With the summer transfer window now shut, our writers pick out which clubs did the best - and worst - business, the astutest signings, and much more.
Which three clubs had the best window and why?
Alex Keble: Brighton, West Ham, Man Utd
Brighton & Hove Albion have reportedly spent £200million on new players - and almost every single one has a high ceiling, giving Fabian Hurzeler the chance to do something special this season.
Yankuba Minteh and Brajan Gruda are exciting wingers, Mats Wieffer and Matt O’Riley are the midfield reinforcements they badly needed, while Ferdi Kadioglu and Georginio Rutter will be a lot of fun to watch develop at Brighton.
West Ham United also did very good business, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Crysencio Summerville, and Maximilian Kilman particularly astute acquisitions, although 31-year-old Niclas Fullkrug may not be quite the centre-forward the team needed.
Manchester United have started the season poorly, but the new team at INEOS deserve credit for managing to sell the players they may not have wanted so well. On top of that, Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, and Noussair Mazraoui are smart additions.
Adrian Clarke: Brighton, West Ham, Ipswich
Brighton have done some fantastic business, making major improvements to the quality and depth of their squad. Kadioglu was brilliant for Turkey at the Euros, and the vibrant full-back can thrive down either flank under Hurzeler. Winger Minteh has also hit the ground running, bringing power and productivity to the side.
Signing midfield lynchpin Wieffer from Feyenoord for a reported £25m could prove a bargain as he has the potential to be a difference maker. Rutter and Gruda are exciting attacking additions, with O’Riley another smart pick up in central midfield. Brighton look much stronger now than they were at the end of 2023/24.
A raft of top-quality players have arrived at West Ham including defenders Wan-Bissaka, Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo, all of whom look like upgrades, while the arrival of Fullkrug must be uplifting for the squad and supporters. Recruiting one of European football’s most in-form forwards is a sign of the Hammers’ increased ambition. The likes of Carlos Soler, Summerville and Luis Guilherme will also add flair to Julen Lopetegui’s side.
Kieran McKenna has been busy acquiring a lot of the EFL’s brightest talents at Ipswich Town, and as many of his new recruits are young players with scope for development, the future looks bright at Portman Road. Liam Delap, Jack Clarke, Omari Hutchinson, Jacob Greaves and Sam Szmodics were all superb in last season’s second tier. If they handle the top flight, Ipswich can avoid the drop.
Adrian Kajumba: West Ham, Man Utd, Crystal Palace
Having brought in so many new faces, West Ham have delivered for new head coach Lopetegui, who could field a team featuring an improved and new-look defence, midfield and attack while they managed to avoid losing any key players.
The impact has not been totally instant yet, but spells in defeats against Aston Villa and Manchester City, plus the win against Crystal Palace, have all been promising.
Man Utd would have been happy with their five major signings - Zirkzee, Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte - who filled their priority positions and lowered the squad’s average age, plus the amount of players they were able to move on.
A number of other clubs also carried out significant work on their squads, including Ipswich and Fulham, but Palace’s window caught the eye. Michael Olise’s exit was inevitable and he was joined by Joachim Andersen, but they have strengthened in attack and defence to compensate for their departures, while they kept Marc Guehi.
Ben Bloom: Brighton, Spurs, West Ham
After making healthy profits with some high-profile outgoings in recent years, Brighton spent a lot of money this summer, and early indications suggest they will reap rewards. Minteh looks an excellent showpiece signing, and there is enough depth among the plentiful new faces even if they all fail to fire.
Tottenham Hotspur's big-money punt on Dominic Solanke to belatedly replace Harry Kane looks a good move, while their trio of new teenage midfielders - Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert - are exciting both for the future and present. West Ham have massively improved the squad depth, while making notable upgrades to their starting defence.
Which three clubs had the worst window and why?
Alex Keble: Everton, Liverpool, Wolves
Everton supporters will have wished for more investment this summer, but with questions over the ownership it was never going to be the best window. Still, failing to improve in the full-back positions is already having a consequence.
Tim Iroegbunam is a good player but not yet at the level of the departed Amadou Onana, too, while Armando Broja has yet to prove he is a goalscorer at this level.
