The transfer window has slammed shut — and the smoke is still clearing. Over 150 senior players signed across the Premier League. Fortunes spent. Futures reshaped. And while the real judgement comes in May, we’re not waiting that long. This was a record breaking summer for the Premier League and even Sunderland spent more than PSG this summer…wild.
Some clubs made bold moves to chase glory. Others fiddled at the edges and hoped for miracles. A few just totally forgot to buy a midfielder. The margins are razor-thin this season — and one bad window could be the difference between European nights and Monday nights in the Championship.
So, here it is. Every Premier League club, graded. Just who nailed it, who flopped it, and who’s already regretting everything.
Arsenal
Who did they sign?
Arsenal made eight summer signings of varied importance. Kepa, Norgaard and Mosquera bring depth. Zubimendi, Eze, Gyökeres and Madueke are proper starting XI threats. Each of these are viewed as the real level-raisers in the team Hincapie adds a left-footed wrinkle to Arteta’s backline. Eze could be the spark Arsenal lacked last season.
Arsenal’s squad is now in better shape to deal with the demands of a full season than it was last year, which has already been seen in how Arteta has been able to respond to unexpected injuries this term.
Who didn’t they sign?
Arsenal will be rather chuffed overall they signed most players they went in for this summer. The big Gyökeres vs. Šeško debate went the way of the Portuguese league top scorer. He’s quality, but questions remain about whether he’ll justify the price tag in the league’s most demanding role. A proven senior forward, but will he adapt to the Premier League? Personally I have my doubts having seen plenty of him whilst in Lisbon. Not that he won’t be good but will he live up to the price tag and shoot Arsenal to a title?
Grade: A-
Arsenal addressed the right areas, added depth, and brought in flair. Whether Gyökeres is the final piece remains to be seen.
Aston Villa
Who did they sign?
Villa’s summer was slow-going, like tortoise slow, but like the wee turtle, they came out alright. They recruited a good upgrade in the backup goalkeeper position in Marco Bizot from Brest (I presume we all saw that Emery press conference?). Lindelöf on a free is tidy, Great deal on a free, less injury prone than Mings and Konsa, while the reduced pressure of Villa makes this a great deal for both parties. . Guessand gives Emery some forward flexibility. Sancho is either a coup or a car crash. Harvey Elliott on loan with obligation.
@ligue1 MARCO BIZOT 🗣️🧤 #Ligue1McDonalds #sportstiktok #stadebrestois #bizot #emery @Stade Brestois 29
Who didn’t they sign?
Plenty of targets missed. Nypan to City. Canvot to Palace. Paquetá and Asensio who was at Villa last year signed for Fenerbahce.. It was messy.
Grade: D
Lost momentum, missed targets, and signed more questions than answers. Villa’s window has been unpredictable. Emery will need magic, but then again that’s textbook Emery.
Bournemouth
Who did they sign?
Bournemouth replaced outgoings, many of them, but they have recruited well in bringing in another goalkeeper from Chelsea inPetrovic, Full-back Truffert, Centre-back Diakité, Wingers Doak, Adli. Athletic, technically solid signings.
Who didn’t they sign?
A Billing replacement. A central midfielder. No real CM cover after key starters Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook having no pre-season due to injury, and Alex Scott returning late after European Championship success with England’s under-21s.. Midfield looks thin.
Grade: C
Good business in defence and out wide, but midfield neglect could cost them.Bournemouth have made excellent additions overall, but they really needed to having lost four of their back five in Kepa Arrizabalaga, Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez while also selling Dango Ouattara to Brentford.
Brentford
Who did they sign?
Speaking of Ouattara Brentford, the headline acquisition in a post-Wissa/Mbeumo rebuild. Henderson is… well, a surprise, but comes with great experience. Kelleher could be a steal coming in to replace Flekken who headed of to Bayern Leverkusen. Nelson on loan. Milambo also came in from Feyenoord.
