With another summer window coming to an end, the chaos of the transfer market is finally over.
Premier League clubs spent over £3bn between 1st June and 1st September – a new record for the division.
Transfer records were smashed, big deals were hijacked, and some players even refused to play, but who can claim to have ‘won’ the transfer window this summer?
We’ve sifted through every club’s activity to come up with a ranking of the best performances in the market.
Ranking factors
To help decide the order of each club, we have considered the following criteria:
- Money spent – has a club spent well considering who they have bought?
- Quality of additions – how much a team has improved its squad
- Selling ability – how well a team has negotiated outgoings
- Holding onto stars – has a team retained its best players to avoid going backwards?
- Start to the season – how the early signs are making their transfer business look
- Living up to the hype – whether a team can be expected to meet their aims as a result of their transfer activity
Notes: Transfer fees have been obtained from reliable news sources. Add-ons have been included where the information was reliably available. Loan fees are not included in total income/expenditure figures.
| Team | Signings | Departures | Spent | Received | Net Spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 8 | 12 | £269m | £12.6m | £256.4m |
| Aston Villa | 5 | 14 | £30.3m | £43.5m | -£13.2m |
| Bournemouth | 7 | 16 | £137.1m | £209.9m | -£72.8m |
| Brentford | 7 | 11 | £98.45m | £149m | -£50.55m |
| Brighton | 6 | 22 | £68.68m | £132.3m | -£63.62m |
| Burnley | 14 | 17 | £119.4m | £29.95m | £89.45m |
| Chelsea | 10 | 22 | £295.27m | £315.4m | -£20.13m |
| C Palace | 5 | 11 | £47.9m | £63.2m | -£15.3m |
| Everton | 9 | 12 | £119.8m | £13m | £106.8m |
| Fulham | 4 | 6 | £35.03m | £14.8m | £20.23m |
| Leeds | 10 | 12 | £102.7m | £11.2m | £91.5m |
| Liverpool | 8 | 12 | £422m | £216.2m | £205.8m |
| Man City | 7 | 15 | £175.55m | £86.1m | £89.45m |
| Man Utd | 5 | 12 | £232.4m | £61.65m | £170.75m |
| Newcastle | 7 | 11 | £253.6m | £162m | £91.6m |
| Nott’m Forest | 13 | 17 | £204.7m | £110.7m | £94m |
| Sunderland | 15 | 12 | £179.3m | £48.56m | £130.74m |
| Tottenham | 8 | 12 | £174.8m | £45.67m | £129.13m |
| West Ham | 8 | 14 | £132.6m | £75.86m | £56.74m |
| Wolves | 7 | 16 | £105.8m | £120m | -£14.2m |
20: Fulham
Top signing: Kevin from Shakhtar (£34.6m)
Fulham have a solid enough squad, but their failure to recruit across the vast majority of the summer may have stalled hopes of progressing in the top flight.
Three deadline-day deals salvaged something from their window, which had only seen 34-year-old goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte come through the door before then.
Their late activity suggests they struggled to secure their top targets – as hinted at by Marco Silva himself.
| Fulham signings 25/26 | Fee | Fulham departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin | £34.6m | Andreas Pereira | £8.7m |
| Benjamin Lecomte | £430k | Martial Godo | £6.1m |
| Jonah Kusi-Asare | Loan | Carlos Vinicius | Free |
| Samuel Chukwueze | Loan | Luke Harris | Loan |
| Steven Benda | Loan | ||
| Willian | Released |
19: Crystal Palace
Top signing: Yeremy Pino from Villarreal (£26m)
While it is normal for the so-called lesser clubs in the Premier League to sell their prized assets, for Crystal Palace to say goodbye to one of their finest players with little to speak of by way of reinforcements leaves Oliver Glasner pretty hard done by.
Glasner will hope the arrival of Yeremy Pino can at least fill some of the void left by Eberechi Eze, though his exit only adds insult to injury following their scandalous demotion to the Conference League.
