Premier League Summer Transfer Window Review: Key Moves and Ratings
After a record-shattering summer of Premier League spending and Deadline Day chaos, the dust has settled. What’s left is a league reshaped: contenders retooled, climbers rearmed, and a few giants left staring at holes they knew were there in June.
Here’s how the window really played out.
Arsenal: Ruthless trimming, targeted upgrades
Rating: 8/10
Eight senior players out, £100m-plus banked, and a wage bill shaved in all the right places. Arsenal’s summer was as much about subtraction as addition.
Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Christian Norgaard, Fabio Vieira, Jakob Kiwior and Reiss Nelson are gone. Ethan Nwaneri has gone on loan, but remains firmly in the club’s long-term plans. Everyone else? Deemed expendable in a squad that needed hard decisions.
The headline disappointment is obvious. No Vinicius Junior. No Julian Alvarez. Arsenal swung for the fences on a marquee left winger, stayed in the conversation longer than most expected, and still came up empty. Fans get that those deals were ambitious. They’re less forgiving about the fact neither of last season’s main left-sided threats has been properly replaced.
So they improvise. Christos Tzolis, already a fan favourite despite a shaky outing at Villa Park, has offered flashes. Eberechi Eze can drift into that channel with style. Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka can both flip sides if needed, freeing Max Dowman to build minutes from the right. There’s even a suggestion Riccardo Calafiori could be nudged further forward, echoing Mikel Arteta’s previous positional experiments with Mikel Merino and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
No left winger, no striker. But almost everywhere else, the options have multiplied. The bench at Villa Park told its own story: depth in defence and midfield, genuine rotation possibilities without a sharp drop in level.
Most importantly, Arteta got his two prime targets. Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa arrived, the spine strengthened, the squad leaner and more balanced. It’s not perfect. But it’s powerful.
Aston Villa: Champions forced into a rebuild
Rating: 7/10
A Europa League trophy in the cabinet, and then six starters ripped out in one summer. Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa – gone. Unai Emery didn’t plan it this way.
Villa’s response has been to roll the dice on youth and upside. Ibrahim Mbaye and Johan Manzambi bring energy and potential, Leon Goretzka and Aaron Wan-Bissaka bring experience and presence. Nicolas Jackson already knows the league and looked sharp on debut. Zion Suzuki’s first outing in goal suggested he can handle the step up. Taylor Harwood-Bellis admits he has plenty to learn, but trusts Emery to drag him to the top level.
The numbers matter too. Villa had to stay within tight financial parameters while rebuilding a title-winning side. They’ve balanced the books and refreshed the squad, but now need proof that this collection of prospects and leaders can actually function as a team.
The Emery factor buys them belief. The evidence still has to arrive.
Bournemouth: Stability, smart buys and no Deadline Day panic
Rating: 9/10
Two summers, two very different stories. In 2025, Bournemouth sold key pieces. This time, they locked the doors.
Rayan, Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott all stayed, despite serious interest. The club had promised Marco Rose they wouldn’t strip his team just as Europe beckoned, and they kept their word.
Working under UEFA’s financial constraints, Bournemouth still managed to upgrade. Michele Di Gregorio arrives having been Juventus’ No 1. Antonio Silva, once touted for the very biggest clubs, looks a value signing at centre-back. Juanlu Sanchez strengthens full-back, while Alvaro Rodriguez adds a different threat up front.
Fringe players moved on, but the core stayed intact. The other big win? No late scramble. Business was done early, calmly, and with a clear plan.
Rose and the hierarchy will know: on paper, this is one of the club’s best windows in years. Now Europe will test just how good it really was.
Brentford: A near-perfect rebuild on the fly
Rating: 9/10
Brentford wanted a midfielder to build around. They might have found much more than that.
Mamadou Sangare, at £39m, already looks like a bargain and an early contender for signing of the season. He’s transformed the heart of Thomas Frank’s side. El Hadji Malick Diouf, a late addition, has the profile to nail down the left-back slot. Jaidon Anthony has started twice already, Callum Wilson is exactly the proven, clever back-up – or rival – Igor Thiago needed, and Jannik Schuster shores up central defence with Sepp van den Berg injured.
