Ten Hag seems to have fallen in love with Malacia after playing against him, and it stands to reason that we might not completely avoid the Prem in the transfer market despite the costs associated with it. Presumably players from City, Newcastle, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea (though free transfers possible with their squad bloat) or Tottenham are less likely.
Obviously the positions we're likely looking at are #9, RCB, GK, DM and to a lesser degree #8 and RB as Sabitzer and Wan-Bissaka are doing okay but could be upgraded (or in Sabitzer's case, supplemented if Fred and McTominay left)
Most of these guys aren't quite good enough, so I've underlined the ones I think probably could realistically be first choice here. Lots of the non-underlined would do okay as backups who fill specific jobs (mainly backup strikers and backups for Casemiro).
Leicester
-Iheanacho (I said this when we were looking for a Cristiano replacement but I think he'd do well here in Ten Hag's system as he's technically quite good, so if Martial and Weghorst go this summer and we sign a #9, buying Iheanacho with 1 year left on his deal to be the new backup #9 actually makes sense).
-Faes and Souttar both make some sense as Varane's backup when/if Maguire goes, but they're on long-term deals. Maddison is good enough but he and Bruno are way too similar for us to buy him when we have Eriksen around too.
West Ham
-Rice, probably going to Arsenal or Chelsea with the other buying Caicedo, and Liverpool or Newcastle probably should be the team that goes for him, but there's a case to be made that he'd help us as Casemiro's backup, Varane's backup and a replacement for Fred as the defensive #8 who sees out games. Not sure why he'd take that over being first choice somewhere, but players do join Madrid and City with that sort of lack of guaranteed job all the time so not insane. Price would be, though. His passing and ball carrying stats are actually quite good (better than Sabitzer's) and the England players were saying he was the 2nd best technical player on the team after Foden, which is probably hyperbole (Maddison and even Shaw I'd guess) but there probably is more attacking upside than he's shown under Moyes or holding the fort for England.
-Scamacca just signed and hasn't been a hit so this one makes no real-worse sense, but I think despite basically flopping so far he's intriguing due to his size, hold up play and there probably aren't 5 better shooters from 25 yards out among Prem strikers. If for some reason he was leaving, I'd be intrigued with him as a backup striker option on a reasonable fee like 25M, but his fee to West Ham seems to make that unlikely.
Crystal Palace
-Zaha, only included because we might be in the market for 2 #9s if the rumours about Martial leaving are true, and he's on a free and does have the mobility to turn and run at defenders like Martial has done here a bit this season when receiving the ball back to goal or on the half turn. Very unlikely, but he probably wants to compete for some trophies. My guess is he goes to Spain or Italy to not pay taxes and run at slower defenders as he ages, but you never know.
-Doucoure, probably too expensive now but he's doing well as a DM and we maybe should have bought him to backup Casemiro for the 23M he went for and just sold McTominay. Maybe 10M + McTominay would work for everyone as Palace get a more athletic #8 who does the things Schlupp does but is a better player. A swap for Wan-Bissaka also makes sense if we're going to buy Frimpong or another RB anyways, though that's gone from a seeming certainty to a toss up as AWB has done alright, but Antony struggling without a truly threatening RB next to him like he had in Mazraoui makes it possible Ten Hag will look to upgrade our attacking threat there.
Brighton
-Caicedo, similar idea to Rice but no CB time and he doesn't dribble forward as much.
-Mac Allister, similar to Eriksen in that he passes well forward from a deep position. 2 years left on his deal. Liverpool should have already signed him.
-Mitoima, no space for him in the squad at first glance since he's a LW and we're full there, but I think he'd be an intriguing option at RB because he seems so damn great at everything and has done well as a wingback. Could potentially be a Dani Alves type RB if we got him and he is the player he appears to be, and Shaw and Malacia are comfortable defending on the other side so we can look like a back 3 more.
-Sanchez, seems like probably the likeliest name here as we need a GK and he does everything well and probably will want a move to be #1 for a CL team at some point. 2 years left on his deal, so maybe we could get him this summer, or if he stays put and we sign De Gea on a new deal at reasonable wages, selling De Gea then in 2024 and buying Sanchez might not actually be a huge loss financially.
