Transfer window verdict: how every club fared this summer

Losing Mikel Merino in his first training session wasn’t exactly ideal for Mikel Arteta in a summer when he also added Riccardo Calafiori to an already miserly defence. Yet Arsenal fans, having awaited news of attacking reinforcements, will be relieved Raheem Sterling’s dramatic late arrival increases the competition for places and the cover – especially for Bukayo Saka. The sales of Aaron Ramsdale, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah and the loan departure of Reiss Nelson will be difficult for supporters to get used to but they will hope Arteta’s ruthless approach pays dividends. Neto joined on deadline day to replace Ramsdale as the back-up goalkeeper. Ed Aarons
Key ins: Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna, £42m), Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad, £27.4m), David Raya (Brentford, £27m), Neto (Bournemouth, loan), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea, loan)
Key outs: Emile Smith Rowe (Fulham, £34m), Eddie Nketiah (Crystal Palace, £25m), Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton, £18m), Fábio Vieira (Porto, loan), Mohamed Elneny (Al-Jazira, free), Nuno Tavares (Lazio, loan), Albert Sambi Lokonga (Sevilla, loan), Reiss Nelson (Fulham, loan), Cédric Soares (released)
There were almost two windows at play for Villa: one to meet profitability and sustainability regulations, with sales totalling more than £150m, and another to strengthen the squad for at least eight matches in the Champions League. Villa are satisfied with their business but Unai Emery lost out to Chelsea in pursuit of João Félix and although they added one Netherlands full-back in Ian Maatsen they could not complete a deal for Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geertruida. Matty Cash is expected to miss the next month with a hamstring injury, so the January signing Kosta Nedeljkovic, 18, will get a chance to impress. Ben Fisher
Key ins: Amadou Onana (Everton, £50m), Ian Maatsen (Chelsea, £37.5m), Jaden Philogene (Hull City, £18m), Enzo Barrenechea (Juventus, £6.7m), Ross Barkley (Luton, £5m)
Key outs: Moussa Diaby (Al-Ittihad, £50.5m), Douglas Luiz (Juventus, £42.4m), Omari Kellyman (Chelsea, £19m), Cameron Archer (Southampton, £15m), Tim Iroegbunam (Everton, £9m), Morgan Sanson (£3.4m), Àlex Moreno (Nottingham Forest, loan), Philippe Coutinho (Vasco da Gama, loan)
A history-making window for Bournemouth, who made the Brazil striker Evanilson their record signing, surpassing the £25m paid for Jefferson Lerma in 2018. Evanilson was signed as a replacement for Dominic Solanke and the arrival of Kepa Arrizabalaga, still the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, who will surely have a point to prove after his exile at Chelsea, appears an upgrade on the former captain Neto, who joined Arsenal as a No 2. Dean Huijsen, Julián Araujo and Evanilson joined from Juventus, Barcelona and Porto respectively. The Cherries have built a young squad brimming with potential. BF
Key ins: Evanilson (Porto, £31.7m), Luis Sinisterra (Leeds, £20m), Enes Unal (Getafe, £14m), Dean Huijsen (Juventus, £12.8m), Julián Araujo (Barcelona, £8.5m), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea, loan), Daniel Jebbison (Sheffield United, free)
Key outs: Dominic Solanke (Tottenham, £55m), Kieffer Moore (Sheffield United, £2m), Jaidon Anthony (Burnley, loan), Neto (Arsenal, loan), Lloyd Kelly (Newcastle, free)
The uncertainty over Ivan Toney’s future refused to go away, the striker completing a move to Al-Ahli only in the early hours of Saturday, and Thomas Frank will be relieved to put the transfer window behind him. An injury to the Toney’s replacement Igor Thiago – signed from Club Brugge for a club record £30m – was a bitter blow for Brentford. But they have added two former Liverpool players with plenty of quality in Sepp van den Berg and Fábio Carvalho, and the arrival of the 18-year-old winger Gustavo Nunes from the Brazilian side Grêmio is something of a coup. EA
Key ins: Igor Thiago (Club Brugge, £30m), Fábio Carvalho (Liverpool, £22.5m), Sepp van den Berg (Liverpool, £20m), Gustavo Nunes (Grêmio, £10.1m), Jayden Meghoma (Southampton, £5m),
Key outs: Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli, £40m), David Raya (Arsenal, £27m), Frank Onyeka (Augsburg, loan), Mathias Jørgensen (Anderlecht, free), Thomas Strakosha (AEK Athens, free)
