The January transfer window offers teams a second chance.
It is time to address what went unaddressed in the summer and respond to problems that have surfaced in the opening half of the season.
The window tends to focus on clubs managing injury crises or those needing a final push for the title or European places.
However, its significance is at least as great, arguably greater, for those trying to stay up.
For teams near the bottom, recruitment is not about polish but survival and injecting hope in equal measure.
This recruitment analysis focuses on the current bottom three in the Premier League (Leeds United, Burnley, and Wolves) and proposes a signing for each that could realistically tilt their season.
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Why Leeds United Should Sign Ilan Kebbal
One Premier League win in seven has flattened the mood at Elland Road, and the home defeat to Aston Villa felt heavier than the scoreline because it chipped away at the one refuge a newly promoted side must protect.
The goalkeeping situation has not helped.
There seems to be little confidence in Lucas Perri, and the side has conceded 6.48 goals above expectation.
A keeper would be a rational fix, but January is about triage, and the quickest route to survival is adding a repeatable source of end product.
West Ham United, just one place above on the same number of points, have Jarrod Bowen’s reliability in moments that swing games.
Burnley and Wolves do not possess that kind of profile.
Leeds can, and should, go and find it.
Who Is Ilan Kebbal?
Ilan Kebbal is the right-wing profile who can raise the floor immediately.
At 27, he is in his prime, a left-footed right winger whose first thought is to receive, square a defender, and drive into central areas to change the picture.
Ilan Kebbal Pizza Chart 2025/2026
He has been at the centre of Paris FC’s ease in adjusting to Ligue 1.
In 14 league games, he has six goals and four assists.
He is producing 0.73 goals plus assists per 90, which ranks in the 89th percentile among positional peers across the top five leagues and recent European competition.
As shown against AS Saint‑Étienne, Kebbal beats his marker by cutting inside, pausing, then shifting the ball to bait a block.
He then finishes in the top left corner.
Kebbal is an on-ball winger who wants the ball to feet, rides contact, manipulates the angle, and commits the full-back before finding the right pass.
He sits in the 85th percentile for shot-creating actions at 4.62 per 90, a sign of consistent chance supply.
As shown in a 1-0 away win versus Rennes, Kebbal receives the ball at the right touchline.
He sees the opportunity to play a threaded pass, which leads to a shot on goal.
From those inside-right pockets, he threads passes between centre-back and full-back, the sort that pull a back line diagonally and expose the far post.
His final-third volume is high, with 5.95 passes into the final third per 90, in the 99th percentile.
Put that service next to the runs of Noah Okafor off the shoulder, and the penalty-box profiles of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, and the front line starts to look joined-up rather than hopeful.
Kebbal draws fouls because defenders cannot get square once he shifts the ball across their body; 2.64 fouls won per 90 has him in the 95th percentile.
As shown versus Auxerre, Kebbal receives the ball out wide, and the opposition player shuts him down.
Kebbal is able to drop his shoulder in order to beat the player, but is fouled in the process.
Those pauses matter for a team that needs territory and set-piece value at Elland Road.
He times the back-post creep well for a left-footer, arriving late to finish cut-backs or recycled crosses.
There is a touch of Raphinha in the way he balances risk and incision.
He will hold onto the ball, and there will be the odd miscontrol because he plays on the edge, but Leeds needs that edge.
They need someone who forces defensive lines back and midfielders to turn and face their own goal.
As shown against Olympique de Marseille, Kebbal receives, draws his defender toward him, and senses the hesitation to protect the right‑sided dribble.
The defenders focus on protecting the box and look ready to brace for a low cross or for Kebbal to drive inside and shoot.
He shifts onto his left and finds the top left corner.
The fit is practical.
He can start wide right in a 4-3-3, invert onto his left to combine with the right-sided eight, or flip to the left late in games to attack the back post.
He could give Daniel Farke the option to move the ball forward without a perfect build-up behind him, because he can carry, draw contact, and still release with quality.
If Leeds are to survive, they must increase their goal and assist totals.
