Five Premier League games are now in the books, the first international break has arrived, and we finally have enough evidence to start judging the biggest moves of the summer.
Premier League clubs spent a record £3.49bn during the summer window, with several players arriving for enormous fees and carrying huge expectations with them.
So, who has actually delivered?
Here is the current ranking of the biggest summer signings after five league games, based on their performances so far. �
Football365
18. Andrey Santos — Manchester United
Santos arrived from Chelsea for around £48m, but his start to life at Manchester United has been underwhelming.
He started the opening-day win over Hull City and produced some respectable numbers, including 91% passing accuracy and six successful duels from eight.
However, he was replaced by Kobbie Mainoo and has struggled to regain his place since.
With Carlos Baleba still waiting to make his first appearance, Santos could soon face even greater competition for minutes. �
Football365
17. Matias Fernandez-Pardo — Newcastle United
Newcastle paid around £51m to sign Fernandez-Pardo from Lille, but his opening contribution has been difficult to assess.
He made only 16 touches during the 2–1 win over Hull, although Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle was adamant that the youngster performed his role extremely well, particularly without the ball.
The manager believes his movement, speed and pressing caused problems that weren’t necessarily obvious from the statistics. �
Football365
16. Sandro Tonali — Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham paid a huge £92.5m to bring Tonali from Newcastle.
That fee alone means the midfielder was always going to face enormous scrutiny.
So far, he has yet to produce enough to justify that valuation, leaving Spurs supporters waiting for the performances that made the club spend so heavily. �
Football365
15. Bradley Barcola — Liverpool
Liverpool spent around £106m on Barcola, making him one of the most expensive additions of the summer.
His opening 248 minutes have not exactly set the Premier League alight.
The pace is obvious, but the end product has been limited so far, leaving questions over whether he can turn his enormous potential into consistent production at Anfield. �
Football365
14. Mateus Fernandes — Tottenham Hotspur
Another expensive Spurs arrival finds himself outside the top 10.
Fernandes was replaced at half-time during the 3–2 defeat to Aston Villa, with manager Roberto De Zerbi subsequently discussing the midfielder’s performance.
Tottenham’s difficult beginning has made it harder for their summer signings to settle, and Fernandes is currently one of several new arrivals trying to find his place in a struggling side. �
Football365
13. Nico Gonzalez — Newcastle United
Newcastle spent around £48m on Gonzalez.
His importance to the team became particularly apparent during the defeat to Leeds, when Newcastle appeared to struggle after Gonzalez was withdrawn following a concussion.
He hasn’t produced spectacular attacking numbers yet, but his influence on Newcastle’s midfield structure has already been noticeable. �
Football365
12. Maxence Lacroix — Chelsea
Chelsea brought Lacroix in from Crystal Palace for approximately £52m, hoping to add experience and leadership to their defence.
On paper, the combination of Lacroix, Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana looked extremely promising.
The reality has been considerably less convincing.
Chelsea have conceded 12 goals, the most in the Premier League at this stage, meaning Lacroix has not yet been able to provide the defensive stability expected from such an expensive addition. �
Football365
11. Jan Paul van Hecke — Tottenham Hotspur
Van Hecke’s move from Brighton to Tottenham made plenty of sense on paper.
He had previously worked successfully under De Zerbi and was also wanted by other major clubs.
Unfortunately for Spurs, his start has coincided with a defence that has struggled badly.
Alan Shearer criticised Van Hecke and Micky van de Ven after the defeat to Villa, while Van Hecke himself admitted that Tottenham’s start had been different from what he expected. �
Football365
10. Bruno Guimarães — Arsenal
This one is particularly interesting.
Bruno Guimarães cost Arsenal around £75m and scored a spectacular goal against Sunderland.
However, his first Premier League start for Arsenal came in the 3–0 defeat to Brighton, with Paul Merson subsequently saying the Brazilian was “a million miles off it.”
