The transfer window has officially closed for Premier League clubs – but which teams enjoyed a successful window and who struggled to strengthen?
We’ve assessed each club and how we think they got on…
Arsenal – B+
Major signings: Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, David Raya, Raheem Sterling (loan), Neto (loan)
Major departures: Emile Smith-Rowe, Aaron Ramsdale, Eddie Nketiah, Fabio Vieira (loan)
Verdict: The Gunners did not make a flurry of signings but strengthened in key areas. The addition of versatile defender Calafiori strengthens the back line and Merino provides Mikel Arteta with more depth in midfield. The surprise signing of Raheem Sterling could go either way, but if he can get back to somewhere near his best then he will bring more goals to this Arsenal side. They have also moved on several out of favour players like Emile Smith-Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Aaron Ramsdale for decent money which will help keep the club on the right side of PSR (profit and sustainability rules). A striker addition would have been good though, with Kai Havertz or Gabriel Jesus likely expected to lead the line this season.
Aston Villa – B
Major signings: Ian Maatsen, Amadou Onana, Samuel Iling-Junior, Jaden Philogene, Ross Barkley, Enzo Barrenechea, Lewis Dobbin
Major departures: Alex Moreno, Tim Iroegbunam, Omari Kellyman
Verdict: Villa have had a busy window and were among the biggest gross spenders, bringing in Amadou Onana from Everton for £50m and Ian Maatsen from Chelsea for a reported £37.5m. Losing Douglas Luiz to Juventus was a blow but seemingly a necessary one in order to comply with PSR, but Onana is already showing that he is a more than capable replacement. Moussa Diaby has also gone for a big fee, reportedly around £50m. Villa do not look much stronger than last season but have not really weakened themselves either.
Bournemouth – B-
Major signings: Evanilson, Luis Sinisterra, Enes Ünal, Dean Huijsen, Julián Araujo, Kepa Arrizabalaga (loan)
Major departures: Dominic Solanke, Lloyd Kelly, Neto, Hamed Traore
Verdict: The Cherries have lost talisman Dominic Solanke to Tottenham and it will be difficult for anyone to replace what he brought to the team, but they have re-invested by bringing in Evanlison from Porto and have strengthened across the pitch, and look to have more depth than last season. Their squad looks strong enough to stay up.
Brentford – C+
Major signings: Igor Thiago, Fabio Carvalho, Sepp van den Berg
Major departures: Ivan Toney, Shandon Baptiste, Thomas Strakosha, Saman Ghoddos
Verdict: Much of the focus on Brentford has been around the future of striker Ivan Toney, who completed a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli on deadline day for £40m. The Bees can now move on from the long running saga and have added some exciting young talent in striker Igor Thiago and duo Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool. Losing Thiago, signed as Toney’s replacement, until the new year with injury was a big blow. Their signings are largely unproven in the Premier League but they have kept the core of the squad which has done so well since being promoted to the Premier League together. They still look light in the full-back areas, however, especially with the ongoing injury problems for Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry.
Brighton – A
Major signings: Georginio Rutter, Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Brajan Gruda, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, Matt O’Riley
Major departures: Deniz Undav, Pascal Gross, Billy Gilmour, Mahmoud Dahoud, Adam Lallana, Facundo Buonanotte (loan), Valentin Barco (loan)
Verdict: Brighton have certainly backed new manager Fabian Hürzeler and had the biggest net spend in the transfer window at £186m. Minteh looks a really smart addition out wide and Rutter, while needing to add more goals, has already shown he can be an effective player in the final third in the Premier League.
Chelsea – C
Major signings: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Joao Felix, Pedro Neto, Marc Guiu, Omari Kellyman, Tosin Adarabioyo, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Estevao Willian, Filip Jorgensen, Aaron Anselmino, Mike Penders, Jadon Sancho (loan)
Major departures: Conor Gallagher, Romelu Lukaku, Ian Maatsen, Lewis Hall, Hakim Ziyech, Djordje Petrovic, Omari Hutchinson, Kepa (loan)
Verdict: Chelsea have unsurprisingly been very active in the transfer window once again, signing 13 new players although not all will join up with Enzo Maresca’s squad this season. Many of the additions are young players who will need time and Chelsea do not appear to have strengthened considerably in the areas where they are lacking, though Pedro Neto is an exciting addition if he can stay fit. Their failure to bring in a top striker despite their efforts could also cost them, and letting Conor Gallagher go has weakened the midfield.