Crucially, the stars stayed. Thiago, Kevin Schade and Yehor Yarmoliuk remain, while Michael Kayode and Vitaly Janelt have signed new deals. Jordan Henderson’s leadership departs, but the core attacking structure survives.
Only Jayden Meghoma’s loan to Portsmouth punctuated Deadline Day. Brentford again stuck to their principles: young players must play, even if it’s elsewhere.
A 10/10? Not quite. There’s always another level to hit. But this is elite work from a club that keeps getting the market right.
Brighton: Big spend, big churn, familiar gamble
Rating: 7.5/10
Brighton, the masters of smart recruitment, went heavy this time. Nine first-team additions, close to £170m spent, and a squad that suddenly looks stacked – especially at the back.
Luka Vuskovic arrived for a club-record £50m, a major statement. Chema Andres, prised from Stuttgart in a late Deadline Day twist, offers a Spain U21 holding option to soften the loss of Carlos Baleba to Manchester United. He’ll need time, but the talent is obvious.
Up front, experience has gone with Danny Welbeck’s departure. Promise David, in on loan, must now carry a chunk of that burden. Injuries have complicated early assessments, but once the squad is fully fit, Fabian Hurzeler will have depth across the pitch and a group capable of attacking both the Premier League and the Conference League.
One quiet but significant win: Liverpool target Yankuba Minteh stays. For Brighton, that’s almost a signing in itself.
Chelsea: Strategy reset and Stamford Bridge reawakened
Rating: 9/10
Chelsea finally changed course. After years of hoarding prospects, they went after players ready to shape games now.
Jordan Henderson, Emiliano Martinez and Danny Welbeck were all pursued – a stark shift from the post-takeover youth obsession. Geovany Quenda fits the old model, but the broader policy is clear: blend the best young talent with hardened, Premier League-ready operators.
Joao Pedro has been tied down on an improved deal, a protective move around a key asset. The core of this squad is no longer in flux.
Last season unravelled after Enzo Maresca’s exit, the FA Cup run masking deep discontent. Xabi Alonso’s arrival, paired with a grown-up recruitment strategy, has jolted the club back to life. Stamford Bridge roared during the 4-3 thriller against Brighton, a reminder of what this place sounds like when it believes.
The Enzo Fernandez saga was the one sour note. A self-imposed deadline came and went without clarity, leaving fans split and uncertainty bleeding into the new season. Yet three wins from three suggest the dressing room has parked the noise.
On the pitch, Emiliano Martinez, Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix walk straight into the starting XI. Off it, Chelsea sold well again. Marc Cucurella’s departure stings, but high valuations were met for Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson and Alejandro Garnacho.
They’ve proved, once more, they can trade players at an elite level. Now Alonso has to prove this version of Chelsea can compete like one.
Coventry: Bold, expensive, and unapologetically ambitious
Rating: 8/10
Newly promoted sides usually creep into the top flight. Coventry kicked the door down.
They spent big, but with purpose. Carl Rushworth returns permanently after his promotion heroics. Aurele Amenda brings athleticism at centre-back. Caleb Yirenkyi offers excitement in midfield, while Frank Onyeka and Gustavo Hamer combine Premier League experience with familiarity and craft.
Up front, Taiwo Awoniyi gives Frank Lampard a proven focal point. Loum Tchaouna and Sidiki Cherif add speed and upside.
The early concern is obvious: two games, two defeats, no goals. The attack hasn’t clicked yet. But the squad is undeniably stronger and deeper than the one that came up.
Coventry haven’t tiptoed into the Premier League. They’ve planted a flag. Now they have to back it up.
Crystal Palace: Losing stars, surviving, and going again
Rating: 7/10
Crystal Palace have seen this film before. Lose key players, patch the gaps, refuse to panic.
Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Munoz, two of their best performers, have gone. Yet Palace will quietly celebrate keeping Adam Wharton, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr.
Mateta, still carrying the scars of a failed move to AC Milan last January, may now have to guide Sarr through his own disappointment after Liverpool’s pursuit collapsed. Mateta is into the final year of his deal. Another window, another round of speculation looms.
Sarr, meanwhile, has become a test case. If he flies between now and January, Palace’s hardline stance will look inspired. If he drifts, questions will follow.
