Conor Hourihane could do a job for Sunderland or Middlesbrough and Manchester City should be bidding for Virgil van Dijk and Ederson Moraes

Ederson Moraes: Manchester City

It takes any goalkeeper time to readjust to a new league but Claudio Bravo’s first few months at Manchester City have been poor enough for a number of keepers to be linked with his position. If Pep Guardiola does want a change, Ederson Moraes could be a wise buy.

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While the 23-year old Benfica goalkeeper is uncapped at senior level, he is tipped to become Brazil’s first choice before long and he would join a strong South American contingent at City. Moraes has a reputation as a ball-playing keeper, which the City boss insists upon, and he has impressed for the Liga NOS champions this season. In 10 league appearances he has produced 27 saves, kept seven clean sheets and conceded just four goals, boasting the best save success rate in Portugal (87%) and the highest rating for a goalkeepers (7.10).

Felipe Anderson: Chelsea

It may seem odd to suggest that a side in such form needs strengthening but Antonio Conte is short of wide players who can excel in his favoured system. The Chelsea boss is currently using Victor Moses in an unfamiliar right wing-back role and, even thought the Nigeria international has adapted impressively to his new demands, Conte may need an upgrade if his team are to compete on all fronts in the coming seasons.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Conte buy Felipe Anderson, who has been lighting up Serie A this season. Not dissimilar to Moses, the Brazilian has been deployed in a more defensive role than in recent seasons and has stepped up. While Moses has impressed going forward but relinquished his defensive responsibilities at times, Anderson has averaged 3.5 tackles per game to the Chelsea man’s 1.2. The Lazio winger has also completed the most dribbles in Italy (54), registered the most assists (seven) and earned the second highest rating (7.84).

Sébastien Haller: West Ham or Southampton

A number of Premier League clubs will be looking to add firepower to their ranks, with West Ham and Southampton perhaps most in want of a new striker. While West Ham’s tally of 23 goals is not awful, only three of them have been scored by strikers, while Saints’ tally of 19 is better only than promoted duo Hull City and Middlesbrough (both 17).

Finding a natural goalscorer for a modest fee will prove incredibly difficult, and while many Premier League clubs have not benefitted from the risk of buying from the Eredivisie in the past – Vincent Janssen being the most recent example – there is value to be had from the Netherlands.

France Under-21 international Sébastien Haller is among the top marksmen in the country right now and has the physical attributes to ensure he will not be bullied by defenders. The 22-year-old is a targetman who is capable of bringing others into play – winning 5.2 aerial duels per game this season – but he is better with the ball on the deck. Of an impressive tally of 39 league goals from 71 Eredivisie appearances only seven have been headers.

Conor Hourihane: Sunderland or Middlesbrough



Sunderland and Middlesbrough desperately need to create more chances. Boro are bottom of the league for key passes per game (6.4), with Sunderland almost as bad (6.8). It may pay to look down in order to look up in this instance, and with Barnsley captain Conor Hourihane’s contract up in the summer, he’ll be on the radar of clubs with tighter budgets this month.

The Irishman has registered at least four more assists than any other player in the Championship (11) and his stunning winner against Nottingham Forest on Monday was his fifth goal of the season. His delivery from both set pieces and open play is exceptional and his vision to pick out the intelligent movement of strikers would benefit Jermain Defoe. Given that he also ranks second in the Championship for tackles (72), it’s clear he doesn’t shirk a battle – and there will be plenty of those for both Sunderland and Middlesbrough between now and the end of the season.

Virgil van Dijk: Manchester City

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Pep Guardiola clearly needs reinforcements for his shaky defence. Vincent Kompany’s injuries and the lack of cover for John Stones and Nicolás Otamendi mean that Aleksandar Kolarov has started 10 matches for Manchester City as a centre-back this season.

The City backline has been short of authority and presence, and one player who doesn’t lack either is Virgil van Dijk. The Dutchman was an instant success at Southampton following his move from Celtic in 2015 and he has gone from strength to strength in the Premier League. At the age of 25, he still has room to improve and is confident enough on the ball to make the step up. Having won 90 of his 118 aerial duels he is dominant at the back and is one of only eight players to have made 50 interceptions this season.

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