To the Austrian’s credit, it appears the Eagles stood firm when Marc Guehi had looked Liverpool-bound, but there are several reasons the summer has not gone to plan.
| Crystal Palace signings 25/26 | Fee | Crystal Palace departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yeremy Pino | £26m | Eberechi Eze | £60m |
| Jaydee Canvot | £19.9m | Odsonne Edouard | £3.2m |
| Borna Sosa | £2m | Malcolm Ebiowei | Undisc. |
| Walter Benitez | Free | Rob Holding | Free |
| Christantus Uche | Loan | Luke Plange | Free |
| Jeffrey Schlupp | Free | ||
| Matheus Franca | Loan | ||
| Hindolo Mustapha | Loan | ||
| Joe Whitworth | Loan | ||
| David Ozoh | Loan | ||
| Joel Ward | Released |
18: West Ham United
Top signing: Mateus Fernandes from Southampton (£40m)
After last season’s horror show, it’s tricky to tell what would constitute a satisfactory transfer window for West Ham United.
The Hammers have once again splashed the cash, though a sizeable chunk has gone on more proven Premier League talent like former loanee Jean-Clair Todibo and ex-Leicester City goalkeeper Mads Hermansen this time around.
But their start to the season – which saw them concede 11 times in league and cup – suggests there could be more misery ahead, albeit with us barely being out of August.
Having lost Mohammed Kudus on top of that, it’s fair to say the summer could have gone better.
| West Ham signings 25/26 | Fee | West Ham departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mateus Fernandes | £40m | Mohammed Kudus | £55m |
| Jean-Clair Todibo | £36.3m | Nayef Aguerd | £20m |
| Mads Hermansen | £20m | Emerson | £860k |
| El Hadji Malick Diouf | £19m | Aaron Cresswell | Free |
| Soungoutou Magassa | £17.3m | Danny Ings | Free |
| Kyle Walker-Peters | Free | Vladimir Coufal | Free |
| Callum Wilson | Free | Edson Alvarez | Loan |
| Igor Julio | Loan | Junior Robinson | Loan |
| Kaelan Casey | Loan | ||
| Lewis Orford | Loan | ||
| Maxwel Cornet | Loan | ||
| Kurt Zouma | Released | ||
| Lukasz Fabianski | Released | ||
| Michail Antonio | Released |
17: Newcastle United
Top signing: Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart (£69m)
The future of Alexander Isak became the saga of the summer, and following a long standoff, he eventually got a big-money move to Liverpool.
While the fee is a hefty one, Eddie Howe has presided over an ugly episode of club vs player, with Isak even resorting to training elsewhere while his future was unresolved.
Nick Woltemade will look to replace the Swede’s goals, but there is a huge question mark over whether he will be able to hit the ground running – with his £69m fee either a show of faith or desperation from Newcastle, who had previously failed to bring in the likes of Benjamin Sesko or Jorgen Strand Larsen.
They have otherwise bought relatively well, but with a Champions League campaign on the horizon, Newcastle’s task of maintaining their recent levels has got a lot harder.
| Newcastle signings 25/26 | Fee | Newcastle departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Woltemade | £69m | Alexander Isak | £130m |
| Anthony Elanga | £55m | Lloyd Kelly | £20m |
| Yoane Wissa | £55m | Sean Longstaff | £12m |
| Jacob Ramsey | £40m | Martin Dubravka | Undisc. |
| Malick Thiaw | £34.6m | Callum Wilson | Free |
| Aaron Ramsdale | Loan | Isaac Hayden | Free |
| Antonito Cordero | Free | Antonito Cordero | Loan |
| Joe White | Loan | ||
| Matt Targett | Loan | ||
| Odysseas Vlachodimos | Loan | ||
| Jamal Lewis | Released |
16: Aston Villa
Top signing: Evann Guessand from Nice (£30.3m)
PSR troubles may be at the centre of Aston Villa’s lack of exciting transfer activity this summer, though that won’t totally excuse them from having had a dreadful window.
It is difficult to be encouraged by Unai Emery’s side, who entered the international break with zero goals in three games.
Unless Evann Guessand becomes one of the stars of the season, there is little reason to think they can reach the heights of the last few years.
