Every day we see new links between players and clubs, new tantrums thrown by agents and new bullish proclamations by managers and owners. But which of those rumors carelessly thrown about actually have some legs to them?

Here’s a guide on the top summer transfer need for every Premier league club. Let us know your picks in the comments below.

Arsenal: Defensive Midfielder

A thrilling FA Cup win over Hull City finally gave Arsenal a piece of silverware to cheer about and overshadow another fourth-place finish in the Premier League.

It wasn’t for a lack of leadership in defence: Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny formed an excellent partnership. Nor for a lack of creativity and productivity in attack, either; with an attack comprising Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud, how could any team be found wanting up front?

With Aaron Ramsey storming back to form after his injury layoff and Theo Walcott still to return—their absences made a major impact on the Gunners’ season—it is the core of the midfield that needs strengthening.

Without steel and leadership at the base of a young and attack-minded midfield, Arsenal at times looked soft last season and were cruelly exposed by teams pushing through the middle. The lack of a world-class enforcer and a leader by example—Mikel Arteta, sadly, isn’t either—has cost Arsene Wenger’s side in the league.

Arsenal will probably look to add to their defence and attack this summer, but if they finish the transfer window without having brought in a defensive midfielder, they could be contemplating another season without lasting the title race.

Aston Villa: Striker

It wasn’t quite an example of “second-season syndrome” by Christian Benteke—he still hit 10 league goals. But perhaps it was a case of all immediate competitors strengthening well, making Aston Villa look poor in comparison.

When Benteke sustained his long injury layoff and would miss the end of the season, we saw how hard Villa had to graft in order to secure results.

Sure, Andreas Weimann and Gabby Agbonlahor (who was also sidelined through injury) provided pace and width, while Fabian Delph supplied drive and power through the middle, but in an otherwise well-balanced team, Villa have lacked options up front.

With owner Randy Lerner putting the club up for sale and manager Paul Lambert’s future up in the air, turbulent times lie ahead. They can’t start the season with just Benteke as their only senior striker, and Darren Bent’s return from a dismal loan spell at Fulham won’t add much to the equation.

Burnley: Central Midfielder

On paper, Burnley probably go into the summer with the worst squad in the Premier League. Yet this is a team that scored 72 goals in the Championship last season—the fourth most in the league—and conceded just 37—the league’s best defensive record.

So perhaps, even with well-known Premier League names few and far between in defence and up front, Burnley can be spared premature criticism—but that doesn’t mean that their midfield is close to ready for the top flight.

An already lightweight midfield has been further weakened after the end of Michael Kightly’s loan from Stoke City. As Sean Dyche’s side will find out, the Premier League is a whole different environment than the Championship.

If they don’t strengthen their midfield core, they won’t enjoy their battles in the centre of the pitch next season.

Chelsea: Striker

When it comes to Chelsea, the answer is easy: striker.

Jose Mourinho has a world-class team at his disposal, from their dual option of Petr Cech and the returning Thibaut Courtois in goal right up to the brilliant attacking midfield line of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian et al. What he lacked all of last season was a world-class striker to lead the line.

Hence the rumors of Diego Costa and Mario Mandzukic moving to Stamford Bridge this summer. The Blues will be prepared to spend on a big-name striker to deliver the goals when they need to grind out a result next season.

Oh, and Didier Drogba is available on a free.

Crystal Palace: Striker

It wasn’t as if he lit Selhurst Park on fire last season, but when Crystal Palace confirmed that Marouane Chamakh may leave when his one-year contract at the club expires at the end of next month, it became patently clear that Tony Pulis has lots to do to strengthen his attack.

Dwight Gayle showed in his last couple of games that he might just have the ability to be a Premier League player—despite costing a hefty amount when he signed last summer—but he alone won’t be able to lead Palace to two consecutive seasons in the top flight.

Pulis’ teams are known for their rugged defence, while Mile Jedinak has led a disciplined midfield this season. Both areas will need improvements, but the Eagles only have two recognized senior strikers in their first-team squad—Gayle and Glenn Murray—if they do not reach an agreement with Chamakh, or a deal with loanee Cameron Jerome.

They might not be relegation favourites next season, such is the influence of Pulis, but Palace will have to bring in reinforcements if they are to compete.

Everton: Striker

In Roberto Martinez’s hands, Everton appear to have a bright future. Their young and energetic team turned heads with their exciting style last season, while Martinez’s eagerness to promote youth can only be a good thing for the Premier League.

