Nampalys Mendy

What transfers do the Premier League's top teams need to make?

Published Jul. 20, 2016 7:00 a.m. ET

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The summer transfer window is about halfway through, but it's really just getting going. International tournaments took up the first five weeks of the window and kept teams from doing business, plus it usually heats up as the deadline gets nearer.

That is especially true in the Premier League, where the top is so wide open, and there have been a slew of managerial change of late. Clubs have squads to remake and the stakes are gigantic. Some teams already have signed players, but they all still have moves to make.

So what do England's top clubs need to do before the transfer window slams shut?

Arsenal

Napoli's Gonzalo Higuain.

They just wouldn't be Arsenal if they didn't need a central midfielder and a striker. Francis Coquelin saved them by becoming a competent defensive midfielder, but he's still their only one and, as we saw last season, if he gets hurt, then the Gunners have serious problems. Unless they plan on turning new signing Granit Xhaka into his backup, which they definitely shouldn't do, they still need another central midfielder.

Then there's that whole Olivier Giroud thing. He may not get the credit he deserves, but he's also not good enough to be Arsenal's only true central forward, and that's exactly what he is. Maybe Arsenal will sign Gonzalo Higuain (probably not) or maybe they'll find someone else (who knows), but going into a season depending on Coquelin and Giroud sounds like a no good, very bad, terrible idea. And, based on Arsenal's history, that's probably exactly what they'll do.

Chelsea

Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly.

The biggest change at Stamford Bridge is the hire of Antonio Conte and he's worked quickly to bring in N'Golo Kante and Mich Batshuayi. But the Blues' biggest issue remains in defense.

Chelsea are still set to start John Terry at centerback in 2016. You know, the year when his contract ended and they were going to let him leave because he just wasn't that good anymore (among other reasons). And he's still not that good. That's why they're chasing Kalidou Koulibaly, and if they can snag him from Napoli, Conte just might have himself a squad.

Leicester

Leicester's Riyad Mahrez.

They already lost Kante and Riyad Mahrez may be on the move too. The only one of their stars that they'll definitely have is Jamie Vardy, who turns 30 this season and was the one they should have been most willing to sell.

The Foxes' summer hasn't gone so great, but that's only if you judge them as a true contender to win the league again. Realistically, they're not aiming to be at that level again and Claudio Ranieri has said as much. They've already added Nampalys Mendy and Ahmed Musa as they look to be a sustainable, midtable club with depth and youth. That's exactly what they should be doing. If they can find another centerback — Wes Morgan and Robert Huth both will be 32 by the second week of the season — and another winger, Leicester will have done a good job. With plenty of money left to spend, that shouldn't be a problem.

Manchester City

Everton's John Stones.

Pep Guardiola already has gone to work in buying Ilkay Gundogan and Nolito, but the Citizens were in need of wholesale changes regardless of who took over, and that's doubly important with Guardiola in charge. He has a very specific way of playing and that requires very specific players.

City desperately need to get better at centerback, and John Stones looks to be their man, but they'll probably need a second signing at the position. Nabbing Leroy Sane would help their attack and, like Stones, give some much-needed youth to the team. But they'll still need to get younger in the midfield and their fullbacks are, at best, problematic. Guardiola has his work cut out for him.

Manchester United

Jose Mourinho said he wanted to make four signings this summer. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly are already done, which means there's one more and it has to be a central midfielder. The Red Devils have had a disastrous central midfield for too long and even if Mourinho can get the most out of Ander Herrera, United still need someone else.

Oh hey, check out Manchester United going after Paul Pogba. There's the central midfielder they need, and he just so happens to be the best in the world at what he does. So he'll cost £100 million; United can afford it. They also could afford free (plus wages), which is what he would have cost them if they hadn't let him walk from their academy, but if the Red Devils are going to let their mistakes of the past few years stop them, they'll be going backawards.

Tottenham Hotspur

New Tottenham signing Victor Wanyama.

Mauricio Pochettino's team was already the youngest team in the Premier League a year ago and haven't lost anyone so they don't need a lot. More than anything, they have to get deeper so they can compete domestically and in the Champions League.

Spurs started that work by signing Victor Wanyama and Vincent Janssen. That solved problems in the midfield and up front, but they still need cover at centerback. That was the case before the summer started — Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Kevin Wimmer are their only established players at the position — and is especially true now that Vertonghen is injured. They could pass on signing a defender and instead use Eric Dier in defense when needed, but then they need another central midfielder. You know what? Signing another central midfielder is probably a good idea anyway, to go along with that centerback. Do that.

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