But they did at least manage a semi-successful deadline day, retaining Emiliano Martinez and welcoming Harvey Elliott, for whom they have an obligation to buy next summer.
| Aston Villa signings 25/26 | Fee | Aston Villa departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evann Guessand | £30.3m | Jacob Ramsey | £40m |
| Marco Bizot | Undisc. | Kaine Kesler-Hayden | £3.5m |
| Victor Lindelof | Free | Filip Marschall | Undisc. |
| Harvey Elliott | Loan | Alex Moreno | Free |
| Jadon Sancho | Loan | Leander Dendoncker | Free |
| Philippe Coutinho | Free | ||
| Robin Olsen | Free | ||
| Enzo Barrenechea | Loan | ||
| Joe Gauci | Loan | ||
| Leon Bailey | Loan | ||
| Lewis Dobbin | Loan | ||
| Oliwier Zych | Loan | ||
| Samuel Iling-Junior | Loan | ||
| Kourtney Hause | Released |
15: Wolves
Top signing: Tolu Arokodare from Genk (£24m)
Wolves’ transfer window has been a mixed bag, as despite managing to hold off Newcastle’s approach for Jorgen Strand Larsen, they were unable to retain the services of Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri, who are now Manchester rivals.
Elsewhere, they have done well to recoup what they did for expensive flop Fabio Silva, while the success of their other signings will determine whether they look back fondly on this window.
However, their pointless start to the Premier League season suggests Vitor Pereira hasn’t exactly pulled off a blinder here.
| Wolves signings 25/26 | Fee | Wolves departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tolu Arokodare | £24m | Matheus Cunha | £62.5m |
| Jorgen Strand Larsen | £23m | Rayan Ait-Nouri | £31m |
| Fer Lopez | £19m | Fabio Silva | £23m |
| Jhon Arias | £19m | Goncalo Guedes | £3.5m |
| Jackson Tchatchoua | £10.8m | Bastien Meupiyou | Undisc. |
| David Moller Wolfe | £10m | Chem Campbell | Undisc. |
| Ladislav Krejci | Loan | Joe Hodge | Undisc. |
| Tom King | Undisc. | ||
| Chiquinho | Free | ||
| Nelson Semedo | Free | ||
| Pablo Sarabia | Free | ||
| Boubacar Traore | Loan | ||
| Nasser Djiga | Loan | ||
| Pedro Lima | Loan | ||
| Tommy Doyle | Loan | ||
| Craig Dawson | Released |
14: Bournemouth
Top signing: Bafode Diakite from Lille (£34.6m)
Bournemouth’s placing here seems pretty good considering their defence was decimated during the summer.
Albeit all for large sums of money, it is difficult to see how they can mount another top-half challenge without Milos Kerkez, Ilya Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen to call upon – while Dango Ouattara also departed for a huge fee.
And without established top-level stars to replace them, the Cherries will be reliant on the judgement of their scouting department to salvage a successful campaign, though it is early days yet.
| Bournemouth signings 25/26 | Fee | Bournemouth departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bafode Diakite | £34.6m | Ilya Zabarnyi | £57m |
| Amine Adli | £25.1m | Dean Huijsen | £50m |
| Ben Doak | £25m | Dango Ouattara | £42.5m |
| Djordje Petrovic | £25m | Milos Kerkez | £40m |
| Adrien Truffert | £14.4m | Jaidon Anthony | £10m |
| Veljko Milosavljevic | £13m | Philip Billing | £5m |
| Alex Jimenez | Loan | Mark Travers | £4m |
| Chris Mepham | £1m | ||
| Joe Rothwell | £400k | ||
| Neto | Free | ||
| Alex Paulsen | Loan | ||
| Ben Winterburn | Loan | ||
| Daniel Jebbison | Loan | ||
| Hamed Traore | Loan | ||
| Luis Sinisterra | Loan | ||
| Max Aarons | Loan |
13: Brentford
Top signing: Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth (£42.5m)
Ignoring Brentford’s biggest outgoing of the window – Thomas Frank – the Bees have positioned themselves rather well, even if their prospects for the season ahead aren’t exactly promising after some high-profile exits.
