A Summary of the Summer Transfer Window

The 2025/26 summer transfer window slammed shut at 7PM Monday 1st September. Another summer of an unprecedented amount of money spent with Premier League clubs spending almost £3Bn. That is a record, but another record broken is how much money Premier League clubs have made from sales which is sitting at £1.63Bn. An eye watering amount of money shifted between clubs all over the world, so I'm going to dive into each clubs summer and rank how well they've done as well as updating where I think teams will finish come the end of the season. So, in order to understand the side-by-side comparison then check out my pre-season predictions in an earlier post. Without further ado, let's go in alphabetical order. Disclaimer, I've not separated loans from permanent sales, so some of the ins/outs are just loans!

Arsenal

In: Martin Zubimendi, Piero Hincapie, Eberechi Eze, Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera, Viktor Gyokeres, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Noni Madueke.

Total: £253M

Out: Nuno Tavares, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney, Marquinhos, Jakub Kiwior, Albert Sambi-Lokonga, Fabio Vieira, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho, Thomas Partey, Reiss Nelson, Karl Hein.

Total: £8M

Net Spend: -£245M

Given how Arsenal have started the season I can still firmly say we'll be in with a shout of the title, but will need to leave more on the pitch. I'd say in terms of incomings you can't do much better without spending a considerable amount more. Everyone will look at our net spend and assume that anything less than silverware will be a disaster and they're half right. Arteta has been given the backing to turn the nearly men into trophy lifters, let's see if he can do it.

Rating: 8/10

Updated Ranking: Old ranking - 2nd, new ranking - 2nd

Aston Villa

In: Evann Guessand, Victor Lindelof, Marc Bizot, Harvey Elliot, Jadon Sancho.

Total: £26M

Out: Jacob Ramsey, Courtney Hause, Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Enzo Barranechea, Leon Bailey, Robin Olsen, Philippe Coutinho, Alex Moreno, Leander Dendoncker, Lewis Dobbin, Filip Marschall, Samuel Iling-Junior, Joe Gauci, Oliwier Zych.

Total: £48M

Net Spend: £22M

Aston Villa have started the season poorly and haven't used the transfer window very well at all, albeit they have been restricted by PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules). In any case they've got a squad that is lacking something that bit extra, that star quality that will lift them into the European spots. I'm intrigued by the signing of Harvey Elliot, I think he's been screaming for a starting spot in a Premier League team for a while. Villa still have a good starting squad, but the depth isn't there.

Rating: 5/10

Updated Prediction: Old ranking - 9th, new ranking - 11th

Bournemouth

In: Bafode Diakhite, Djordje Petrovic, Ben Doak, Amine Adli, Velijko Milosavljevic, Adrien Truffert, Alex Jimenez.

Total: £120M

Out: Ilya Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, Dango Ouattara, Jaidon Anthony, Philip Billing, Mark Travers, Luis Sinisterra, Chris Mepham, Joe Rothwell, Neto, Max Aarons, Alex Paulsen, Hamed Traore, Daniel Jebbison, Ben Winterburn.

Total: £207M

Net Spend: £87M

Bournemouth have started the season strong. The only disappointment came on opening day when they took Liverpool all the way to the wire before eventually succumbing to their powers. They have since picked up two wins and one was against high flying Tottenham Hotspur. Despite losing 3/4's of their back four this summer, they've seemed capable of moving on and not resting on their laurels. They recouped plenty of money, but perhaps left themselves a little short in terms of depth.

Rating: 7/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 14th, new position - 10th

Brentford

In: Dango Ouattara, Antoni Milambo, Michael Kayode, Caoimhin Kelleher, Romelle Donovan, Jordan Henderson, Reiss Nelson.

Total: £86M

Out: Bryan Mbuemo, Yoane Wissa, Christian Norgaard, Mark Flekken, Ben Mee, Ben Winterbottom, Mads Roerslev, Ji-soo Kim, Josh Dasilva, Ryan Trevitt, Jayden Meghoma.

Total: £135M

Net Spend: £49M

Brentford are an oddity. They can frustrate any team in the league at any ground, but I feel like with so much of their team stripped away it'll be hard to find consistent form. Losing Mbuemo and Wissa in one window is extremely hard on its own, but add that with losing Thomas Frank, Norgaard (former captain) and your starting keeper. Like Aston Villa, I don't think they've done enough to replace some of those outgoings. They also haven't started the season particularly well with two defeats out of three.

Rating: 6/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 16th, new position - 16th.

Brighton & Hove Albion

In: Charalampos Kostoulas, Maxim De Cuyper, Tom Watson, Diego Coppola, Do-young Yoon, Olivier Boscagli.

