Premier League Transfer Deadline: What Every Club Needs to Do

The final week of the 2026 summer window is here and half the Premier League still looks half-built. Squads are bloated, benches are thin, and there’s a stampede of loan deals with daft buy options just waiting to happen.

Here’s what every club still has to sort out before the shutters come down.

Arsenal – Clear the decks, land a killer forward

Arsenal’s squad isn’t Chelsea-level chaotic, but there’s still clutter Mikel Arteta wants gone.

Gabriel Jesus is the headline case. A £250,000-a-week wage for a player no longer central to the project is a luxury they can’t indulge. He needs to be moved on. Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson are also surplus, while Ethan Nwaneri should be out playing senior football on loan, not hanging around the fringes.

That’s four first-teamers to shift in days. Then comes the hard part: upgrading the attack.

They’ve hovered around Liverpool’s chase for Bradley Barcola, but the Frenchman is now Anfield-bound. Julian Alvarez only has eyes for Barcelona, yet his situation with Atletico Madrid is strained enough that a late north London twist can’t be ruled out if Barca and Atleti refuse to trade. That’s the calibre Arsenal require to jump a level.

Christos Tzolis has started brightly, but if you want to win the Champions League, you don’t stop at “bright”. You add someone who terrifies defenders off the left or through the middle.

Gabriel Martinelli is heading to Saudi Arabia, so a forward is coming in. The club can’t afford to end up scrambling for a deadline-day loan of Raheem Sterling. This signing has to be special.

Aston Villa – A full rebuild in five days

Where do you even start?

Zion Suzuki’s arrival means Emiliano Martinez is effectively gone. Ollie Watkins is expected to join Martinelli at Al-Hilal. Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers – all out. That’s the spine, the personality, the dressing-room core ripped out in one summer.

Unai Emery remains, and that’s Villa’s biggest win. Keeping him content is now the entire brief.

They’ve already replaced Martinez. Johan Manzambi is a smart pick-up to soften the loss of Rogers. A £65million move for Nicolas Jackson is close, but that’s a huge fee for a Chelsea “bomb squad” member.

Konsa needs replacing. Moves for Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Joel Ordonez are going nowhere. Midfield is a crisis zone: Tielemans has joined Manchester United, Amadou Onana has suffered an ACL injury at the World Cup, and Boubacar Kamara, brilliant but brittle, lined up alongside Joao Gomes in Sunday’s thrashing at Brighton. Gomes’ debut was a horror show and now he’s suspended.

Behind them? Ross Barkley and Lamare Bogarde. That’s it.

Villa have to sell Martinez. Sell Watkins. Close Jackson. Then find at least one midfielder, a winger, a centre-back. Realistically, probably two centre-backs, two midfielders, another wide player, maybe even another striker.

Last season they recovered from a poor start to finish fourth and win the Europa League. Right now, that kind of revival feels a long way off. Of all the Premier League clubs, Villa look the most exposed. PSR has bitten hard.

Bournemouth – Protect Alex Scott, buy a right-back

Bournemouth’s job list is short but important.

Priority one: keep Alex Scott. Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal have all been sniffing around. Chelsea look the likeliest to test Bournemouth’s resolve late on, depending on what happens with Enzo Fernandez and City.

Holding on to Scott might be enough for a steady season in Europe. It shouldn’t be the only focus, though.

Adam Smith is a club legend and a reliable defender, but he’s 35. Bournemouth have needed a new right-back for years. An upgrade on their captain is overdue, no matter how much affection there is for him.

Brentford – Diouf in, then feet up

Nine goals in two games. Brentford look sharp, dangerous and settled.

They’re closing in on El Hadji Malick Diouf from West Ham to lock down the left flank, adding to Keane Lewis-Potter and Aaron Hickey. Centre-back depth with Sepp van den Berg, Kristoffer Ajer and Nathan Collins is fine. Mikkel Damsgaard can’t even get into the XI and they still create chances for fun. Igor Thiago and Callum Wilson share the load up front.

Once Diouf walks through the door, they might actually be done.

Organised, efficient, and slightly boring from a deadline-day drama perspective.

Brighton – Minteh decides everything

Brighton’s final week hinges entirely on Yankuba Minteh.

Liverpool know the price: £70-80million. If they don’t meet it, Brighton keep him and carry on. If they do, Brighton sell and replace.

And if history is any guide, that replacement will be an unknown from somewhere off the usual scouting grid, who’ll be flipped to a superclub for triple the fee in a few years’ time.

Chelsea – Clear the clutter, buy a real No.1

Chelsea are being talked up as the side most likely to chase Arsenal, but the gap still feels huge.

One decision could close it a little: move on from Robert Sanchez and sign Emi Martinez. He is available. He is proven. He is exactly what they lack.

A top goalkeeper changes the entire feel of this team.

Then there’s the annual bomb squad. Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson could bring in around £110million between them. That’s elite asset management.

Beyond that, the list of players in limbo is long: Mykhailo Mudryk, Gabriel Slonina, Tosin Adarabioyo, Aaron Anselmino, Marc Guiu, Emmanuel Emegha, Jamie Gittens, Dario Essugo, Wesley Fofana. Some will be sold, others parked at Strasbourg on loan.

Chelsea do this every year. They look stuck, then somehow extract huge fees for players they’ve already moved on from in their heads. Expect the same again.

Coventry – Inject top-flight quality

Losing on opening day to the best team in the country isn’t a scandal. It is a reminder.

The XI – Rushworth; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Amenda, Dasilva; Onyeka, Yirenkyi, Grimes; Thomas-Asante, Simms, Tchaouna – does not scream Premier League safety.

Taiwo Awoniyi and Ethan Pinnock are the right sort of arrivals. Coventry need two or three more in that bracket: experienced, proven, comfortable at this level.

The clock is ticking, and this squad still looks a step short.

Crystal Palace – Take the Sarr money, if there’s a plan

Liverpool’s pursuit of attacking help has led them to Ismaila Sarr. Brighton have pushed them back over Minteh, Galatasaray have already been rebuffed by Palace, and now a £50million bid from Liverpool has also been rejected.

For a 28-year-old, turning down that fee is bold. If Liverpool edge up towards £60million, Palace should be ready to say yes.

But only with a clear reinvestment strategy.

Fans will want to keep the core – Adam Wharton, Dean Henderson, Daniel Munoz, Sarr – and move Jean-Philippe Mateta on. The Sarr situation offers something different: a chance to refresh the squad with younger options and build depth for a gruelling Europa League and Premier League schedule.

Pierre Sage needs at least two, probably three or four more signings. Without them, the season will bite hard.

Everton – Fix the full-backs

Everton suddenly look like a team that could eye up Europe rather than survival.

Brennan Johnson, Hayden Hackney, Christian Norgaard, Tyrique George, Merlin Rohl – all smart moves. But the full-back positions drag the team down.

Nathan Patterson can’t stay fit and hasn’t convinced. Jake O’Brien isn’t a natural right-back and might leave. Vitalii Mykolenko is steady but upgradeable.

Right-back is the urgent one. David Moyes’ best XI would look significantly stronger with a top-level option there, and a better left-back wouldn’t hurt either.

Daniel Munoz has been heavily linked, but that trail has cooled. Everton are also still in the mix to bring Jack Grealish back, which would be a luxury rather than a necessity.

The basics, though, are at full-back.

Fulham – A centre-back to raise the ceiling

Fulham could do with a new goalkeeper, but time is short. A centre-back is more realistic.

Calvin Bassey and Jorge Cuenca started against Chelsea, with Joachim Andersen suspended. Andersen and Bassey are a competent, ball-playing pair. They’re also both players you could upgrade on.

The truth is Fulham’s squad feels thin almost everywhere. A centre-back isn’t the only need, just the most obvious one they might actually address before the deadline.