A record-breaking summer of spending has significantly bolstered the new manager Fabian Hürzeler’s squad, although the ankle injury sustained by the midfielder Matt O’Riley in the Carabao Cup win over Crawley rightly left him fuming. Yankuba Minteh has quickly made an impression after arriving early in the window, and Mats Wieffer, Brajan Gruda, Georginio Rutter and Ferdi Kadioglu look like excellent additions. Losing the much-loved Pascal Gross and Billy Gilmour were the only downsides to the dawning of a new era at the Amex. EA
Key ins: Georginio Rutter (Leeds, £40m), Yankuba Minteh (Newcastle, £33m), Matt O’Riley (Celtic, £26m), Mats Wieffer (Feyenoord, £25.6m), Ferdi Kadioglu (Fenerbahce, £25.4m), Brajan Gruda (Mainz, £23.9m), Ibrahim Osman (Nordsjælland, £16m)
Key outs: Deniz Undav (Stuttgart, £25.7m), Billy Gilmour (Napoli, £13m), Pascal Groß (Borussia Dortmund, £8m), Valentín Barco (Sevilla, loan), Facundo Buonanotte (Leicester, loan), Adam Lallana (Southampton, free), Mahmoud Dahoud (Eintracht Frankfurt, free)
Another frantic transfer window at Stamford Bridge ended with over a dozen players joining, a lengthy departures list and unwanted squad members still at the club. Chelsea failed to land a No 9 to compete with Nicolas Jackson, leaving the 18-year-old Marc Guiu as Enzo Maresca’s back-up option. If the head coach is true to his word, Carney Chukwuemeka and Ben Chilwell will go at least until January without game time. Plenty of attacking talent has arrived but is the squad stronger or better balanced for all the upheaval? Jacob Steinberg
Key ins: Pedro Neto (Wolves, £54m), João Félix (Atlético Madrid, £42m), Estêvão Willian (Palmeiras, £28m, joining 2025), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester, £30m), Filip Jörgensen (Villarreal, £20.7m), Omari Kellyman (Aston Villa, £19m), Renato Veiga (Basel, £11.8m), Marc Guiu (Barcelona, £5.1m), Tosin Adarabioyo (Fulham, free)
Key outs: Ian Maatsen (Aston Villa, £37.5m), Conor Gallagher (Atlético Madrid, £34m), Romelu Lukaku (Napoli, £30m), Lewis Hall (Newcastle, £28m), Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich, £22m), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Bournemouth, loan), Lesley Ugochukwu (Southampton, loan), Raheem Sterling (Arsenal, loan), Trevoh Chalobah (Crystal Palace, loan), Armando Broja (Everton, loan), Thiago Silva (Fluminense, free)
Keeping hold of Marc Guéhi after turning down multiple bids from Newcastle was a triumph for Palace’s chairman, Steve Parish, after losing Michael Olise to Bayern Munich earlier in the summer. The departures of Joachim Andersen and Jordan Ayew left Palace short on experience and Oliver Glasner will hope that Daichi Kamada and Ismaïla Sarr hit the ground running in attack. But the addition of Maxence Lacroix, Trevoh Chalobah, Eddie Nketiah and Matt Turner on deadline day made it a very positive end to the window. EA
Key ins: Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal, £25m), Maxence Lacroix (Wolfsburg, £18m), Ismaïla Sarr (Marseille, £12.5m), Chadi Riad (Real Betis, £12m), Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea, loan), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest, loan), Daichi Kamada (Lazio, free)
Key outs: Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, £45m), Joachim Andersen (Fulham, £30m), Sam Johnstone (Wolves, £10m), Jordan Ayew (Leicester, £5m), Odsonne Édouard (Leicester, loan), James Tomkins (released)
Amid the issues surrounding finance and the unknown takeover, funds were always going to dictate the business at Goodison Park. Iliman Ndiaye, Jake O’Brien and Tim Iroegbunam are good investments considering their ages, Jack Harrison returned on loan for continuity, and Jesper Lindstrøm and Orel Mangala added depth. About £70m was accrued from sales, most in exchange for Amadou Onana, who was not even a regular under Sean Dyche, and that meant they avoided selling Dominic Calvert-Lewin. They were even able to bring in another striker, Armando Broja, at the 11th hour. Will Unwin
Key ins: Jake O’Brien (Lyon, £17m), Iliman Ndiaye (Marseille, £16.9m), Tim Iroegbunam (Aston Villa, £9m), Asmir Begovic (QPR, free), Jesper Lindstrøm (Napoli, loan), Jack Harrison (Leeds, loan), Orel Mangala (Lyon, loan), Armando Broja (Chelsea, loan)
Key outs: Amadou Onana (Aston Villa, £50m), Lewis Dobbin (Aston Villa, £10m), Ben Godfrey (Atalanta, £9m), Neal Maupay (Marseille, loan), André Gomes (released)
Marco Silva’s mission was to recover from the blow of losing João Palhinha to Bayern Munich and Tosin Adarabioyo to Chelsea. Fortunately gaps have been filled. Joachim Andersen, who was on loan at Fulham three years ago, is a smart buy from Crystal Palace and will bolster the defence. Sander Berge has strengthened the midfield after joining from Burnley and there is excitement about the arrival of the attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, who is looking for a fresh start after leaving Arsenal. Reiss Nelson then joined on loan from Arsenal on deadline day. JS
Key ins: Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal, £34m), Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace, £30m), Sander Berge (Burnley, £20m), Jorge Cuenca (Villarreal, £5.7m), Reiss Nelson (Arsenal, loan), Ryan Sessegnon (Tottenham, free)
Key outs: João Palhinha (Bayern Munich, £42.3m), Tim Ream (Charlotte, undisclosed), Bobby De Cordova-Reid (Leicester, free), Tosin Adarabioyo (Chelsea, free)
Ipswich went to the end but could not land the centre-forward target that would have completed a hectic summer’s dealings. They have spared no expense in refreshing a squad that leapt two divisions at warp speed, replacing its fringe players with signings they hope can thrive in the top flight. The arrivals of Omari Hutchinson, Jacob Greaves, Liam Delap, Jack Clarke, Dara O’Shea, Sammie Szmodics, Arianet Muric and Chiedozie Ogbene exceeded their previous transfer record many times over. Jens Cajuste looks a smart addition on loan from Napoli and it will be worth tracking Kieran McKenna’s attempt to rejuvenate Kalvin Phillips. Nick Ames
Key ins: Omari Hutchinson (Chelsea, £22m), Jack Clarke (Sunderland, £15m), Liam Delap (Manchester City, £15m), Jacob Greaves (Hull, £15m), Dara O’Shea (Burnley, £12m), Arijanet Muric (Burnley, £10m), Sammie Szmodics (Blackburn, £9m), Chiedozie Ogbene (Luton, £8m), Jens Cajuste (Napoli, loan), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City, loan), Conor Townsend (West Brom, undisclosed), Ben Johnson (West Ham, free)
Key outs: Vaclav Hladky (Burnley, free), Kayden Jackson (Derby, free)
Mindful of PSR, Leicester have had to box clever but Steve Cooper was desperate to improve his attacking options. Bilal El Khannouss, a £20m signing from Genk, was the Belgian Pro League’s young player of the year last season and Facundo Buonanotte also looks a shrewd acquisition, on loan from Brighton. The pair of arrivals from Crystal Palace, Jordan Ayew and Odsonne Édouard, the latter on loan, may prove the most important incomings given otherwise the goalscoring burden rested firmly with the wily Jamie Vardy, 38 in January. Tom Cannon, a £6m signing from Everton, was allowed to join Stoke on loan. BF
Key ins: Bilal El Khannouss (Genk, £20m), Oliver Skipp (Tottenham, £20m), Abdul Fatawu (Sporting, £17m), Caleb Okoli (Atalanta, £13m), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace, £5m), Michael Golding (Chelsea, £4m), Facundo Buonanotte (Brighton, loan), Odsonne Édouard (Crystal Palace, loan), Bobby De Cordova-Reid (Fulham, free)
Key outs: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Chelsea, £30m), Harry Souttar (Sheffield United, loan), Kelechi Iheanacho (Sevilla, free)
The main change at Liverpool was Arne Slot replacing Jürgen Klopp. Things were pretty quiet on the transfer front but, in truth, little was required. They were close to not signing anyone but manoeuvred at the end of the window to acquire Federico Chiesa in a fine value-for-money deal, giving Juventus £10m up front for the Italy international. Meanwhile, the club planned for the long term by agreeing a deal for Valencia’s goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili with a view to him eventually replacing Alisson as No 1. Healthy profits were made on Fábio Carvalho, Bobby Clark and Sepp van den Berg to cheer up the accountant. WU
Key ins: Federico Chiesa (Juventus, £10m), Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia, £25m, joining 2025)
Key outs: Fábio Carvalho (Brentford, £22.5m), Sepp van den Berg (Brentford, £20m), Bobby Clark (Red Bull Salzburg, £10m), Stefan Bajcetic (Red Bull Salzburg, loan), Thiago Alcântara (retired), Adrián (Real Betis, free), Joël Matip (released)
Pep Guardiola’s mantra has been that if you led your team to a record fourth consecutive title then only tweaks are required. In have come only his treble-winning captain, Ilkay Gündogan, who returns on a free, and the wide man Savinho. This if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it policy means the manager also decided against replacing Julián Álvarez. Part of his reasoning is, surely, that even should Erling Haaland be injured for a spell the relentless City goal machine will keep on running. Jamie Jackson
Key ins: Savinho (Troyes, £30.8m), Ilkay Gündogan (Barcelona, free)
Key outs: Julián Álvarez (Atlético Madrid, £64.4m), João Cancelo (Al-Hilal, £21.1m), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton, £20m), Liam Delap (Ipswich, £15m), Sergio Gómez (Real Sociedad, £8.4m), Tommy Doyle (Wolves, £4.3m), Micah Hamilton (Middlesbrough, £3.5m), Kalvin Phillips (Ipswich, loan)
In Ineos’s first window, Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte have been landed, so the manager cannot claim a lack of backing. Erik ten Hag has two new centre-backs, a striker, a full-back and a No 6 and, considering cash constraints, the surgery required on the squad and the market’s trickiness, the sporting director, Dan Ashworth, can be pleased with his wheeler-dealing. As always, time will judge how good the new band actually is. JJ
Key ins: Leny Yoro (Lille, £52.2m), Manuel Ugarte (PSG, £42.3m), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich, £38.5m), Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna, £36.5m), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich, £12.8m)
Key outs: Mason Greenwood (Marseille, £26.7m), Scott McTominay (Napoli, £25.7m), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham, £15m), Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley, £5.4m), Facundo Pellistri (Panathinaikos, £5.1m), Willy Kambwala (Villarreal, £4.6m), Raphaël Varane (Como, free), Anthony Martial (released)
Eddie Howe acknowledges it has “not been a brilliant window” for Newcastle, with a particular nadir involving the fruitless, month-long, pursuit of Crystal Palace’s England centre-half Marc Guéhi. In June Howe wanted a right-sided centre-back, a right-winger, a central striker and a top goalkeeper capable of challenging Nick Pope for a starting place. He has ended up with none of those. At least the team’s stars, Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimarães and Anthony Gordon, have stayed but questions are bound to be asked of Newcastle’s new sporting director, Paul Mitchell; not to mention of the manager’s future on Tyneside. Louise Taylor
Key ins: Lewis Hall (Chelsea, £28m), William Osula (Sheffield United, £10m), John Ruddy (Birmingham, free), Odysseas Vlachodimos (Nottingham Forest, undisclosed), Lloyd Kelly (Bournemouth, free)
Key outs: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest, £35m), Yankuba Minteh (Brighton, £33m), Matt Ritchie (Portsmouth, free), Ryan Fraser (Southampton, free), Loris Karius (released), Paul Dummett (released)
Things started in calm fashion as a number of sensible deals were completed early: the club pounced to bring in Elliot Anderson from Newcastle and the centre-back Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina, while Jota Silva and Ramón Sosa joined for good prices. Things became frenetic towards the end in true Forest fashion as they struggled to find a striker willing to come and embarked on a failed, yet extensive, search for a goalkeeper that seemed unnecessary. The strikers Eddie Nketiah, Santiago Giménez and Omar Marmoush failed to join, leaving Forest with a surprise deal for the centre-back Morato, although James Ward-Prowse is a sensible loan signing with plenty of experience. WU
Key ins: Elliot Anderson (Newcastle, £35m), Morato (Benfica, £12.6m), Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina, £12m), David Carmo (Porto, £10m), Ramón Sosa (Talleres, £9.3m), Jota Silva (Vitória de Guimarães, £5.9m), Carlos Miguel (Corinthians, £3.4m), Eric da Silva Moreira (St Pauli, £1.3m), Àlex Moreno (Aston Villa, loan), James Ward-Prowse (West Ham, loan)
Key outs: Moussa Niakhaté (Lyon, £27m), Orel Mangala (Lyon, £15m), Joe Worrall (Burnley, undisclosed), Odysseas Vlachodimos (Newcastle, undisclosed), Felipe (retired), Cheikhou Kouyaté (released), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace, loan)
The most significant piece of business came on deadline day, with Aaron Ramsdale surely solving their goalkeeping problem. Ramsdale is determined to win back his place in the England squad and his arrival, together with those of the returning loanees Ryan Fraser, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Flynn Downes, all of whom have signed permanently, means Russell Martin has built a close-knit squad, full of character. Saints made 15 first-team signings, a mix of experience and youth, and offloaded fringe players such as Sékou Mara. Cameron Archer, a £15m signing from Villa, will be a steal if he can rekindle the clinical edge he showed in Championship loan spells. It has all the hallmarks of a strong window but time will tell. BF
