Fixture congestion, player fatigue, injuries and a wide-open race for the 2021 Premier League title means the temptation – and the need - to spend big in the January transfer window has never been greater.
But successful recruitment midwinter is notoriously difficult to do well. Think Liverpool signing Andy Carroll for £35m in January 2011 for the ultimate panic buy.
The aim is to not just relieve those on the front line, but to power the final push for glory, so new recruits will have to go straight into the action.