Accruing over £100m in sales, Keith Andrews’ side has recruited smartly in the off-season, namely in bringing in ex-Liverpool No 2 Caoimhin Kelleher and turning Michael Kayode’s loan move permanent for a combined fee of just over £30m.
While they won’t be expected to ruffle as many feathers in 2025/26, they have added all over the pitch to help replace their departees without a huge net spend.
In this day and age, that has to be applauded, but losing their two biggest goal threats in Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa leaves them looking pretty precarious.
| Brentford signings 25/26 | Fee | Brentford departures | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dango Ouattara | £42.5m | Bryan Mbeumo | £71m |
| Antoni Milambo | £20.25m | Yoane Wissa | £55m |
| Caoimhin Kelleher | £18m | Christian Norgaard | £15m |
| Michael Kayode | £14.7m | Mark Flekken | £8m |
| Romelle Donovan | £3m | Mads Roerslev | Undisc. |
| Jordan Henderson | Free | Ben Winterbottom | Free |
| Reiss Nelson | Loan | Jayden Meghoma | Loan |
| Kim Ji-soo | Loan | ||
| Ryan Trevitt | Loan | ||
| Ben Mee | Released | ||
| Josh Dasilva | Released |
12: Nottingham Forest
Top signing: Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich (£37.5m)
There is a lot of unknown about Nottingham Forest’s transfer activity, which is pretty apt given that the future of Nuno Espirito Santo has come into question so early into the season.
Forest have invested heavily in youngsters like James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson, who will be itching to prove themselves at the top level, while Douglas Luiz could turn out to be a wise acquisition.
However, their business strikes us as slightly underwhelming, especially having lost Anthony Elanga for £55m, which strengthened a Premier League rival in the process.
| Nottingham Forest signings 25/26 | Fee | Nottingham Forest departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omari Hutchinson | £37.5m | Anthony Elanga | £55m |
| Dan Ndoye | £35m | Danilo | £19.9m |
| Dilane Bakwa | £30.3m | Ramon Sosa | £10m |
| James McAtee | £30m | Andrew Omobamidele | £9.1m |
| Arnaud Kalimuendo | £26m | Matt Turner | £6.9m |
| Nicolo Savona | £13.4m | Carlos Miguel | £4.8m |
| Jair Cunha | £10.4m | Lewis O’Brien | £3m |
| Igor Jesus | £10m | Marko Stamenic | £2m |
| John Victor | £6.9m | Harry Toffolo | Free |
| Cuiabano | £5.2m | Jonathan Panzo | Free |
| Angus Gunn | Free | Josh Bowler | Free |
| Douglas Luiz | Loan | David Carmo | Loan |
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | Loan | Eric da Silva Moreira | Loan |
| Omar Richards | Loan | ||
| Tyler Bindon | Loan | ||
| Emmanuel Dennis | Released | ||
| Wayne Hennessey | Released |
11: Burnley
Top signing: Lesley Ugochukwu from Chelsea (£25m)
What do Burnley have to do to stay up? No one has come up with the answer since the days of Sean Dyche, but the Clarets have at least backed Scott Parker in the transfer market.
Getting a win over a potential relegation rival early on will no doubt have been a huge psychological boost, but have they done enough in the window to survive in the top flight for the first time since 2020/21?
A mixture of experience and promise suggests they might at least give things a better go this time around, with 14 players to beef up the squad ahead of what will be a testing campaign.
