Where the big six need to strengthen in January…

Manchester United – centre-back
You might argue that United’s greatest need is for a new manager but let us presume that Ed Woodward won’t have pulled the trigger by January. The consequence for the vice-chairman is that Jose Mourinho will expect the backing in January that he was denied in the summer.

Mourinho was desperate for a centre-back but, hilariously, chartered accountant Woodward thought he was a better judge of what United’s defence required. Which was apparently nothing. Subsequently, Scott McTominay has been playing in a back line that has outperformed only Huddersfield’s and Cardiff’s.

So United, you would think, are certain to sign at least one centre-back when the window opens. Many of the targets Mourinho had in mind in summer will be linked again, though there seems to be most noise currently around Milan Skriniar. Fabio Capello let slip that the Inter Milan defender – along with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly – were being chased by Mourinho in the summer, though Inter will remain reluctant to sell and Skriniar is unlikely to agitate for a move.

None of Mourinho’s targets will come cheap, so Woodward will likely be tempted by a stop-gap solution. Football’s oldest-looking 33-year-old, Andreas Granqvist, has been linked with a move from Helsingborgs and, understandably, the Sweden captain can’t believe his luck.

Liverpool – creative midfielder
Jurgen Klopp spluffed almost £100million on midfielders in the summer, yet here we are, suggesting that Liverpool still need more in the middle.

The signing of Naby Keita was arranged a year previously and seems like a smart investment but, to put it nicely, the jury is still out on bench-bound Fabinho. Even if both deals work out, Klopp is still missing an ingredient from his all-action midfield.

After watching the goalless draw with City, Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness both reached the same conclusion: Liverpool need another source of creativity. Even Pep Guardiola bowed down to ‘the greatest counter-attacking team in the world‘, but if their opponents don’t come out to play, then Klopp needs a different, more subtle way of breaching defences.

The fact he was so keen to sign Nabil Fekir suggests the manager recognises that – as Carragher put it – “there’s no David Silva or Bernardo Silva or a player like that in the squad”. With few other genuine options as either a marquee signing or a stop-gap, Fekir would be the ideal, if belated, replacement for Philippe Coutinho, especially while Adam Lallana cannot be relied upon. The France star has had a hand in six goals in eight appearances for Lyon this summer and it would not be a surprise to see Liverpool repeat their Virgil van Dijk trick by agreeing another big deal with the Ligue 1 side before the window opens. Especially if the Reds are still keeping pace with City.

Manchester City – holding midfielder and a back-up keeper
City were also keen to strengthen their engine room in the summer, though Pep Guardiola was looking for a deep-lying midfielder. He thought he had one before Chelsea rocked up with a bigger offer for Jorginho and even in the last week of the window, Guardiola said: “We would like to find maybe one more because we don’t have two specific players to substitute Fernandinho.”

City are chugging along quite nicely and the deficiency identified by Guardiola is not holding them back. Yet. But Fernandinho will be 34 before the end of the season and City seem unable to give the holding midfielder a breather. Only Aymeric Laporte has played more minutes this season so far.

Guardiola could use Oleksandr Zinchenko or Fabian Delph in Fernandinho’s position but the manager prefers the fringe pair as full-backs, while Ilkay Gundogan is a more attackin midfielder. John Stones could do a job, or Adrien Rabiot has been linked with a return to City and as he approaches the final months of his PSG contract, the France international would not require the kind of investment City would have had to make in Jorginho, even if the competition for the 23-year-old’s signature would be just as intense.

Losing Fernandinho would hamper City’s title bid, but not nearly as much as losing Ederson. Claudio Bravo’s season-ending injury has left Guardiola without any senior back-up for his No.1, with rookie Ari Muric brought back from NAC Breda to sit on the bench. Guardiola’s desire for a certain type of keeper suggests he can’t just plunder any old gloveman from the market, so the manager has to consider whether to trust the club-reared rookie in case of emergency or recruit a more experienced hand.

Chelsea – centre-forward
A year on from being linked with the likes of Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch and Ashley Barnes, Chelsea will go into another January window looking for a striker. Olivier Giroud was eventually recruited last winter and the France star is proving to be a smart signing – just one that doesn’t score goals. And Maurizio Sarri still has the Alvaro Morata concern.

Morata has scored twice in the last week and if this is the start of the Spaniard’s rejuvenation, then Sarri’s problem is solved. But it will take more than a goal against the Hungarian league’s fifth-placed side and a last-minute third in a 3-0 win at Southampton to convince anyone that the £58million centre-forward is fixed and firing.

As they discovered last winter, recruiting a goalscorer in January is a tricky business. They were fortunate to stumble on a transfer triangle last season which suited everyone – Giroud was signed so Michy Batshuayi could go to Borussia Dortmund to replace the Arsenal-bound Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Ah, Batshuayi. There were reports that Sarri wanted to block the Belgium striker’s loan to Valencia but presumably the £33.2million centre-forward chose not to risk suffering the same fate as the first half of last season. It is unclear whether Batshuayi has a recall option, or whether Sarri would want to use it. So he is left to scour the market.

Sarri must also consider that Giroud is out of contract at the end of the season. Presumably he will be offered a one-year extension, but the World Cup winner would be wise to consider his options as free-agency looms. Sarri did not expect to be challenging for the title this season but if they keep pace with City and Liverpool, then the signing of a striker capable of carrying a consistent threat could make a huge difference. Who, though?

They have been linked with Genoa’s Krzysztof Piatek, who has scored 13 goals in eight games this season, but the Blues are just one of the 23-year-old’s admirers.

Tottenham – A midfielder. Or anywhere
It almost doesn’t matter where Spurs strengthen. Having spent much of the season denying that they are knackered, Mauricio Pochettino could do with freshening up his squad while adding some new impetus to a group that has obvious potential but remains some way from achieving it. From the board’s point of view too – as moving day creeps closer – any signings would be better than no signings, if only to maintain the illusion of competing with the big boys.

If Pochettino is looking for a specific area to reinforce, then a back-up for Harry Kane would be a smart place to start, just as it was in the summer. You would think that the centre-forward will need a break at some point but Pochettino cannot afford to be without the England star, who has played more minutes than any team-mate, despite a similarly punishing World Cup workload.

Christian Eriksen’s absence is also highlighting a lack of creative back-up, but Pochettino may prefer to focus on the base of his midfield. Mousa Dembele seems to be making plans for life after Spurs while Victor Wanyama is clearly struggling with the effects of injury. If the opportunity to upgrade Eric Dier came along then Pochettino would presumably snatch it, but next summer is the most likely time to invest in that area.

So in the meantime, the message is: sign someone, Poch. Anyone.

Arsenal – centre-back
The Gunners are flying at the moment. Nine wins on the bounce gives Arsenal the appearance of the big six’s most settled and stable club. Frankly, it’s weird.

Perhaps Unai Emery’s side are benefiting from the complete absence of expectation upon them. The new boss has spoken of his desire to go all the way in the Europa League but Arsenal were expected to do little else this season. Their winning streak may change that and any re-shifting of expectations may persuade Emery to strengthen for the second half of the season.

The new boss doesn’t seem entirely satisfied with his defence. He experimented with a new-look back three against Qarabag last week and a better opponent would have punished Arsenal for some disjointed defending. In the Premier League, Emery has had a largely settled back four, with Sokratis settling nicely into English football. Alongside the big Greek, Shkodran Mustafi has shown some of his best form for the club but question marks persist, especially with Rob Holding breathing down his neck.

Whether either are up to the task of being a regular at the heart of his defence – or if Laurent Koscielny can quickly rediscover his fitness and form – Emery appears to be in no rush to decide. A central midfielder will be a priority next summer with Aaron Ramsey on his way and Emery has been linked with moves for Ever Banega and Hector Herrera. But if the new manager is looking to the market for an immediate boost, then his defence would be the area most in need.

Ian Watson