The new English Premier League season kicks off in four days time. As the teams are splashing the cash in order to get ahead of their rivals. With big money kicking in from the new TV deal, clubs are spending astronomical figures on players. However there are some teams who still need more strengthening ahead of the upcoming season.
The Five Premier League Teams in Need of Strength in Depth
Tottenham Hotspur
Despite watching their rivals break transfer records, Tottenham have yet to spend a penny this season. Furthermore, they have lost full-back Kyle Walker to Manchester City for £54 million. While Spurs have been the most consistent team in the league in the last two seasons, they have no trophies to show for it. With the Manchester clubs and Chelsea improving their squads with quality players, Tottenham need to delve into the transfer market if they don’t want to fall behind their rivals.
They might have a strong starting XI, but a grueling campaign awaits them in both the league and Europe. And if Tottenham don’t spend this summer, they could well find themselves outside the Top 4 come the end of the season.
Southampton
The Saints endured a difficult year under Claude Puel last season. After his sacking, Southampton announced Mauricio Pellegrino as their new manager. The Argentinian joined the club at the end of June, but has failed to make his mark in the transfer market so far. The club have only signed Polish defender Jan Bednarek and have sold Jay Rodriguez to West Brom. Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Bertrand both want to leave and could depart by the end of August.
Southampton head into the season with plenty of uncertainty. And while they have enough quality to avoid relegation, the Saints need to strengthen heavily if they are to finish in the Top 10 this season.
Stoke City
Another club that needs to splash the cash is Stoke City. The Potters have lost key player Marko Arnautovic to West Ham, while Jon Walters, Glenn Whelan and Phil Bardsley have also departed. Stoke have signed Darren Fletcher on a free transfer, Kurt Zouma on loan from Chelsea and 18-year old left back Josh Tymon from Hull City. While replacing Arnautovic is of high importance, Stoke also need strengthening in midfield and in attack. And unless they sign players quickly, they could be heavily involved in a relegation battle this season.
Newcastle United
There has been a great deal of optimism regarding Newcastle United ever since they got promoted to the Premier League at the end of last season. With Rafa Benitez at the helm, the Magpies have high ambitions and they will be looking at a mid table finish as they return to the Premier League. However their preparations for the new season hardly been ideal. Despite signing seven players including Javier Manquillo and Jacob Murphy, there have been murmurs of discontent in the Newcastle camp.
Benitez is rumored to be unhappy with the failure of the club to land some of the high quality targets. And the club needs to start splashing the cash if they are to have a positive season ahead.
Brighton & Hove Albion
The Seagulls enjoyed an impressive campaign as they earned promotion from the Championship last season. However much like Newcastle, Brighton have struggled in the signings department.
Brighton have signed Valencia goalkeeper Matt Ryan and Markus Suttner and Pascal Gros from German club Ingolstadt. Brighton have some impressive players who showed their quality in the Championship last season. But it remains to be seen if they can perform in the big league. And Brighton need to add more quality to their squad if they are to make their first season in the top flight after 34 years a successful one. Otherwise they could find themselves on their way back to the Championship after just one year.