Who didn’t they sign?
Big swings at Hutchinson who headed to Nottingham Forrest, Beier, and Veerman failed. Letting Frank leave for Spurs without a ready-made plan stings.
Grade: C
New manager. New front line. New era. Could go either way. This has been a mental summer for Brentford. Ouattara seems like a bang tidy signing, but will they have enough firepower to survive under Frank’s inexperienced replacement Keith Andrews?
Brighton
Brighton
Who did they sign?
De Cuyper at left-back who already looks a signing, Boscagli, Coppola as cover for skipper Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke. While Kostoulas, Watson. Mostly future-focused moves but provide cover for Welbeck and Rutter.
Who didn’t they sign?
A specialist right-back. Veltman isn’t immortal, he’s 34 in July (at 33 myself this stung to write) and he’s the club only established right back after Tamptey headed to Italy.
Grade: C+
Brighton stuck to their model, but this might be a season too early for some of these kids. Kostoulas and Stefanos Tzimas, who was signed at the end of the January window need to have find plenty of goals to find following Joao Pedro’s move to Chelsea.
Burnley
Who did they sign?
Dubravka, Walker, Hartman, Ugochukwu, Jacob Bruun Larsen has started the last couple of games, and Florentino Luis, Armando Broja and Loum Tchaouna, Plus permanent deals for four loanees, Bashir Humphreys, Marcus Edwards, Jaidon Anthony and Zian Flemming. Added experience and promise. 10 new signings
Who didn’t they sign?
Josh Sargent. Priced out early.Burnley moved on to other targets and ended the window happyish?
Grade: C
More grounded approach than Kompany’s chaos. They added a nice blend of experience, youth with Premier League experience, players with European experience a few bits on the side. Nothing flashy, but it might be enough.
Chelsea
Who did they sign?
Who didn’t they sign? Surely there comes a point Chelsea’s dealing comes undone? But more on that in the latest Statrcast. Delap, Joao Pedro, Estevao Willian, Garnacho, Gittens, Hato, Buonanotte. Plus a net-zero spend. Somehow. Chelsea spent €328.16m but its majorly offset by a remarkable summer sale to the value of €332.25m, which does not include the loan fees, other than Nicolas Jackson’s move which was nearly a Peter Odemwingie level deadline day disaster.
Who didn’t they sign?
No Maignan. No Ekitike. No Simons. No Huijsen. The wishlist for a specialist centre-back in the window was long but still Chalobah remains.
Grade: B
Meh, Volume as usual, but with slightly more logic. Goalkeeper remains a red flag.
Crystal Palace
Who did they sign?
Left the business late. Beniteza the back-up keeper, Sosa, Canvot, Pino, Uche — mostly late arrivals. Deadline-day dealers. This is a problem and I blame Uefa, the club didnt know if they were in the Europa League or not until the last possible moment, leaving planning time at a premium. Then came three arrivals.
Who didn’t they sign?
Missed out on Guessand who wound up at Aston Villa, Gallagher in a late loan move effort, Diomande. Eze left. Guehi stayed after a failed deal for Igor Julio.
Grade: C
Planning hindered by UEFA’s Europa League disaster. Finished OK, but could’ve been much better. It could have been worse after losing Eze, but they kept Guehi and Mateta so that’s good news.
Everton
Who did they sign?
Grealish on loan, the headline addition is that of Jack Grealish – whopper of a deal and potentially signing of the summer to be honest – 4 assists already, who joined on a season-long loan from Manchester City. Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea . Barry £27.5m (plus add-ons) from Villarreal who looks a beat. Dibling. Rohl. Alcaraz. Squad suddenly looks competent.
Who didn’t they sign?
A long-term right-back. AFCON-proof DM depth. A move for Kenny Tete was close before Fulham offered improved terms
Grade: B
Smart, aggressive, and Grealish might be the best move of the lot. Everton still lack defensive-midfield cover for Idrissa Gueye ahead of December’s AFCON.
