But who has made the best signing of the window? Who has the most to prove? Which coach has been left under the most pressure by their club\u2019s business? And who will everyone be chasing next summer?<\/p>\n
The Athletic\u2019s Jacob Whitehead, Oliver Kay, Cerys Jones, Conor O\u2019Neill, Nick Miller and Sebastian Stafford-Bloor have taken a look at the window and answered a series of questions.<\/p>\n
Best signing of the window?<\/p>\n
Jacob Whitehead:<\/strong> Bournemouth\u2019s signing of Portugal international centre-back Antonio Silva is a real coup. The 22-year-old is a high-class player who should excel in Bournemouth\u2019s forward-defending style \u2014 expect him to move on again in the next two years.<\/p>\n Conor O\u2019Neill:<\/strong> Mamadou Sangare. There has been a strange cloud of protectionism hanging over this window, with clubs paying massively inflated fees for \u201cPremier League-proven players\u201d. Sangare\u2019s fast start to life at Brentford is a reminder that bargains exist further afield.<\/p>\n Cerys Jones:<\/strong> For the quality of the player and the context of the transfer, Ibrahim Mbaye. It\u2019s a testament to Villa\u2019s succession planning and the pull of Unai Emery that they have secured such a talented player at a time of flux. He has the potential to be the face of their rebuild.<\/p>\n Sebastian Stafford-Bloor:<\/strong> This might be me overreacting to the first few games of the season, but Amar Dedic looks like an excellent full-back and a really fine signing for Newcastle United; he fits Matthias Jaissle\u2019s style of play like a glove.<\/p>\n Oliver Kay:<\/strong> It\u2019s an inflated market, a seller\u2019s market. There have been incredible sales, but not many great buys. Brentford\u2019s purchase of Sangare looks inspired, and I like some of Newcastle\u2019s, Aston Villa\u2019s and Ipswich Town\u2019s signings, but perhaps the safest deal, a near-guaranteed improvement at low cost, is Chelsea\u2019s signing of Emiliano Martinez for just \u00a37.5million.<\/p>\n Nick Miller:<\/strong> I probably should pick the best-value signing or shrewdest bit of business, or at least something not so crashingly obvious, but in terms of how a player fits with his team-mates and manager\u2019s system, Morgan Rogers looks to be the perfect fit for Chelsea. He looks like he\u2019s played with Cole Palmer for years, because\u2026 he has.<\/p>\n \n Antonio Silva was highlighted as a good signing (Michael Steele\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Most surprising signing of the window?<\/p>\n Whitehead:<\/strong> The sheer cost of Rogers\u2019 move to Chelsea, \u00a3117m, was pretty remarkable. He has started well \u2014 but was this an area that they truly needed to strengthen? Danny Welbeck\u2019s arrival at Stamford Bridge is another contender.<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> You\u2019d have got some quite funny looks for \u2018Mykhailo Mudryk to Tottenham Hotspur\u2019 in June, given the circumstances. I\u2019m not necessarily shocked Ollie Watkins has left Aston Villa, but the fact it\u2019s for the Saudi Pro League rather than another Premier League club does surprise me.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill:<\/strong> Welbeck. I think it is a shrewd piece of business for Chelsea, but I find it difficult to understand why Brighton & Hove Albion would sanction the sale of their top goalscorer from last season.<\/p>\n Stafford-Bloor:<\/strong> Tottenham loaning Mudryk was absolutely bizarre and got the response it warranted. Having not played for two years and having barely made an impact before his ban, it\u2019s hard to imagine him having any sort of positive impact.<\/p>\n Kay:<\/strong> Jordan Henderson\u2019s move to Chelsea. Not because it\u2019s crazy but because it\u2019s pragmatic, which in itself represents a drastic change of direction. It\u2019s tempting to see the arrival of three players in their mid-30s (Martinez, Henderson, Welbeck) as a classic overcorrection, but it should bring some much-needed experience, maturity and knowhow nonetheless.<\/p>\n Miller:<\/strong> Some of the fees Tottenham have paid are astonishing, but I\u2019m still pretty surprised Liverpool have spent \u00a3123m on a right-footed left-winger when they already had three of them, and no right-winger. He might turn out to be great, but Bradley Barcola is my \u2018he must be brilliant in the games I don\u2019t watch\u2019 player.<\/p>\n The player who a lot of clubs will regret not signing?<\/p>\n Whitehead:<\/strong> Brentford\u2019s Sangare has adapted to the Premier League brilliantly. Given the cost of top-quality No 6s \u2014 typically well over \u00a360m \u2014 his \u00a339m price tag is little more than a snip to the division\u2019s top clubs.<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> Given the midfield market, it has to be Sangare. Granted, his adjustment at a Champions League club might have been more pressurised and taken longer, but I still suspect one of them will buy him for double this summer\u2019s fee in a few years.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill:<\/strong> The supply of consistent goalscorers is noticeably thin right now. I think Troy Parrott, signed by Real Betis for \u20ac20m this summer, was a real market opportunity for mid-tier Premier League sides looking to bolster their options up front.<\/p>\n Stafford-Bloor:<\/strong> Nathaniel Brown, who joined Bayern Munich over the summer from Eintracht Frankfurt. He\u2019s nominally a left-back, but can play on the right, further forward, and actually started as an attacking midfielder for Bayern in their first Bundesliga game of the season. He could have solved problems at all sorts of clubs.<\/p>\n Kay:<\/strong> It could be Sangare. It could also be Curtis Jones, who, if he settles in Italy, could be an inspired acquisition for Inter at just \u20ac35m. In terms of players left on the shelf, it could be Adam Wharton. I\u2019m amazed \u2014 pleased, but amazed \u2014 he\u2019s still at Crystal Palace.<\/p>\n Miller:<\/strong> I am amazed \u2014 and for personal reasons delighted \u2014 that nobody has had a serious run at Morgan Gibbs-White this summer. Perhaps that\u2019s because he\u2019s happy at Nottingham Forest and wants at least another season there, and Forest had no real need to sell, but after his astonishing end to last season I expected at least a few serious bids.<\/p>\n The signing who has most to prove?<\/p>\n Whitehead:<\/strong> James Trafford. It feels as if the England international has had a long wait to once again receive consistent starting minutes in the Premier League \u2014 a good season at Leeds United could see him as England\u2019s long-term No 1, a poor season undermines all the talk of his potential.<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> Carlos Baleba went from having a nine-figure valuation when Manchester United were interested last summer to now moving to Old Trafford for significantly less, and that reflects a downturn in form for Brighton. He needs to show that was an exception.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill:<\/strong> \u00a3100m central midfielders usually arrive with obvious standout qualities that can instantly improve a team\u2019s spine. For all his quality, it is much harder to identify exactly what Sandro Tonali excels at. Given the lavish fee, he will need to provide a reminder quickly.<\/p>\n Stafford-Bloor:<\/strong> Jack Grealish. If he cannot stay fit for a full season and perform to a level that once made him a \u00a3100m player, then this will be the last chance he gets.<\/p>\n Kay:<\/strong> Looking at the biggest deals \u2014 Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez at Manchester City; Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Savio at Tottenham Hotspur; Rogers at Chelsea; Barcola at Liverpool \u2014 they all have an awful lot to do if they are to provide any kind of value.<\/p>\n Miller:<\/strong> Take your pick from Tottenham\u2019s haul, but I\u2019m interested to see how Martinez gets on at Chelsea. He\u2019s an upgrade on Robert Sanchez, but people do tend to forget he has an abysmal error in him: a few more of those and patience will run thin.<\/p>\n \n James Trafford needs to have a good season (Michael Regan\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Which team looks to have improved their squad most this summer?<\/p>\n Whitehead:<\/strong> Ipswich\u2019s team is almost unrecognisable from the squad that got them promoted \u2014 Emersonn is an exciting prospect, while Daizen Maeda, Sasa Lukic, and Issa Diop are good value for a combined price of under \u00a330m.<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> Tottenham\u2019s signings give them the most potential for dramatic improvement on last season. What it takes for that to be put into practice, though, as Roberto De Zerbi has already said, needs to come from within and not from the market.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill:<\/strong> They have spent modestly by Premier League standards, but I really like Brentford\u2019s business this summer. Along with the brilliant Sangare, the signing of El Hadji Malick Diouf at left-back addresses a problem area for them. Jaidon Anthony and Callum Wilson offer greater depth in attacking areas, something they lacked last season as they ran out of gas in their push for European football.<\/p>\n Stafford-Bloor:<\/strong> The table and their results so far shouldn\u2019t dissuade anyone from thinking it\u2019s Tottenham. They were so limited last season, in nearly every position, and they\u2019ve made significant, big-budget additions all over the pitch. Their technical level is almost immeasurably higher, even if it\u2019s not showing yet.<\/p>\n Kay:<\/strong> Almost \u00a33billion has been spent and, damningly, I don\u2019t think any club looks significantly stronger for their summer business other than the newly promoted trio. Chelsea, despite missing out on a late move for Lamine Camara, and Tottenham have improved considerably, but that is more a reflection of previous dysfunction \u2014 and a lighter schedule \u2014 than inspired recruitment.<\/p>\n Miller:<\/strong> The answer is probably Tottenham, even though I\u2019m not sure about a few of them, but I quite like how Leeds have addressed some problem areas \u2014 most notably in goal \u2014 and haven\u2019t been particularly weakened by sales.<\/p>\n Which team looks to have improved their squad least this summer?<\/p>\n Whitehead:<\/strong> Crystal Palace. When the big arrival is Dwight McNeil\u2026 Pierre Sage is going to have some work to do.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill:<\/strong> Having spent enormously last summer to bring their squad up to Premier League quality, it feels like Sunderland have rested on their laurels a little this window. With the added strain of European football to contend with, Regis Le Bris would have benefited from a few extra recruits to keep his side fresh.<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> Sunderland and Everton\u2019s business has been underwhelming, with the latter\u2019s late failure to land Folarin Balogun particularly damaging \u2014 but it feels like Palace have actually got weaker. The sales of Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Munoz particularly are big blows.<\/p>\n Stafford-Bloor:<\/strong> I\u2019m with Cerys on this: given that they also lost Marc Guehi halfway through last season, their moves so far have been especially underwhelming.<\/p>\n Kay:<\/strong> Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Newcastle have lost key players, but a more interesting answer is Liverpool. There is so little depth and durability in certain positions once you scratch the surface. I really like the Andoni Iraola appointment, but I\u2019m far from certain he has a squad capable of playing his type of high-energy football twice a week.<\/p>\n Miller:<\/strong> Given at one stage it looked like Everton would be swapping Iliman Ndiaye for Richarlison, it could have been worse, but I\u2019m not sure about their business generally and not signing Balogun leaves them with only one senior striker. It doesn\u2019t really feel like Coventry City have strengthened enough, and Palace are weaker than last season too.<\/p>\n Which coach is now under most pressure?<\/p>\n Whitehead:<\/strong> When your owner is Evangelos Marinakis, the pressure will be on Oliver Glasner regardless of transfer business. A squad in flux means he has weapons \u2014 but also uncertainty.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill:<\/strong> Alvaro Arbeloa is an inexperienced head coach tasked with managing a side in flux. Not a promising recipe for anyone looking for long-term employment in the Premier League.<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> Replacing a legend is never easy \u2014 but in terms of the players at his disposal, Enzo Maresca has no excuses. I think City will have patience with him, though \u2014 the first manager to actually be at risk of losing their job is more likely to be Glasner or Arbeloa.<\/p>\n Stafford-Bloor:<\/strong> Sage has a tricky inheritance. Glasner took Crystal Palace to a European trophy, which might be their ceiling, and trying to re-energise a depleted squad under those circumstances looks very difficult.<\/p>\n Kay:<\/strong> In a way, it\u2019s De Zerbi. Not that his job is under threat \u2014 Tottenham\u2019s hierarchy seems far too awed\/terrified by him for that \u2014 but he has been given so much power and influence over a huge summer transfer outlay, which has been geared towards immediate (and desperately needed) improvement rather than long-term progression. He needs results.<\/p>\n Miller:<\/strong> He\u2019s obviously not going to get sacked but I\u2019m not sure which other section to put this in, so: Emery. Aston Villa\u2019s season could go either way after having to replace most of their side since last season, and people aren\u2019t panicking because they have such (understandable) faith in Emery to make things work. That\u2019s pressure.<\/p>\n The player you now expect to move in January is\u2026<\/p>\n Whitehead:<\/strong> A Chelsea player who now finds their pathway blocked.<\/p>\n Stafford-Bloor:<\/strong> Richarlison. Goodness knows what happened there and what circumstances compelled him to write that Instagram post, but his future at Spurs now looks untenable.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill:<\/strong> I\u2019m amazed that Joshua Zirkzee is still at Manchester United. Unless an injury crisis transpires at Old Trafford, I imagine he will be shipped out in January.<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> Gibbs-White and Wharton are two players I was surprised there wasn\u2019t more noise over this summer, and I can see both Forest and Palace struggling this season \u2014 I wonder if one or both will want out.<\/p>\n Kay:<\/strong> There has to be a danger that Arsenal or Liverpool will find themselves stretched in attack. It\u2019s easy to imagine Liverpool renewing their interest in Brighton\u2019s Yankuba Minteh. Speculating wildly, but might someone like Brentford\u2019s Kevin Schade suit Arsenal\u2019s needs?<\/p>\n Miller:<\/strong> Alex Scott, or Eli Junior Kroupi. The latter hasn\u2019t really been a factor this summer because of his injury, but he\u2019ll have been back in the Bournemouth team for a few months by the time the winter window opens and one of the big boys will be pressed into signing him.<\/p>\n \n There is some surprise Adam Wharton has not moved this summer (Lewis Storey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n And next summer everyone will be after\u2026<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> Wide defenders and forwards who can exploit space in a more direct and counter-attacking league. Rayan would be top of my list.<\/p>\n Whitehead:<\/strong> Everton\u2019s resolve to keep hold of 19-year-old Harrison Armstrong is set to be tested again \u2014 and there will be more clubs at the table than just Nottingham Forest.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill:<\/strong> Will Lankshear has already scored four goals in three Championship appearances since moving to Middlesbrough this summer. Chelsea turning a profit on Liam Delap showed just how canny an investment young English forwards are right now.<\/p>\n Stafford-Bloor:<\/strong> Konstantinos Karetsas from Borussia Dortmund. He signed from Genk over the summer and in his few appearances so far has already teased the kind of ability that should make clubs all over Europe take notice.<\/p>\n Kay:<\/strong> Wharton, Gibbs-White, Minteh, Junior Kroupi, Rayan, Schade, Sangare.<\/p>\n Miller:<\/strong> Gibbs-White. I\u2019m not trying to sell him, honest.<\/p>\n Pick your top five and bottom three in order:<\/p>\n Whitehead:<\/strong> 1. Arsenal, 2. Liverpool, 3. Chelsea, 4. Manchester City, 5. Manchester United O\u2019Neill:<\/strong> 1. Manchester City, 2. Arsenal, 3. Chelsea, 4. Manchester United, 5. Liverpool Jones:<\/strong> 1. Arsenal, 2. Manchester City, 3. Manchester United, 4. Chelsea, 5. Liverpool. Stafford-Bloor:<\/strong> 1. Arsenal, 2. Manchester City, 3. Liverpool, 4. Chelsea, 5. Manchester United. Kay:<\/strong> 1. Arsenal, 2. Manchester City, 3. Chelsea, 4. Manchester United, 5. Liverpool. Miller:<\/strong> 1. Arsenal, 2. Chelsea, 3. Manchester City, 4. Manchester United, 5. Liverpool![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2292684100-1024x683.jpg\")
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18. Hull City, 19. Ipswich Town, 20. Coventry<\/p>\n
18. Sunderland, 19. Coventry, 20. Hull City<\/p>\n
18. Hull City, 19. Ipswich Town, 20. Coventry<\/p>\n
18. Crystal Palace, 19. Hull City, 20. Coventry.<\/p>\n
18. Ipswich, 19. Coventry, 20. Hull City (though I am far less convinced regarding the bottom three than I was two weeks ago)<\/p>\n
18. Crystal Palace, 19. Hull City, 20. Coventry City<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The transfer window has closed in the Premier League and across the major European leagues after a dramatic…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1038462,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[45],"tags":[5407,18496,5998,12444,76971,219,24937,461,376717,9438,18753,10927,376716,46473,4732,18755,1723,215,216,3782,16863,16869,220,7760,221,62,108017,11131,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-1038461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-arsenal","tag-aston-villa","tag-bournemouth","tag-brentford","tag-brighton-hove-albion","tag-bundesliga","tag-champions-league","tag-chelsea","tag-coventry-city","tag-crystal-palace","tag-everton","tag-fulham","tag-hull-city","tag-ipswich-town","tag-la-liga","tag-leeds-united","tag-ligue-1","tag-liverpool","tag-manchester-city","tag-manchester-united","tag-newcastle-united","tag-nottingham-forest","tag-premier-league","tag-serie-a","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-sunderland","tag-tottenham-hotspur","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1038461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1038462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1038461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1038461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1038461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}