Manchester City need a centre-back and at least one more full-back. Manchester United need a centre-back. Chelsea need a better back-up centre forward and so do Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool look one body short, if not two, and are vulnerable to injuries.

And yet for the Premier League’s big six sides it has been a strikingly low-key January so far. They have made no progress on addressing the obvious flaws in their squads. While teams from the ‘bottom 14’ of the league start to throw money at problems, and the Championship sides continue to punt on promotion, the big boys have kept their powder dry.

But why? They obviously have the money. City and United both spent hundreds of millions of pounds last summer and will do so again this year. Arsenal are not afraid to swing the bat anymore and even Liverpool and Spurs signed £30m players in the summer.

The problem is that money alone is not enough. The big teams also need to find players who are good enough to join them playing for clubs willing to sell. And the reality of football is that no-one wants to give up their best players in January.

Pep Guardiola was very open on Friday night about how he needed another centre-back. With Vincent Kompany always injured, Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones are his only two fit specialists there, with Aleksandar Kolarov able to fill in. City tried to sign Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao last summer and would dearly love Virgil van Dijk from Southampton. But why would a serious side part with their defensive lynchpin with the most important half of the season left to play?

This is why City are scrambling around for a short-term fix, someone who can play a few games before the end of the season. There is an interest in Holger Badstuber from Bayern Munich, a good player whose last few years have been lost to injury. Whether or not City complete the move, he is the type of player that big clubs can get at this time, though the fame of the big Premier League sides perhaps counts against them. Their strengths and weaknesses are so globally known that their bargaining position is fatally undermined.

Manchester United's potential summer transfers Show all 6 1 /6 Manchester United's potential summer transfers Manchester United's potential summer transfers <b>In:</b> Victor Lindelof United have been linked with signing the Benfica centre-back for some time now. Rumours have however surfaced that the Red Devils might be deterred at the fact that the Swede has signed a new contract which will increase his release clause to a reported £50m. Manchester United's potential summer transfers <b>In:</b> Virgil van Dijk The Southampton central defender was subject to a lot of interest from the league’s big clubs approaching the January transfer window. Many clubs will likely return for him when the window reopens. Manchester United's potential summer transfers <b>In:</b> Antoine Griezmann One of the world’s most sought-after talents, United would have to pay big money to bring him to Old Trafford. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic coming to the end of his career, Griezmann could be seen as a long-term choice to spearhead United’s attack. Atletico’s main man won Player of the Tournament at Euro 2016, after scoring six goals. Manchester United's potential summer transfers <b>In:</b> James Rodriguez The Colombian international has spent most of this season on the sidelines, with most of his appearances coming from off the bench. Despite this, it would still require a high fee for Real Madrid to let him go after they signed him from Monaco for £63m. Manchester United's potential summer transfers <b>In:</b> Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco This campaign, United have failed to have a consistent performer in the left-wing role with Memphis Depay and Jesse Lingard flattering to deceive for the most part. Carrasco would be a perfect fit, slotting in alongside Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in their front three. They’d have to break the bank to prise the 23-year-old away from the Vicente Calderon, though. Manchester United's potential summer transfers <b>In:</b> Nelson Semedo United have been heavily linked with Semedo’s teammate Lindelof, but reports suggest that Mourinho is interested in the right-back also.

In the Championship none of these problems exist. Rather than focusing on the small pool of players good enough to play for a Champions League-chasing side they can take their pick from a far broader range. Their problems are less known and have not been flagged up to the world. And the incentives to earn promotion to the Premier League outweigh the limited costs at that end of the market.