Kebbal offers both, at pace, with repeatable metrics to back it up, and with the temperament to shoulder responsibility in a team that badly needs someone to change a game.
In terms of plausibility, leaving a comfortable mid-table in Ligue 1 for a Premier League relegation fight is not unprecedented.
Kieran Trippier left Atlético Madrid for Newcastle United‘s fight, and Bruno Guimarães left Lyon for the same project in the same window.
The Premier League’s pull is powerful, and Leeds has the scale and possibility to make that case.
Why Burnley Should Sign Harry Maguire
Burnley spent the summer adding many players to their fight for Premier League survival.
Kyle Walker brought leadership, Lesley Ugochukwu and Marcus Edwards added dynamism, and Florentino arrived as a high‑end loan to steady the midfield.
The problem has not been a lack of names, but the late‑game details that keep you in the Premier League.
Stoppage-time winners have beaten them against Manchester United and Liverpool, and this pattern can create anxiety.
FotMob’s expected table paints a worse picture.
Despite sitting 19th, their underlying numbers suggest they should be at the bottom, closer to six points than ten.
They have also conceded 27 goals.
Survival, as Brentford have shown across multiple seasons, starts with compactness, penalty‑box security and collective discipline.
Burnley need a centre‑back who can lead in those moments.
Maxime Estève has been the standout defender, quick across the ground and composed on the ball, but he may be too young to be the voice that calms a back line during a relegation fight.
The profile that complements him is an experienced box defender who relishes contact, wins the first ball, and organises the last line.
Harry Maguire fits that brief and the market logic.
He is not the first choice at Manchester United, and with the World Cup on the horizon, the incentive to play regular minutes is obvious.
For Burnley, the upside is immediate.
Harry Maguire Stats
Maguire is elite in the air, winning 73.6% of aerial duels per 90, a 98th‑percentile return among positional peers.
Despite only playing 322 minutes this season, he has been dominant in the air when on the pitch and has won a high number of defensive duels in general.
Harry Maguire Pizza Chart 2025/2026
He clears his area, blocks shots, and takes pride in the physical side of defending.
As shown versus Brentford, Maguire steps out and wins the header, which relieves Manchester United of any potential pressure.
When waves of attacks arrive late, he steps toward the crosses, making the box feel smaller.
As shown in Manchester United’s away win at Anfield, Maguire is able to cut off the cross from Cody Gakpo by prioritising the centre of the box and clearing the ball.
Scott Parker already has the shell to support that profile.
Out of possession, he is comfortable dropping into a compact 5‑4‑1, with the wing‑backs on the height of the far post and the midfield two to screen cut‑backs.
The distances are short, the line of confrontation sits around the edge of the defensive third, and the first instruction is to protect the space between the posts.
With Maguire central in a back three, Burnley can defend the width of the six‑yard box with clearer roles.
The near centre‑back in Axel Tuanzebe could engage the crosser, Maguire protects the zone between the penalty spot and front of goal, and Estève handles back‑post runners.
Maguire’s 1.63 interceptions per 90, in the 93rd percentile, speak to the step‑in reads that break attacks before they reach the six‑yard line.
On set plays, he marks space rather than man, commanding the near‑post and middle zones.
This helps Burnley defend flat, fast deliveries that could cost them late on.
From an attacking set-piece perspective, Maguire has shown for club and country that he can be a threat to the opposition.
As shown versus Porto, Maguire shows how dangerous he can be in the box by towering over the Porto player tasked with marking him.
In possession, he can play diagonals into the wing‑backs to release pressure or find the nine early, allowing Burnley to rest with the ball after long defensive spells.
As shown against Fulham, Maguire clips a long diagonal into space ahead of Patrick Dorgu for him to run onto.
The presence and communication matter most in additional time.
Parker can sit the block deep, limit the box, and trust that the first contact is won and the second ball is organised.
Experience can be the difference, and Maguire brings that without needing the team to change identity.
The fit is about tightening the margins that have cost Burnley points.
