Welcome to the third instalment of the Needs for Teams segment on our blog. Sorry for the lack of articles recently. We have been able to post because we have all had exams. Today is the third of the series and we are sticking with the Premier League but this time doing another 5 teams. This is mainly focusing on the teams that finish in and around the lower mid-table. Before we begin, make sure to return in two more days where I do the next 5 teams in the Premier League. So lets begin!
Crystal Palace:
Crystal Palace have had an amazing return to England’s top flight finishing in 11th with 45 points. Since Tony Pulis has taken over from Ian Holloway, Palace have gone from strength to strength. Their more open style of football saw them beat the likes of Chelsea. Anyway, more to the point. Who do they need? They have a vast amount of wingers including Gayle, Puncheon and Bolasie. So I can see them going for more dominant players such as centre-mids or centre-backs. Leroy Fer from relegated team Norwich City would be a good option as he has the capability to both attack and defend. The 24 year old could add stability to the Palace midfield. Now for a centre-back. Maybe someone like Ashley Williams from Swansea who is reportedly looking for a move away from the Swans. He would fit in nicely being a commanding centre-back and he would join fellow countryman Joe Ledley.
Swansea City:
Swansea had a fairly decent season finishing comfortably in 12th with 42 points. Well, decent enough for a team that sacked their manager halfway through at least. So who do they need? I would say a goal keeper but they recently signed Łukasz Fabiański from Arsenal. So maybe a commanding centre-back and possibly a pacey winger. For a centre-back, maybe Steven Caulker? The Cardiff City player has only been playing in Wales for one season but Cardiff got relegated possibly prompting a move elsewhere. However I am not sure if it is a wise move moving between the two Welsh giants. So maybe instead Fabricio Coloccini from Newcastle. The Argentine has been linked with a move away from the club for a while. A winger. Tom Ince? He hasn’t signed for Inter yet so maybe he’s a decent shout. Or more realistically Nathan Redmond who showed positive signs last season for relegated team Norwich City.
West Ham United:
West Ham had a disappointing season finishing in 13th with 40 points. At the start of the season I would have guessed that they would have finished in 10th. But 13th is still a comfortable finish above the relegation zone. So who do they need? A clinical striker because they missed Andy Carroll when he was out injured. Well I don’t need to take a guess because Mauro Zárate has already been confirmed as West Ham’s new signing! He scored 19 times in 29 games last season. Great buy Mr Sullivan and Mr Gold. Also West Ham may need a holding midfielder. They have been linked with former Hammer and Napoli’s Valon Behrami who played 58 times for the Irons between 2008 and 2011.
Sunderland:
The Black Cats had a strong end to the season after spending most of the campaign at the foot of the table. They finished in 14th with 38 points, 5 points above the drop zone. Who do Sunderland need? I would again say a wide midfielder and/or an attacking midfielder. However they have already secured the services of Jordi Gomez for next season. So instead maybe a commanding centre-back. Again I’ll say Swansea’s Ashley Williams who may be looking for a way out of the Liberty Stadium. Apart from that they may be looking for a striker and a holding midfielder. If they could loan Borini back to the Stadium of Light again that would be amazing for them as he impressed last season. Also if they did want to sign a holding midfielder, Jake Livermore would be a perfect loan option.
Aston Villa:
Finally we will move onto the last club. The Villans. They finished 15th this season, level on points with Sunderland with 38 points. They had a season to forget as nothing too special happened. However they did not get relegated so there is a positive amongst the negatives. Villa have a young squad and I think that they need to buy experienced players during this summer. Despite saying that, Andros Townsend would be a good buy for them, providing width and pace to their attack. A centre-midfielder in Leroy Fer would be a decent buy as he would be cheap, coming from a relegated team. Even Jack Rodwell from Manchester City, but I doubt Villa would be able to pay his wages. I would recommend an experienced centre-back. Maybe someone like Michael Turner or Sébastien Bassong who would add experience to their back-four.
That concludes this edition of ‘Needs For Teams’. Thank you for reading. The next episode should be up in the coming 2-3 days. These take an incredibly long time to write as they are quite long. Anyway, thank you again.
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