-Lamptey, same idea as Walker-Peters really, an attacking RB option that makes more sense if Maguire's replacement can also play at RB when we're ahead in games, like Timber or a player of that ilk (Kounde was another but he's gone to Barca).
Southampton
-Bella-Kotchap, especially if they go down. His passing isn't nearly good enough yet from what I've seen, but he can defend and a young project to backup Varane for the next 2 years and turn into a footballer makes some sense.
-Bazunu, Struggled, but he's got obvious potential so if he came here to be #2 that would make sense, though Southampton might not want to piss off City when they have a good thing going with their highly rated castoffs.
-Livramento, Chelsea have a buyback option, but they have James and Malo Gusto now and buying Livramento off the injury instead of waiting for his price to go back up to some obscene number isn't the craziest idea in the world if he has a good, healthy month or so to end the season.
-Walker-Peters, hates defending, but if we're set on getting Frimpong and then it falls through, I could see this as a cheap backup plan if Saints go down and Ten Hag is set on more attacking output there as an alternative to Dalot. He's definitely good enough going forward for me. Makes more sense if Ten Hag trolls everyone worried about CB height and we buy Timber as Maguire's replacement and so Walker-Peters can exist purely as an attacking sub option like Lamptey would also be.
Bournemouth
-Nobody good enough, though Neto played at Barca so could theoretically compete with Heaton for #2. Worth a note that Lerma is on a free if we're skint and want a backup DM and say sell Fred and Mctominay and buy a proper #8 and keep Sabitzer and need a 6th CM who can backup Casemiro and just kick people and mark 10s and not complain about starting 6-8 games a season (since Sabitzer might still start a fair amount next to the new #8 as long as that player isn't lightweight but isn't ideal at DM either)
Everton
-Onana is not as consistent on the ball and doesn't get it forward well, but the kid is a monster who seems like a serious professional and might fancy backing up and learning from Casemiro as a DM, though probably would cost 40M or so and that seems like a lot for him since he might really just be a box to box guy in a team that bypasses the midfield a lot on the ball, so like an RB Leipzig, Liverpool or Newcastle
-Calvert-Lewin, I don't see this one because he's hurt a lot and Weghorst and Cristiano are not dissimilar #9s (though they're slower, but who knows if the injures will hurt DCL's pace), but a 25 year old HG striker with 11 England caps on a discount (if they get relegated or need money to stay up) because of the injuries isn't ridiculous as a backup #9 if the price is say 20-25M as a buy low for a guy who was probably moving for like 60M in the summer of 2021 after 29 goals in 2 seasons in the league and only 23 years old
Nottingham Forest,
-Morgan Gibbs-White falls in the same boat as Maddison (Bruno would have to leave or get seriously injured). I do like him generally though, more than the idea of making Brennan Johnson a #9 as he hates passing and seems like an idiot. Great pace, can finish and turn a player when he gets a pass. He'd do well at Villa if they keep spending big and Forest are repossessed by Greek banks that work primarily with drug dealers.
-Nico Williams can play a bit and he's young and mostly a RB, but I don't see it.
Villa
-They spend a lot now, so tough to see a 2 potential signing here as Martinez and Ramsey are the 2 obvious names and they are signed until 2027, though if Martinez was recruited by our Martinez he might do a Saha and demand out. We have obvious makeweights for them in McTominay (big, running CM type that can play in a 2 which Emery likes) and Maguire (better than Konsa). Kamara on a free, even on big wages, looks like it would have been a nice idea here with McTominay out and we'd have the kind of backup for Casemiro you need to seriously compete on 4 fronts like City tried to get in Kalvin Phillips and had in Fernandinho/Rodri. I have a lot of time for Buendia but he just doesn't score enough for a #10 at a CL team, which is why he's at Villa.
-Matty Cash makes sense as a backup option at RB if Emery decides he prefers Young and wants to sign some RB from La Liga and sell Cash to pay for it. He's similar to Dalot for me, which means he'd probably do alright, but also makes less sense since he's similar enough that we're not getting a different tactical option there. He does run vertically really well, which Mazraoui does to and Ten Hag used that to great effect with Antony doing his dribble around in a circle/pausa thing and making time for under and overlapping runs ahead
Brentford
-Toney is the obvious name if he's not getting suspended for gambling (or it's served this year or is like a month of next season) and the more I see of potential other #9s, the more I like Toney. I think if we signed him we'd also want to add a speedier #9 as an alternative, but he's a pretty decent all around striker and his goal record has been good for 4 years now (3 in 4 in League 1, 2 in 3 in the Champo and now 26 in 53 in the Prem). Even with penalties, that's adequate stuff at a position where only Kane and Osimhen look to be clearly better and might cost 100M or just not be gettable.
-Raya is probably the likeliest name. Like Toney, he makes more sense as a mid-price option that you sign another player with, probably a younger one, to hopefully turn him into a quality 2nd choice option in time. Love his passing and sweeping, don't think his shot stopping is quite good enough, but he's experienced in the Prem now and said to be available for 15-20M so this one could happen. I think I'd rather we spend bigger on this position personally.
-Norgaard is a far less obvious name, but I think he's just about good enough to be intriguing on a free or cheap with 1 year left to go, but he's signed until 2026. Janelt is a powerful runner who might look okay spelling Casemiro 10-15 times a year, but he's also signed until 2026. They have some other decent players, but at positions where we have better ones.
Fulham
-Mitrovic is probably a little too expensive (long contract) and too dependent on crosses to make sense for us, but he does do the stuff Haller did for Ajax well. Ensuring Fulham stay in the Prem by scoring close to 20 goals is worth a ton to any team, so I don't see this one. He's too old and slow for us to spend 60M+ on, even if he does ask out, and I think he'd cost that much.
-This is a weird shout, but I think despite (and cost-wise because of) losing his starting place, Tosin Adarabioyo is an interesting idea. He's big and can pass a bit, could see him replacing Maguire as back up to Varane and coming on to head the ball for 5 minutes, especially if we bought Timber to play RB and sold Wan-Bissaka and Ten Hag wanted to risk playing 2 little fellas at CB in some games and so just need a big lump as an option at RCB but the real money needs to go to huge buys at Striker and Keeper.
Wolves
-I don't think Neves is a good fit really, as he's a bit too slow and not dominant defensively enough to be a Casemiro backup and probably wants a bigger role that say Barca would give him. Nunes doesn't fit our style either really. Would have been a good buy under Ole maybe.
-Don't rate the young CBs highly enough, and they're signed long term anyways when they only make sense as frees.
Obviously the positions we're likely looking at are #9, RCB, GK, DM and to a lesser degree #8 and RB as Sabitzer and Wan-Bissaka are doing okay but could be upgraded (or in Sabitzer's case, supplemented if Fred and McTominay left)
Most of these guys aren't quite good enough, so I've underlined the ones I think probably could realistically be first choice here. Lots of the non-underlined would do okay as backups who fill specific jobs (mainly backup strikers and backups for Casemiro).
Leicester
-Iheanacho (I said this when we were looking for a Cristiano replacement but I think he'd do well here in Ten Hag's system as he's technically quite good, so if Martial and Weghorst go this summer and we sign a #9, buying Iheanacho with 1 year left on his deal to be the new backup #9 actually makes sense).
-Faes and Souttar both make some sense as Varane's backup when/if Maguire goes, but they're on long-term deals. Maddison is good enough but he and Bruno are way too similar for us to buy him when we have Eriksen around too.
West Ham
-Rice, probably going to Arsenal or Chelsea with the other buying Caicedo, and Liverpool or Newcastle probably should be the team that goes for him, but there's a case to be made that he'd help us as Casemiro's backup, Varane's backup and a replacement for Fred as the defensive #8 who sees out games. Not sure why he'd take that over being first choice somewhere, but players do join Madrid and City with that sort of lack of guaranteed job all the time so not insane. Price would be, though. His passing and ball carrying stats are actually quite good (better than Sabitzer's) and the England players were saying he was the 2nd best technical player on the team after Foden, which is probably hyperbole (Maddison and even Shaw I'd guess) but there probably is more attacking upside than he's shown under Moyes or holding the fort for England.
-Scamacca just signed and hasn't been a hit so this one makes no real-worse sense, but I think despite basically flopping so far he's intriguing due to his size, hold up play and there probably aren't 5 better shooters from 25 yards out among Prem strikers. If for some reason he was leaving, I'd be intrigued with him as a backup striker option on a reasonable fee like 25M, but his fee to West Ham seems to make that unlikely.
Crystal Palace
-Zaha, only included because we might be in the market for 2 #9s if the rumours about Martial leaving are true, and he's on a free and does have the mobility to turn and run at defenders like Martial has done here a bit this season when receiving the ball back to goal or on the half turn. Very unlikely, but he probably wants to compete for some trophies. My guess is he goes to Spain or Italy to not pay taxes and run at slower defenders as he ages, but you never know.
-Doucoure, probably too expensive now but he's doing well as a DM and we maybe should have bought him to backup Casemiro for the 23M he went for and just sold McTominay. Maybe 10M + McTominay would work for everyone as Palace get a more athletic #8 who does the things Schlupp does but is a better player. A swap for Wan-Bissaka also makes sense if we're going to buy Frimpong or another RB anyways, though that's gone from a seeming certainty to a toss up as AWB has done alright, but Antony struggling without a truly threatening RB next to him like he had in Mazraoui makes it possible Ten Hag will look to upgrade our attacking threat there.
Brighton
-Caicedo, similar idea to Rice but no CB time and he doesn't dribble forward as much.
-Mac Allister, similar to Eriksen in that he passes well forward from a deep position. 2 years left on his deal. Liverpool should have already signed him.
-Mitoima, no space for him in the squad at first glance since he's a LW and we're full there, but I think he'd be an intriguing option at RB because he seems so damn great at everything and has done well as a wingback. Could potentially be a Dani Alves type RB if we got him and he is the player he appears to be, and Shaw and Malacia are comfortable defending on the other side so we can look like a back 3 more.
-Sanchez, seems like probably the likeliest name here as we need a GK and he does everything well and probably will want a move to be #1 for a CL team at some point. 2 years left on his deal, so maybe we could get him this summer, or if he stays put and we sign De Gea on a new deal at reasonable wages, selling De Gea then in 2024 and buying Sanchez might not actually be a huge loss financially.
-Lamptey, same idea as Walker-Peters really, an attacking RB option that makes more sense if Maguire's replacement can also play at RB when we're ahead in games, like Timber or a player of that ilk (Kounde was another but he's gone to Barca).
Southampton
-Bella-Kotchap, especially if they go down. His passing isn't nearly good enough yet from what I've seen, but he can defend and a young project to backup Varane for the next 2 years and turn into a footballer makes some sense.
-Bazunu, Struggled, but he's got obvious potential so if he came here to be #2 that would make sense, though Southampton might not want to piss off City when they have a good thing going with their highly rated castoffs.
-Livramento, Chelsea have a buyback option, but they have James and Malo Gusto now and buying Livramento off the injury instead of waiting for his price to go back up to some obscene number isn't the craziest idea in the world if he has a good, healthy month or so to end the season.
-Walker-Peters, hates defending, but if we're set on getting Frimpong and then it falls through, I could see this as a cheap backup plan if Saints go down and Ten Hag is set on more attacking output there as an alternative to Dalot. He's definitely good enough going forward for me. Makes more sense if Ten Hag trolls everyone worried about CB height and we buy Timber as Maguire's replacement and so Walker-Peters can exist purely as an attacking sub option like Lamptey would also be.
Bournemouth
-Nobody good enough, though Neto played at Barca so could theoretically compete with Heaton for #2. Worth a note that Lerma is on a free if we're skint and want a backup DM and say sell Fred and Mctominay and buy a proper #8 and keep Sabitzer and need a 6th CM who can backup Casemiro and just kick people and mark 10s and not complain about starting 6-8 games a season (since Sabitzer might still start a fair amount next to the new #8 as long as that player isn't lightweight but isn't ideal at DM either)
Everton
-Onana is not as consistent on the ball and doesn't get it forward well, but the kid is a monster who seems like a serious professional and might fancy backing up and learning from Casemiro as a DM, though probably would cost 40M or so and that seems like a lot for him since he might really just be a box to box guy in a team that bypasses the midfield a lot on the ball, so like an RB Leipzig, Liverpool or Newcastle
-Calvert-Lewin, I don't see this one because he's hurt a lot and Weghorst and Cristiano are not dissimilar #9s (though they're slower, but who knows if the injures will hurt DCL's pace), but a 25 year old HG striker with 11 England caps on a discount (if they get relegated or need money to stay up) because of the injuries isn't ridiculous as a backup #9 if the price is say 20-25M as a buy low for a guy who was probably moving for like 60M in the summer of 2021 after 29 goals in 2 seasons in the league and only 23 years old
Nottingham Forest,
-Morgan Gibbs-White falls in the same boat as Maddison (Bruno would have to leave or get seriously injured). I do like him generally though, more than the idea of making Brennan Johnson a #9 as he hates passing and seems like an idiot. Great pace, can finish and turn a player when he gets a pass. He'd do well at Villa if they keep spending big and Forest are repossessed by Greek banks that work primarily with drug dealers.
