Premier League Transfer Window Verdicts: Club Ratings and Insights
After a summer of record Premier League spending and Deadline Day chaos, Sky Sports’ reporters have delivered their verdicts on every club’s window. Some rebuilt, some retooled, some simply survived. Here’s how they scored it.
Arsenal – 8/10
Arteta gets his men, but the left flank is a gamble
Eight senior players out, an eight out of 10 window. The symmetry isn’t lost on Arsenal.
Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Christian Norgaard, Fabio Vieira, Ethan Nwaneri (loan), Jakob Kiwior and Reiss Nelson have all gone from the first-team picture, with only Nwaneri still technically an Arsenal player and still seen as one for the future. The clear-out has delivered more than £100m in fees and shaved off a hefty wage bill – especially in Jesus’ case.
The dream additions? A marquee left winger. If Arsenal had landed Vinicius Junior or Julian Alvarez, this would have been a nine, maybe even a perfect 10. They were in the conversation, which in itself says plenty, but neither deal ever really edged beyond long shot.
Supporters understand why those moves failed. What they’re less convinced by is the lack of a true replacement for last season’s two main left-sided attackers. The club tried. The right fit never appeared after the Vinicius pursuit collapsed, so Arsenal will patch it up from within.
Christos Tzolis has already shown flashes, even if he looked a little rattled at Villa Park. The fans have warmed to him quickly. Eberechi Eze can operate on that flank. Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka can both switch over if needed, which would open minutes on the right for Max Dowman. There’s even a theory that Riccardo Calafiori could be pushed higher, in the same way Mikel Arteta has previously reinvented roles for Mikel Merino and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
No left winger. No new striker. But everywhere else, the squad looks deeper. One glance at the bench at Villa Park told you that. With injuries permitting, Arsenal can now rotate heavily in defence and midfield without a serious drop in level.
Most importantly, Arteta landed his two priority targets: Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa. That alone makes this a strong window.
Aston Villa – 7/10
Champions ripped apart, Emery starts again
A few weeks after lifting the Europa League, Aston Villa watched six of that starting XI walk out of the door. Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa – all gone. No one, least of all Unai Emery, imagined that scenario in May.
Villa’s response has been to go younger and hungrier, backed by a few seasoned operators. Ibrahim Mbaye and Johan Manzambi bring potential. Leon Goretzka and Aaron Wan-Bissaka bring know-how. Nicolas Jackson arrives already acclimatised to the Premier League and impressed on debut. Zion Suzuki’s first outing in goal was encouraging, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis openly admits he has a lot to learn but believes Emery is the man to elevate him.
The club have had to juggle an enforced rebuild with strict financial rules. Balancing the books while trying to stay competitive is no small task. The “Emery factor” underpins much of the optimism – his coaching record buys trust while this new group beds in.
The pieces look promising. Now Villa need proof in claret and blue.
Bournemouth – 9/10
Kept the crown jewels, added smartly, no Deadline Day panic
Two summers, two very different strategies. In 2025 Bournemouth cashed in on key players. This time, they locked the doors.
Rayan, Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott all stay. The club’s model accepts that stars will eventually move on, but only after a meaningful spell on the south coast. Marco Rose was assured the core would not be sold from under him, even as interest grew in all three.
European football has tightened the financial screws, forcing Bournemouth to add quality and depth while trimming costs. They’ve done it with impressive clarity. Michele Di Gregorio arrives after a season as Juventus’ No 1. Antonio Silva, once linked with Europe’s elite, joins at what looks like a bargain fee. Juanlu Sanchez strengthens full-back, while Alvaro Rodriguez offers something different up front.
Fringe players have been moved on and, crucially, most of the business was done early. No scrambling on Deadline Day, no last-minute compromises. For once, Bournemouth were calm.
Rose and the hierarchy will judge this window kindly. The next test is whether this squad can handle the extra miles in Europe.
Brentford – 9/10
Midfield lynchpin secured, squad intact, ceiling still rising
Brentford came into the window with one clear priority: find a midfielder to build around. They may have nailed it.
Mamadou Sangare, at £39m, already looks like a steal and a candidate for signing of the season. He’s the big change to the XI, but El Hadji Malick Diouf should soon claim the left-back spot. Jaidon Anthony has started twice already, Callum Wilson is showing why he’s the perfect foil – or rival – for Igor Thiago, and Jannik Schuster covers centre-back with Sepp van den Berg injured.
Just as important, the spine remains. Jordan Henderson’s leadership has gone, but Thiago, Kevin Schade and Yehor Yarmoliuk are all still in west London. Yarmoliuk, in particular, has caught the eye of bigger clubs. Michael Kayode and Vitaly Janelt have both signed new contracts.
The only Deadline Day action saw Jayden Meghoma head to Portsmouth on loan, consistent with Brentford’s determination to secure minutes for their young talent.
It’s not a perfect 10 – there’s always room to sharpen – but it’s very close.
Brighton – 7.5/10
Big spend, big turnover, and a new spine forming
Brighton, usually the model of quiet efficiency, went loud this summer. Nine first-team signings, close to £170m spent, and a squad that suddenly looks stacked, especially at the back.
Luka Vuskovic arrived for a club-record £50m in a statement move. On Deadline Day, Brighton swooped for Spain U21 midfielder Chema Andres from Stuttgart, a late twist that helps to plug the gap left by Carlos Baleba’s sale to Manchester United. Andres will need time to adjust but looks a serious prospect.
Experience has gone out the door. Danny Welbeck’s departure strips away goals and nous up front. Loan arrival Promise David will be asked to bridge that gap.
Keeping Yankuba Minteh, long admired by Liverpool, is significant. Once injured players return and the new faces settle, head coach Fabian Hurzeler will believe he has enough to tackle both the Premier League and the Conference League.
The tools are there. The cohesion will take time.
Chelsea – 9/10
Strategy rebooted, Alonso backed, and standards raised
Chelsea didn’t just tweak this summer; they pivoted.
The club moved away from a pure youth-obsessed model and went hard for Premier League-ready players to blend with their existing talent. Pursuits of Jordan Henderson, Emiliano Martinez and Danny Welbeck signalled a clear shift in thinking since the takeover.
They still dipped into the future with Geovany Quenda, but the emphasis has changed: impact now, not just potential later. Joao Pedro has been rewarded with an improved contract, a marker that the core is here to stay.
Last season unravelled after Enzo Maresca’s exit. An FA Cup final run couldn’t hide the discontent. Xabi Alonso’s arrival, aligned with a sharper recruitment plan, has jolted Stamford Bridge back to life. The 4-3 thriller against Brighton felt like a reset.
The Enzo Fernandez saga was the one sour note. A self-imposed deadline of August 15 to resolve his future failed to bring clarity, leaving fans split and the early weeks clouded by uncertainty. Yet three wins from three suggest the dressing room has handled the noise.
On the pitch, Emiliano Martinez, Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix walk straight into the XI and raise the level. Losing Marc Cucurella hurts, but Chelsea have again sold well, extracting strong fees for the likes of Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson and Alejandro Garnacho.
They’ve proved themselves elite traders. Now comes the harder part: turning that into elite results.
Coventry – 8/10
Bold, expensive, and built for survival
Newly promoted Coventry did not creep into the Premier League. They arrived with intent.
The club spent big, but there’s a clear logic. Carl Rushworth returns permanently after starring in last season’s promotion. Aurele Amenda adds athleticism at centre-back. Caleb Yirenkyi brings excitement in midfield, Frank Onyeka offers top-flight experience, and Gustavo Hamer returns with creativity and familiarity.
Up front, Taiwo Awoniyi gives Frank Lampard a proven Premier League focal point, with Loum Tchaouna and Sidiki Cherif adding pace and upside around him.
Two goalless defeats to start the season raise fair questions about firepower, but the squad is undoubtedly deeper and stronger than the one that came up.
For a promoted side, this is brave without being reckless. Coventry have announced they’re not here just to make up the numbers.
Crystal Palace – 7/10
Key men gone again, but Palace know this script
Crystal Palace lost Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Munoz, two of their standout performers. It’s a familiar story in south London. So is what came next.
Keeping Adam Wharton, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr counts as a major win. Mateta is in the final year of his deal after a failed move to AC Milan last January; his future will be a talking point again soon. Sarr must now play his way through the disappointment of a collapsed Liverpool move. Palace’s refusal to sell will be judged by his performances between now and January.
Recruitment has been typically shrewd rather than spectacular. Axel Disasi, Dwight McNeil, Ben Chilwell and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all proven Premier League performers. Dario Osorio could be the jewel of the window, a highly rated 22-year-old at a club with a track record for unearthing stars. Honest Ahanor strengthens the back line, while Anan Khalaili has the tools to one day fill Munoz’s role.
Depth has improved, which matters with European football on the agenda again. Palace have become experts at losing big names and finding a way not just to survive, but to grow.
This window doesn’t guarantee success. It does, though, keep Palace’s story one of evolution, not collapse.
Everton – 2/10
Chaos, missed deals, and a striker short
Everton’s window was a mess. There’s no softer way to put it.
They’ve halved a forward line that wasn’t prolific to begin with. Letting Beto go to Fiorentina before Folarin Balogun was signed now looks amateur. The failed pivot to Joshua Zirkzee at Manchester United only deepened the sense of panic as the clock ticked down.
Selling Iliman Ndiaye, the most exciting talent at the club, for £65m – four times what they paid two years ago – was framed as a position of strength. He had three years left on his deal, after all. But the figure still fell short of what many fans felt would make the pain worthwhile. Worse, an earlier plan that would have seen him go to Spurs for £60m with Richarlison arriving for £35m collapsed. That fee for Richarlison looked steep, even given his status among Evertonians, and the deal was the first of several Deadline Day failures.
Kenny Tete was another near miss. Fulham refused to sell without a replacement lined up – a lesson Everton didn’t heed in their own dealings. All of this played out while ownership weighed Nottingham Forest’s £40m bid for Harrison Armstrong, even as David Moyes publicly stressed the need for reinforcements.
There were arrivals: Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Jack Grealish, Hayden Hackney, Christian Norgaard, Merlin Rohl, Tyrique George and Brennan Johnson. But the positives are dwarfed by what didn’t happen. Once again, the manager has not been given the tools to genuinely push forward.
Last year it was a right-back and a proven striker that never came. This year Moyes goes into the season with Thierno Barry as his only recognised centre-forward. Under those circumstances, a European push would be a miracle, not a benchmark.
Evertonians are left hurt, embarrassed, angry. It didn’t need to be this way.
Fulham – 7/10
New identity, new midfield, familiar defensive worries
Alvaro Arbeloa wants Fulham to play on the front foot: high tempo, high press, high risk. The squad now reflects that ambition.
The biggest need was a striker. Gonzalo García arrived from Real Madrid and has started well, with two goals in his first three games. Behind him, the midfield has been heavily retooled. Cesar Palacios and Manuel Angel, also from Real Madrid’s academy, join Shea Charles from Southampton and Hugo Larsson from Eintracht Frankfurt.
That quartet gives Arbeloa energy, technique and flexibility in the middle. The problem sits behind them. Fulham have already looked exposed defensively, a predictable side-effect of a high line and aggressive full-backs.
David Affengruber’s Deadline Day arrival could be crucial. The Austria international appears well-suited to defending big spaces and could be pivotal if Arbeloa insists on pushing his back line up the pitch.
Out wide, there’s a gap. Harry Wilson and Samuel Chukwueze have gone and no natural winger has come in. Palacios has filled in on the left, including against Chelsea and Sunderland, but it’s not his natural role.
The plan is clear and ambitious. If Arbeloa can find the balance between aggression and control, Fulham should stay clear of the drop. If not, the entertainment might come with a cost.
Hull – 8/10
Eighteen in, core intact, survival the target
Hull set out to add pace, athleticism and quality. Eighteen signings later – six of them on Deadline Day – they’ve certainly been busy.
Owner Acun Ilicali has been at the heart of the recruitment drive, selling players on the club’s ambition. Patience has been a theme, with Hull waiting for primary targets and, they believe, securing them on good terms.
The squad is deeper and younger, with a clear focus on players who can grow alongside the club. That approach carries risk, but the potential upside is huge if they get it right.
Crucially, the core of the promotion-winning side remains. The spirit that carried them up is being preserved, even as the XI is upgraded around it. In a brutal Premier League season, that togetherness could be their edge.
Ipswich – 9/10
Lessons learned, £200m spent, and no fear
Ipswich have been here before. Two years ago they spent around £110m trying to cling to Premier League status. It didn’t work.
This time they’ve gone harder and smarter. Fourteen signings, 18 departures and roughly £200m spent, capped by Zian Flemming’s Deadline Day arrival from Burnley. The message is unmistakable: Ipswich intend to stay.
Julio Enciso comes in as a record signing. Abdul Fatawu, Emersonn and Exequiel Palacios add serious attacking quality. Sasa Lukic, Issa Diop and Florentino Luis bring Premier League experience, while Daizen Maeda offers searing pace and a proven track record.
The standout is the depth. Ipswich haven’t just replaced, they’ve upgraded across the board. Gary O’Neil now has options almost everywhere on the pitch.
The squad looks ready. The challenge now is chemistry – and sustaining an encouraging start.
Leeds – 8/10
Early business, late spark, and a squad built to stay up
Leeds’ most important work was done long before Deadline Day drama.
Daniel Farke targeted three key positions and got what he wanted in Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic and James Trafford. All three raise the quality of the starting XI, exactly as the manager demanded.
Depth, a major issue last season, has been addressed with Nico Elvedi, Michael Zetterer and Melvin Bard. Then came the wildcard: Jean-Matteo Bahoya. The winger brings raw pace and unpredictability, the kind of profile that can tilt tight games.
If Bahoya explodes over the next 12 months, this window will be reappraised as outstanding. Even if he doesn’t, Leeds have assembled a squad that looks capable of consolidating their Premier League status.
Liverpool – 7/10
Future-focused, but holes remain
Liverpool ticked several boxes. Not all of them.
They wanted pace out wide and got it with Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz. With Cody Gakpo staying – he was never likely to be sold once moves for Yankuba Minteh and Ismaila Sarr failed – Andoni Iraola now has four wide options, including the emerging Rio Ngumoha. Gakpo also remains a backup option through the middle while Hugo Ekitike recovers.
At the back, Ronald Araujo’s arrival is vital. He can cover both centre-back and right-back, a necessity with Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni sidelined. His style contrasts nicely with Jeremy Jacquet, whose deal was pre-agreed in the winter and who already looks every inch a Liverpool centre-half.
Yet the glaring vacancy left by Mohamed Salah has not been filled by a natural right winger. Barcola, Gakpo, Ngumoha and Munoz have all played there, but none is a like-for-like heir. A top-level full-back and a specialist holding midfielder would also have transformed the squad’s balance.
There is plenty to like. Barcola brings star quality, Munoz looks mentally primed for the challenge, and the Jacquet–Araujo axis has quickly resonated with supporters. The club’s recruitment has skewed young too, with the average age of first-team signings over the last two summers around 22.
Deals for 18-year-olds Lucca Brughmans and Djylian N’Guessan, who will join up fully next season, underline that forward planning.
This is not a failed window. But in a title race decided by fine margins, it could have been sharper.
Manchester City – 8/10
Rodri out, Enzo in, and a £300m midfield reborn
Selling Rodri, the best player at the World Cup, to Barcelona would usually spell crisis. Manchester City responded by smashing their transfer record twice in one summer.
On Deadline Day, Enzo Fernandez arrived to headline a new-look engine room. He’ll potentially sit alongside Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi in a £300m midfield many across Europe will envy.
Inside the club, there’s a firm belief the squad is stronger than last season. Sales of Savio, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders, Nathan Ake and James Trafford funded further reinforcements, including Iliman Ndiaye and Allan in attack.
Enzo Maresca wanted tools for his tactical overhaul. He has them. Now comes the real question: is this enough to keep City at the summit?
Manchester United – 7/10
Midfield rebuilt, left-back ignored, and big names stay put
Manchester United’s window looks better on closer inspection than it did in the noise of social media.
The priority was clear: rebuild the midfield. With around £155m spent on Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba, that mission is largely accomplished. Those three, alongside Kobbie Mainoo, give Michael Carrick a variety of combinations for a long season.
The obvious miss is at left-back. United didn’t land a specialist, but they do have makeshift options. Noussair Mazraoui has deputised there effectively for Morocco, while Diogo Dalot can also fill in.