The arrivals fit a familiar template: clever, not flashy. Axel Disasi, Dwight McNeil, Ben Chilwell and Takehiro Tomiyasu are proven Premier League operators. Dario Osorio could be the jewel, a 22-year-old with high expectations and a club that knows how to polish rough diamonds. Honest Ahanor strengthens the back line, while Anan Khalaili may yet grow into Munoz’s role.
Depth has improved, which matters with European football on the agenda again. Palace have become experts in surviving talent drain and staying relevant. This window doesn’t guarantee success, but it keeps them firmly in the conversation.
Everton: A mess of their own making
Rating: 2/10
Everton’s window is a study in how not to operate at the sharp end of the market.
They halved a strike force that wasn’t firing to begin with. Beto was allowed to join Fiorentina before Folarin Balogun’s arrival was secured. When that deal stalled, they pivoted to Joshua Zirkzee at Manchester United. That failed too. It all looked chaotic, reactive, and avoidable.
Then came the sale of Iliman Ndiaye. Everton had insisted they were in a position of strength with three years left on his deal. In the end, they accepted £65m – a huge profit on the fee paid two years ago, but still short of the number that might have soothed supporters.
The aborted swap with Spurs – Ndiaye for £60m, Richarlison back for £35m – only underlined the dysfunction. The Richarlison fee looked high even through blue-tinted glasses and collapsed before Deadline Day was out. A move for Kenny Tete died when Fulham refused to blink without a replacement lined up. There’s a lesson there Everton didn’t heed.
All this played out while the ownership weighed up Nottingham Forest’s £40m bid for Harrison Armstrong, as David Moyes publicly stressed the need for reinforcements.
Some good players did arrive: Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Jack Grealish, Hayden Hackney, Christian Norgaard, Merlin Rohl, Tyrique George and Brennan Johnson. But the positives drown under the bigger issue: once again, the manager hasn’t been given a balanced, functional squad.
Last year it was the lack of a right-back and a reliable striker. This season, Moyes goes into the campaign with Thierno Barry as his only recognised centre-forward. A push for Europe looks fanciful. Given the circumstances, failing to reach it shouldn’t be branded a failure.
The mood on Merseyside tells its own story: hurt, embarrassment, anger, frustration. It didn’t have to be like this. But it is.
Fulham: High press, high risk, high ceiling
Rating: 7/10
Fulham’s window mirrors Alvaro Arbeloa’s footballing philosophy: aggressive, ambitious, and not without risk.
They needed a striker. Gonzalo García arrived from Real Madrid and hit two goals in his first three games. Early days, but the signs are promising.
Midfield has been completely retooled. Cesar Palacios and Manuel Angel, both Real Madrid academy products, join Shea Charles and Hugo Larsson to give Arbeloa a versatile, energetic core. He now has options to match his high-tempo vision.
The problem sits behind them. Fulham’s defenders are being asked to hold a high line while full-backs bomb on. They’ve already been exposed. That’s where Deadline Day signing David Affengruber becomes fascinating. The Austria international looks tailor-made to defend big spaces and could be vital in this system.
Out wide, though, there’s a glaring gap. Harry Wilson and Samuel Chukwueze have gone, and no natural winger has come in. Palacios has been stationed on the left, but that’s not his specialist role. Supporters are right to feel uneasy about that.
Still, Fulham have chosen identity over short-term patchwork. If Arbeloa finds the balance between chaos and control, this squad should stay well clear of trouble.
Hull: Volume, velocity and a calculated gamble
Rating: 8/10
Hull didn’t just dip into the market. They dived.
Eighteen new players, six on Deadline Day alone. Owner Acun Ilicali has been central to the charm offensive, selling recruits on the club’s ambition and Premier League project. Patience in negotiations appears to have paid off, with primary targets landed on favourable terms.
The brief was clear: add pace, athleticism and quality. The squad now looks deeper and more dynamic, with a heavy focus on young players who can grow with the club. That brings risk – some won’t hit – but the upside is huge if even a handful explode.
Crucially, the core of last season’s promotion side remains. The spirit that dragged them up hasn’t been sacrificed. In a brutal top-flight campaign, that blend of continuity and injection of talent might be their best survival weapon.
Ipswich: Lessons learned, chequebook open
Rating: 9/10
Ipswich have been here before – and they clearly took notes.
In 2024 they spent around £110m trying to cling to Premier League status. It didn’t work. This time, they’ve pushed the outlay to roughly £200m, capped by a Deadline Day move for Zian Flemming from Burnley, and the squad looks far more complete.
Julio Enciso arrives as a record signing. Abdul Fatawu, Emersonn and Exequiel Palacios add genuine attacking quality. Sasa Lukic, Issa Diop and Florentino Luis bring Premier League know-how, while Daizen Maeda adds blistering pace and a proven work rate.
What stands out is the depth. Ipswich haven’t just replaced bodies; they’ve upgraded almost every line. Fourteen players in, 18 out, and a squad that now has options, variety and physicality.
Gary O’Neil’s task is obvious: weld this group together quickly. The early signs have been encouraging. The ambition is unmistakable.
Leeds: Quiet control, late spark
Rating: 8/10
Leeds’ window will be remembered for the drama of Deadline Day, but the real work was done long before the clock ticked down.
Daniel Farke wanted upgrades in key positions and got them. Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic and James Trafford all elevate the starting XI. The manager has been open about his desire to raise individual quality; this trio does exactly that.
Depth, a glaring issue last season, has also been addressed. Nico Elvedi, Michael Zetterer and Melvin Bard add cover and competition.
Then came the wildcard. Jean-Matteo Bahoya, a winger with searing pace and genuine X-factor, arrived late. If he explodes over the next 12 months, this window’s rating climbs again.
Even without that breakout, Leeds now own a squad capable of consolidating their Premier League status. That, after recent turbulence, is no small achievement.
Liverpool: Good business, nagging gaps
Rating: 7/10
Liverpool ticked several boxes. They didn’t tick all of them.
Pace in wide areas? Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz deliver that. With Cody Gakpo staying – he was never likely to leave once bids for Yankuba Minteh and Ismaila Sarr were rebuffed – Andoni Iraola now has four wide options when you include Rio Ngumoha’s emergence. Gakpo can still cover centrally with Hugo Ekitike sidelined.
At the back, Ronald Araujo is a key addition, capable of playing both centre-back and right-back. Given injuries to Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni, his versatility is vital. He complements Jeremy Jacquet, whose deal was agreed in the winter and who already looks every inch a Liverpool centre-half.
But the Salah void remains. Liverpool have not signed a natural right-sided winger, even if Barcola, Gakpo, Ngumoha and Munoz can all operate there. A specialist would have changed the complexion of the attack.
So would another high-level full-back and a dedicated holding midfielder. Those absences keep this from being a great window.
There are positives. Barcola has star quality. Munoz looks mentally built for Anfield. Jacquet and Araujo have already struck a chord with supporters. The average age of Liverpool’s first-team signings over the last two summers sits around 22, and the club have also secured deals for 18-year-olds Lucca Brughmans and Djylian N’Guessan for the future.
It’s a good window. It could have been a defining one.
Manchester City: Losing Rodri, doubling down on talent
Rating: 8/10
How do you praise a window in which Manchester City lose Rodri, arguably the best player at the World Cup? By looking at what came next.
For a while, it felt like drift. Then the champions ignited Deadline Day. Enzo Fernandez arrived for a record fee – the second time City have broken that mark this summer – to headline a rebuilt midfield. He’ll likely line up alongside Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi in a £300m engine room that will terrify most of Europe.
Inside the club, there’s a firm belief the squad is stronger than it was a year ago. Sales of Savio, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders, Nathan Ake and James Trafford funded not only Fernandez, but also the arrivals of Iliman Ndiaye and Allan in attack.
Enzo Maresca wanted tools for a tactical revolution. He’s got them. Now comes the hard part: proving this version of City can still set the pace in the title race without their old metronome.
Manchester United: Midfield rebuilt, questions elsewhere
Rating: 7/10
Manchester United entered the summer with one clear priority: fix the midfield. On that front, they delivered.
Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba have come in for around £155m. Together with Kobbie Mainoo, they give Michael Carrick a range of combinations and profiles he simply didn’t have last season.
The left-back situation is less tidy. United didn’t land a specialist, but the staff point to internal solutions. Noussair Mazraoui, who impressed there for Morocco at the World Cup, can fill in. Diogo Dalot can switch sides if needed.
