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What every Premier League boss has said about their January transfer plans

Plenty of supporters up and down the country are currently hoping their club can make a statement signing in the January transfer window.

Whether it be to strengthen their position at the top of the table or boost their chances of survival, nothing quite excites fans like a new signing.

But what is likely to happen this month? We’ve taken a look at what every Premier League manager has said about their transfer plans.

Arsenal

After a busy summer window, Arsenal were expected to sit tight in January, only for injuries to Rob Holding and Danny Welbeck to open the door for potential signings.

“It depends if the transfer market can help you,” Unai Emery said at the start of the month.

“Only if there are players who can help us in different positions. The club is looking to see.”

Bournemouth

Eddie Howe and Bournemouth have been quick to conduct their business, raiding Liverpool with a £19million move for Dominic Solanke as well as a loan deal for Nathaniel Clyne.

But Howe has suggested further arrivals could still transpire, saying: “It’s difficult to say with clarity, yes or no, at this point; we’re still looking at certain areas.”

Brighton

Chris Hughton has dampened expectations of Brighton being busy in the transfer market, especially now signings from the last two windows have started to settle in England.

“At this moment I don’t see us doing much business, if anything at all,” he said.

“Where we are at the moment, we are fortunate that players we brought in during other windows perhaps haven’t played as much and are starting to now.”

Hughton added: “At this moment, the squad is in a good place in regard of numbers. Possibly there won’t be any business but if there is it will be minimal. You can never say no.

“Possibly players will go out on loan, predominantly young players.”

Burnley

Sean Dyche has confirmed Burnley are actively seeking new players this month but has warned fans they will have to be patient to get deals over the line – with a new winger a priority.

“We have got to look at that because with Azza (Aaron Lennon) been out for a while,” he said. “There is no timescale so we are not absolutely sure, but it is certainly going to be weeks rather than a week or two, certainly over a month I would think so we have to look at that.

“But the rules don’t change at Burnley, it is not like we are just going to magic up £50million and sign who we want so they have got to be available.”

Cardiff City

Neil Warnock has already fumed about Nathaniel Clyne’s decision to join Bournemouth after at one stage appearing set for Cardiff, suggesting the Bluebirds missed out on signing two full-backs and a striker while they waited to complete a deal for the Liverpool man.

Going back to November, Warnock has already spoken at length about his desire to recruit more players in January, seemingly in a bid to get the backing of the Cardiff hierarchy.

“We’re going to have to do a bit of shopping because that’s the best we can do that,” he said after the 1-0 defeat to Everton. “I think to stay up we have to have that little bit more quality which we’re looking at now.”

The veteran manager confirmed he wants to sign “three or four players” – and a report in The Daily Mail claimed Warnock could consider his position if he is not provided with sufficient financial report.

Chelsea

Maurizio Sarri has prioritised continuing to get his current players used to his style of football but hints the Blues could still make one signing – with a striker an obvious priority.

“We need to change mentality – not because the old mentality was bad but it is not suitable with the new way of playing,” he said in December.

“Then after all this, maybe you need one player. But you cannot think you can buy 11 new players without problems. Then the problems will be the same.

“You have to create a new mentality and style of playing. We need to arrive at 95 per cent of our potential, then we can get the last five per cent with a new player.”

Crystal Palace

Palace were dealt an early blow when a deal for Dominic Solanke broke down and the striker instead joined Bournemouth, and Roy Hodgson has made no secret of his desire to bolster his squad.

“To really be sure that we will give ourselves a chance, we certainly do need some reinforcements because the squad doesn’t go down anywhere near far enough in my opinion,” he said after a 4-1 defeat to Bristol City in October.

“It’s all very well having the same team playing in two matches and doing pretty well in those two matches, but that can’t carry on for 29 matches.”

Everton

Marco Silva was heavily backed in the summer window as Everton signed the likes of Richarlison, Lucas Digne and Yerry Mina.

“I keep saying to you, because it is my feeling, the summer was really good for us in terms of signings and I am really happy because all the players I put to our board as targets, and the names I put on the table, we signed and they have performed well and everyone is really happy with them,” Silva told the Liverpool Echo this month.

Instead, Silva will only push for signings if any of his long-term targets for the club suddenly enter the market.

Fulham

The Cottagers were another team to spend big in the summer, but Claudio Ranieri has a big job on his hands to save the side from relegation after replacing Slavisa Jokanovic, and he’s confident the money is there for him to recruit his own players.

“The January transfer window is one month and if there is the opportunity to buy somebody, I think the chairman is ready.”

Huddersfield Town

With Huddersfield rock bottom of the Premier League, David Wagner knows he needs to strengthen his side if the Terriers are to have any chance of avoiding relegation.

