The transfer window is well and truly kicking into gear, with some huge deals having already been completed this summer.
The likes of Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips and Darwin Nunez have been on the move. Of course, incoming transfers and the 25-man squad rules mean clubs cannot necessarily afford to stockpile players anymore.
Departures will be necessary as the wheeling and dealing continues.
Here, Mirror Football looks at one player from each Premier League club who fans may have even forgot was still there – and who therefore may be primed to move on before the window shuts on September 1.
In order of where the clubs finished last season, it makes for interesting reading…
Man City
Pep Guardiola runs a pretty tight ship at City with his squads generally lean. But one area he has bulked up in is in the goalkeeping department.
He has No.1 Ederson, new signing Stefan Ortega, veteran Scott Carson – who has now extended his stay at the club – and Zack Steffen, who is poised to leave on loan for Middlesbrough.
Behind all of them in the pecking order is the forgotten Aro Muric , who has been at the club since 2015 and has only made a handful of appearances in that time.
He’s been loaned out five times and surely now is the time to move on, especially with Vincent Kompany’s Burnley said to be keen on a permanent deal.
Liverpool
When the Reds signed Ben Davies from Preston in early 2021 they were in the midst of a defensive crisis.
But the fact that Jurgen Klopp did not hand him his debut begged the question; if Davies wasn’t going to play when the club’s first, second and third choice centre-backs were out, when was he?
The fact is he is still waiting for his chance, and hasn’t played a competitive game more than 18 months after signing. Davies, 26, was loaned out to Sheffield United last season and featured 23 times but another move is surely best to avoid his career stalling when he should be in or approaching his prime.
Chelsea
For years the Blues have stockpiled players, loaning dozens out each season. The problem with that is it can see players constantly in a state of flux and being sent from temporary club to temporary club.
One of the many in this predicament is Michy Batshuayi . Signed in 2016, the Belgian has enjoyed brief tastes of the first team but these have been intertwined with loan spells – five in total.
His last outing for Chelsea was February 2020 and with a year left on his deal, now would be the right time to move on completely.
Tottenham Hotspur
When Tottenham forked out £10m to bring Jack Clarke to the club in the summer of 2019, it was done with the long-term in mind.
He was only 18 but had impressed for Leeds and so the decision to loan him back made sense. But it ended early after he made just one league appearance in the first half of the 2019-20 campaign. He was loaned back out to QPR before another spell at Stoke and then Sunderland last term, in League One.
In all that time he’s played just four games for Spurs, in the cup competitions. He helped the Black Cats earn promotion in the second half of last season and has been linked with a permanent move to both them and Sheffield United.
Arsenal
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Michael Regan/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Spanish defender Pablo Mari always looked to be something of a stop-gap signing when he joined the Gunners in January 2020, initially on loan.
Of course what happened to the world in the immediate months that followed didn’t help his settling in process, but he was never able to nail down a place in the side in the two years that followed, eventually joining Udinese on loan last January.
Now back at Arsenal he’s effectively their fifth-choice centre-back at best, and will surely leave soon.
Manchester United
You have to go back to August 2020 for the last time Andreas Pereira played for United. The Brazilian, now 26, has been shipped out four times on loan, most recently in his native Brazil.
He’s been at the club for over a decade but the time is right to move on, with Fulham reportedly close to a deal.
West Ham
Gonçalo Cardoso joined the Hammers in 2019 on a five-year contract but three years on he is yet to appear for the club’s first team. He’s been loaned out twice, to clubs in Switzerland and Spain, and given he is only 21 now might be the time to cash in.
Leicester
One Premier League appearance in four years surely means goalkeeper Danny Ward needs to move on?
Especially if he has serious hopes of being Wales’ number one at this winter’s World Cup.
Brighton
The signing of Matt Clarke still remains a head-scratcher for most Albion fans. He arrived in 2019 from Portsmouth but two successive loan spells followed at Derby. Then last term he was despatched to West Brom.
With a host of options at centre-half, Graham Potter would be advised to cash in.
Wolves
Leo Bonatini is somehow still on the books at Molineux despite not playing for them since November 2018.
He’s been out on loan for a remarkable three-and-a-half years and this week returned to training with his parent club, much to the amazement and surprise of Wolves ‘ fans.
Newcastle
Dwight Gayle has been at Newcastle for six years but given the club’s ability to properly invest, his future looks bleak. He hasn’t scored a goal since December 2020 and looks destined to be moved on this summer.
Crystal Palace
Remarkably, Nathan Ferguson joined Palace two years ago but has been plagued by injury which has meant he’s played just one game in all that time.
This pre-season looks massive for him as he enters the final year of his contract with a point to prove.
Brentford
Charlie Goode signed for Brentford in 2020 but he’s struggled to force his way into the side since then, restricted to just 14 league games across two seasons.
Last season saw him loaned out to Sheffield United in the latter part of the campaign but he played just twice.
Aston Villa
French defender Frédéric Guilbert was signed by Dean Smith in Villa’s first summer ahead of their Premier League return in 2019. He featured 25 times in that first season but has been loaned out in each of the last two seasons and is well down the pecking order.
Southampton
Theo Walcott featured just 12 times for the Saints last season, not at all after February.
At 33, he may be after one last move.
Everton
Signed in 2019 for a big transfer fee, Moise Kean’s arrival was seen as a statement of intent by the Toffees. In truth it has been a disaster move, with just two Premier League goals and the forward having been loaned out to PSG and former club Juventus.
This summer could well see him cut ties with Everton for good.
Leeds
Spanish goalkeeper Kiko Casilla was a huge presence for Leeds in their promotion season of 2019-20. Since then he’s lost his place to Illan Meslier and spent last season on loan at Elche.
His support among the Leeds fanbase has been marred ever since the charge and subsequent ban he received in 2020 for his use of racist language in a Championship clash against Charlton. Future looks far from certain.
Fulham
Marco Silva has done a good job of trimming the squad after promotion but Terence Kongolo somehow remains part of the set-up.
That is despite the defender having played just four times since his move two-and-a-half years ago. He hasn’t played at all since April 2021.
Bournemouth
Last year James Hill had scouts from Barcelona watching him, whilst he was representing Fleetwood. Ultimately the defender would choose Bournemouth, joining them in January.
But he made just one cameo appearance off the bench in the Championship, after a reported £1m transfer fee. His chances of a first team shot will only get tougher in the Premier League so a loan spell may beckon.
Nottingham Forest
Harry Arter spent last season on loan at Charlton and then non-league Notts County. Remarkably he still has a year left on his contract at Forest, despite having not played for them since January 2021.
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