A hectic transfer window came to an end last week with Premier League clubs racking up more than £2bn in spending on transfer fees, according to financial services company Deloitte.
Chelsea led the way with a total spend of more than £400m, while Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal all spent more than £200m each.
But as has been seen so often in the past, money spent doesn’t always equate to a successful window. Here’s who we think won and lost the summer transfer window…
WINNERS
Arsenal
Arsenal have to be considered as one of the big winners of the window purely on the basis that they have signed one of the best midfielders in the world in Declan Rice. He didn’t come cheap at £105m, but Rice is already starting to repay a large chunk of that price tag and will be a key player for Arsenal for years to come.
Add to that the signings of the versatile Jurrien Timer, whose unfortunate injury in the first game of the season has put him out of action, will no doubt be a big player for the Gunners when he returns, and a top goalkeeper in David Raya to step in should Aaron Ramsdale struggle, as he has been known to at times, and Mikel Arteta will be really happy with the business that has been done. Kai Havertz is the only real question mark in terms of incomings and still has a lot left to prove, especially at a price tag of £65m.
West Ham
It looked for a while as though West Ham might be one of the big losers of the transfer window. Losing star man Declan Rice was always likely to happen but a lack of signings to follow his departure raised concern among the fanbase, and they were the last club to complete their first deal of the window.
But the business they have done since then has been excellent, and is reflected in their fine start to the season. Julian Alvarez from Ajax has impressed in his early days as a Hammer in the defensive midfield role Rice occupied last season, while James Ward-Prowse’s work-rate and creativity has added some much needed dynamism to the centre of the pitch.
Add to that a really exciting young player in Mohammed Kudus, who can play across the front line and as a midfielder, and greater depth in the middle of defence through the addition of Konstantinos Mavropanos and West Ham have to be considered one of the big winnders of the window.
Chelsea
It hasn’t been the start Mauricio Pochettino wanted, but there’s no doubt Chelsea have significantly improved their squad this summer. Christopher Nkunku’s injury was a big one for the Blues, and his presence in this team would no doubt have contributed to better performances and perhaps results. But signing the attacker will surely help the club get back to where they want to in the future given his performances for RB Leipzig in recent seasons.
Record signing Moises Caicedo is an ideal midfield partner for Enzo Fernandez while Romeo Lavia will provide further solidity and energy to the centre of the pitch when he is fit enough to play. At the back, Axel Disasi should improve the defence in time and the late signing of Cole Palmer has added a young, exciting talent who has shown he can score goals in his little game time with Manchester City.
There are still some worries at the top and bottom ends of the pitch, with Nicolas Jackson needing plenty of work on his finishing if he is to become Chelsea’s primary centre-forward for the next few seasons while Robert Sanchez in goal seems like a short-term stop gap before a better keeper becomes available. But with this much quality in the squad, Pochettino has the tools at his disposal to get the club back into Europe this season.
LOSERS
Everton
After narrowly avoiding relegation on the final day of last season, it was clear Everton’s squad needed major renovation if they were to avoid a similar fate. Unfortunately the club’s precarious financial position means they simply did not have the means to do so.
Adding striker Beto at least somewhat addresses the biggest issue the club had, the lack of options at the top of the pitch, while Jack Harrison and Arnaut Danjuma add a bit of firepower too. But the Toffees simply haven’t done enough to avoid another battle at the bottom of the league, and the early signs certainly suggest that will be the case.
Fulham
Star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic spent most of the window trying to force his way out of the club, eventually getting his desired move to Al Hilal, and the club did not manage to sign an adequate enough replacement in the market – Raul Jimenez the only proper striker to arrive at Fulham this summer, who has not been the same player since the serious head injury he suffered in 2020.
Their other star man, Joao Palhinha, almost sealed a move to Bayern Munich on the final day of the window only for it to fall through. They might have kept hold of him, for now at least, but the disappointment of the move collapsing means Marco Silva will need to manage an unsettled player in his squad.
Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Adama Traore and Timothy Castagne have all bolstered the squad and are solid additions but ultimately Fulham have lost their best forward and their best midfielder has come out of the window unsettled.
Wolves
Another squad which needed serious work after a poor last season. Problems with financial fair play have left Wolves in a difficult position and unable to strengthen the squad to the extent needed to get the club back on the right track. The permanent arrival of Matheus Cunha following his loan spell is a good signing but other than that, it was a very disappointing window for Wolves.
Losing Julen Lopetegui right before the start of the season created more uncertainty at the club and new boss Gary O’Neil has been dealt a tough hand. Matheus Nunes, although often the source of frustration for Wolves fans due to his inconsistency, has left for Man City and the club are relying on signings from Europe in Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Santiago Bueno to hit the ground running straight away to replace those who have left as well as Nunes, such as Ruben Neves and defender Nathan Collins.