Yet it would be foolish to disagree completely with those jibes that they wouldn’t have achieved their fifth-place finish without their loan players—Gareth Barry and Romelu Lukaku played huge parts in Everton’s season.

While Barry might end up returning to Goodison Park on a permanent transfer—the Blues have also been linked with fellow Manchester City reject (and former old boy) Jack Rodwell—the issue of striking options remains a tricky one.

Lukaku may set his sights on becoming a first-team player for Chelsea or become involved in a deal for a big-name striker. Steven Naismith, while a useful and hardworking option, doesn’t have the required quality for a top-four push, and Arouna Kone, injured or not, is getting on.

Get in a genuinely exciting striker, and Everton can really look to push on next season.

Hull City: Central Midfielder

At the start of last season, quite a few of us had Hull City as relegation favorites. Their squad just didn’t seem up to the task for a long and challenging Premier League campaign.

But Steve Bruce has proved to be a reliable Premier League manager over the years, and so it proved again. Hull surprised many onlookers with their defensive strength, led by the impressive Curtis Davies, and the KC Stadium became a tricky place for teams to visit.

A previously toothless attack, especially after Robbie Brady’s injury, was augmented with the additions of Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long in January—a Premier League-level strikeforce, at last.

What’s left now is to add in the centre. Jake Livermore’s impact after signing on a season-long loan from Tottenhm Hotspur will likely lead to Bruce going all out to secure his permanent transfer this summer, and reunite him with Tom Huddlestone.

Hull would do well to strengthen their central core. They might need more than Livermore.

Leicester City: Striker

The runaway champions in England’s second tier, Leicester City, will bring a decent squad to the Premier League next season, with an experienced defence strengthened by the free transfer signing of Matthew Upson.

A midfield lacking Premier League experience has just been significantly improved by the arrival of Marc Albrighton, who had been released by Aston Villa (per BBC Sport).

While David Nugent is a 20-goal Championship striker, he has shown to be out of depth at the Premier League level, while 16-goal Jamie Vardy isn’t likely to strike fear into his opponents’ hearts next season.

Nigel Pearson will be acutely aware of his team’s deficiencies up front as Leicester approach their summer transfer activity.

Liverpool: Central Defender

By now, it’s well-known that Liverpool’s title challenge last season fell short because of their leaky defence. A goals-conceded tally of 50 proved too much to make up for, even with a forward line as prolific as theirs.

As the season went on, it appeared that Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho cemented themselves as Brendan Rodgers’ first-choice central defensive partnership. Summer addition Kolo Toure proved to be a shaky option, while Daniel Agger appeared to have failed to convince the Liverpool manager.

Yet Skrtel and Sakho themselves proved defensive liabilities as well, not least with their errant positioning and erratic concentration. The lack of leadership at the back was evident all season, but made especially clear in their capitulation against Crystal Palace in the penultimate game of the season.

For a side that finished two points behind the eventual winners, Liverpool still have plenty to do on the transfer front; their current squad will take lots of strengthening if they are to sustain their level of performances through till next season, given their Champions League commitments.

But central defence trumps all other positions in terms of transfer need. Urgent transfer need.

Manchester City: Central Defender

In the end, the best team always wins the league. Manchester City might have spent the fewest days at the top of the tree out of the top four over the course of the season, but their squad proved most able to last the title charge and deservedly lifted the Premier League trophy.

You’d be hard pressed to find a weakness in Manuel Pellegrini’s side, such is the quality throughout the entire team and across all positions.

If there’s one area that needs strengthening, it’d be at the centre of their defence. Despite Vincent Kompany’s nomination into the Team of the Year, his performances didn’t match the consistency and excellence of previous campaigns, while Martin Demichelis only came into his own in the last couple of months.

To handle the attacking threat of the strongest teams in Europe, an upgrade is needed, especially on the left side of the central defence. Matija Nastasic was unable to sustain his debut-season form due to injury and City may need to look elsewhere to strengthen.

Manchester United: Central Defender

How the mood at a club can change because of a new manager. It seems like it’s been an age since David Moyes was managing Manchester United, and now that Louis van Gaal is on board, United might have a manager whose clout they badly needed in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Not that this changes anything in terms of the United squad though; besides an all-star selection of attacking players, they have plenty to do in the midfield and defence.

