With the summer transfer window now officially open, we select one player from every top-flight club that should be sold.
Arsenal (Aaron Ramsdale):
Despite having a stellar first season at Arsenal in the 2022/23 season, he has since gone down the pecking order after Mikel Arteta brought in David Raya on a loan-to-buy basis from Brentford. The 26 year-old only played 11 times last season, and if he wants to seriously challenge Jordan Pickford for the England no.1 spot, he needs to be playing week in and week out. He wouldn’t be short of suitors; there is an abundance of Premier League clubs looking for a first-choice goalkeeper. The Gunners’ would also be able to make a profit on the £28 million they spent on him 2 years ago.
Aston Villa (Calum Chambers):
After a break-out season with Southampton in the 2013/14 season, the versatile defender made a big-money move to Arsenal where he failed to consistently hold down a first-team place. Loan spells with Fulham and Middlesborough followed before moving on a free transfer to Aston Villa in January 2022. Despite Villa performing in Europe, Chambers only managed 8 appearances last season, accumulating a total of 328 minutes of action. The three-capped England International has talent and offers versatility by playing at centre-back, right-back and defensive midfield. A move to a lower-level club would help restart his career. Perhaps a return to Fulham would be ideal where he excelled in midfield or a transfer to a newly promoted club like Ipswich Town to offer experience in the squad.
Bournemouth (Kieffer Moore):
The 31-year-old played only 8 times in the league last season before going out on loan to promotion-chasing Ipswich Town in the Championship. He enjoyed his temporary stint in Norfolk, netting seven times in 18 appearances to help secure their automatic promotion to the top flight. A permanent move to The Tractors could well be on the cards. His statistics evidently show he is a Championship striker. 54 goals and 15 assists in 173 Championship games show his pedigree at this level. He has been rumoured with several second division teams including former club Cardiff City.
Brentford (Ivan Toney):
It’s time for The Bees to cash in on Toney. He’s served them well; netting 31 goals in 45 appearances in his debut season to clinch promotion to the top flight for Brentford. Toney continued his form into the Premier League, netting 12 goals in his first season before scoring 20 in 2022/23. A betting ban saw his chances limited last season with just four goals in 17 appearances, and yet Toney has found himself in England’s Euro squad for the summer. The 28-year-old deserves his chance in European football, and there is certainly plenty of attraction for him. Top clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have been linked with him.
Brighton & Hove Albion (Tariq Lamptey):
I was tempted to choose midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud as he went on loan in January having only arrived on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund in the summer. With that being said, I think he deserves a second chance with a new manager and provides vital experience to the team full of promising youngsters. So instead, I have chosen Tariq Lamptey. The 23-year-old had a promising start to life on the South Coast but has seen been plagued by injury. 102 games over the last five seasons isn’t amazing. I think a move elsewhere would help relaunch his career. There is certainly a place in the Premier League for him; Crystal Palace could be a good option as his style of play aligns with Palace’s attacking ethos.
Chelsea (Trevoh Chalobah):
I could quite easily say Kepa Arrizabalaga, as he won the double with Real Madrid on loan last season, but that’s an obvious move. Instead, I’ve gone for centre-back Trevoh Chalobah. Chelsea need to sell some big names this summer to comply with Financial Fair Play. Despite Thiago Silva leaving this summer, Chelsea are still inundated with options at centre-back: Colwill, Disasi, Badiashile, Fofana, new free signing Adarabioyo, Gilchrist and Sarr. That’s seven choices as well as Chalobah. Although Chalobah’s form picked up at the back end of last season, he has only really been used as a squad player. The former England youth international is an academy product and therefore 100% of sales would be a profit. There will be plenty of attention from other PL clubs for the 24-year-old, so perhaps a permanent move would help fully kick off his career.
Crystal Palace (Odsonne Edouard):
It’s safe to say the 26-year-old’s move across the Scottish border hasn’t exactly set the world alight. In 101 appearances for Palace over the last three seasons he’s netted 21 goals in comparison to 87 goals and 38 assists in 179 outings for Celtic. That’s an average goal involvement per game of 0.25 in comparison to 0.69 in Scotland. Eduoard has also been unfortunate with a change in managers this season. Under Roy Hodgson, one could say he started strongly this season scoring 6 times in 18 league appearances. However, since Oliver Glasner took over at the end of February he only netted once in 11 appearances. With the new gaffer appearing to have created a formidable frontline of Michel Olise, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Phillipe Mateta, Eduoard has found himself down the pecking order. The 26-year-old still has a lot to offer and has the peak of his career ahead of him so I can’t imagine he would be content playing second fiddle. A move would definitely do both parties good and in today’s market I can see Crystal Palace recuperating most if not all of the £16 million they paid for him in August 2021. A transfer back to Celtic could well be on the cards for him.
Everton (Jordan Pickford):
It’s no secret that Everton needs to sell some of their high-profile players this transfer window in order to comply with financial rules, and not face yet another points deduction! Pickford has been outstanding this season with only Arsenal’s David Raya accumulating more clean sheets than the 30-year-old – and let’s face it Arsenal’s defence is a lot stronger than Everton’s. Pickford has shown time and time again that he is a good shot-stopper and is England’s number one. He would definitely deserve a move to a club competing in Europe and I’ve no doubt that there are clubs out there willing to pay a considerable fee for him.
Fulham (Joao Palhinha):
Whilst a 13th-place finish was away from safety, There wasn’t much for Fulham fans to get excited about last season. In order to move up the table and start fighting for Europe, the club need to invest in a few more exciting players. Joao Palhinha would help fund this. The 28-year-old was unlucky to miss out on a move to Bayern Munich last summer having impressed in his debut season. He is one of the best defensive midfielders in the league and a committed presser of the ball It is rumoured that the German giants remain interested in a move for the Portugal International whilst Manchester United and Liverpool are also keen on. Fulham would definitely be able to make a considerable profit on the man who cost them £25 million from Sporting CP in July 2022. They can’t keep the 28-year-old away from clubs competing in Europe for much longer.
Ipswich Town (Freddie Ladapo)
It’s been 22 years since The Tractors were last in the top flight – I remember them being in my match attax collection back then! They’ve achieved the unthinkable with back-to-back promotions from League One up to the Premier League; something only Southampton have ever achieved before. Kieran McKenna has been tremendous in the dugout for them but it’s no secret they will need to spend their prize money in order to stay up. Some of their players will no doubt be ready for the step-up and deserve their chance at Premier League football. But there are certainly players on the books that are not up to that standard and ultimately need to move on. In the end, I have chosen Freddie Ladapo. The 31-year-old has struggled to perform above League One level. He signed for the Tractors during the 2022/23 season where he netted 21 goals in 53 games as they won promotion to the Championship. Last season he managed four goals in 22 appearances before moving on loan to League One outlet Charlton Athletic where he managed one goal in 14 outings. The statistics show he hasn’t been capable of scoring consistently above the third division. Ipswich will be fighting for survival next season and will need goals in order to stay up. I can’t see Ladapo getting a look in as McKenna will no doubt be in the market for an out-and-out striker.