| Burnley signings 25/26 | Fee | Burnley departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lesley Ugochukwu | £25m | James Trafford | £27m |
| Armando Broja | £20m | Han-Noah Massengo | £2.6m |
| Bashir Humphreys | £14m | Dara Costelloe | £350k |
| Loum Tchaouna | £13m | Darko Churlinov | Undisc. |
| Jaidon Anthony | £10m | CJ Egan-Riley | Free |
| Marcus Edwards | £8.7m | Etienne Green | Free |
| Quilindschy Hartman | £8.7m | Aaron Ramsey | Loan |
| Zian Flemming | £7.2m | Andreas Hountondji | Loan |
| Kyle Walker | £5m | Luca Koleosho | Loan |
| Max Weiss | £4.3m | Manuel Benson | Loan |
| Jacob Bruun Larsen | £3.5m | Michael Obafemi | Loan |
| Martin Dubravka | Undisc. | Oluwaseun Adewumi | Loan |
| Axel Tuanzebe | Free | Owen Dodgson | Loan |
| Florentino | Loan | Shurandy Sambo | Loan |
| Jonjo Shelvey | Released | ||
| Josh Brownhill | Released | ||
| Nathan Redmond | Released |
10: Manchester United
Top signing: Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig (£73.7m)
Putting their poor start to the season aside, one would suggest that simply sorting out Manchester United’s attack is not enough to turn their fortunes around.
The Red Devils virtually went for broke in the name of replenishing their frontline, though the lack of an instant impact may mean it will be some time before we see the desired results (if at all).
Only one of their three big transfers (Bryan Mbeumo) got off the mark before the deadline, so the jury may remain out on the others – and manager Ruben Amorim – for some time yet.
And instead of getting a proven name between the sticks to replace Andre Onana as the No 1, Senne Lammens looks like another shot in the dark. Hmm.
| Man Utd signings 25/26 | Fee | Man Utd departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Sesko | £73.7m | Alejandro Garnacho | £40m |
| Bryan Mbeumo | £71m | Antony | £21.65m |
| Matheus Cunha | £62.5m | Victor Lindelof | Free |
| Senne Lammens | £21.7m | Daniel Gore | Loan |
| Diego Leon | £3.5m | Ethan Wheatley | Loan |
| Harry Amass | Loan | ||
| Jadon Sancho | Loan | ||
| Marcus Rashford | Loan | ||
| Rasmus Hojlund | Loan | ||
| Toby Collyer | Loan | ||
| Christian Eriksen | Released | ||
| Jonny Evans | Released |
9: Brighton & Hove Albion
Top signing: Charalampos Kostoulas from Olympiacos (£29.78m)
Had it not been for the sale of Joao Pedro, Brighton could claim to have had an outstanding window.
But after finishing just outside the (albeit many) European spots last term, there is still hope they can kick on in their second season under Fabian Hurzeler, thanks to some shrewd-looking signings, chiefly Maxim De Cuyper from Belgian runners-up Club Brugge.
Also adding young striker Stefanos Tzimas to their roster this term following his loan spell in 2024/25, the Seagulls may well have done enough to flourish this term.
| Brighton signings 25/26 | Fee | Brighton departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charalampos Kostoulas | £29.78m | Joao Pedro | £60m |
| Maxim De Cuyper | £17.5m | Simon Adingra | £21m |
| Tom Watson | £10m | Pervis Estupinan | £17m |
| Diego Coppola | £9.4m | Julio Enciso | £13.8m |
| Yoon Do-young | £2m | Valentin Barco | £8.5m |
| Olivier Boscagli | Free | Tariq Lamptey | £5m |
| Abdallah Sima | £3.9m | ||
| Kjell Scherpen | £1.7m | ||
| Odeluga Offiah | £1.4m | ||
| Amario Cozier-Duberry | Loan | ||
| Andrew Moran | Loan | ||
| Carl Rushworth | Loan | ||
| Eiran Cashin | Loan | ||
| Evan Ferguson | Loan | ||
| Ibrahim Osman | Loan | ||
| Igor Julio | Loan | ||
| James Beadle | Loan | ||
| Malick Yalcouye | Loan | ||
| Matt O’Riley | Loan | ||
| Yoon Do-young | Loan | ||
| Facundo Buonanotte | Loan | ||
| Jeremy Sarmiento | Loan |
8: Everton
Top signing: Tyler Dibling from Southampton (£40m)
A new era is upon us at Everton, and the fans will hope that it brings an end to the days of battling relegation.
Whether David Moyes’ new recruits will have the impact he hopes for remains to be seen, but we are already seeing the influence of Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the Toffees’ midfield.
And but for a dubious penalty call in their season opener against Leeds, they could have had an exceptional start to the campaign.