Though Van Gaal needs to upgrade on Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley and Marouane Fellaini, with Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand leaving, his most urgent need is to strengthen his central defence. Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have yet to develop into the centre-back partnership that Ferguson thought they would.

Rafael da Silva and Patrice Evra remain a defensive liability, but without a reliable and solid centre-back, United are left easily exposed by better forward lines—we only have to look at Moyes’ defensive record at Old Trafford this season as a harrowing example.

Newcastle United: Striker

Out of the 43 goals Newcastle United scored this season, Loic Remy, on loan from Queens Park Rangers, scored 14 and Yohan Cabaye, now at Paris Saint-Germain, scored 7. That’s almost half the total tally.

Besides that? Yoan Gouffran netted six and Moussa Sissoko and Hatem Ben Arfa netted three apiece Most alarmingly, Shola Ameobi, whose contract has now expired, and Papiss Cisse, he who enjoyed that single half-season of scoring form, both registered a paltry total of two.

Forget their needs in defence and midfield, this summer is all about finding a striker for Newcastle. If they don’t manage to bring in a quality option to replace Remy up front by the start of September, they could be looking at a long, hard few months before January comes around.

And that wouldn’t be fun for anyone.

Queens Park Rangers: Central Defender

Considering that Queens Park Rangers’ wage bill was higher than Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid last season (per the Guardian), it’s perhaps no surprise that QPR ultimately won promotion back to the Premier League.

In their ranks are a whole host of players with extensive Premier League experience, as well as international stars, some of them remnants of their failed battle against relegation in the 2012/13 season.

Having completed the Championship campaign with Richard Dunne and Clint Hill as their defensive mainstays—as well as a group of underwhelming Premier League players—QPR are most in need of reinforcements in the center of their defence.

The creaking legs of Dunne and Hill won’t be pretty to watch against the top flight’s young and sprightly forward lines.

Southampton: Striker

After a successful season and a half at the Saints helm, Mauricio Pochettino and his young charges are reportedly the subject of intense interest from elsewhere in the Premier League, and Southampton may end up selling some of their most important players this summer.

From Adam Lallana to Luke Shaw, from Jay Rodriguez to Dejan Lovren—not to mention Pochettino himself—the stars of the Saints’ campaign may be moving on. Make no mistake, this will be a defining few months for Southampton’s short- to medium-term future.

It’s a good thing that they have a stellar youth academy to fall back on. Callum Chambers and James Ward-Prowse are but two of the hot prospects ready to step up in case of departures, though the potential exits of Lallana, Morgan Schneiderlin and Rodriguez could have big ramifications on Southampton’s upcoming campaign.

Even if they start next season with their full squad intact, it looks as if central striker may be their most pressing transfer need. With Rickie Lambert not getting any younger, Rodriguez’s absence towards the end of the season severely dented the Saints’ firepower.

Daniel Osvaldo didn’t work out and they need another striking option to deliver the goals and to take over Lambert’s mantle when the time comes—and hope that the majority of the current crop are still around to ease that transition.

Stoke City: Striker

Mark Hughes’ Stoke City proved to be a well-rounded team in terms of goals scored—their goals last season were shared among a sizeable number of their squad, which explains their ninth-place finish.

Leading the way was Peter Crouch with eight, and their second striker on the list was Peter Odemwingie with five, followed by Marko Arnautovic, who played more on the flanks, with four. With Hannover striker Mame Biram Diouf apparently nearing a move to the Britannia Stadium, according to ESPNFC, it might come as a surprise that our tip for their biggest transfer need is up front.

But with a decent Premier League-level midfield capable of scoring goals and a notoriously rugged defence, it’s their attack that most needs a shot in the arm in terms of goal return.

Diouf will add to the squad but does not provide the instant upgrade up front. Crouch isn’t getting any younger and Arnautovic needs to turn his quality and creativity into goal-getting productivity. We’d be surprised if Diouf was the Potters’ only striking addition this summer.

Sunderland: Central Midfielder

Yes, we are suggesting that Sunderland—having lost Fabio Borini back to Liverpool and who go into the summer with just Connor Wickham and Jozy Altidore as their established strikers—should place their transfer priorities in central midfield and not up front.

Because we’ve seen the style of play that Gus Poyet wants to impose in his Black Cats: an aesthetically pleasing, passing-heavy, attacking side. That means that the midfield is arguably their most important position on the pitch.