Total: £70M

Out: Joao Pedro, Simon Adingra, Julio Enciso, Pervis Estupinan, Valentin Barco, Tariq Lamptey, Abdallah Sima, Evan Ferguson, Facundo Buonanotte, Kjell Sherpen, Matt O'Riley, Odeluga Offiah, Ibrahim Osman, Do-young Yoon, Carl Rushworth, Eiran Cashin, Andrew Moran, Amario Cozier-Duberry, James Beadle, Jeremy Sarmiento, Igor Julio, Malick Yalcouye.

Total: £135M

Net Spend: £65M

Brighton have clearly been busy in terms of outgoings, but that is what they specialise in. They're consistently able to generate big fees for their assets and replace them with someone just as talented. It's a production line of talent from all corners of the world. However, I do believe this summer they've left themselves short. There's no denying that what they have brought in will be good for them, but it just doesn't look enough. They're a great team on their day, as Manchester City found out, but when you do clear out your depth and the injuries start piling up then it'll bring concerns.

Rating: 6/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 10th, new position - 13th

Burnley

In: Lesley Ugochukwu, Armando Broja, Loum Tchaouna, Bashir Humphreys, Quilindschy Hartman, Marcus Edwards, Jaidon Anthony, Zian Flemming, Max Weis, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Florentino, Axel Tuanzebe, Kyle Walker, Martin Dubravka,

Total: £112M

Out: James Trafford, Han-Noah Massengo, Dara Costelloe, Andreas Hountondji, CJ Egan-Riley, Etienne Green, Darko Churlinov, Luca Koleosho, Oluwaseun Adewumi, Shurandy Sambo, Aaron Ramsey, Michael Obafemi, Owen Dodgson, Josh Brownhill, Jonjo Shelvey, Nathan Redmond, Manuel Benson.

Total: £30M

Net Spend: -£81M

Burnley, as expected, haven't started the season very well. However, they have got themselves some points on the board and a win tucked under their belts, which could serve them very well especially as they came against fellow promotion rivals, Sunderland. I think they've certainly focused on depth in terms of recruitment and have tried to acquire Premier League level talent. With Walker, Ugochukwu, Edwards and Broja they have done that, but it's not the level that will be required to keep them from falling back down to the Championship.

Rating: 6/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 20th, new position - 20th.

Chelsea

In: Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Jorrel Hato, Liam Delap, Estevao, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr, Kendry Paez, Facundo Buonanotte

Total: £285M

Out: Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix, Djordje Petrovic, Lesley Ugochukwu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Carney Chukwuemeka, Nicolas Jackson, Mathis Amougou, Bashir Humphreys, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli, Alfie Gilchrist, Ben Chilwell, Lucas Bergstrom, Marc Guiu, Mamadou Sarr, Kendry Paez, Mike Penders, Aaron Anselmino.

Total: £289M

Net Spend: £4M

There's not another team like Chelsea when it comes to the transfer window. Except a couple, any player is for sale and they'll look to buy any player in the world. They do not care how many players they hoard, it's simply business. While they do it, they just hope they get a good enough squad of players to compete for the highest honours. Is there something deeper to all of it, of course, but until something is proven in a court or rules are tightened then they'll continue to conduct business in the same way. Away from the politics, Chelsea have assembled a squad that could very well compete on all fronts. I think the attack is stacked with talent, but perhaps the defence has been neglected and I think that could be their undoing. They have started the season well, dropping points in only one game, which puts them second in the league currently.

Rating: 8/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 4th, new position - 4th

Crystal Palace

In: Yeremy Pino, Jaydee Canvot, Borna Sosa, Walter Benitez, Christantus Uche.

Total: £48M

Out: Eberechi Eze, Odsonne Edouard, Luke Plange, Jeffrey Schlupp, Rob Holding, Malcolm Ebiowei, Joe Whitworth, David Ozoh, Hindolo Mustapha, Matheus Franca, Joel Ward

Total: £63M

Net Spend: £15M

I really like Crystal Palace, not because they sold us Eze, but because they play brilliant football and seem like a well run club that don't get bullied by the bigger sides. They stood firm on Eze that they wanted a replacement first, and said the same with Marc Guehi. They only managed a replacement for Eze, so Guehi stayed. If they sold the England international without a replacement I'd have them lower in the rankings, but I can see a good season from Palace coming up. There's the potential for European football in the Conference League, which they could quite easily do very well in. The balance of Europe and domestic football is a challenge and the depth they bought over the summer possibly won't cover the holes that the campaign will poke into it.