Fulham
Who did they sign?
The lack of activity prior pissed of Marco Silva. He said during a press conference on August 22,
“At this stage of last season, we had two to three players in. This season, we had a plan, the plan has fallen through. It’s our fault, not active at all. … We have 10 days, in May we had almost three months. We’re still working to correct things we haven’t done in the last three months.”
Then as per usual the Khan’s pulled through looking at the bargains and movers on deadline day. Starting with Shakhtar Donetsk forward Kevin late on deadline day for a club-record deal before Samuel Chukwueze adding to the Naija contingent alongside Iwobi and Bassey and 18-year-old Jonah Kusi-Asare arrived on loan from Milan and Bayern Munich. Josh King breakout is a bonus.
Who didn’t they sign?
Reiss Nelson on loan last year two teams could not agree on a deal. Tyrique George just ran out of time on deadline day. Lost Pereira. Didn’t go big.
Grade: C
Held steady while others stumbled. But it feels like a chance missed. Andreas Pereira, who joined Palmeiras, is a loss. A fantasy legend if you will, always a good price and set piece merchant, but it’s Josh King’s time now. The only mid pack team not decimated this summer despite interest in Robinson and Muniz.
Leeds United
Who did they sign?
Ten players were added for around £100million. Centre-back Jaka Bijol, mid Anton Stach who already looks good, goalkeeper Lucas Perri who is at least not Meslier, Okafor, Perri, Longstaff, Justin, Strikers Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Bulked up.
Who didn’t they sign?
Paixao that’s the one that really stings for supporters, Buonanotte, Wilson. A real goal scorer, after they failed to land Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz and/or Harry Wilson.
Grade: C
Safe but unspectacular. Will live and die by Okafor and DCL’s hamstrings, not done enough in attack for me.
Liverpool
Who did they sign?
What the actual shit was this all about? guess they spent no money last summer and the money they were willing to put on Caicedo the year before was still sitting in the bank. This may go down as one of the greatest transfer windows in not only Liverpool’s history, but in Premier League history,
Wirtz. Isak. Frimpong. Kerkez. Ekitike. Mamardashvili. Just absurd business. North of 400m, mad stuff.
Who didn’t they sign?
Marc Guehi. Deal collapsed. Only miss.
Grade: A
Superclub behaviour. It sickens me to say it but it’s almost like they’ve seen Pep’s stumble as an opportunity to make a statement and enter their era of dominance,
No holes. No excuses. They’re stacked. Only reason this isn’t an A+ is the Guehi miss at the finish line.
Manchester City
Who did they sign?
City did bits in fairness to them, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri over 100m there, 2 goalkeepers, Gianluigi Donnarumma and James Trafford, the poor bastard
No RB, though.
Who didn’t they sign?
That RB. Also couldn’t offload fringe players in Stefan Ortega and Manuel Akanji, left with Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis as the only options.
Grade: B-
Quality in, but unbalanced, quality but the lack of sales to satisfy Guardiola’s request for a smaller squad and the decision not grab a right-back gap remains unsolved.
Manchester United
Who did they sign?
Matheus Cunha was United’s first signing of the summer window, Bryan Mbeumo followed in July, centre-forward Benjamin Sesko completes the new look United front trio . Two years ago they signed Hojlund a hot up and coming forward, last year they signed Zirkzee a young up and coming forward, so Utd needing a senior striker did what? SIgned a young up and coming forward. Hopefully he can deal with the pressure. Senne Lammens was the final incoming of the window. The 23-year-old Belgian goalkeeper was a deadline-day signing,. Most saves in any top division last year, Belgian league I hear you say? Still have to save them I say, Manchester needed a keeper with presence, this guy might be great but this isnt the Utd that De Gea came into. Basically Manchester United needed a forward and keeper of known quality and instead they have bought hope….
Who didn’t they sign?
Emi Martinez, honestly in what is a huge pressure position is there any other player who could have taken that pressure in their stride and thrive on it. Oh and, a midfielder. Carlos Baleba, namely
Grade: C
Another year, another “almost” window. Still a few pieces short.
Newcastle United
Who did they sign?
Not a great window for the Geordies, so many players they were in for ended up elsewhere. But they did bring in 6, Ramsdale, Elanga, Thiaw & Jacob Ramsey in the middle , Wissa on deadline day and Woltemade. Reinforcements for depth.
Who didn’t they sign?
Liam Delap, Bryan Mbeumo, Joao Pedro, Benjamin Sesko, Hugo Ekitike, Jorgen Strand Larsen, James Trafford, Failed to keep Isak. Not Great.
Grade: B-
Improved depth but lost a star. Mixed emotions, so it’s hard to tell right now.
Nottingham Forest
Who did they sign?
Nottingham Forest brought in a dozen new faces to their squad as they seem to do every year, 12 new signings in fact. Igor Jesus and Arnaud Kalimuendo. Dan Ndoye is seen as the replacement for Anthony Elanga, Omari Hutchinson, Dilane Bakwa, James McAtee, Angus Gunn and John Victor Nicolo Savona, Cuiabano and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Who didn’t they sign?
Cash, Traore who Nuno seems to sign anywhere he goes, and a few others slipped away.
Grade: B-
Squad complete. Could’ve used earlier deals. Nuno now has no excuses.
Sunderland
Who did they sign?
14 signings. 14 and they outspent more than PSG this summer……let that sink in.
Xhaka already named captain, Habib Diarra, a £27.3m record signing from Strasbourg, Simon Adingra Brian Brobbey, Chemsdine Talbi , Enzo Le Fee , Noah Sadiki, Omar Alderete, Nordi Mukiele, Robin Roefs, Bertrand Traore, Reinildo , Lutsharel Geertruida, Arthur Masuaku and, your man already back at Chelsea, Marc Guiu.
Who didn’t they sign?
Lucumi. Petrovic. Two decent misses.
Grade: A
As play-off winners, Sunderland were the last team to be promoted so they needed to be Ambitious. Cohesive. Statement summer. They kinda did that, but will it work?
Tottenham Hotspur
Who did they sign?
They went out and grabbed 3 players who improve the team, which after last season, they needed. Kudus, Xavi Simons, Palhinha, who will be up there come the end of the season as one of the deals of the summer. Danso and Tel did become permanent signings and they fetched Randal Kolo Muani on loan.
Who didn’t they sign?
Gibbs-White was a kick in the nads, and Eze snubbed them from the red half of North London. Still short at CB.
Grade: B
Improved and flexible. But depth concerns linger. Simons could be special but is the heir to Son Heung-min?
West Ham United
Who did they sign?
Diouf who looks to be a promising full-back , Callum Wilson, Kyle Walker-Peters, Leicester goalkeeper Hermansen, Fernandes came from Southampton , Magassa, Todibo, Julio joined on a season-long loan from Brighton .
Who didn’t they sign?
7 signings, but missed out on a proven striker and some defensive cover.
Grade: D+
Thin squad. Potter under pressure. January may come too late. very short up top and at the back.
Wolves
Who did they sign?
They filled most of the positions they aimed to fill, wing back Tchatchoua, other full back Wolfe, center back Krejci, and attackers Fer Lopez and Jhon Arias and Tolu Arokodare, All gambles. All unproven. Squad size is fine, but is the quality there?
Who didn’t they sign?
Anyone that gives you confidence they’ll stay up, literally no central mids and nobody with priors in the Premier League. Mad.
Grade: F
Relegation favourites for a reason. Let’s see who’s still standing in April. Credit for keeping onto Strand Larsen there for another year after moving on Ait Nouri and Cunha.Squad looking unbalanced.
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