Centre midfield has to be the priority. Not one body, two over this window and the summer. That means I’d be moving on from Bentancur, Bissouma, cashing in on Sarr, and absolutely not taking up the Palhinha option. We need control, progression, and press resistance, not more running into traffic.
We need two out of this pool, as minimum in my opinion:
Manuel Locatelli (Juventus, 28) – Proper hub midfielder. Massive pass volume, high accuracy, progressive under pressure, disciplined, positionally sound. Beats the press with his head, not stepovers. Clear upgrade on anything we currently have. I thought he would be unattainable or the pace or the league given the age maybe too much, but thinking more on it, he would be transformational. Likely starts like Bentancur did, pre-injury. There’s probably a deal to be had with Juve, money plus a player like Vicario or maybe Bissouma.
Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart, 24) – Tempo king. Dictates play, racks up progressive and final-third passes without forcing it. Low risk, high control. Not flashy, just clean and effective. Probably bigger fish than us in for him though.
Pablo Barrios (Atlético, 22) – Press-resistant, competitive, good in the air, keeps composure. Not flashy, but exactly the sort of midfielder you trust in ugly games.
Ederson (Atalanta, 26) – Midfield tank. Wins duels, covers ground, progresses the ball cleanly. Physical, disciplined, knows organised pressing systems. Not a playmaker, but a platform player.
Mahdi Camara (Brest, 26) – Ball winning machine. Hoovers up duels, tidy passing, carries the ball forward. Ligue 1 value option
Elliot Anderson (Forest, 23) – High-energy progressor, fearless ball carrier, decent recovery numbers. A bit sloppy in possession sometime, so not quite a player that will control games yet. Homegrown bonus.
Tyler Morton (Lyon, 23) – Progressive passer, energetic, disciplined, decent range. Still developing but mouldable under specific coaches. English quota angle if shopping abroad.
Maximo Perrone (Como, 22) – Silky on the ball, progressive and able to find pockets that relieve pressure. Safe, tidy, Keeps ball, and doesn’t lose it, He combines invention with work rate.
Mamadou Sangare (RC Lens, 23 - Versatile, hard-working central midfielder who breaks up play, carries the ball forward, and links attacks. Not flashy, as in a high risk passer and won’t unlock defences with flair or vision but physically he is strong, and press resistant. Still adapting though.
My top 2 would be Stiller and Locatelli followed by Perrone, Anderson and Ederson.