Rating: 6/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 12th, new position - 12th

Everton

In: Tyler Dibling, Thierno Barry, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Carlos Alcaraz, Adam Aznou, Mark Travers, Merlin Rohl, Tom King, Jack Grealish.

Total: £113M

Out: Youssef Chermiti, Neal Maupay, Joao Virginia, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Asmir Begovic, Mason Holgate, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Ashley Young, Tyler Onyango, Harrison Armstrong, Billy Crellin, Isaac Heath.

Total: £11M

Net Spend: -£102M

Everton have seemingly risen from the ashes and look to be using this campaign to make a statement to the league. Surviving relegation for a few seasons in a row has been hard on the fans, but they may now reap the rewards of patience. They have a flash new stadium and a roster of new and exciting players. I think the move for Grealish was a stroke of genius, an extraordinary player that became lost in the Manchester City war machine. They're already seeing what a player he still is by registering four assists in three games. Since losing on the opening weekend to Leeds, they've won all three of the following games in all competitions. This has lifted them into 5th place. With no European football and a strong squad, I think they'll lift themselves higher than what I previously predicted.

Rating: 8/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 13th, new position - 9th

Fulham

In: Kevin, Jonah Kusi-Asare, Benjamin Lecomte, Samuel Chukwueze.

Total: £39M

Out: Andreas Pereira, Martial Godo, Carlos Vinicius, Steven Benda, Luke Harris, Willian.

Total: £15M

Net Spend: -£24M

Under Marco Silva Fulham have become a team that are hard to beat. Home or away, they'll make you fight for every result. Whenever I've watched them play I've been impressed. They're able to do the pretty football, passing and moving, but they're especially good at winning duels, particularly in midfield. But, the lack of movement in the market does concern me. The depth that has left I don't think has been fully replaced, they may have coughed up the money for Kevin, but there's little beyond that. We all know that even clubs outside of European competitions suffer injury woes, Fulham won't be any different and I don't think they can adequately cover any potential gaps that come up.

Rating: 4/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 11th, new position - 14th

Leeds United

In: Anton Stach, Noah Okafor, Jaka Bijol, Lucas Perri, Sean Longstaff, Gabriel Gudmundsson, James Justin, Sebastian Bornauw, Lukas Nmecha, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Total: £99m

Out: Rasmus Kristensen, Sam Greenwood, Junior Firpo, Darko Gyabi, Mateo Joseph, Joe Gelhardt, Maximilian Wober, Isaac Schmidt, Largie Ramazani, Joshua Guilavogui, Patrick Bamford, Charlie Crew.

Total: £7M

Net Spend: -£92M

As I predicted earlier, Leeds will be tough to beat at home. Everton and Newcastle both couldn't beat them, but the away form will get to Leeds. I'm not fully convinced by their activity in the market, despite the fact they've done well to keep the core of their squad together. It's an underrated aspect of a transfer window, especially for newly promoted teams. I think the signing of Okafor is a step in the right direction, but they have fallen short in my opinion. I still think if they can make Elland Road a fortress then they'll be safe, but that's a huge if and I don't think the transfer window has helped with my belief they'll be okay.

Rating: 5/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 18th, new position - 18th

Liverpool

In: Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni, Freddie Woodman.

Total: £419M

Out: Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah, Ben Doak, Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tyler Morton, Nat Phillips, Harvey Davies, Vitezslav Jaros, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Harvey Elliot.

Total: £190M

Net Spend: -£229M

Liverpool have done what real champions do, they spend the money they've earned to buy more of the best talent around. Despite breaking the British transfer record twice and spending close to half a billion, they still have a lower net spend than Arsenal. The business they've conducted will make any team gulp in fear. Having said that, not being able to buy Guehi is going to put a lot of pressure onto Virgil Van Dijk and co to stay fit. They did buy Leoni, a superstar in the making, but certainly not anywhere near Van Dijk's level. I actually think that depth might become an issue further down the line for Liverpool, especially when the Champions League makes its return. Three wins from three games sits them on top of the league and they'll likely stay there.

Rating: 10/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 1st, new position - 1st

Manchester City

In: Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, James Trafford, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sverre Nypan, Marcus Bettinelli.

Total: £180M

Out: James McAtee, Yan Couto, Maximo Perrone, Ederson, Manuel Akanji, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Vitor Reis, Claudio Echeverri, Issa Kabore, Juma Bah, Scott Carson.