Liverpool failed to sign a single player until Federico Chiesa came in. He is good back-up to Mohamed Salah, but Arne Slot may regret not to have got a No 6.
Losing Pedro Neto and Kilman is a problem for Wolverhampton Wanderers, and although Jorgen Strand Larsen looks like a good signing, up front, Gary O’Neil has a job to make his side appear as strong as this time last year.
Adrian Clarke: Newcastle, Wolves, Brentford
It was a very quiet window for Eddie Howe, who was unable to address the most fragile areas of his squad. As it stands Alexander Isak is their only fit striker, so it was a surprise Newcastle United did not bring in somebody to offer cover. In central defence, where injuries have hit them hard, Newcastle also appear light.
Lloyd Kelly, signed on a free from AFC Bournemouth, is their standout acquisition. He is a steady, versatile defender, but outside of that capture Howe has not been able to strengthen his starting XI at all. A reported failed attempt for Anthony Elanga on deadline day summed up a frustrating window.
Selling Kilman and Pedro Neto has weakened Wolves at both ends of the pitch. Unable to reinvest much of the proceeds on proven replacements, they have chosen to invest in up-and-coming names from overseas and hope they can be hits.
I expected Brentford to be far busier, especially in the same summer they lost Ivan Toney and David Raya. They are unlucky in that new striker Igor Thiago is out for the foreseeable future, leaving ex-Liverpool players Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho as the only available first-team additions. Both have something to prove at this level.
Adrian Kajumba: Newcastle, Liverpool, Wolves
Having made sales earlier in the window, Newcastle were unable to add sufficient quality to their squad during the time that remained. That was compounded by their ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of their reported biggest target, Palace centre-back Guehi.
Liverpool could have done more as they only signed one player who will join immediately, Chiesa. Although they were unable to address their priority area by signing a new holding midfielder, their start to the season under Slot suggests their approach may not have been a bad thing after all.
For Wolves, the departures of Kilman and Pedro Neto brought in big sums, but the decision to bring in promising replacements leaves head coach O’Neil with a lot to do.
Ben Bloom: Newcastle, Wolves, Everton
While he did keep hold of some important players, Newcastle manager Howe did not hide his own frustration at what he admitted “has not been a brilliant window”. They failed in their reported long pursuit of Guehi and there are not many signs that they have improved their starting XI.
Wolves head coach O’Neil was also open about transfer dealings not going to plan after losing key players, but Rodrigo Gomes, Strand Larsen and Andre are intriguing.
Hamstrung by ownership issues, Everton were always going to struggle to make big-money moves and had to focus on future talent rather than instant upgrades.
Who are the best signings of the summer?
Alex Keble: Ilkay Gundogan, Amadou Onana, Emile Smith Rowe
Man City needed someone to replace Julian Alvarez’s goals and someone who can sit alongside Rodri more effectively than Mateo Kovacic. Essentially they needed to replace Ilkay Gundogan - which makes Ilkay Gundogan the signing of the summer!
He created more chances than any other player in LaLiga, with 97, and played 9.8 "expected assists" per 90 minutes, the second-highest figure in LaLiga. Gundogan is still an elite player.
Onana has made a brilliant start at Villa, scoring twice from set-pieces, and his powerful presence in central midfield is just what Unai Emery needed, while Emile Smith Rowe adds flair and dynamism to Fulham’s attack.
Adrian Clarke: Ilkay Gundogan, Savinho, Emile Smith Rowe
Bringing Gundogan back to the Etihad Stadium on a free feels like a genius move on Pep Guardiola’s part. The German guarantees goals from midfield, and in an emergency, he could also cover any potential Erling Haaland absence as a "false nine". This is a guy who scored 38 goals in his last three campaigns across all comptetitions in a Man City shirt.
He may be 33, but Gundogan’s influence and leadership is going to be invaluable as they look to land five titles in a row. Unlike most newcomers, he won’t need any time to adjust to the methods of his head coach either. Gundogan, who will hungry to make up for missing last season’s success, will surely be a hit.