Given Everton’s current standing in the game, there’s enough excitement in the likes of Tyler Dibling and Thierno Barry to suggest this is the start of a comeback towards the top half of the Premier League – somewhere they haven’t finished since 2020/21.
| Everton signings 25/26 | Fee | Everton departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Dibling | £40m | Youssef Chermiti | £10m |
| Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall | £28m | Neal Maupay | £3m |
| Thierno Barry | £27m | Abdoulaye Doucoure | Free |
| Carlos Alcaraz | £13m | Ashley Young | Free |
| Adam Aznou | £7.8m | Asmir Begovic | Free |
| Mark Travers | £4m | Dominic Calvert-Lewin | Free |
| Tom King | Undisc. | Joao Virginia | Free |
| Jack Grealish | Loan | Mason Holgate | Free |
| Merlin Rohl | Loan | Harrison Armstrong | Loan |
| Isaac Heath | Loan | ||
| Tyler Onyango | Loan | ||
| Billy Crellin | Released |
7: Tottenham Hotspur
Top signing: Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig (£51.8m)
A few transfer targets slipped from their grasp, but Europa League holders Tottenham Hotspur have nonetheless bolstered their squad with lots of quality this summer.
From the exciting big-money arrival of Xavi Simons to the shrewd loan deal for former Fulham star Joao Palhinha, Thomas Frank has injected plenty of strong talents into his new squad.
It’s just the tonic after saying farewell to Son Heung-min, while they have put their Champions League money to good use ahead of the upcoming league phase.
In contrast to last year, there are fewer signings for the future and more established stars, while only spending around £45m more. So far, so good?
| Tottenham signings 25/26 | Fee | Tottenham departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xavi Simons | £51.8m | Son Heung-min | £20m |
| Mohammed Kudus | £55m | Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg | £17m |
| Mathys Tel | £30m | Bryan Gil | £8.67m |
| Kevin Danso | £21m | Alejo Veliz | Loan |
| Luka Vuskovic | £12m | Alfie Devine | Loan |
| Kota Takai | £5m | Luka Vuskovic | Loan |
| Joao Palhinha | Loan | Manor Solomon | Loan |
| Randal Kolo Muani | Loan | Mikey Moore | Loan |
| Yang Min-hyeok | Loan | ||
| Alfie Whiteman | Released | ||
| Fraser Forster | Released | ||
| Sergio Reguilon | Released |
6: Leeds United
Top signing: Noah Okafor from Milan (£18m)
Much like Burnley, Leeds United will only be too aware of the task of staying up as a promoted club. Indeed, no promoted side has survived since Leeds’ relegation in 2023 – ironically, a year when all three Championship clubs stayed afloat.
But unlike the team they pipped to the second-tier title in May, there is arguably more existing top-flight experience, which has been added to with the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Sean Longstaff.
The sum of all this suggests the Whites are determined to hand Daniel Farke a first successful survival campaign – and things started relatively well with four points from the first three games.
They seem to be shopping from a higher shelf with signings like Noah Okafor, which could well be the difference come May. Either way, there should be more belief than you would normally afford a newly promoted side.
| Leeds signings 25/26 | Fee | Leeds departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noah Okafor | £18m | Rasmus Kristensen | £7.8m |
| Anton Stach | £17m | Sam Greenwood | £3.4m |
| Lucas Perri | £15.6m | Darko Gyabi | Undisc. |
| Jaka Bijol | £15m | Junior Firpo | Free |
| Sean Longstaff | £12m | Charlie Crew | Loan |
| Gabriel Gudmundsson | £10m | Isaac Schmidt | Loan |
| James Justin | £10m | Joe Gelhardt | Loan |
| Sebastiaan Bornauw | £5.1m | Largie Ramazani | Loan |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | Free | Mateo Joseph | Loan |
| Lukas Nmecha | Free | Maximilian Wober | Loan |
| Josuha Guilavogui | Released | ||
| Patrick Bamford | Released |
5: Manchester City
Top signing: Tijjani Reijnders from Milan (£46.5m)
Manchester City are no strangers to playing the transfer market well – money helps, of course.