-Nico Williams can play a bit and he's young and mostly a RB, but I don't see it.
Villa
-They spend a lot now, so tough to see a 2 potential signing here as Martinez and Ramsey are the 2 obvious names and they are signed until 2027, though if Martinez was recruited by our Martinez he might do a Saha and demand out. We have obvious makeweights for them in McTominay (big, running CM type that can play in a 2 which Emery likes) and Maguire (better than Konsa). Kamara on a free, even on big wages, looks like it would have been a nice idea here with McTominay out and we'd have the kind of backup for Casemiro you need to seriously compete on 4 fronts like City tried to get in Kalvin Phillips and had in Fernandinho/Rodri. I have a lot of time for Buendia but he just doesn't score enough for a #10 at a CL team, which is why he's at Villa.
-Matty Cash makes sense as a backup option at RB if Emery decides he prefers Young and wants to sign some RB from La Liga and sell Cash to pay for it. He's similar to Dalot for me, which means he'd probably do alright, but also makes less sense since he's similar enough that we're not getting a different tactical option there. He does run vertically really well, which Mazraoui does to and Ten Hag used that to great effect with Antony doing his dribble around in a circle/pausa thing and making time for under and overlapping runs ahead
Brentford
-Toney is the obvious name if he's not getting suspended for gambling (or it's served this year or is like a month of next season) and the more I see of potential other #9s, the more I like Toney. I think if we signed him we'd also want to add a speedier #9 as an alternative, but he's a pretty decent all around striker and his goal record has been good for 4 years now (3 in 4 in League 1, 2 in 3 in the Champo and now 26 in 53 in the Prem). Even with penalties, that's adequate stuff at a position where only Kane and Osimhen look to be clearly better and might cost 100M or just not be gettable.
-Raya is probably the likeliest name. Like Toney, he makes more sense as a mid-price option that you sign another player with, probably a younger one, to hopefully turn him into a quality 2nd choice option in time. Love his passing and sweeping, don't think his shot stopping is quite good enough, but he's experienced in the Prem now and said to be available for 15-20M so this one could happen. I think I'd rather we spend bigger on this position personally.
-Norgaard is a far less obvious name, but I think he's just about good enough to be intriguing on a free or cheap with 1 year left to go, but he's signed until 2026. Janelt is a powerful runner who might look okay spelling Casemiro 10-15 times a year, but he's also signed until 2026. They have some other decent players, but at positions where we have better ones.
Fulham
-Mitrovic is probably a little too expensive (long contract) and too dependent on crosses to make sense for us, but he does do the stuff Haller did for Ajax well. Ensuring Fulham stay in the Prem by scoring close to 20 goals is worth a ton to any team, so I don't see this one. He's too old and slow for us to spend 60M+ on, even if he does ask out, and I think he'd cost that much.
-This is a weird shout, but I think despite (and cost-wise because of) losing his starting place, Tosin Adarabioyo is an interesting idea. He's big and can pass a bit, could see him replacing Maguire as back up to Varane and coming on to head the ball for 5 minutes, especially if we bought Timber to play RB and sold Wan-Bissaka and Ten Hag wanted to risk playing 2 little fellas at CB in some games and so just need a big lump as an option at RCB but the real money needs to go to huge buys at Striker and Keeper.
Wolves
-I don't think Neves is a good fit really, as he's a bit too slow and not dominant defensively enough to be a Casemiro backup and probably wants a bigger role that say Barca would give him. Nunes doesn't fit our style either really. Would have been a good buy under Ole maybe.
-Don't rate the young CBs highly enough, and they're signed long term anyways when they only make sense as frees.