Total: £61M

Net Spend: -£118M

City had such a fast start in the window that it feels like a day and age ago they signed Reijnders. They added Cherki and Ait-Nouri quickly after and it seemed like one of those windows that the Manchester club would go all out. Given the lack of success last season, City surprisingly stopped incomings beyond the fresh faced goalkeepers they've added. Three to be precise. It's been a summer where the old guard of City are shifting out the club and being replaced with younger stars. De Bruyne's reign of terror is over alongside Gundogan, Ederson, Walker, Grealish and Akanji. Some of them have left on loan, but the principle remains the same. With that level of experience and knowledge leaving the side, they needed to go big on replacements and I don't feel like they've done that. Of course they have one of the best squads in the league and superstars throughout, but something feels off. They've suffered two defeats on the trot already and are currently six points behind Liverpool who don't look like they'll drop any points soon. Erling Haaland will likely bail them out on many occasions, but this transitional period could cause a lacklustre season.

Rating: 7/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 3rd, new position - 3rd

Manchester United

In: Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbuemo, Matheus Cunha, Senne Lammens, Diego Leon.

Total: £218M

Out: Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Rasmus Hojlund, Victor Lindelof, Marcus Rashford, Ethan Wheatley, Toby Collyer, Harry Amass, Jadon Sancho, Christian Eriksen, Jonny Evans, Daniel Gore.

Total: £64M

Net Spend: -£153M

I'm not sure where to start with United. I think they've bought some decent players, but not as much in the way of depth as I think they should have. They're notorious for having an injury prone team, so you'd think that maybe a priority would be to gather depth across the whole starting line up. They focused primarily on the attack and that's where the bulk of the transfer money went. Cunha and Mbuemo have shown glimpses of why they can take the club forward, but we're yet to see much from Sesko. Having no European competition to deal with will be a blessing in disguise as it'll reduce the workload on the players. It's always a long season, but they do only have the FA Cup and Premier League to deal with

Rating: 7/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 7th, new position - 7th

Newcastle United

In: Nick Woltemade, Anthony Elanga, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw, Aaron Ramsdale, Antonito Cordero.

Total: £250M

Out: Alexander Isak, Lloyd Kelly, Sean Longstaff, Isaac Hayden, Callum Wilson, Martin Dubravka, Odysseas Vlachodimos, Antonito Cordero, Joe White, Jamal Lewis, Matt Targett

Total: £153M

Net Spend: -£98M

I was quite critical of Newcastle before the season started with how they've fared in the transfer window, but they've come out the other side pretty well. The Isak drama is now over and the club can push on with his replacement. Woltemade is quite an exciting talent that will hit the ground running. Tall, quick and very good with his feet. Outside of Woltemade, they've made some shrewd signings in the shape of Wissa, Elanga and Ramsey. They'll add depth in the attack and midfield which they'll need going into a Champions League campaign. The only criticism I could have is not recruiting more players at the back. Thiaw is the only acquisition and they could've done with one or two more. They'll likely be facing a 50/60 game season, not including international breaks for the players, so they needed more depth. Trippier, Krafth, Burn, Lascelles and Schar are all above 30 and will be expected to play many of those 50 games.

Rating: 8/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 6th, new position - 6th

Nottingham Forest

In: Omari Hutchinson, Dan Ndoye, Dilane Bakwa, Arnaud Kalimuendo, James McAtee, Igor Jesus, Nicolo Savona, Jair Cunha, John Victor, Cuiabano, Douglas Luiz, Angus Gunn, Oleksandr Zinchenko

Total: £205M

Out: Anthony Elanga, Danilo, Ramon Sosa, Andrew Omobamidele, Matt Turner, Carlos Miguel, Lewis O'Brien, Jonathan Panzo, Josh Bowler, Harry Toffolo, Marko Stamenic, David Carmo, Eric da Silva Moreira, Tyler Bindon, Emmanuel Dennis, Wayne Hennessey, Omar Richards.

Total: £108M

Net Spend: -£98M

Forest are always one of the busiest clubs in every transfer window. Incomings and outgoings, just a never ending carousel. They've spent quite a bit of money, but I don't think they've got a huge amount to show for it. I don't think you can look at one of their signings and think, wow that's world class player there. Don't get me wrong the players that have been bought are of high quality, someone like Hutchinson was very good at Ipswich last season. Douglas Luiz and Zinchenko will add a huge amount of experience. I often find that too much change can disrupt the flow of a team, so it's how Forest can navigate that issue and thrive. They'll have Europe this season so they'll need a large squad, they're not used to having to balance between both competitions so it'll be interesting to see how they get on.

