The window is open so who needs what part 1....

Like most innovations in football these days, the January transfer window promises much but ultimately delivers very little. Though the Georgie Thompson cleavage-ometer goes through the roof at this time of year, it's wild speculation football fans crave in order to quicken the pulse.

History tells us few significant deals are done at this time of year - for every Andrey Arshavin there are a dozen Ryan Taylors - yet that doesn't stop us religiously tuning into Sky Sports News willing that yellow bar to run across the bottom of the screen telling us our team has signed someone with an exotic name.

What we usually get, however, are umpteen shots of reporters wired up to mobile phones claiming to be in possession of a text from Charles N'Zogbia's agent proclaiming it's his client's destiny to play for Real Madrid, shortly before he's packed off to Wigan.

Even so, it's a manager's only opportunity to cover for any clangers dropped in the summer, so here's what your team needs part 1.

Chelsea:
The fixture computer has been particularly kind to Carlo Ancelotti, who shouldn't miss his band of African stars too much with January providing some cosy looking assignments. With Branislav Ivanovic improving as an attacking outlet from right-back, finding cover for Jose Bosingwa is no longer a pressing issue. A new goalkeeper is sure to be a consideration come the summer, while Ancelotti may also have to wait until after the World Cup - FIFA ban permitting - to land the fantasy signing Chelsea have been reluctant to make since the Shevchenko experiment.

Manchester United:
Sir Alex Ferguson has a pretty dodgy track record when it comes to making quick-fix defensive signings (see Laurent Blanc and William Prunier) but with Rio Ferdinand's comeback date yet to be confirmed, Nemanja Vidic doing a Jaap Stam and their backup woefully inadequate - we're looking at you Wes Brown - Sir Fergie needs to act. A midfield enforcer to complement Darren Fletcher would be a bonus, while Dimitar Berbatov's slight improvement has probably given him another five months to save his Old Trafford career.

Arsenal:
Despite their obvious flaws, Arsene Wenger's side are genuine title contenders. After a period of slight adjustment following the season ending injury suffered by Robin van Persie, the Gunners have just about muddled through in his absence, thanks largely to a kind run of fixtures. The last time Arsenal were in this position two seasons ago, Wenger refused to strengthen in January and paid the price as injuries took their toll. Their season will unravel in a similar fashion should either William Gallas or Thomas Vermaelen - neither of whom have missed a minute of league action this season - take the knock. Wenger gives the impression he's looking to Nicklas Bendtner to replace Van Persie's goals, but there is nothing in his track record, nor in Arsenal's medical history, to suggest he will fill the void or avoid a return to the treatment table before May.

Tottenham:
If you consider Harry Redknapp's main target to be Champions League qualification he already looks well equipped to break the big four's monopoly. Spurs have already, and inevitably, had to cope without their injury-prone first choice centre back pairing for a large chunk of the campaign, while Aaron Lennon, Jermain Defoe and Luka Modric have also been missing for significant periods of the season without the catastrophic results many would have predicted. Indeed, Spurs chances of finishing fourth may depend more on what their rivals do in January than any wheeler dealing Redknapp indulges in.

Manchester City:
It's unfeasible to envisage the month passing by without Roberto Mancini adding to his squad, but the early signs suggest he's likely to be pragmatic with the funds available. Experience and know-how are likely to be crucial over the run-in which would go some way to explaining City's interest in Patrick Vieira. Even the most successful recruits of the Mark Hughes reign - the likes of Gareth Barry, Shay Given and Craig Bellamy - have limited experience of successfully competing for honours, and a smattering of wise old heads who are unlikely to indulge in Robinho boat rocking antics would not go amiss.

Aston Villa:
Back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Liverpool have handed Villa's sagely manager a timely reality check. Villa were chugging along nicely at this stage last time around before a spectacular capitulation saw them drop from third to sixth - January surgery is required if they are to avoid a similar fate. Were O'Neill able to pioneer a machine that could combine the skills of John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor to create a hybrid player - Johnriel Agbonlarew, perhaps - he'd have room to accommodate a link forward with the guile and imagination that neither of his two main strikers possess. The less said about Emile Heskey, the better.

Liverpool:
Where to start. It's clear a drastic overhaul of the playing staff isn't, for any number of reasons, an option this month. Assuming Rafael Benitez will be allowed to spend any money, his priority must be to find a midfield schemer, a bright spark whose first move is forward rather than sideways - someone in the mould of Everton's Steven Pienaar - and a reliable winger. Addressing those areas first up would force Benitez to gamble on Fernando Torres steering clear of injury for the rest of the season, and his hamstrings are hardly the most reliable.

Birmingham:
The surprise package of the season to date have money to play with this month, and much of what Alex McLeish has done at St Andrews suggests he'll spend it wisely. The former Rangers boss has already displayed a sound knowledge of obscure foreign markets with Ecuadorian Christian Benitez making a solid fist of his first season in English football. Two seasons ago the livewire Argentine Mauro Zarate's arrival nearly kept Brum up, and if McLeish can use Carsen Yeung's cash to recruit someone of Zarate's talismanic status, his side will continue to progress. Making Joe Hart's loan move from Manchester City a permanent one must also be a priority.

Fulham:
Don't expect Roy Hodgson to err from his successful policy of plundering unheralded Scandinavians and reviving the careers of supposed hasbeens. Fulham's European adventure, which will take in a trip to the Ukraine at the very least, means their squad will be tested to the limit and a new faces in defence, midfield and attack would be welcomed. As a priority, however, Hodgson will look to keep hold of those players who have propelled Fulham into uncharted waters. There are several sides in this league in need of a powerful centre forward, and Bobby Zamora's transformation won't have gone unnoticed by the likes of Aston Villa or Liverpool.

Sunderland:
So far so adequate for Steve Bruce. Delusions of grandeur accompanied victories over Liverpool - helped by the beach ball - and Arsenal - a fixture which followed the international break in which Robin van Persie was crocked. Darren Bent has clearly been an unqualified success, while Lorik Cana and Lee Cattermole have also proved shrewd purchases, but despite an enormous amount of transfer activity at the Stadium of Light over the past three years, there still appears to be an enormous amount of dead wood. Like Liverpool, Sunderland have been without a decent winger for years, while a new goalkeeper is an absolute must. The Black Cats were stung to the tune of £9 million for Craig Gordon and might be unwilling to head back to the SPL for Rangers' Allan McGregor, but he couldn't be any worse than Gordon or Marton Fulop.