Key ins: Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Manchester City, £20m), Flynn Downes (West Ham, £18m), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal, £18m), Matheus Fernandes (Sporting, £15m), Cameron Archer (Aston Villa, £15m), Ben Brereton Díaz (Villarreal, £7m), Yukinari Sugawara (AZ, £6m), Nathan Wood (Swansea, £3m), Ronnie Edwards (Peterborough, £3m), Lesley Ugochukwu (Chelsea, loan), Maxwel Cornet (West Ham, loan), Charlie Taylor (Burnley, free), Adam Lallana (Brighton, free), Ryan Fraser (Newcastle, free)
Key outs: Carlos Alcaraz (Flamengo, £15.2m), Sékou Mara (Strasbourg, £10m), Duje Caleta-Car (Lyon, £5m), Jayden Meghoma (Brentford, £5m), Che Adams (Torino, free), Stuart Armstrong (released)
Two things have been notable about Spurs’s dealings, the most obvious being the increased emphasis on youth, with three teenagers coming in: Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert. Has it been Daniel Levy rekindling his love of a signing with a high ceiling, whose value can increase in tandem with his improvement? The second has been how the chairman has shipped out a host of unwanted players; a difficult trick which he has not always mastered. The massive outlay on Dominic Solanke comes with corresponding levels of expectation. David Hytner
Key ins: Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth, £55m), Wilson Odobert (Burnley, £31.5m), Archie Gray (Leeds, £25m), Lucas Bergvall (Djurgården, £8.5m), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig, loan)
Key outs: Oliver Skipp (Leicester, £20m), Emerson Royal (Milan, £13m), Joe Rodon (Leeds, £10m), Troy Parrott (AZ, £7.6m), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis, £5m), Eric Dier (Bayern Munich, £3m), Manor Solomon (Leeds, loan), Bryan Gil (Girona, loan), Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham, free), Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Marseille, loan), Japhet Tanganga (Millwall, free), Tanguy Ndombélé (Nice, free)
Much of the business was done early for Julen Lopetegui. There was a heavy focus on strengthening a leaky defence, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo eye-catching deals. A forward was also a priority – time will tell if paying big money for Niklas Füllkrug, 31, was a wise move in the long term – and Crysencio Summerville’s arrival from Leeds boosts Lopetegui’s options on the left, while Guido Rodríguez provides cover in midfield. The deadline-day departures of Nayef Aguerd, James Ward-Prowse and Maxwel Cornet cleared the way for the midfielder Carlos Soler’s arrival. JS
Key ins: Max Kilman (Wolves, £40m), Niclas Füllkrug (Borussia Dortmund, £27m), Crysencio Summerville (Leeds, £25m), Luis Guilherme (Palmeiras, £19.5m), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United, £15m), Carlos Soler (PSG, loan), Jean-Clair Todibo (Nice, loan), Guido Rodríguez (Real Betis, free), Wes Foderingham (Sheffield United, free)
Key outs: Flynn Downes (Southampton, £18m), Saïd Benrahma (Lyon, £12.2m), Thilo Kehrer (Monaco, £9.5m), James Ward-Prowse (Nottingham Forest, loan), Maxwel Cornet (Southampton, loan), Nayef Aguerd (Real Sociedad, loan), Angelo Ogbonna (Watford, free), George Earthy (Bristol City, loan), Ben Johnson (Ipswich, free)
“It didn’t go quite as we planned it to go, so it falls on me to make sure we are still able to compete,” was the verdict of an underwhelmed Gary O’Neil. Pedro Neto and Max Kilman, proven top-flight performers, were not directly replaced, though Rodrigo Gomes, a 21-year-old Portuguese, is seen as a clone of Neto in terms of his profile. Wolves have had plenty of joy scouting in South America and the £21m deadline-day arrival of midfielder André from Fluminense ensured the window was not a total damp squib. Wolves now have three Brazil internationals in André, João Gomes and Matheus Cunha. But there is pressure on Norway striker Jørgen Strand Larsen, loaned from Celta Vigo, to be a hit. BF
Key ins: André (Fluminense, £21m), Rodrigo Gomes (Braga, £12.7m), Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace, £10m), Pedro Lima (Sport Recife, £8.5m), Bastien Meupiyou (Nantes, £5m), Tommy Doyle (Manchester City, £4.3m), Jørgen Strand Larsen (Celta Vigo, loan)
Key outs: Pedro Neto (Chelsea, £54m), Max Kilman (West Ham, £40m), Fábio Silva (Las Palmas, loan)