It doesn’t help that both Jack Colback and Sebastian Larsson are out of contract this summer. While Liam Bridcutt was an interesting signing who provided plenty of glimpses of his composure and quality on the ball, the loan return of Ki Sung-yueng back to Swansea City does not bode well for Sunderland.

Ki’s passing and vision—not to mention the odd goal or two from midfield—were crucial to the Black Cats’ survival last season and will undoubtedly be missed. His role at the base of the midfield, playing simple passes to spread play and alleviate pressure off his midfield colleagues, will need to be reprised next year, and Poyet doesn’t have anyone of Ki’s ilk in his current squad.

Swansea City: Central Defender

With 54 goals scored and 54 goals conceded, Swansea City were the only side to finish the season with a goal difference of zero. A testament to their attacking ability—they were joint-eighth in terms of goals scored—but an indication of their defensive vulnerability as well.

Jonjo Shelvey proved to be an inspired signing last summer, while Wilfried Bony—who, after his exploits last season, will surely be on the shopping list of many a club looking for a powerful line-leading striker—will resume his telepathic partnership with Michu if both stay fit and remain at the club.

So that’s the attack sorted, and given Garry Monk’s fondness for attacking football, he will no doubt be on the lookout for attacking reinforcements as well.

But the position they most urgently need an upgrade in is at centre-back, where Chico Flores regressed considerably and became a defensive liability with his lapses in concentration and penchant for the bizarre.

For much of the season, Swansea spent their campaign worrying about a possible drop back into the Championship. They need a more reliable defensive partnership to ensure that doesn’t happen next term—goals or no goals.

Tottenham Hotspur: Full-Back

With the squad that they have, and the money that they spent building it, perhaps Tottenham Hotspur were the real underachievers of last season.

There is quality all across the team. Even if Roberto Soldado proved to be a flop in his first season, perhaps there could be a way to make a partnership with Emmanuel Adebayor work. Then there’s the small matter of a quality midfield.

Despite a relative weakness at the back, their most pressing need is on both flanks in defence. Kyle Walker and Danny Rose showed glimpses of their promise but failed to deliver regularly, while Kyle Naughton is simply not up to Premier League standard.

Instead of starting Naughton (or Ezekiel Freyers) as a back-up or shunting Jan Vertonghen out as a makeshift left-back, what Spurs should do is invest in an upgrade in their full-back positions.

West Bromwich Albion: Striker

It is a curiosity that West Bromwich Albion, given the squad they possess, had to wait until the penultimate game of the season (let’s face it—Norwich City were as good as relegated by then) to secure their Premier League status.

On paper, they have a good goalkeeper, a decent defence, and a strong midfield core. What’s left is a forward line capable of scoring goals and adding points on the board.

Stephane Sessegnon and Saido Berahino were tied as top scorers for the Baggies last season with just five, while their second most prolific scorer was midfielder Morgan Amalfitano, who is now back at Marseille after his loan spell at the Hawthorns.

Regardless of the burgeoning interest in Berahino, West Brom badly need a more threatening presence alongside him up front: Victor Anichebe might bring the hulk and power, but he is far from an established Premier League-level marksman.

West Ham United: Full-Back

Despite reports that West Ham United will bring in a new attacking coach next season to save Hammers fans from the dour, predictable style of football of Sam Allardyce (per BBC Sport), their attacking style will still centre heavily around target man Andy Carroll and the onrushing Kevin Nolan.

We saw last season that when both players are fit and on form—presumably, Carroll will be next season with a summer off and a full pre-season schedule under his belt after returning from injury—their understanding and partnership can actually be quite fruitful.

West Ham are well set up to service these two key men, with delivery from wide from Stewart Downing, Matt Jarvis and Matthew Taylor, while Mohamed Diame and Ravel Morrison—if they can hold onto him—provide pace, power and drive through the middle. Add the trademark rugged central defence, and it’s actually a quite decent Hammers squad.

But they need to upgrade their full-backs. Guy Demel is clumsy and doesn’t offer much going forward, while Allardyce is short of a starting full-back after Pablo Armero’s loan from Napoli finished and George McCartney’s release.

Imagine what two full-backs capable of bombing down the flanks, putting in good crosses and dovetailing with the wingers in front of them could do to West Ham’s attack. Is that too much to ask for?

This article first appeared on Bleacher Report.