MANCHESTER CITY
With John Stones not always convincing and Vincent Kompany on the wane, Pep Guardiola got it spot-on by signing Aymeric Laporte, who can be moulded into the ball-playing centre-back he demands. City identified full-back as their problem position and fixed it in the summer. Now, they have done another great piece of business in the January transfer window.
MANCHESTER UNITED
With Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata doing reasonably well, do United really need Alexis Sanchez, a ball hog who loses possession rather often (2.6 times per game)? As seen not just in the 2-0 defeat by Tottenham, what they really need is a central defender, full-backs to replace Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young, both 32, and a third central midfielder to play with Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.
LIVERPOOL
The Reds have not kept a clean sheet in the three games that their club-record £75 million (S$140 million) centre-back Virgil van Dijk has played in. While it is still early days, the purchase reeks of desperation. Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij's release clause at Lazio is £22 million and would surely have been a cheaper alternative.
CHELSEA
With the lowest goal tally (45) among the top six, Olivier Giroud is a timely addition with Alvaro Morata out injured and Eden Hazard not a specialist striker.
TOTTENHAM
Who is Lucas Moura going to displace if Son Heung Min, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen are all on song behind Harry Kane, with Erik Lamela waiting in the wings? But to get a 25-year-old winger who notched 12 goals and five assists for Paris Saint-Germain last year for just £23 million is surely a steal.
ARSENAL
The Gunners' problems are at the back. First-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech is a spent force and, with the exception of left-back Nacho Monreal, their whole backline can be axed. But they went wide of the mark to spend £56 million on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
