The 2026 summer window has already shattered spending records, with Premier League clubs having committed over £1.4 billion before a single competitive ball has been kicked.
Manchester City broke the British transfer record to sign Elliot Anderson, Chelsea paid £117 million for Morgan Rogers, and Tottenham reshaped their entire midfield with two nine-figure deals.
By any measure, it has been a summer of extraordinary ambition.
And yet, across all 20 clubs, gaps remain. The window does not close until September 1 at 11pm, and every manager in the division knows there is still work to do.
Here is the one position each club still needs to address before deadline day.
Arsenal: Striker/Winger
Mikel Arteta’s squad is the deepest and most complete it has been since the Invincibles, but the one area that still lacks certainty is the forward line.
Gabriel Jesus is in the final year of his contract and his fitness record remains a concern, while Kai Havertz gives Arteta an option but not the elite number nine the Champions League demands.
The Gunners have been linked with Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, with reports suggesting a bid of £85 million is being prepared, while Vinicius Junior’s name has also been floated amid contract renewal issues.
Aston Villa: Central Midfielder
Villa’s summer has been dominated by the departures of Morgan Rogers (£117 million to Chelsea) and Youri Tielemans (£35 million to Manchester United), with Joao Gomes and Johan Manzambi arriving to reinforce the squad.
But Amadou Onana’s injury has transformed what was a midfield concern into an urgent one. Without the Belgian international available for the start of the Champions League campaign, Villa are thin in the holding role that Emery’s system depends on.
James Garner has been linked from Everton, while Tottenham midfielder Pape Matar Sarr is also being considered.
Brentford: Striker
Brentford’s summer has been relatively quiet after losing Joseph Wheeler-Henry from the academy and bringing back Frank Onyeka from a loan spell.
The real issue is up front. With Igor Thiago being tipped with a potential move away, Brentford have historically found their strikers in creative ways, Toney came from League One, Mbeumo arrived from French football, and the recruitment team will be scouring similar markets.
Brighton: Striker
The story of Brighton’s summer is painfully familiar. Jan Paul van Hecke has joined Spurs, Pascal Struijk has arrived from Leeds, and the Seagulls have reportedly made a club-record bid of around £60 million for Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall to add creativity.
Yet the most persistent problem at the Amex Stadium remains the same one that has plagued them for three seasons: they do not score enough goals. Brighton underperformed their expected goals by nearly six last season, the fourth-largest gap in the division.
They are doing everything right tactically and creating plenty of chances. They simply need a finisher who can take them.
Chelsea: Experienced Centre-Back
Xabi Alonso has made an aggressive start to his Chelsea tenure, signing Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Geovany Quenda and Marco Palestra in one of the most active windows in the club’s recent history.
But with Alonso widely expected to operate a back three, and Chelsea carrying the youngest average starting age in the division, an experienced, commanding figure at the back feels essential.
Marc Cucurella’s departure to Real Madrid has reduced their left-sided options further. Levi Colwill has been linked with exits, which would make the urgency even greater.
Coventry City: Striker
Frank Lampard’s side have the feel-good factor of a 25-year return to the Premier League, but the hard truth is that the squad that won the Championship may not be physically equipped for the demands of the top flight without significant additions.
The most glaring gap is a proven goalscorer. Loum Tchaouna provides wide attacking energy, but Coventry need someone capable of scoring 12 to 15 goals in the Premier League.
Chelsea’s Marc Guiu has been linked as a potential target, with both Coventry and Ipswich reportedly interested.
Crystal Palace: Central Midfielder
Palace had a strong 2025-26 campaign, winning the Conference League and qualifying for European football, but the squad requires strengthening in the engine room to handle the demands of Premier League and European football simultaneously.
They need a creative or box-to-box central midfielder who can carry the ball and contribute goals from deep.
Shea Charles of Southampton has been mentioned in connection with several midfield-seeking clubs.
Everton: Wide Forward
Everton are still settling into the Hill Dickinson Stadium after their move from Goodison Park, and the early signs of the new era are broadly positive.
The squad, however, lacks pace and directness in wide attacking areas.
A wide forward with the energy and directness to complement their system is the one position that needs attention before September 1.