Arsenal had won their previous nine league matches, making his difficult performance against Brighton even more noticeable. �
Football365
9. Savio — Tottenham Hotspur
Savio cost Tottenham around £75m after leaving Manchester City.
The Brazilian has yet to register a Premier League goal or assist, although there have been some positive signs.
He has created nine chances, more than any other Tottenham player, so the underlying contribution hasn’t been completely absent.
The problem is that Spurs need more end product from such an expensive attacking signing. �
Football365
8. Iliman Ndiaye — Manchester City
Ndiaye’s move to Manchester City cost approximately £60m.
He has yet to score or assist, but his importance isn’t necessarily reflected by those numbers.
His performance in the Manchester derby was particularly impressive, with his ability to win fouls, carry the ball and push City up the pitch playing a significant role.
Still, City will eventually expect more tangible attacking output from a player occupying such a valuable position. �
Football365
7. Nicolas Jackson — Aston Villa
Jackson has made an encouraging start to life at Villa Park following his £47.5m move from Chelsea.
The striker has often been criticised for his finishing, but his movement, hold-up play and ability to stretch defences can give teammates considerably more space.
That was evident during Villa’s 3–2 win over Tottenham, when Jackson scored and caused problems for the Spurs defence.
This move is already beginning to look like an interesting one for Unai Emery. �
Football365
6. Ezri Konsa — Arsenal
Arsenal paid around £51m to bring Konsa from Aston Villa.
With William Saliba unavailable, Konsa has stepped into the defence alongside Gabriel and adapted impressively.
The 3–0 defeat to Brighton exposed problems across Arsenal’s defence, but Konsa’s performances before that setback had been encouraging.
He has already shown that he can operate comfortably at the highest level. �
Football365
5. Johan Manzambi — Aston Villa
What a start.
Manzambi joined Villa from Freiburg for approximately £50m and immediately announced himself with a goal and an assist on his first full Premier League start against Tottenham.
The 20-year-old also received a huge reception from the Villa supporters, making his debut even more memorable.
After just five games, Manzambi already looks like one of the summer’s most intriguing signings. �
Football365
4. Enzo Fernández — Manchester City
City paid a staggering £125m for Fernández, making him one of the biggest transfers in Premier League history.
There have already been flashes of exactly why City wanted him.
He played a major role in the Manchester derby, impressed in the Champions League and produced a superb free-kick against Sunderland.
But there is one major question: how exactly does Fernández fit into City’s midfield structure?
City’s 5–3 win over Sunderland exposed some balance issues, with the midfield structure becoming a talking point. �
Football365
3. Jeremy Jacquet — Liverpool
Liverpool paid approximately £55m to bring Jacquet in from Rennes.
And the young defender has already made a serious impression.
His composure and comfort in possession have stood out, while his partnership with Virgil van Dijk has provided Liverpool with an encouraging defensive combination.
For a young centre-back arriving in the Premier League, Jacquet’s adaptation has been particularly impressive. �
Football365
2. Elliot Anderson — Manchester City
At around £116m, Anderson arrived at City carrying an enormous price tag.
So far, however, he has looked every bit the midfielder City hoped they were buying.
He has completed 86.1 accurate passes per 90, while his 22.8 line-breaking passes per 90 lead the Premier League according to the data cited in the ranking.
His reading of the game, defensive work and ability to cover ground have made him one of the standout new arrivals of the campaign. �
Football365
🥇 1. Morgan Rogers — Chelsea
And at No.1 is Morgan Rogers.
Chelsea paid around £117m to bring the England international from Aston Villa, and his start has already provided plenty of evidence of why the club were willing to spend so heavily.
Rogers has registered three goals and four assists, while his extraordinary Carabao Cup performance against Leeds — when he came off the bench and produced three assists — provided perhaps the clearest glimpse yet of what he can offer.
The biggest attraction could be his relationship with former Manchester City academy teammate Cole Palmer, alongside João Pedro.
If that attacking combination continues developing, Chelsea could have one of the most exciting attacking partnerships in the league. �
