Brentford:

Having lost their captain Nørgaard to Arsenal, Brentford need to fill a huge gap in the center of their midfield. Nørgaard was essential to Brentford’s system, as a facilitator in the possession phase and as a destroyer on the defensive end. Therefore, Brentford need to look for a player who is very comfortable on the ball and dictating play, while also being very strong in the tackle while also reading the game very well. Having already had previous success purchasing players from the Bundesliga, Brentford should look to sign Rocco Reitz from Borussia Möchengladbach. At only 23 years of age, Reitz is the standout player for his club. He has incredibly impressive defensive numbers, but also has the ability to play from deep. He also has qualities which Nørgaard doesn’t possess, such as having the ability to drive the ball forward and surge late into the box and getting on the end of crosses.

Brighton:

Brighton already have a very strong and young squad. Having broke the bank last summer signing numerous young prodgies, Brighton don’t have many positions in which they need to upgrade. However, one position stands out: striker. At the moment, Welbeck is their starting striker, but at 33 years of age he doesn’t have much longer at the highest level. If Brighton want to challenge for a European place they need to sign a striker who is fine not being an out-in-out starter this season but can be relied on off the bench. He also needs to be young, fast, good in the air, can hold up the ball and can run the channel. In my opinion, the perfect player is Arnaud Kalimuendo from Rennes. Rennes had a very poor season last year, but Kalimuendo still managed to score 17 league goals. Kalimuendo fits Hürzeler’s system to a tee and is still young enough to develop further. He would only cost $30-$35 million and therefore would have good sell-on value.

Chelsea:

Trying to find a player which Chelsea need was much more difficult than I thought. Chelsea already have about 3-4 players in each role, and therefore don’t need necessarily need to sign any more players. However, while watching Chelsea in the Club World Cup with their new tactics, one player who had a breakout season last year came to my mind. During the Club World Cup, Maresca has adapted his tactics slightly, where Cole Palmer now finds himself in the left half-space and frequently near the touchline, with Cucurella inverting higher up the field. This role doesn’t fit Cole Palmer perfectly, but as their most creative player Palmer needs to play every game. Last season Palmer didn’t have any injury issues, but if he does this season, there isn’t any player on Chelsea’s roster who could fill his boots. Thus, if Chelsea were to dip into the transfer market, they should look for a player with similar characteristics to Palmer. He needs to be left footed, have quick feet, adept at finding space in the pockets, young and can come in today and make an impact. There is only one player I found that fits all these requirements: Paul Wanner. Wanner was on loan from Bayern Munich last season at Heidenheim and was single handedly their only source of creativity. At only 19 years of age, Wanner still has time to grow but he already plays like he is twice his age. His movement is so smart and his close control is second to none. He would fit Maresca’s new system perfectly, as he has played at times as a Winger at Heidenheim and is therefore capable of playing in the new wide midfield role. He would be low risk invesment as he would cost only about $20 million.