In a season where every point is contested inside the area rather than in the half spaces, a specialist box defender like Maguire could be the signing that keeps Burnley in the Premier League.
Why Wolves Should Sign Anthony Patterson
Wolves feel perilously close to the end of an era in the Premier League.
Since their seventh-place Premier League finish under Nuno Espírito Santo, the club has moved downward while selling their best players without replacing them like-for-like.
At the time of writing, they sit at the bottom on two points.
They are the only side in the Premier League or EFL without a win, with the second-worst start in Premier League history, behind Sheffield United in 2020/2021.
The issues are spread across the pitch, but the position that most obviously transmits anxiety is in goal.
Between José Sá and Sam Johnstone, there has been little to trust, and the side has conceded 28 goals, a deficit compounded by an estimated 9.5 goals above expected, according to FotMob.
FotMob’s model also suggests they should be roughly ten points better off, which would place them in 18th with a fighting chance.
The ownership may already be planning a reset.
Still, the fastest way to restore basic stability is a goalkeeper who calms the penalty area and accepts the reality that relegation is likely.
James Trafford would be an ideal stylistic fit, but the market is unlikely to open, particularly with interest from clubs higher up the table.
Anthony Patterson, currently at Sunderland, is both attainable and suits what Wolves need.
Anthony Patterson Style Of Play
Patterson is 25, and he has already experienced high-pressure scenarios, including the Championship play-offs.
In the final against Sheffield United, Gustavo Hamer lofts a cross into the box.
Kieffer Moore meets it with a header bound for the bottom corner, but Patterson is quick with his footwork and produces a top save.
Coming in the first minute, it proved to be an important moment and its ripple effect shaped the entire final.
He was a steady number one before Sunderland moved for Robin Røefs, a change that has likely increased his appetite for Premier League minutes.
It is important to mention that he did face criticism last season for his performances, but proved doubters wrong and provided moments of quality to the lead up to the play off final.
If there is going to be a learning curve, let it be with a keeper who can grow through a rebuild rather than two thirty-somethings whose profiles are set.
Based on last season’s data, this radar shows Patterson’s strengths in shot-stopping volume and activity.
In possession, he’s above average for passes per 90 and pass accuracy.
Defensive aerial/duel metrics are middling to low (white), suggesting less impact in high-claim or duel situations compared to peers.
The appeal begins with fundamentals.
Patterson is a clean shot-stopper with strong hands and reflexes.
He is agile and can be light on his feet.
Against Oxford United, Patterson pulls off a superb save.
The shot travels through a crowd, yet with minimal sight and time he reads its flight and reacts brilliantly.
However, the timing of his coming off the line is an area of weakness.
The development area is dealing with Premier League-grade aerial crowding, where he will need to command space with earlier starting positions and clearer calls.
In the clip, Patterson rushes out to sweep and deny the Plymouth Argyle attacker but hesitates mid-action.
That split-second pause lets the forward round him and score.
He needs to fully commit to the decision, close the distance, set, and win the ball or force the shot, showing sharper judgment and conviction in 1v1s.
His distribution has improved.
He averages 29.89 passes per game, around the 75th percentile across comparable men’s competitions over the last year.
He also throws well to start counters, which suits a side likely to attack into space.
In terms of his feet, he is comfortable playing long balls for contestion, as well as into space. He can also clip diagonals to a wing back.
He is not the most comfortable when playing short passes within build up play, and may not be the best profile if he is going to be the +1 in build up.
Nonetheless, he is still able to receive the ball and keep play moving.
Right-wing back and a creative midfielder remain urgent needs, but stabilising the last line is the non-negotiable first step.
Patterson offers present future value, and the temperament to handle ugly game states, whether the fight is to stay up now or to come straight back up next year.
Conclusion
Wolves, Leeds, and Burnley will have to be proactive in the January transfer window if they want to have a proper go at avoiding the drop come the end of the 2025/2026 Premier League season.
These three signings would address a key issue in all three squads, setting them up for a better second half of the Premier League campaign than the first.