Fulham: Wide forward
The Cottagers finished last season in eighth place with fewer goals than their underlying numbers suggested they should have scored, and that gap will need closing if they are to improve on last year’s finish.
Despite signing Gonzalo Garcia from Real Madrid, another attacker would be ideal for Alvaro Arbeloa.
Hull City: Creative Midfielder
Hull’s return to the Premier League is a romantic story, but the squad needs some work.
Oscar Zambrano, the 22-year-old Ecuadorian signed from Colombian football, is an exciting prospect, but is raw at this level.
Jack Butland in goal and Matt Targett at left-back address obvious needs, but a creative central midfielder capable of controlling Premier League games and unlocking defences is missing.
Ipswich Town: Striker
Gary O’Neil arrives from Strasbourg with a clear brief: keep Ipswich in the Premier League after their immediate relegation last time around.
The signings of Abdul Fatawu, Emersonn and Daizen Maeda give them technical quality and wide options, and Issa Diop offers defensive experience.
But a consistently productive centre-forward still eludes them.
Leeds United: Winger
Daniel Farke’s 3-5-2 kept Leeds stable last season. The system’s one structural weakness is that it limits the opportunities for their wide players to operate it.
Leeds attempted the sixth-fewest take-ons in the Premier League last season, with the fourth-lowest success rate.
They need a direct, pacey wide forward who can work within the system and provide invention from the flanks.
Liverpool: Right Winger
The departure of Mohamed Salah, released at the end of his contract, is the most significant attacking loss any club in the division has experienced this summer.
The Salah-shaped hole on the right remains the defining challenge of Andoni Iraola’s first transfer window at Anfield.
RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and Bradley Barcola have been linked, with Liverpool understood to have submitted bids.
Manchester City: Striker
Elliot Anderson’s £116 million arrival from Nottingham Forest is the headline business, but Enzo Maresca identified a striker and a right-back as the other two priorities before the window closes.
Erling Haaland scored 27 Premier League goals last season, but City have long recognised the need for a second forward capable of sharing that burden when the Norwegian misses matches or is managed carefully.
Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi has been mentioned as a potential solution, while Yan Diomande has also been discussed as a wide attacking option.
Manchester United: Left-back
Manchester United return to the Champions League this season under Michael Carrick. The Red Devils have been adding to their squad over the summer, but still need a few more names through the door.
Lewis Hall of Newcastle has been strongly linked after the arrival of Andrey Santos in midfield, while Rasmus Hojlund’s departure means a striker could also be sought after.
Newcastle United: Striker
Newcastle’s summer has been one of radical, painful reconstruction. Anthony Gordon has gone to Barcelona for £69 million, Sandro Tonali to Spurs for £92.5 million.
Eddie Howe has departed and Matthias Jaissle takes over a squad that barely resembles the one that competed in the Champions League eighteen months ago.
Bruno Guimaraes remains, for now, but his future is uncertain. The most urgent need, by some distance, is a striker.
Nottingham Forest: Creative Midfielder
Forest navigated their way to another respectable season, but the sale of Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for £116 million is a body blow that extends well beyond the financial windfall it brings.
Anderson was one of their most progressive and technically elite midfielders, and replicating his ability to drive forward, break lines and produce end product from a central position is the outstanding challenge of the summer, someone who can operate alongside Morgan Gibbs-White.
Sunderland: Centre-Back
Regis Le Bris’ remarkable rise continues, with Sunderland entering a season of European competition following a seventh-place finish and Europa League qualification.
But the challenge of combining European football with a full Premier League campaign demands a deeper and more experienced squad than they currently possess.
The centre-back position is the most exposed. Granit Xhaka’s captaincy gives them leadership in midfield, but at the back they lack proven quality for the demands ahead.
Tottenham: Striker
De Zerbi has transformed Spurs’ midfield in a single window, signing Tonali, Fernandes, with Robertson and Van Hecke adding composure at the back.
The outstanding gap, however, is in the most straightforward position: centre- forward.
Richarlison and Dominic Solanke’s fitness records make them unreliable options for a full season. If Spurs are serious about challenging for the top six and beyond, they need a defined number nine capable of leading the press that De Zerbi’s system demands.