Departures didn’t materialise as expected. Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte and Marcus Rashford all stayed, limiting the room to manoeuvre in other areas. That could yet prove a blessing. If Rashford continues his bright start, Carrick may feel like he’s gained a new signing without spending a penny.
This wasn’t a flawless window. But it was coherent, and for United, that’s progress.
Newcastle: From looming disaster to bold rebuild
Rating: 8/10
At one stage, Newcastle’s summer looked like it might collapse under the weight of missed targets. It didn’t.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo’s Deadline Day arrival completed a run of eight signings. Of those, Lukas Hornicek, Amar Dedic, Nico Gonzalez and Fernandez-Pardo all strengthen the starting XI. Behind them, Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba, Bazoumana Toure and Ewan Jaouen represent raw, high-upside bets.
The numbers are stark. Newcastle spent £262m and brought in £245m, largely from the sales of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon. Painful exits, yes, but the squad now looks younger, deeper and more balanced.
The late moves for Gonzalez and Fernandez-Pardo, costing a combined £101m, feel particularly significant – statements of intent as much as signings. Add in the continued impact of Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa, who arrived last summer for £110m and now look like fresh injections of quality, and the squad transformation is clear.
A window that flirted with disaster has ended with Newcastle looking bolder than ever.
Nottingham Forest: Glasner gets his profile players
Rating: 7.5/10
Oliver Glasner’s first window at Nottingham Forest was about fit, not fireworks.
He wanted a physical No 9 with room to grow. Liam Delap ticks that box. He wanted a starting wing-back he trusted. Daniel Munoz, reunited with his old boss, provides exactly that. Ousmane Diomande, another Glasner pick, strengthens the back line, while Xaver Schlager brings familiarity and reliability from their Wolfsburg days.
The blemish? Failing to replace Elliot Anderson with a similarly dynamic, forward-thinking midfielder. The fee from Manchester City was good business, but that profile is still missing.
Even so, Forest now look more like a Glasner team. That alone marks this window as a solid foundation.
Sunderland: Chaos at the airport, clarity on the pitch
Rating: 7/10
Sunderland waited. And waited. Then sprinted.
They’d chased a winger all summer. Malick Fofana wasn’t first choice, but as options dwindled, he became the best available. Then came the drama: a tug-of-war at Lyon airport with Crystal Palace, resolved only when owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus stepped in, pushed the fee up and forced the deal over the line.
After that circus, Fofana has to start. So does Dayann Methalie, the big-money summer signing. The real victory, though, was internal: keeping Granit Xhaka, Brian Brobbey and Noah Sadiki.
Sunderland’s window veered towards farce at times. On the squad sheet, it looks a lot more composed.
Tottenham: Big money, big swings, big unknowns
Rating: 7/10
On commitment to spending, Tottenham are a 10/10. On the quality and value of that spend, the verdict is more cautious.
They started with a bang. Beating Manchester United to Mateus Fernandes and landing Sandro Tonali – a player many thought out of their reach – signalled a new era. Roberto De Zerbi has been handed genuine power to reshape this squad.
Spending around £50m on Jan Paul van Hecke, with only a year left on his deal, is exactly the sort of move Spurs once shied away from. Defence and midfield have been addressed. The forward line, their glaring weakness last season, has been more complicated.
The year-long pursuit of Savio finally ended in success. Omar Marmoush followed, delighting supporters. De Zerbi still wanted one more marquee attacker. Cody Gakpo was the dream, but once Manchester City entered the race, that dream died.
Then came the twist. After a bruising defeat to Newcastle, Spurs fans woke to news of a fee agreed with Everton for Iliman Ndiaye, with Richarlison going the other way. Ndiaye would have electrified the stadium. Instead, he chose City, and Richarlison publicly criticised Spurs.
So they turned to Chelsea. Mykhailo Mudryk and Tosin Adarabioyo arrived, a move that would once have been unthinkable between these clubs. Times, and finances, have changed.
Mudryk is a gamble. He hasn’t played competitive football in nearly two years. But if De Zerbi unlocks the version that once terrified defenders, this risk could look inspired. Chelsea’s insistence on a high loan-to-buy fee suggests they haven’t completely given up on him either.
Spurs have thrown money and trust at their manager. Now they find out whether this high-stakes reshaping can finally drag them from promise to something more permanent.