And there was no way a below-par season was going to stop their cherry-picking recruitment machine from clicking into gear, as despite the departure of Kevin De Bruyne and the loan exit of Jack Grealish, there have been several exciting-looking arrivals at Eastlands.
Signing three goalkeepers may be a little peculiar, but Gianluigi Donnarumma’s capture could be a gamechanger.
Elsewhere, Rayan Cherki looks a potential snip at little over £30m, and the same could be said for Tijjani Reijnders, the former Milan star who wasted no time opening his City account.
Chequebook manager or not, Pep Guardiola may yet have found a way to improve his world-class squad.
| Man City signings 25/26 | Fee | Man City departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tijjani Reijnders | £46.5m | James McAtee | £30m |
| Rayan Ait-Nouri | £31m | Yan Couto | £26m |
| Rayan Cherki | £30.45m | Maximo Perrone | £13m |
| James Trafford | £27m | Ederson | £12.1m |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | £26m | Kyle Walker | £5m |
| Sverre Nypan | £12.5m | Ilkay Gundogan | Free |
| Marcus Bettinelli | £2.1m | Kevin De Bruyne | Free |
| Claudio Echeverri | Loan | ||
| Issa Kabore | Loan | ||
| Jack Grealish | Loan | ||
| Juma Bah | Loan | ||
| Manuel Akanji | Loan | ||
| Sverre Nypan | Loan | ||
| Vitor Reis | Loan | ||
| Scott Carson | Released |
4: Sunderland
Top signing: Habib Diarra from Strasbourg (£30m)
Coming out on top of the three promoted sides, Sunderland’s summer activity has blown many of their rivals out of the water.
Splashing the cash as a play-off winner should do, the Black Cats have arguably punched above their weight on multiple occasions, particularly with Enzo Le Fee’s permanent signing and securing the services of Granit Xhaka – one of the coups of the summer, no doubt.
Add to that a barnstorming start to their first top-tier campaign in nine years, and Regis Le Bris could be onto a winner with his much-changed Wearside outfit.
| Sunderland signings 25/26 | Fee | Sunderland departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Habib Diarra | £30m | Jobe Bellingham | £31.16m |
| Brian Brobbey | £21.6m | Tom Watson | £10m |
| Simon Adingra | £21m | Pierre Ekwah | £5.2m |
| Chemsdine Talbi | £20.5m | Nectarios Triantis | £2.2m |
| Enzo Le Fee | £20m | Nathan Bishop | Undisc. |
| Granit Xhaka | £17m | Adil Aouchiche | Loan |
| Noah Sadiki | £15m | Alan Browne | Loan |
| Nordi Mukiele | £12m | Jenson Seelt | Loan |
| Omar Alderete | £10.9m | Luis Semedo | Loan |
| Robin Roefs | £9.1m | Nazariy Rusyn | Loan |
| Bertrand Traore | £2.2m | Niall Huggins | Loan |
| Arthur Masuaku | Free | Patrick Roberts | Loan |
| Reinildo Mandava | Free | ||
| Lutsharel Geertruida | Loan | ||
| Marc Guiu | Loan |
3: Arsenal
Top signing: Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP (£64m)
Plenty of pundits are under the impression that it is now or never for Mikel Arteta after going close in the Premier League for three years in a row.
And to be fair to them, it could be argued that the Spaniard has reacted accordingly, with a raft of additions coming to north London this summer – including in the much-neglected position of centre-forward.
Viktor Gyokeres is undoubtedly the headline signing, but the very nature of Arsenal fan Ebere Eze’s arrival has already made this a window to remember for the Gunners.
