EPL Targets And Transfers XI: The Best Of The Lot To Happen In The Summer Transfer Window

The World Cup must be grabbing all the headlines, but the club managers are quietly planning out their transfers for the upcoming season and some of them have already joined the clubs, who would be officially joining the team when the month starts to the new season. Soccersouls presents the best XI of the transfer targets that have been rumoured and reported by sources such as Mirror, Express and The Independent.

Goalkeeper: Guillermo Ochoa to Arsenal (Source: Mirror)

The Mexican goalkeeper is one of the most sought after goalkeepers by Premier League clubs as even Liverpool want him in their squad. Ochoa has been in brilliant form in the World Cup and one of his saves, against Brazil has been compared to Gordon Banks’ legendary save that denied Pele’s header, when the Mexican saved Neymar’s header, who ironically is termed as the next Pele. Ochoa is a free agent and Arsenal can offer him a better role and are leading the race according to latest rumours reported by Mirror.

Left Back: Filipe Luis to Chelsea (Source: Various)

Filipe Luis has been in Chelsea’s radar for a long time as Mourinho seems set to replace the departing Ashley Cole. Various sources such as Mirror, Express, The Independent, The Telegraph etc. have reported about Chelsea’s interest in the Atletico Madrid player, who was surprisingly excluded from the Brazil squad that was selected for the World Cup. Luis is a good all round left back who fits in the philosophy of manager Jose Mourinho and can offer both attacking and defensive qualities for the team.

Centre Back: Thomas Vermaelen to Man Utd (Source: Various)

Thomas Vermaelen is heavily courted by Manchester United after their Captain Nemanja Vidic decided to move on to Inter Milan. The news has been reported by reputed sources such as Mirror and Express to name a couple, and has been quite strong and believable considering the pedigree of the Arsenal Captain and his relative relegation to the bench suiting Man Utd’s cause as they can easily lure him to the club. As reported by the Dailymail, Vermaelen is subject to a £11m move once he is done with Belgium’s World Cup Campaign.

As we have discussed earlier, Vermaelen fits the bill perfectly at Old Trafford. He has the experience of playing in the league, coupled with his versatility of playing at left back, which van Gaal will utilize to the maximum.

Centre Back: Stefan de Vrij (Source: The Independent)

The Dutch Centre Back is impressing the European clubs with his impressive performances in the World Cup and it looks as if manager Louis Van Gaal is set to bring him to Manchester United, and have a Dutch force in the club. The Independent recently reported about the interest and it makes perfect sense as Man Utd are severely depleted at the back after the departure of Vidic and Ferdinand, whereas de Vrij already knows the manager and his style.

Right Back: Bacary Sagna to Manchester City (Done Deal)

Once deemed as the best Right Back in the league by his former manager Arsene Wenger, Sagna completed a shock move to Manchester City last week breaking a lot of Arsenal fans’ hearts. Sagna adds a lot of depth and experience to the Manchester City squad, which seems to be over dependent on Zabaleta in the Right Back position. Last season saw the Champions use young and inexperienced central defender Dedryck Boyata as a Right Back. This season, they won’t have that problem.

With Sagna and Zabaleta, arguably the two best right backs in the league, Manuel Pellegrini wouldn’t have the care in the world to think further regarding his back four. Sagna as evident to the Premier League fans has the ability to play at left-back and at centre back if required.

Central Midfield:  Fernando to Manchester City (Done Deal)

The former Porto enforcer joined the Champions last week to add to their already powerful central midfield. His arrival probably means the end of Javi Garcia’s Man City career as the Brazilian offers a lot more than what Garcia does on the pitch. Powerful engine, decisive tackling, strong passing and vision being key attributes of the midfielder, Fernando seems set to be another quality addition to the team and can give the Champions extra ordinary options during injuries and fatigue as well as first team choices.

Central Midfield: Cesc Fabregas to Chelsea (Done Deal)

In what has been the deal of the season as of now, Fabregas shocked the footballing world when he chose his former club Arsenal’s arch rivals in the league, Chelsea. Fabregas is a home-grown player and knows the Premier League very well and adds a lot of proven play-making quality to the Chelsea team that has been non-existent since Mata’s departure. Cesc is different from Mata as he can play effectively in various positions and has panache for all-action gameplay which Juan Mata doesn’t have.

As we have discussed earlier, Cesc Fabregas can fit in alongside Nemanja Matic in a standard 4-2-3-1 formation or as the main attacking midfielder in the same 4-2-3-1 formation allowing Ramires and Matic to play behind the attacking trio of Fabregas, Hazard and Willian. He can also seamlessly fit in at an attacking 4-1-4-1 formation, should Mourinho opts to go all out on attack.

Central Midfield: Paul Pogba to Chelsea (Source: Mirror etc)

Paul Pogba has been the subject of interest of Chelsea. With the likes of Matic and Fabregas in the team, the transfer of Pogba can seem to be ridiculous if it happens. But when we look closely, Jose Mourinho might look to add Pogba as a regular pivot player while Cesc is more likely to push Oscar to Right Midfield where he has played well in the Brazil line-up. Chelsea can look to establish a firm triple-trequartista with power and work-rate plus the allowance for flair and technical displays. The rumours of Chelsea’s interest in the player have been reported by many newspapers and websites.

Centre Forward: Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal (Source: Express)

Express.co.uk recently published an article that Arsenal and Liverpool target Sanchez would prefer a move to Arsenal instead of Liverpool if he has the freedom of choice. Barcelona reportedly wants Luis Suarez  from Liverpool and are willing to include Sanchez in the deal, which may be rejected by the Reds as Suarez has been a key player for them and would want to use him in the Champions League despite the four month ban that the Uruguyan is set to serve. If that happens, Barcelona have a lot of suitors for a player they want to sell, and Arsenal seem to lead the race.

Striker: Mario Balotelli to Arsenal (Source: Dailymail)

Express along with other sources have frequently reported about the interest shown by Arsenal in the AC Milan striker. The latest news reveals that Balotelli is desperate to return to the Premier League and would like to move to Arsenal. He has talent and has played in the Premier League before and has won it with Manchester City. Arsenal need a top quality finisher and Balotelli is definitely one of the brightest young poachers around. The Gunners can be buoyed by his arrival as he can lead their line along with Giroud for the next season.

Striker: Diego Costa to Chelsea (Source: Various)

By now, it is a well-known fact that Chelsea have completed the signing of Atletico Madrid marksman Diego Costa. Despite Costa having a disastrous World Cup with his adopted country Spain, where he looked out of place in a tiki–taka system, the odds are high that he’d enjoy the direct style of football that Chelsea would be expected to play under Mourinho.