“You can trust me, I try to do this job as well as I can as a manager and if the window is in front of you, you have to prepare yourself as best you can,” he said towards the end of January.

“I have a list and a pen and sometimes I put some more names on the list. I do what every manager does at this time of the season.”

Leicester City

Claude Puel’s job may be permanently under threat, but the Leicester boss is hoping to help trim the Foxes’ squad, which features 28 senior players.

“It will not be a busy transfer window this winter because we have a squad with a lot of players,” Puel said in December.

“We need to reduce the squad a little because we need to give some game time for players and motivation in the squad to keep all the time the good mentality and the positive attitude.

“After we will see if a valuable player leaves the club and then it would be important for us to take another player but the important thing is to prepare for the summer window.”

Liverpool

The Reds have been left to rely on Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren as their only fit senior centre-halves in recent weeks, but Jurgen Klopp has ruled out the prospect of signing a new defender.

“We will see what we do,” Klopp said. “But we cannot, we will not sign a centre-half for one game or whatever, that will not happen.”

Klopp had already outlined his plans for the window back in November, saying: “If crazy things happen then maybe we have to think new but I don’t expect that.

“At the moment it doesn’t look like we will be too busy but it all depends on injuries and things like that.”

Manchester City

Despite their strong start to the season, City’s campaign has been blighted by serious injuries to Kevin De Bruyne, Benjamin Mendy and Claudio Bravo, while Bernardo Silva, David Silva, Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero have all had spells on the sidelines in recent months.

Pep Guardiola, however, has continued to insist there will be no incomings at the Etihad this month, saying: “We are not going to sign anyone.”

Manchester United

The Red Devils are in an awkward position this month with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer only installed as interim manager until the end of the season. But Solskjaer suggests he will have a say in the club’s transfer plans.

“The club’s probably had a plan,” he said. “You don’t just plan the next day and next month, I’m sure they’ve got plans, but this transfer window has probably been planned since the summer and the year before.

“The structure is phenomenal, so I’m sure they’ve got their targets, I’m here to voice my opinion on that and I’m sure we’ll sit down, me and Ed, if they’ve got anything in the pipeline.

Newcastle United

A rather sore subject in Newcastle, Rafa Benitez continues to yearn for transfer funds and those please continue to fall on the deaf ears of Mike Ashley – much to supporters’ frustration.

Benitez has refused to comment on transfers in recent weeks, although he said in December: “In this case I’m telling you, we are not talking about anyone at the moment. We have to have a meeting, maybe next week. Then we will see our targets…maybe.”

Southampton

Ralph Hasenhuttl has given Southampton a lift since replacing Mark Hughes as manager but wants to sign players who are more suited to his style of football.

“For my kind of football, for my philosophy, I need more speed, I need more running quality, and therefore we will need new players,” he said. “What we do now is [make] the big squad get a little bit smaller and then we will have a look if we find someone who helps us to move our deficits away.

“We are open-minded and our eyes are open so we know in the winter period it is not so easy to find transfers. If we do something it must also be for the future, it doesn’t help us if we have a short-term we are facing, we have to have a longer-term [plan].

“It should be a player who is not too old but fits perfectly in our philosophy and then it can be possible that we do something.”

Tottenham

Spurs infamously failed to make a single signing in the summer, but Mauricio Pochettino has already played down any hopes they will add to their squad in January.

In a December press conference, Pochettino replied to a question about potential arrivals by saying: “He asks me if I’m going to spend money! I don’t have money!”

He added: “One thing you need to understand is that Tottenham built the new stadium, one of the best stadiums in the world, with our own resources. Daniel (Levy) is doing that with our own resources.”

Watford

Javi Gracia will celebrate a year in the job later this month, but the Watford manager leaves the club’s recruitment to others at Vicarage Road.

“I only worry about the players I have and try to improve their level. I’m not thinking about players in or players out,” he said upon his appointment last year.

“There are other people in the club to do this. I have enough to do to worry about with my job. I trust the people who work on transfers during the window in the club. I will give my opinion if they ask.”

West Ham

Manuel Pellegrini began January by signing Samir Nasri on a free transfer, but reports suggest West Ham will not do much more this month.

When asked earlier this month whether he will be adding any more signings to his squad, Pellegrini replied: “Nothing at the moment.”

Wolves

Nuno Espirito Santo spoke about Wolves’ recruitment structure this month but kept his cards close to his chest in terms of any arrivals.

“I can comment on how we work,” he said. “The transfer window is happening now and we anticipated it before.

“We have a squad and now we have to look at it. We have to analyse what we have in front of us and who can deliver these things.

“Now we have the chance with the transfer window, and anything can happen.”

He added: “This squad will stay with us. The core is there and we have to know if we need something. It’s step by step, as we go.

“I’m going to work on what I need. I already work on the people who I need. Let’s find who I need.”


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