My second favourite transfer is another City signing, Savinho. He is going to thrill fans this season with his lightning speed and sensationally quick feet.
I also like Fulham’s purchase of Smith Rowe. The attacking midfielder is a wonderfully gifted footballer, and I can see him reviving his career at Craven Cottage. He will be hungry to make a big impact.
Adrian Kajumba: Amadou Onana, Raheem Sterling, Emile Smith Rowe
Three appearances, including two man-of-the-match performances from Onana, has filled the void left by the departed Douglas Luiz - and perhaps made some of Villa’s rivals regret not making attempts to sign him too.
Raheem Sterling could prove a perfect signing for Arsenal, giving them a welcome, high-level and experienced additional option out wide. I’m looking forward to seeing the talented Smith Rowe get regular football and hopefully back on track at Fulham.
Ben Bloom: Emile Smith Rowe, Mikel Merino, Yankuba Minteh
Smith Rowe’s move across London from Arsenal to Fulham was one that suited all parties, and the three-capped England midfielder looks to have instantly settled. He has huge talent and it would not be a surprise if he quickly looks a cut above at a mid-table club.
His former club did not need much improvement, but shrewdly identified Mikel Merino as the required addition to try and help them win the title - it’s just a shame he suffered an injury in his first training session. Newcastle did not want to lose Minteh, and the Gambian winger has immediately shown why at Brighton.
What signing were you most surprised by?
Alex Keble: Julian Alvarez
Alvarez leaving Man City for Atletico Madrid was a huge shock, seemingly for Guardiola as much as anyone else. Alvarez was a vital part of the best team in England, contributing 19 goals and assists in 31 Premier League starts last season. Why would he want to leave that set-up?
Adrian Clarke: Jadon Sancho
I didn’t understand why Chelsea made a late move for Jadon Sancho. They have an abundance of wide forwards who are not all going to play week-in, week-out. Sancho’s Premier League performances have not generally been of the standards we expected of him, so he needs to make an instant impression in training to get game time at the Bridge.
Letting Sterling join Arsenal on loan - a move that ticks a lot of boxes for the Gunners - and replacing him with Sancho, is a bit strange. I wish him well at Chelsea, but in the here and now, with a centre-forward surely more of a priority, this feels a peculiar and surprising call.
Adrian Kajumba: Raheem Sterling
Few could have foreseen Sterling ending the window at Arsenal when it opened. But after being frozen out at Chelsea, the Blues’ loss could be the Gunners’ gain. They have added an established fresh face with a point to prove.
Ben Bloom: Jadon Sancho
It will be very odd to see Sterling at Arsenal and Kepa Arrizabalaga at Bournemouth despite both moves having logic. But they are trumped by Sancho’s switch to Chelsea in the surprise stakes, as a rollercoaster career combines with a hard-to-understand transfer policy.
Which club will be happiest to have kept a key player?
Alex Keble: Palace/Eberechi Eze
Palace will be very relieved to have retained Eberechi Eze, the undisputed star of the team now that Olise has departed. To have lost both men in the same summer would have been a disaster, but Eze’s goals - and Guehi’s defending - should bring further progress.
Adrian Clarke: Palace/Eberechi Eze and Guehi
Palace will be thrilled to have kept Eze, and Guehi. At one stage it looked like both may move on, with no shortage of admirers willing to pay the Eagles big money for them, so it’s a statement of intent that they have stayed. Eze’s influence is huge. His mercurial ability will be worth a stack of goals for Palace in 2024/25. He can create and score out of nowhere, so it was vital for Oliver Glasner to retain his X-Factor talent.
Adrian Kajumba: Palace/Marc Guehi
After losing Olise and Andersen, retaining centre-back Guehi, who is one of their other key players, was significant as they refused to succumb to a number of reported bids from Newcastle.
Ben Bloom: Palace/Marc Guehi
After seeing Olise and then Andersen depart, Palace fans simply could not face losing Guehi, whom Newcastle pushed hard to sign according to report. Chairman Steve Parish was in agreement and stood firm, to Glasner’s delight. The same can be said, also, for Everton and Jarrad Branthwaite.
