lesson from Norwich; bringing the same players back to the Premier League and expecting a widely different result from two seasons ago is massively naive. Nine of the players who started the Championship play-off final had been relegated with the Tigers in 2015 so buying from the traditional bargain bin of other recently relegated teams would be ridiculous. They need added quality and pace at centre-half – where Curtis Davies and Michael Dawson are both the classy side of 30 – as well as a sprinkling of creativity in midfield and at least one striker to take the pressure off Abel Hernandez. That man should not be Cameron Jerome; we cannot stress this enough.

What they’ll probably get
Realistically, Hull will start the season as the least attractive option for any player who wants Premier League football, but Steve Bruce clearly has some sway as he persuaded Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore to leave comfortable surroundings at Tottenham. The loan market could be Bruce’s friend – an excellent relationship with Arsenal could force him to the front of a queue for Joel Campbell, for example. Meanwhile, would anybody be remotely surprised if they signed Steven Caulker? Or Dame N’Doye?

What’s been said
“We know we’ve got to be at our maximum, to invest well. When you’re a club like Hull, trying to get people to improve you is going to be very difficult. We’ve got to look at Watford and Swansea. We’re probably not better equipped. We’ve got a month before we start. We’ve got to look at budgets and exactly how much it means. Even with money you’ve got to invest wisely” – Steve Bruce, May 28.

 

LEICESTER CITY

What they need
To be as ruthless as possible with a squad that won the Premier League against all expectations, but also add a serious amount of high-quality padding. Leicester will be competing in four competitions next season, and cannot rely on the fortune they had with injuries during their run to the title. If, as expected, N’Golo Kante leaves, Leicester will need to find another gem from abroad, while also signing another central defender and back-up striker. Big decisions need to be asked as to whether the likes of Danny Simpson and Marc Albrighton can replicate their form next year, or should be upgraded.

What they’ll probably get
There is no doubt that Champions League football means that Leicester City are fishing in a very different pool. That’s epitomised with reported interest in Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Victor Wanyama. However, I can’t get on board with the idea that Leicester will spaff their pocket money on expensive Premier League stalwarts. More likely are players from abroad; think Ahmed Musa, Gianluca Lapadula and Arkadiusz Milik. That’s how they got into this situation, and it’s how they’ll try and stay there.

What’s been said
“For us it’s not so important to bring some superstars, it’s important to bring the players that play with heart and with the soul. This was one of our secrets this season and for us it is important. For me it is important to have two players for each position because we have a lot of competitions to do and it is important to be ready for each competition. The new players have to be able to play with us. I won’t just accept any player. If they join us, they have to live with our family, the way we are” – Claudio Ranieri, May 19.

 

LIVERPOOL

What they need
A new central defender. A new left-back. A dog in central midfield. A winger (unless Lazar Markovic is suddenly the answer). A striker. And they’ve already bought the goalkeeper. That list assumes (perfect reasonably) that Mario Balotelli, Christian Benteke, Martin Skrtel and Alberto Moreno will all be allowed to leave over the summer. Liverpool also – and we cannot state this strongly enough – need marquee signings, rather than ‘yeah that might work oh no actually it hasn’t quite worked and now we can’t get rid of them’ players.

What they’ll probably get
Not Mario Gotze, by the look of things. That said, it’s pretty obvious that Jurgen Klopp is going to read the league he knows the most for Liverpool’s summer signings. Joel Matip and Loris Karius have already arrived from Schalke and Mainz, and the Bundesliga is increasingly used as the Premier League’s go-to division for good value, reliable performers. A possible list for the aforementioned positions includes Jonathan Tah, Jonas Hector, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Karim Bellarabi and Matthias Ginter.

What’s been said
“To use the time, to use the experience – that’s what we have to do. This team will be a little bit different next year, that’s clear. We will do something with transfers, that’s clear. But, first of all, we need to use the experience because I am sure we will be in a final again and we will have decisive moments again” – Jurgen Klopp, May 19.

 

MANCHESTER CITY

What they need
A big old clearout. The list of Manchester City players aged 30 and over is as follows: Martin Demichelis, Willy Caballero, Yaya Toure, Bacary Sagna, Pablo Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Aleksandar Kolarov, Gael Clichy, Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Jesus Navas. That’s bloody silly. Pep Guardiola must buy a new striker, winger, two central midfielders, at least one central defender, a left-back and a right-back. Bloody hell.

What they’ll probably get
This is City under Guardiola, so they’ll probably get exactly what they want. Expect Ilkay Gundogan and Aymeric Laporte to arrive over the summer, while Thiago Alcantara has already played for Pep at two clubs and Leroy Sane’s name just won’t go away. City need some English players too, so Aaron Cresswell, Danny Rose and John Stones are all possibilities. Their new third-choice goalkeeper should be English to fill a squad place, which is a fun game to play. Ben Foster, Scott Carson or Chris Kirkland?

What’s been said
Nothing in public, despite Guardiola’s transfer plans being ‘exclusively revealed’ since the announcement of his imminent arrival in February.