Premier League Big Six left with glaring squad holes despite £1.7bn spend

The Premier League transportation model is yet closed, and portion the accepted Big Six person spent a combined £1.7bn connected reinforcing their squads for the 2026-27 campaign, the spending spree has not masked each flaw.

Despite record-breaking investments and frantic Deadline Day activity, respective heavyweights person emerged from the summertime with glaring squad vulnerabilities. From striking shortages to unbalanced attacking lines, these are the unresolved issues that could unit England’s elite backmost into the marketplace successful January.

Arsenal: The over-reliance connected Christos Tzolis

Following the departures of Leandro Trossard to Besiktas and Gabriel Martinelli to Al-Hilal for a club-record €70m, Arsenal promised a marquee signing connected the near flank to assistance Mikel Arteta instrumentality the last step. However, pursuits of Morgan Rogers, Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez each proved unsuccessful.

While £34m accomplishment Christos Tzolis brings awesome numbers from his clip successful Belgium, helium is present Arsenal’s lone earthy left-winger susceptible of offering genuine pace and one-on-one threat. Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke tin run retired wide, but the deficiency of a proven, world-class alternate connected the near leaves Arteta worryingly abbreviated of earthy extent successful a important area.

Chelsea: The Deadline Day midfield void

Enzo Fernandez’s £125m departure to Manchester City was a fiscal triumph for Chelsea, but their nonaccomplishment to unafraid a replacement has near Xabi Alonso with a large tactical headache. A €55m woody for Monaco’s Lamine Camara collapsed successful the last hours of the window, leaving the Blues without a specializer midfielder to measurement into the void.

With Moises Caicedo sidelined and 36-year-old Jordan Henderson nursing his ain fittingness issues, Alonso is near relying connected the injury-prone Romeo Lavia, youngster Valentin Barco, oregon converting Reece James into a cardinal role. For a squad that spent truthful heavy elsewhere, the midfield looks dangerously thin.

Liverpool: A right-footed postulation jam

Replacing Mohamed Salah was ever going to beryllium an intolerable task pursuing his determination to Trabzonspor, but Liverpool’s recruitment has created an antithetic tactical imbalance. Andoni Iraola has welcomed Victor Munoz and £120m signing Bradley Barcola, but some players stock a chiseled trait with Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha: they are right-footed attackers who similar to run from the left.

Salah’s magic stemmed from his quality to chopped wrong onto his lethal near ft from the close flank. Without a earthy left-footed winger to agelong the play connected that side, Liverpool hazard creating a tactical bottleneck, particularly fixed right-back Jeremie Frimpong’s inclination to aggressively overlap.

Manchester City: No information nett for Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland remains the astir lethal striker successful satellite football, but Enzo Maresca enters the demanding 2026-27 play without a earthy lawman for the Norwegian. Omar Marmoush, who antecedently served arsenic Haaland’s understudy, was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £60m precocious successful the window.

While City boast an abundance of originative endowment operating down the striker — including Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki and caller £34m signing Allan — they deficiency a recognised centre-forward to pb the enactment if Haaland suffers an wounded oregon requires remainder during a relentless calendar.

Manchester United: The acquainted left-back crisis

Twelve years aft arriving astatine Old Trafford, Luke Shaw remains Manchester United’s undisputed left-back. The occupation for Michael Carrick is that Shaw is besides their lone elder enactment successful that position. Despite exploring moves for Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde, and attempting a precocious indebtedness for Rayan Ait-Nouri, United failed to unafraid immoderate cover.

If Shaw’s acquainted wounded issues resurface earlier January, Carrick volition beryllium forced to trust connected wing-back Patrick Dorgu, displacement Noussair Mazraoui crossed from the right, oregon hazard playing Lisandro Martinez retired of position. It is simply a gamble United person taken before, seldom with affirmative results.

Tottenham Hotspur: A monolithic gamble betwixt the posts

Roberto De Zerbi was heavy backed this summertime with 10 caller arrivals pursuing 2 consecutive seasons flirting with relegation. Yet, the determination to indebtedness Guglielmo Vicario to Juventus and manus the fig 1 garment to Antonin Kinsky is simply a large risk.

The 23-year-old Czech goalkeeper showed immense committedness but was besides prone to high-profile errors successful the Champions League past season. If Kinsky struggles with the unit of being Spurs’ past enactment of defence, De Zerbi volition person to crook to 37-year-old Martin Dubravka, who arrives pursuing Burnley’s relegation. It is simply a precarious concern for a nine hopeless for antiaircraft stability.