The summer transfer window has slammed shut for another year, with Premier League clubs splashing a record-breaking £3.19 billion. Some deals looked like masterstrokes, others raised more than a few eyebrows, and across the UK teams either solved, or ignored, their biggest problems.
Among the top spenders, perhaps unsurprisingly, were the traditional ‘top six’. In fact, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Man United, and Tottenham spent a combined £1,537,528 BILLION on new players, roughly half of the league’s spend.
Some did better than others, however, so this is how we believe their transfer windows should be graded.
Arsenal
When it comes to net spend, Mikel Arteta’s side are sat right at the top of the tree with a massive £257 million. As the old saying goes, ‘you’ve got to spend money to make money’ and now the North London club need to start justifying their shopping spree with silverware.
It took them a little white to start making massive moves, but replacing Jorginho, Thomas Partey, and Neto by signing Christian Norgaard, Martin Zubimendi, and Kepa Arrizabalaga signify major upgrades to squad options.
Noni Madueke was a victim of bad timing. Arsenal fans were expecting to see Viktor Gyokeres walk through the door at any moment when they announced his signing from Chelsea. Petitions were signed and murals were defaced in protest to the deal, but signing a player with significant Premier League experience to cover for Bukayo Saka will prove to be smart.
The glaring problem was the number nine position. After talks with Benjamin Sesko, new sporting director Andrea Berta decided Gyokeres was the better option. The deal with Sporting was a little trickier than expected, but they got it over the line, despite the valid arguments that he may struggle to adapt.
Eberechi Eze got his dream move and a beautifully made announcement video featuring Gunners legend Ian Wright. £67.5 million feels about right for a player of his ability and experience, it’s not up to him to prove he can make the step up.
Arteta also got his contractually obligated centre back/full back after the club secured a loan with option to buy for Piero Hincapie.
The only real downside is the club’s apparent inability to sell players. If they wanted to be ruthless, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli could have been moved on but keeping them isn’t an issue.
Grade: A
Chelsea
One club that certainly doesn’t have any problem shifting deadwood in Chelsea, they’ve got selling players down to an art. Anyone who can get a potential overall package of £70+ million for Nicolas Jackson deserves a shout out, not that he’s a bad player.
Chelsea actually managed to turn a £17.9 million profit this summer, quite a remarkable feat considering they spent approximately £282 million on eleven new players. Some have been sent out on loan, so we’re going to focus on those that are with the club.
Liam Delap and Joao Pedro joined for a combined £85 million, and they made instant impacts, both playing major roles in Chelsea Club World Cup triumph. Pedro has managed to carry that form into the new Premier League season bagging two goals and two assists in his three games, while Delap is expected to be out for a couple of months with a hamstring injury.
Jamie Gitens and Alejandro Garnacho have both been signed to provide much needed competition and depth on the left-wing. Garnacho in particular should be considered a bit of a steal, joining from Man United for £40 million after his high-profile fall out with Ruben Amorim.
Dario Essugo and Jorrel Hato came in as understudies to Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella, and considering those two played a combined 93 games last season, they’ll probably be grateful for a rest.
Perhaps the most exciting signing is Estevao. The 18-year-old is widely regarded as the best young talent to come out of Brazil since Neymar, and he’s shown why. He’s yet to score his first Chelsea goal but his ability to get passed defenders with his close control and dribbling ability have impressed.
On the flipside, despite their impressive ability to sell, Raheem Sterling is still at the club, earning a reported £300,000 per-week with no prospect of playing for Chelsea any time soon. He did have options, but he turned them down because his family is settled in London, which is understandable.
Also, Levi Colwill’s long-term ACL injury had Enzo Maresca asking for a new centre-back, but he never got one. Of course, whether he needed one in the first place is up for debate.
Grade: B
Liverpool
Liverpool fans have never known such gluttony! The Premier League holders broke the British transfer record twice, first spending £116 million on Florian Wirtz before finally persuading Newcastle to part ways with a sulky Alexander Isak for £125 million.
The Isak saga was obviously the story of the summer. His refusal to go on their pre-season tour of Asia although Newcastle continued to insist, he was out due to injury. He then went on strike to force the move through before releasing a dramatic statement about “broken promises” on the night of the PFA awards.
It took until deadline day for the Swede to get his move and collect that famous number nine shirt, but putting all the drama to one side, Liverpool have signed a genuine superstar who has proven time and time again he can do it in the Premier League. This was a good signing.
Of course, we can’t forget Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong, who have gone under the radar somewhat due to Isak. Ekitike has taken to the club like a duck to water, scoring three goals in his five games but Frimpong’s hamstring injury means we won’t see him for another few weeks.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure left a bad taste in the collective mouths of the Anfield faithful, but the incoming have seemingly helped rebuild some bridges with the club’s ownership and sporting directors.
Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez also left for Bayern Munich and Al Hilal, respectively, but it can be argued they were never really considered anything more than squad options, so it’s unlikely they will be missed, on the pitch at least.
Signing Marc Guehi would have been the real cherry on top of the proverbial cake but 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni is there to provide cover should something happen to Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate, so it’s not the end of the world. He’ll probably join in January anyway.
Grade: A