Rating: 7/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 8th, new position - 8th

Sunderland

In: Habib Diarra, Simon Adingra, Enzo Le Fee, Brian Brobbey, Chemsdine Talbi, Noah Sadiki, Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele, Robin Roefs, Bertrand Traore, Reinildo Mandava, Arthur Masuaku, Marc Guiu, Lutsharel Geertruida

Total: £163M

Out: Jobe Bellingham, Tom Watson, Pierre Ekwah, Nectarios Triantis, Nathan Bishop, Patrick Roberts, Niall Huggins, Jenson Swift, Adil Aouchiche, Alan Browne, Luis Semedo.

Total: £44M

Net Spend: -£119M

Sunderland have joined Leeds and Burnley with trying to stack their squad with Premier League level talent, but I think Sunderland have done it best. Xhaka was an inspired signing, as was Mukiele. Both have a wealth of experience at the top of the game. They've also added a few other Champions League level players which will only help their cause. You can look at their team and see quality all over the pitch. This has shown with their early season form, taking two wins from three games. I think they've equipped themselves best for survival.

Rating: 9/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 17th, new position - 15th

Tottenham Hotspur

In: Xavi Simons, Mohamed Kudus, Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso, Luka Vuskovic, Kota Takai, Joao Palhinha, Randal Kolo Muani.

Total: £183M

Out: Heung-min Son, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Bryan Gil, Alejo Veliz, Manor Solomon, Luka Vuskovic, Alfie Devine, Min-hyeok Yang, Mikey Moore, Alfie Whiteman, Sergio Reguilon, Fraser Forster

Total: £36M

Net Spend: -£147M

Tottenham enjoyed a fast start to life this season after winning their opening two games quite convincingly, one against Manchester City. However, they got a reality check against Bournemouth who stifled them at every turn. I don't think this slip up will derail their season, especially after adding Simons who will go straight into the starting line up. Although, like many teams on this list, I feel like they've left themselves quite short. I've read comments and articles from Spurs fans suggesting they needed a left winger and didn't get one, as an Arsenal fan I can relate. Champions League football returns to the Spurs side of North London and they'll need to limit injuries if they don't want a repeat of last season. Although I'm sure they'll take 17th if that means winning the Champions League.

Rating: 6/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 5th, new position - 5th

West Ham United

In: Matheus Fernandes, Jean-Clair Todibo, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Mads Hermansen, Soungoutou Magassa, Callum Wilson, Kyle Walker-Peters, Igor Julio.

Total: £125M

Out: Mohamed Kudus, Nayef Aguerd, Edson Alvarez, Emerson Palmeiri, Vladimir Coufal, Danny Ings, Aaron Creswell, Kaelan Casey, Maxwel Cornet, Michail Antonio, Kurt Zouma, Lukasz Fabianski, Junior Robinson, Lewis Orford.

Total: £78M

Net Spend: -£47M

I was heavily critical of West Ham in my last post and they still haven't impressed me despite a decent signing in the form of Matheus Fernandes. I still believe they're going to be too heavily reliant on the form of Jarrod Bowen again. They did shock me in their game against Forest in which they ran out 3-0 winners away from home. I think that shows they have got it in them to survive relegation, but if they do they're going to have to rely on the form of the other contenders. I don't feel like the three newly promoted teams are there just to make up the numbers, they'll push the likes of West Ham all the way to the end of the season. I think they've got rid of some of their handy depth too with not much coming the other way.

Rating: 5/10

Updated Prediction: Old position - 15th, new position - 17th

Wolves

In: Jorgen Strand Larsen, Tolu Arokodare, Fer Lopez, Ladislav Krejci, Jhon Arias, Jackson Tchatchoua, David Moller Wolfe.

Total: £121M

Out: Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Fabio Silva, Goncalo Guedes, Pablo Sarabia, Nelson Semedo, Chiquinho, Chem Campbell, Joe Hodge, Bastien Meupiyou, Tom King, Tommy Doyle, Boubacar Traore, Craig Dawson, Pedro Lima, Nasser Djiga.

Total: £119M

Net Spend: -£2M

Wolves are once again a team I heavily criticised in my last post and, like West Ham, they haven't done enough to change my mind. Their early season form suggests that they are very much in trouble. Three losses from three games puts them rock bottom. I can't envisage things getting much better to be honest, they'll pick up some points but I just don't think they'll pick up enough to keep them in the division. I truly think their stay in the top flight is over, unless they can group together and put some wins under their belts. They lost two of their best players this summer and a handful of helpful squad players and they haven't done a good job replacing either commodity.

Rating: 4/10

Updated Prediction: Old position 19th, new position 19th

So that's it, my summary of the 2025/26 summer transfer window. If you've made it this far then I hope you've enjoyed the post. For any fan who reads this then I wish your club the best of luck for the season. It'll be fun, it'll be exciting and always one to remember!