David Ornstein picks dream signing for each Premier League ‘big six’ club in January window
Planet Football recently caught up with David Ornstein and we asked him who each Premier League ‘big six’ club should sign in January – if they had an unlimited budget.
With the January transfer window now just a few months away, clubs will already be putting plans together for the winter window.
We caught up with Ornstein at a recent Pro Am Padel Tour event and these were the players he told each club to sign.
Arsenal – Kylian Mbappe
Alright, this one isn’t going to happen, but we did tell Ornstein that he’s got an unlimited budget with each club.
“Mbappe, it’s not about who they will sign, but who I think would fit in nicely,” Ornstein said.
The Frenchman has made a brilliant start to the 2025-26 campaign, having scored 16 goals and produced two assists in his first 13 matches.
Getting him out of Real Madrid seems almost impossible at this moment in time, but Arsenal fans can dream.
Chelsea – Thibaut Courtois
“I am going to say Thibaut Courtois,” Ornstein said when picking Chelsea’s dream signing.
“He’s already been there before, but I think they could take a world-class goalkeeper.”
In the Premier League this season, Robert Sanchez has only boasted a save percentage of 64%, ranking him 17th in the league for that particular underlying metric.
For comparison, Courtois boasts a save percentage of 71.4% in La Liga.
Liverpool – Marc Guehi
Since missing out on Guehi over the summer, Liverpool have played against him twice and have lost both games.
It’s been well documented that they plan on trying to sign him again next summer, although they will face stiff competition.
With several other clubs also interested in the Crystal Palace captain, Liverpool could submit a fresh offer in January.
“I am going to go for Marc Guehi,” Ornstein said.
“Because they wanted to get him and they didn’t manage to at the last minute of transfer deadline day, but could do in the future.”
Manchester City – Rodrygo
City’s interest in Rodrygo was well-documented over the summer, but a deal never materialised in the end.
“Rodrygo because they looked at him,” Ornstein said.
“If Savinho had left, they might have made a push for him. I think it would be pretty exciting to see Rodrygo or even Vinicius Junior in the Premier League.”
Manchester United – Carlos Baleba
Of the players that Ornstein picked, Baleba moving to United in January is probably the most realistic.
After missing out on the Brighton star over the summer, the Red Devils have continued to keep tabs on the 21-year-old.
“Carlos Baleba, because they want him and he wants them,” Ornstein said.
“Brighton don’t want to let him go, but we’ll see what the future holds because they have to upgrade in that number six department.
“Ruben Amorim wants to and that could help complete their rebuild.”
Tottenham – Jarrad Branthwaite
Spurs have been among the clubs keeping an eye on the Everton defender.
However, given he recently extended his contract until 2030, he won’t come cheap.
“Jarrad Branthwaite, because I think they’ve been looking for a while to upgrade in that defensive department.
“They’ve looked at him. He’s someone that has been linked with a move away from Everton, even though he’s signed a new contract and I guess he’s one to watch in the future for many of the top clubs.”
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