Crystal Palace – B
Major signings: Eddie Nketiah, Chadi Riad, Daichi Kamada, Ismaila Sarr, Maxence Lacroix, Trevoh Chalobah (loan)
Major departures: Michael Olise, Joachim Andersen, Jordan Ayew, Sam Johnstone
Verdict: Palace have lost two big players in Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen, but managed to keep hold of Marc Guehi despite Newcastle bidding enormous money for the defender. It will be intriguing to see what Eddie Nketiah can do with more regular game time after arriving from Arsenal, and they have addressed the losses of Olise and Andersen by signing Ismaila Sarr and Daichi Kamada in the forward areas and Maxene Lacroix, Chadi Riad, and Trevoh Chalobah at the back.
Everton – C-
Major signings: Orel Mangala (loan), Iliman Ndiaye, Jack Harrison, Tim Iroegbunam, Jesper Lindstrom (loan), Jake O’Brien, Asmir Begovic, Armando Broja (loan)
Major departures: Amadou Onana, Ben Godfrey, Lewis Dobbin, Neal Maupay, Andre Gomes
Verdict: Time will tell whether Everton’s summer additions will make the difference but on the face of it, they do not look to have done much to improve the squad. It is a big ask for Iliman Ndiaye and Armando Broja to bring the goals they have desperately been lacking and Orel Mangala and Tim Iroegbunam are not the level of player of the now departed Amadou Onana in midfield. They have also signed Jesper Lindstrom on loan from Napoli and Jake O’Brien from Lyon but do not look to have done enough to help Sean Dyche take the team forward.
Fulham – B+
Major signings: Emile Smith Rowe, Joachim Andersen, Sander Berge, Jorge Cuenca, Ryan Sessegnon, Reiss Nelson (loan)
Major departures: Joao Palhinha, Tim Ream, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Tosin
Verdict: Fulham have had an exciting window and the addition of Emile Smith-Rowe in particular is an exciting one if he can stay fit. The loss of Joao Palhinha to Bayern is a blow but an expected one and they look stronger overall than they did last season with the players they have brought in.
Ipswich Town – B+
Major signings: Liam Delap, Omari Hutchinson, Sammie Szmodics, Kalvin Phillips (loan), Jacob Greaves, Dara O’Shea, Arijanet Muric, Chiedozie Ogbene, Jack Clarke, Leon Elliott, Ben Johnson, Conor Townsend, Jens Cajuste
Major departures: Vaclav Hladky, Kayden Jackson
Verdict: Ipswich have thrown their support behind Kieran McKenna after staying at the club this summer with several signings and the second highest net spend in the Premier League. They have strengthened all over the pitch but especially in the forward areas with Delap, Hutchinson, Szmodcis, and Clarke all arriving, and have done pretty much everything they can to give McKenna the best chance of keeping Ipswich up. Another striker would have been good though, with their pursuit of Armando Broja proving unsuccessful.
Leicester City – C-
Major signings: Abdul Fatawu, Oliver Skipp, Jordan Ayew, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Facundo Buonanotte (loan), Odsonne Edouard (loan), Bilal El Khannouss, Caleb Okoli,
Major departures: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Kelechi Iheanacho, Denis Praet
Verdict: Leicester’s squad needed a lot of work this summer to be ready for the Premier League and while they have made some decent signings in Facundo Buonanotte, Oliver Skipp and Abdul Fatawu, they do not look to have done enough to stave off trouble this season and needed to add more depth and quality in attack.
Liverpool – C-
Major signings: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Federico Chiesa
Major departures: Fabio Carvalho, Sepp van den Berg, Joel Matip, Stefan Bajcetic (loan), Thiago
Verdict: It was a very quiet window for Liverpool, who added just one new player to this year’s squad in Chiesa, with goalkeeper Mamardashvili set to join up next season. If he can stay fit, Chiesa adds another dimension to an already stacked attack but while Liverpool already have an outstanding side, it was perhaps disappointing not to see new boss Arne Slot backed with more signings and could leave them short in the future.
Manchester City – B
Major signings: Savinho, Ilkay Gundogan
Major departures: Julian Alvarez, Liam Delap, Tommy Doyle, Sergio Gomez, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Kalvin Phillips, Joao Cancelo, Micah Hamilton
Verdict: The two signings City have made are strong. Savinho has settled in quickly to City’s team and the surprise return of Gundogan brings experience and quality into the midfield. Losing Alvarez, albeit for a huge fee, means City have less depth up top though and there is greater reliance on Erling Haaland to stay fit as a result.
