We are one gameweek down and with less than two weeks until the transfer window closes, plenty of Premier League clubs have some glaring holes in their squads.
From goalkeepers flapping at corners to £27m strikers managing two shots, here are seven much-needed transfers highlighted by the opening weekend.
Manchester United need a goalkeeper
On another day, Altay Bayindir may well have got the free-kick he was asking for having flapped at the ball for Arsenal’s goal but his performance shone a spotlight on United’s most pressing need: a new goalkeeper.
Even in the dark years, United have tended to have decent shot-stoppers with David de Gea carrying the team for a number of seasons, but his replacement Andre Onana and his deputy Bayindir do not inspire confidence.
Fixing that problem is key and the club have been linked with Gianluigi Donnarumma and Emi Martinez, both of who would be upgrades on their current options.
Away from the keeper, United also need a new midfielder with 33-year-old Casemiro looking past his best. Adam Wharton would be the best replacement but it may be hard to convince Crystal Palace to sell with Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi likely to leave before the window closes.
Newcastle United need a striker
The headband-wearing Antony Gordon’s impression of Bjorn Borg was better than his impression of a No.9 against Aston Villa as Newcastle looked particularly toothless up front.
Alexander Isak being the clear first choice meant Newcastle have had the luxury of not needing to spend too much time thinking about squad depth but this summer has proved just how hard it can be to secure the top striking talents.
Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko have both gone elsewhere with Isak sulking in an unknown location, leaving Gordon to try to impose himself on opposition defences.
The result was an expected one. All but one of his shots inside the box were blocked and of his seven efforts, just two hit the target. Crucially, they were efforts taken outside the box and to the left, his more natural position.
With Isak in the wilderness and Callum Wilson now at West Ham, Newcastle need to get a striker in and, even if PSR will prevent getting a replacement close to Isak’s level, anything is better than nothing at this stage.
Tottenham need a James Maddison replacement
A 3-0 win to start the year suggested Tottenham may not miss the creativity of James Maddison following his long-term injury but they will come up against far better opposition than Burnley this season.
Against the Turf Moor side, Thomas Frank started a very young midfield of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Pape Sarr but as the season goes on and tougher games take place, you get the feeling they could do with some more experience in there.
The obvious link is Eze who has been reported as ‘one step away’ from signing with the north London club but with Yves Bissouma looking like he may leave, Spurs could do with even more reinforcements than just the Palace man.
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Everton need a striker
Monday’s loss to Leeds United was a humbling way for Everton fans to start what was supposed to be a season of positivity.
A brand new stadium may soon be filled with the same existential dread that painted the walls of Goodison and while it is easy to answer the question with ‘How do you fix Everton?’ by replying ‘Get a whole new team’, realistically, they should focus on the forward department.
Their back line is solid and would have kept a clean sheet had a harsh VAR call not gone their way while the summer reinforcements of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish look like smart acquisitions, but it is the No.9 spot that Everton have struggled with for years.
The perennially injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin has joined Monday’s opponents and while Beto scored five in five back in February, a run of eight games without a goal is perhaps more representative.
Against Leeds, the Guinea-Bissau international registered the fewest touches of any player to last the full 90 and managed just one shot. The fact he played the whole game only demonstrates how hamstrung David Moyes is in that area. New signing Thierno Barry was only trusted for a few minutes.
The Toffees have been linked with Reims forward Adama Bojang and out-of-contract Jamie Vardy but Moyes needs something if they are to avoid the drop this year.
West Ham need a striker (or a new manager)
Where to even begin?
If West Ham fans were not already worried, a 3-0 thumping at the hands of newly promoted Sunderland was enough to send even the calmest head into panic mode.
The weakness of last season’s promoted teams and the laughable chaos at Spurs and United allowed West Ham to reach the flattering spot of 14th but it is already looking like it would need a miracle for them to do so again this time round.
Their xG against the Black Cats was only better than Wolves (who played Manchester City) and Villa (who played Newcastle with 10 men). At the other end, the xG conceded was not awful at 0.8 but the team look so toothless going forward as the tactic of ‘pass the ball to Bowen and hope for the best’ reaches its limit.
The worst offender was Niclas Fullkrug who managed just two shots in the full 90 minutes and lost all but three of his 19 duels. The decision to sign him for £27m only a year ago now fits neatly into West Ham’s woes with strikers.
The Hammers are said to be competing with Everton for Bojang but it is hard to see why any player would choose this ‘project’ at the moment.
If it continues like this, West Ham’s most important signing may well be a new manager.
Chelsea need a new goalkeeper
For a team that had eight goalkeepers on their books only a year ago, Chelsea sure have found it difficult to find a decent one.
In Chelsea’s 0-0 draw to Palace, a technicality saved Robert Sanchez from conceding a free-kick he really should have stopped and although he came away with a clean sheet, he only had to make four saves with Palace’s total xG at only 0.66.
Tougher tests will come but Sanchez is not a keeper that inspires a huge amount of confidence. Despite this, the club insist hey are not in the market for a new shot-stopper. The fools.
Fulham need creative players
When your own manager is describing your transfer window as “passive”, not much more needs to be said.
Fulham owners the Khans have typically been late spenders but Fulham have parted with less than £500k this summer. Five League One clubs have spent more than that.
Marco Silva wants four new signings before the window closes but it should be in creative areas that the club focus on.
Away at Brighton, they created just one big chance and had an xG of 0.76 and next face the visit of Manchester United.
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