With the New Year seeing the opening of the January transfer window, clubs up and down the country will be looking to do business to strengthen their position.
Whether it is for a promotion push, staving off relegation or consolidating their position, there will be plenty of deals done before Tuesday, January 31st.
Current league position, injuries, squad sizes, finances and even potential betting suspensions could all play a part.
With this in mind, we asked each of London Football Scene’s individual club writers to assess what each of the sides may or may not need to do this month…
Brentford – 9th, Premier League: Played 18, Points = 26
By Ahmed Ali (@Ahmed__Demha)
With the potential absence of Ivan Toney due to alleged breaches of betting rules, Brentford’s season could easily turn from one of a successful second top-flight campaign to staring down the barrel of a relegation dogfight.
While both Yoane Wissa and summer signing Mikkel Damsgaard can play upfront, neither are the out-and-out striker Brentford need should there be a ban for Toney and a shortlist will undoubtedly be drawn up of potential targets.
Someone who can hit the ground running and fit into the club’s long-term recruitment strategy of capturing up-and-coming talent at reasonable prices may be difficult so some out-of-the-box thinking along the lines of Christian Eriksen’s arrival in TW8 last January may be necessary.
Even so, since the departure of the aforementioned Eriksen, the club have lacked a creative spark in midfield with the onus being on Mathias Jensen’s shoulders to deliver.
What has been Brentford’s strength in the past is their resilience and ability to adapt and regardless of Ivan Toney’s situation or other injuries and suspensions, there is a bounce-backability and ingenuity at the club which should ensure they overcome any situation.
READ MORE: Brentford’s January transfer window – Bees left in limbo following Ivan Toney’s FA charges
Millwall – 6th, Championship: Played 25, Points = 39
By Ryan Loftus (@RyanJamesLoftus)
Millwall find themselves in an all too familiar position this month: among the Play-Off places and once again aiming to push on and solidify a place in the top six.
However, despite an exciting summer headlined by the arrival of marquee signing Zian Flemming, so far this season the Lions have huffed and puffed through ups and downs while trying to find a winning formula.
January could offer the Lions a chance to bolster the squad with one or two additions, yet given the summer spending, it is more likely there will need to be outgoings before any significant incomings.
Therefore, a savvy loan signing or two could bring a new dimension to the team, but don’t expect signings for the sake of it which means Gary Rowett will be reliant on his current squad to show improvement to earn Millwall a Play-Off place.
READ MORE: Millwall’s January transfer window – Purse strings tight for Gary Rowett after summer spending
QPR – 12th, Championship: Played 26, Points = 36
By Zach Barker (@zachbbarkerr)
This month will remain a precarious balancing act for QPR – attempting to shore up problem areas to maintain a promotion push while also fending off interest in some of their top players.
Assuming they can keep the likes of Seny Dieng, Chris Willock and Illias Chair, new boss Neil Critchley will be keen to strengthen a squad which, due to a number of injuries, has looked decidedly threadbare at times.
QPR have also often lacked quality in the final third and bringing in another striker would add an extra dimension or even encourage a change of shape instead of just relying on Lyndon Dykes as the central focus.
The addition of a creative midfielder could also alleviate some of the pressure on the shoulders of Chair to create and distribute out wide, allowing the Moroccan to find more space to drive the side forward.
Recent history suggests QPR more often than not get their transfer windows right but, with forwards and creative midfielders requiring decent investment and budgets remaining tight, Critchley may prefer to assess the squad he already has at his disposal.
READ MORE: QPR’s January transfer window – A clear need for reinforcements, but will they come?
Leyton Orient – 1st, League Two: Played 25, Points = 56
By Brendan Pitcher (@BrendanPitcher)
How do you improve upon near perfection? That’s the question Richie Wellens and the Leyton Orient transfer committee will be asking themselves this month.
With the O’s sitting pretty at the top of League Two, natural instinct would suggest to keep hold of what they’ve got.
Interestingly, speaking after the victory over Bradford, Orient’s Head Coach Wellens refused to rule out further investment this month.
The idea of bolstering the squad with League One ready talent may risk upsetting the balance of a successful side. However, it is also a mouth-watering prospect given what Wellens was able to do at the back end of last season in terms of bedding players into his system.
Ultimately, Orient find themselves in an extremely strong position as January approaches and Wellens is focused on keeping this special group of players together.
You suspect that if he manages that over the next month or so then this season should culminate in success.
READ MORE: Leyton Orient’s January transfer window – Maintaining O’s current squad vital to continued success
Sutton United – 12th, League Two: Played 26, Points = 36
By Will Lawless (@LawlessW33)
Sutton United’s season may have had an indifferent start but there’s no reason why Matt Gray’s side cannot have a strong second part to the campaign.
And with their injury-hit squad seeing a number of players regaining fitness this month, perhaps the return of their current casualties will eclipse the need to add too many new additions.
Defensive cover is one potential area to consider but whether Sutton decide to secure an out-of-favour player or a loan deal, one certainty is Gray will not be rushed into making signings – only bringing in players who have the right mentality as well as the quality needed to improve his side.
Having scored just 27 goals from 26 league games, upfront is the other key area that needs to be addressed, either in this window or the summer.
While youngsters Tope Fadahunsi (2 goals) and Kylian Kouassi (1 goal) have provided Gray with welcome, if not unexpected options, the entire front line have only scored seven goals between them.
Whilst Sutton do not boast a sizable budget, expect Gray to bring in at least one or two astute arrivals at both ends of the pitch to potentially make a Play-Off push possible.
AFC Wimbledon – 13th, League Two: Played 25, Points = 35
By Conor Keenan (@ConorJKeenan)
AFC Wimbledon have bounced back strongly following a sub-par start to the season and enter the January transfer window with genuine belief a promotion push is possible.
A major factor of the Dons’ resurgence has been their ability to maintain a healthy squad after being hammered with injuries in the early part of the campaign which forced boss Johnnie Jackson to continually tweak starting personnel and formation.
Although the starting XI almost picks itself heading into the hectic festive period, the squad remains thin in certain areas with Jackson, alongside recently-appointed Head of Football operations Craig Cope, aiming to ensure no further injury crises threaten their current momentum.
Of course, the biggest domino in this transfer window could be whether Wimbledon can keep hold of star player and League Two Young Player of the Month for November, Ayoub Assal.
With seven goals in his last 12 appearances, his form will have likely turned a few heads and, should they receive a handsome fee for the 20-year-old, they would need to quickly find a replacement, as left midfield is one area where there is a lack of depth.
However, with a couple of shrewd additions to provide competition and cover alongside a mix of youth and experience, there is no reason why Wimbledon don’t have the quality to make a concerted Play-Off push.
READ MORE: AFC Wimbledon’s January transfer window – Shrewd additions could prove key to Play-Off push