Ipswich – Find a No.10

Two wins from two – league and Carabao Cup – and the mood at Portman Road is buoyant. Look closer at the XI that beat Sunderland, though, and there’s a glaring hole.

They need an attacking midfielder.

Julio Enciso was their standout performer and can operate as a No.10, but he’s usually best used from the wing with licence to drift. His outrageous assist for Emersonn underlined that.

Exequiel Palacios is a superb piece of business, the kind of signing that echoes Granit Xhaka’s transformative move to Sunderland. With Palacios running the midfield, a dedicated playmaker ahead of him could be the difference between survival and a long, painful slog.

Hull – Their own Xhaka

Hull’s win over Manchester United changed the mood around the club in 90 minutes.

Oli McBurnie missing the World Cup now looks like a blessing for Hull, Nobel Mendy and Konstantinos Tzolakis impressed, and suddenly survival doesn’t feel far-fetched.

On paper, though, that starting XI still cries out for a central midfielder with gravitas. Hidemasa Morita is a shrewd free transfer, but they need their own version of Xhaka – the kind of seasoned, high-quality presence that lifted Sunderland, and now Palacios is expected to do the same for Ipswich.

Get that right, and Hull’s season could tilt from firefighting to something more ambitious.

Leeds – A left-back and a striker to push for Europe

Leeds have quietly put together an excellent window.

James Trafford, Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic – all instant starters. Nico Elvedi boosts depth. No key player has been sold, unless you count Karl Darlow or Pascal Struijk, both replaceable.

To turn a solid summer into a statement one, they need two more pieces: a left-back and a young striker.

James Justin has done a good job filling in on the left, but it isn’t his natural side. Up front, the entire structure trembles if Dominic Calvert-Lewin gets injured. That would leave Lukas Nmecha as first choice, which will not comfort Leeds supporters.

Give Daniel Farke a younger, more dynamic forward option and a specialist left-back, and a European push becomes very real.

Liverpool – Finish Barcola, then face the midfield truth

Liverpool’s to-do list starts with one line: sign Bradley Barcola. They’ve finally reached agreement with PSG and look set to complete it.

But this squad needs more than one winger.

Another wide option would help. A central midfielder feels essential.

Jamie Carragher’s assessment was blunt: Liverpool’s midfield doesn’t “function”. Dominik Szoboszlai looks misused, questions linger over Florian Wirtz’s Premier League fit, and Alexis Mac Allister has looked jaded since the 2024/25 title win.

They need a commanding presence in the middle. The problem? There’s little faith they’ll actually land one in the next few days.

Manchester City – Money in, bodies out, depth required

Pep Guardiola’s exit has triggered a clear-out at Manchester City.

Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Rodri – all gone. Alongside them, James Trafford, Manuel Akanji, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Nathan Ake, Nico Gonzalez, Savinho, Tijjani Reijnders, Omar Marmoush and more. An entire XI sold for around £352million.

Enzo Maresca has cash but a stripped-back squad.

Defensively, the numbers and quality remain decent. The real alarm bell rang on matchday one when Marc Guehi started in central midfield. Since then, Ayyoub Bouaddi has arrived, and Enzo Fernandez remains a primary target, which would take their midfield spend north of £300million.

Up front, Marmoush’s move to Tottenham leaves just Erling Haaland and Ryan McAidoo listed as centre-forwards. Fifteen players are classed as midfielders or wingers, including loanees and outgoing names like Nico Gonzalez and left-back Nico O’Reilly.

City need at least one more central midfielder and probably two forwards to replace Savio and Marmoush. Right now, they’re betting on Haaland to play 50-plus games. This squad, as it stands, is not deep enough to hunt down Arsenal.

Manchester United – Sort the back line

Manchester United have rebuilt their midfield with Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos for £150million. The focus must now turn to the defence.

Right-back remains unresolved. Diogo Dalot is into his eighth season without ever nailing down the spot, and now shares it with Noussair Mazraoui.

Centre-back looks stacked on paper – Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez, Ayden Heaven, the injured Matthijs de Ligt – but lacks that dominant, unshakeable presence.

Michael Carrick’s priority is a new left-back, and he’s right. Lewis Hall would have been ideal, but Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle has ruled that out completely.

That leaves United with a decision: trust Luke Shaw’s body over a long season with European football back, and use Dalot and Mazraoui as cover, or go into the market. Shaw as the undisputed starter is a big gamble.

David Raum would change the outlook. Bring in a new first-choice left-back and United’s top-five hopes suddenly look far more secure.

Newcastle – Numbers at the back

Newcastle are playing with fire if they don’t strengthen defensively.

Dan Burn’s injury has underlined how thin they are at centre-back. Behind Malick Thiaw and the fragile Sven Botman, there’s only Fabian Schar, 34 and just back from a broken ankle.

Full-back depth is also an issue. Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento are first choice, with Amar Dedic able to cover both sides. After that, it’s Leo Shahar, who Jaissle won’t trust as a regular Premier League starter. Given Hall and Livramento’s fitness records, that’s a risk.

Midfield looks healthier. Nico Gonzalez boosts the options, and Joe Willock’s performance against Liverpool has probably saved him from a sale. There is tentative interest in squad players like Jacob Murphy and Willock, but Newcastle need them.

Nick Pope could yet leave for Celtic, but this week should be about adding defenders, not trimming more.

Nottingham Forest – Turn Anderson cash into a leader

Forest have a problem most clubs would recognise: too many strikers, and another one on the way.

Liam Delap is joining for a club-record £50million. Arnaud Kalimuendo, Igor Jesus and Chris Wood all started the Carabao Cup defeat to Leeds. Kalimuendo looks the likeliest to go.

Two league defeats from two suggest the focus now has to be on the other end of the pitch.

The Elliot Anderson money has barely been touched. Ousmane Diomande has arrived for £34million at centre-back, Gustavo Sa has been signed for £17million and sent to Olympiakos, and Xaver Schlager has come in on a free.

What’s missing is a midfield general. Someone to anchor Oliver Glasner’s side and protect him from the wrath of Evangelos Marinakis if results don’t pick up.

Sunderland – A right winger, urgently

Sunderland’s second season back in the top flight was always going to be tricky. Add European football and the risk multiplies.

The defeat at Ipswich only underlined what was already obvious: this squad hasn’t been strengthened enough.

Granit Xhaka’s arrival last summer changed their trajectory. This year, the only additions so far are Thomas Meunier and, 37 days later, young left-back Dayann Methalie from Toulouse.

That isn’t enough for a club juggling Europe and survival.

The biggest hole is on the right of the attack. Igor Paixao and Jack Grealish have both been mentioned, but they’re more natural on the left, where Simon Adingra, Nilson Angulo and Chemsdine Talbi already compete.

Without a proper right-sided option, Sunderland will be lopsided and predictable. They need a winger there, and they need him now.

Tottenham – After £400m spent, it’s time to sell

Tottenham have thrown money at their problems. Nearly £400million of it.

Omar Marmoush’s arrival will cap a record outlay, following Savio and a raft of other signings. After back-to-back 17th-place finishes, desperation has set in.

The 3-0 defeat at Brentford suggested old habits die hard, but Marmoush and Savio should bring more invention and cutting edge. Marmoush, in particular, is expected to finally solve the centre-forward issue.

Incoming business should stop there. Outgoings now take centre stage.

Lucas Bergvall asked to leave months ago but still started at Brentford, only to be hooked at half-time for £85million man Mateus Fernandes, alongside £92.5million signing Sandro Tonali. Bergvall is likely to depart before the deadline, with Nottingham Forest still hovering.

Pape Matar Sarr has interest from Galatasaray and Monaco. Mikey Moore, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Kevin Danso – all could yet move.

Spurs have bought aggressively. The final week will show if they can sell with the same conviction.