The only negative would be the lack of funds generated by sales despite plenty of players deemed surplus to requirements in recent months, but overall, Arsenal have plugged all the gaps in their squad, and then some.
| Arsenal signings 25/26 | Fee | Arsenal departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viktor Gyokeres | £64m | Nuno Tavares | £7.5m |
| Eberechi Eze | £60m | Albert Sambi Lokonga | £2.6m |
| Martin Zubimendi | £60m | Marquinhos | £2.5m |
| Noni Madueke | £52m | Jorginho | Free |
| Christian Norgaard | £15m | Kieran Tierney | Free |
| Cristhian Mosquera | £13m | Thomas Partey | Free |
| Kepa Arrizabalaga | £5m | Fabio Vieira | Loan |
| Piero Hincapie | Loan | Jakub Kiwior | Loan |
| Karl Hein | Loan | ||
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | Loan | ||
| Reiss Nelson | Loan | ||
| Takehiro Tomiyasu | Released |
2: Chelsea
Top signing: Joao Pedro from Brighton (£60m)
Chelsea have proved themselves to be masters of negotiation once again this summer, receiving plenty of cash from player sales to more than make up for yet another heavy outlay.
There are some potential bargains in there, including a £40m deal for Alejandro Garnacho, while Joao Pedro is already on his way to paying off his £60m fee after hitting the ground running at the Club World Cup and the early stages of the Premier League campaign.
The Blues’ capacity to receive impressive fees for those who barely pulled on a Chelsea shirt, such as Renato Veiga, Christopher Nkunku or Carney Chukwuemeka, deserves to be applauded, even if those transfers turned out to be a waste of time. Unless, of course, that was the plan all along…?
| Chelsea signings 25/26 | Fee | Chelsea departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joao Pedro | £60m | Noni Madueke | £52m |
| Jamie Gittens | £52m | Joao Felix | £43.7m |
| Alejandro Garnacho | £40m | Christopher Nkunku | £36m |
| Jorrel Hato | £37m | Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall | £28m |
| Liam Delap | £30m | Renato Veiga | £26m |
| Estevao | £29m | Djordje Petrovic | £25m |
| Dario Essugo | £18m | Lesley Ugochukwu | £25m |
| Kendry Paez | £17.27m | Carney Chukwuemeka | £24m |
| Mamadou Sarr | £12m | Armando Broja | £20m |
| Facundo Buonanotte | Loan | Bashir Humphreys | £14m |
| Mathis Amougou | £12.6m | ||
| Kepa Arrizabalaga | £5m | ||
| Marcus Bettinelli | £2.1m | ||
| Alfie Gilchrist | £2m | ||
| Ben Chilwell | Undisc. | ||
| Lucas Bergstrom | Free | ||
| Aaron Anselmino | Loan | ||
| Kendry Paez | Loan | ||
| Mamadou Sarr | Loan | ||
| Marc Guiu | Loan | ||
| Mike Penders | Loan | ||
| Nicolas Jackson | Loan |
1: Liverpool
Top signing: Alexander Isak from Newcastle (£130m)
Champions Liverpool are reaping the rewards of being somewhat frugal in Arne Slot’s first season by affording a spending bonanza as they seek to defend their title for the first time since 1984.
They first broke their transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz, setting out their stall with a £116m signing from Bayer Leverkusen.
The Reds went one better by breaking it again on deadline day, signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle for a potential £130m, ending the window with one of the deals of the summer.
While they added Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez to that for big money, Slot’s side also sold well, receiving a combined £111.8m for Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez.
It’s difficult to rival Liverpool’s window, especially now they have plenty of new toys to play with. Can they guide them towards another title in May? You have to say the early signs are positive at Anfield.
| Liverpool signings 25/26 | Fee | Liverpool departures 25/26 | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Isak | £130m | Luis Diaz | £65.5m |
| Florian Wirtz | £116m | Darwin Nunez | £46.3m |
| Hugo Ekitike | £79m | Jarell Quansah | £35m |
| Milos Kerkez | £40m | Ben Doak | £25m |
| Jeremie Frimpong | £29.5m | Caoimhin Kelleher | £18m |
| Giovanni Leoni | £26m | Tyler Morton | £15m |
| Armin Pecsi | £1.5m | Trent Alexander-Arnold | £8.4m |
| Freddie Woodman | Free | Nat Phillips | £3m |
| Harvey Davies | Loan | ||
| Harvey Elliott | Loan | ||
| Konstantinos Tsimikas | Loan | ||
| Vitezslav Jaros | Loan |
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