Departures didn’t materialise as expected. Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte and Marcus Rashford all stayed, limiting room to manoeuvre elsewhere. Yet if Rashford builds on a bright start to the campaign, he could feel like a new signing in his own right.
It’s not a spectacular window. It is, however, coherent.
Newcastle – 8/10
Sales, spend, and a late surge of ambition
Newcastle’s summer threatened to derail early on. It didn’t.
By Deadline Day, Matias Fernandez-Pardo became their eighth signing. Of that group, Lukas Hornicek, Amar Dedic, Nico Gonzalez and Fernandez-Pardo all look like immediate starters. Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba, Bazoumana Toure and Ewan Jaouen are raw but highly rated.
The numbers are eye-catching: £262m spent, £245m recouped from the sales of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon. The squad is now younger and deeper.
The late arrivals of Gonzalez and Fernandez-Pardo, costing a combined £101m, feel like the most decisive moves. Ambitious, expensive, and aimed squarely at the first team.
Add in the early-season form of Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa – both big buys last summer – and this Newcastle side suddenly looks refreshed without losing its edge.
Nottingham Forest – 7.5/10
Glasner’s blueprint, mostly delivered
Oliver Glasner’s first window at Nottingham Forest was about alignment. The squad now looks more like his.
He wanted a physical No 9 with room to grow. Liam Delap fits the bill. He wanted a starting wing-back. Daniel Munoz, a trusted lieutenant from past work together, is back under his command. Ousmane Diomande was another specific Glasner target, as was Xaver Schlager, another familiar face from their Wolfsburg days.
The one regret is failing to replace Elliot Anderson with a young, dynamic, attack-minded midfielder. Forest did, though, secure a strong fee from Manchester City for him.
The framework is in place. The missing piece might yet be found in January.
Sunderland – 7/10
Airport drama, key men kept, and pressure on Fofana
Sunderland waited all summer for a winger. They got one – just.
Malick Fofana was not the first-choice target, but as Deadline Day ticked down, he became the best attainable option. Even then, it wasn’t straightforward. A tug-of-war with Crystal Palace at Lyon airport, extra money on the table, and owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus personally involved finally got the deal done.
After all that, Fofana has to start. So does big-money signing Dayann Methalie. But the true success of Sunderland’s window lies in who stayed: Granit Xhaka, Brian Brobbey and Noah Sadiki all remain, preserving the core of the side.
The drama is over. The scrutiny now moves to the pitch.
Tottenham – 7/10
Money spent, risks taken, and a winger with everything to prove
On pure spending, Tottenham get a 10. On the players themselves, the verdict is more cautious.
Spurs promised to invest heavily and delivered, but in a market where many clubs arguably overpaid. They burst out of the blocks, beating Manchester United to Mateus Fernandes and landing Sandro Tonali, a signing few thought realistic.
Roberto De Zerbi has been empowered to reshape the squad. The £50m outlay on Jan Paul van Hecke, who had just one year left on his contract, is the kind of move old Spurs would never have made.
The defence and midfield have been addressed, but last season’s glaring issue was up front. After a year-long chase, Savio finally arrived, joined by Omar Marmoush, to the delight of supporters.
De Zerbi still wanted one more marquee addition. The target was believed to be Cody Gakpo, but once Manchester City entered the race, Spurs were out. Then came a wild twist: a fee agreed with Everton for Iliman Ndiaye, with Richarlison heading the other way. Ndiaye looked tailor-made for De Zerbi’s football and would have electrified the fanbase. Instead, he chose City and Richarlison publicly criticised Spurs.
Attention turned to Chelsea. Mykhailo Mudryk and Tosin Adarabioyo were pursued, with Mudryk eventually arriving. It’s a bold, high-risk call. He hasn’t played competitive football in nearly two years, but the move underlines how fully the board and recruitment team are backing De Zerbi’s vision. Chelsea’s insistence on a hefty loan-to-buy fee suggests they haven’t completely written him off either.
Tottenham have changed. So have their finances, their decision-makers, their risk appetite. The squad is stronger on paper. Whether this heavy spend translates into the step forward they crave is about to be tested.