Manchester United – B
Major signings: Leny Yoro, Mathjis de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, Noussair Mazraoui, Manuel Ugarte
Major departures: Jadon Sancho (loan), Mason Greenwood, Willy Kambwala, Donny van de Beek, Anthony Martial, Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Scott McTominay, Facundo Pellistri, Hannibal Mejbri
Verdict: On the face of it, United have addressed some key areas and the squad is stronger as a result, particularly at the back with the additions of Yoro, de Ligt and Mazraoui, while Ugarte should be a significant upgrade on Casemiro. They are still light up top though with Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund both young players who need time and adding a more proven striker, as well as more depth in the wide areas, would have been a big boost.
Newcastle United – C-
Major signings: Lewis Hall, Lloyd Kelly, William Osula, Odysseas Vlachodimos
Major departures: Elliot Anderson, Yakubah Minteh, Ryan Fraser
Verdict: A disappointing transfer window for Newcastle, whose protracted pursuit of Marc Guehi failed to result in them signing the defender while they did not manage to strengthen the squad in a significant way. The signings they made are fine, but they have not made the strides forward the fans and boss Eddie Howe would have been hoping for.
Nottingham Forest – B
Major signings: Elliot Anderson, James Ward-Prowse (loan), Morato, Nikola Milenkovic, Jota Silva, Alex Moreno (loan)
Major departures: Matt Turner (loan), Remo Freuler, Orel Mangala, Moussa Niakhate, Odysseas Vlachodimos, Cheikhou Kouyate
Verdict: The addition of James Ward-Prowse on deadline day is an exciting signing that makes a lot of sense for Forest given their height at set pieces. Overall, they are in a solid position when comparing the additions with the departures and also managed to keep hold of important players like Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga.
Southampton – B
Major signings: Aaron Ramsdale, Maxwell Cornet (loan), Ryan Fraser, Flynn Downes, Ronnie Edwards, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Yukinari Sugawara, Ben Brereton Diaz, Nathan Wood, Adam Lallana, Charlie Taylor, Cameron Archer, Lesley Ugochukwu (loan), Mateus Fernandes
Major departures: Duje Caleta-Car, Lyanco, Romain Perraud, Che Adams, Stuart Armstrong, Sekou Mara, Shea Charles (loan)
Verdict: Like the other newly promoted teams, Southampton needed to strengthen after coming up from the Championship and have tried to do just that with additions all over the pitch. There is still a lot of uncertainty around some of their signings and whether they can have the desired impact in the Premier League but they are certainly stronger now than they were at the start of the window.
Tottenham – B
Major signings: Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Timo Werner (loan), Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert
Major departures: Emerson Royal, Eric Dier, Pierre Emile-Hojberg (loan), Bryan Gil (loan), Oliver Skipp
Verdict: Tottenham have gone big on a number nine this summer as a replacement for Harry Kane a year after the striker left for Bayern Munich and will hope Solanke can deliver the finishing touch which can take Spurs to the next level under Ange Postecoglou. Much of their business has centred around young players who will need time to develop though and while it could pay off in the future, have perhaps not done enough to strengthen the team immediately.
West Ham – A
Major signings: Luis Guilherme, Max Kilman, Carlos Soler (loan), Crysensio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez, Jean-Clair Todibo (loan), Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Major departures: James Ward-Prowse (loan), Maxwell Cornet (loan), Nayef Aguerd (loan), Said Benrahma, Flynn Downes, Thilo Kehrer, Ben Johnson, Angelo Ogbonna,
Verdict: West Ham have backed new boss Julen Lopetegui in a big way by bringing in the types of players he wants to play his style of football, which has also meant previous big signings like Ward-Prowse and Aguerd have had to depart. The Hammers must be commended for getting behind their new man and have signed players that look ready to make an instant impact, such as Kilman, Wan-Bissaka and Rodriguez.
Wolves – D+
Major signings: Tommy Doyle, Carlos Forbs (loan), Andre, Rodrigo Gomes, Pedro Lima, Jorgen Strand-Larsen (loan), Sam Johnstone
Major departures: Fabio Silva (loan), Max Kilman, Pedro Neto, Hugo Bueno (loan)
Verdict: A disappointing window for Wolves who lost two of their best players in Kilman and Neto and have failed to replace them with players of a similar level. Gary O’Neil admitted after the heavy defeat to Chelsea that this would undoubtedly have an impact on his team and despite still having plenty of talented players, they do look in a weaker position than last season.
FEATURED IMAGE: Paul ELLIS / AFP VIA ONE FOOTBALL
