In the last two summer transfer windows, Premier league clubs had broken the record for spending.
Although this window did not continue that trend. The £1.98b spent was still just over the £1.97b spent in 2022, but less than the £2.36b spent last year.
Below is my team-by-team review of some of their notable transfers, in order of the highest net spenders to the least.
BRIGHTON
Yankuba Minteh (Newcastle £25m), Ibrahim Osman (Nordsjaelland £16m), Mats Wieffer (Feyenoord £25m), Malick Yalcouye (IFK Gothenburg £6m), Amario Cozier-Duberry (Arsenal, free), Brajan Gruda (Mainz £25m), Georginio Rutter (Leeds United £40m), Matt O’Riley (Celtic, undisclosed), Ferdi Kadioglu (Fenerbahce £25m)
Brighton has splashed the cash to help the new manager. Minteh already looks like a good prospect in the early games. It will be interesting to see if Rutter can get goals at the highest level, and if O’Riley can adapt his playing style from Scottish to English football.
Wieffer is a competent Dutch defensive midfielder. Gruda is a young Croatian attacking midfielder with an eye for a goal. Kadioglu can play anywhere along the right. He is a Turkish international capped at all youth levels for Holland. Osman is a teenage, nippy winger.
NET SPEND: £160.6m
IPSWICH
Dara O’Shea (Burnley £15m), Liam Delap (Man City £20m), Omari Hutchinson (Chelsea £18m), Jacob Greaves (Hull £15m), Darragh McCann (Glentoran, undisclosed), Arijanet Muric (Burnley £15m), Leon Elliott (Crystal Palace, free), Ben Johnson (West Ham, free), Conor Townsend (West Brom £500k), Sammie Szmodics (Blackburn, £10m), Kalvin Phillips (Man City, loan) Jens Cajuste (Ipswich, loan), Jack Clarke (Sunderland £18m), Chiedozie Ogbene (Luton £8m)
I was impressed with Ipswich’s summer business. Hutchinson was superb on loan to help gain promotion and will want to show his talent in the top flight. Delap will bring goals and top-tier knowledge. Szmodics could be a wise move, and he will want to prove he can bag goals at this level.
Greaves already looks a good buy at centre-back. Johnson will bring Premier League experience at full-back, as will Muric in goal. Phillips is desperate to show he is still an England-quality midfielder.
Ogbene has experience but will want a better season than last term with Luton. Clarke is a winger who will hope to make an impact in the top tier.
NET SPEND: £106m
MANCHESTER UNITED
Leny Yoro (Lille £58.9m), Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna £36.5m), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich £42.7m), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich £17.1m), Manuel Ugarte (Paris Saint-Germain £50.5m), Sekou Kone (Guidars FC, undisclosed)
It seems almost a yearly tradition for Man Utd to splash the cash and bring big names in. Ugarte could be the answer to their midfield woes, he can bring steel and energy. De Light could be a big signing with his experience and solidity in the defence.
Mazraoui has started his United career well and looks good at full-back. Yoro came in for big money, and the pressure will be on to fulfil the potential. As will Zirkzzee upfront, who looks like he will need time to develop but United have high hopes.
NET SPEND: £94.3m
TOTTENHAM
Archie Gray (Leeds, undisclosed), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig, loan), Min-Hyuk Yang (Gangwon FC, undisclosed), Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth £65m), Wilson Odobert (Burnley, undisclosed), Lucas Bergvall (Djurgarden £8.5m), George Feeney (Glentoran, undisclosed)
This is a mixed bag from Spurs with many questions still to be answered. Solanke has come in for big money to be their main man but the jury is out. Werner has extended his loan for another year, a plus is that he has a season under his belt.
Odobert looks like a good young prospect who needs more games and experience. Gray is another young promising prospect who will need games and time. Bergvall, Feeney and Yang are all teenage prospects hoping to develop in the coming years.
NET SPEND: £86.4m
WEST HAM UNITED
Luis Guilherme (Palmeiras £25m), Max Kilman (Wolves £40m), Wes Foderingham (Sheffield United, free), Carlos Soler (Paris Saint-Germain, loan), Crysencio Summerville (Leeds, undisclosed), Niclas Fullkrug (Borussia Dortmund £27.5m), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis, free), Jean-Clair Todibo (Nice, loan), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Man Utd £15m), Mohamadou Kante (Paris FC, undisclosed)
Pound for pound, West Ham had one of the best summer windows. Kilman has started the season well and looks like a good signing. Fullkrug will bring goals and experience upfront, providing he adapts. Wan-Bissaka is a good, smart move and will bring experience.
It will be interesting to see Summerville in the Premier League. He is sure to bring excitement. Teenage Brazil youth international winger Guilherme also looks exciting,
Further experience will come from Spanish international midfielder Solar. Big, strong defender, Todibo. Argentine DM Rodriguez and Foderingham to cover in goal.
NET SPEND: £78.3m
SOUTHAMPTON
Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal £25m), Maxwel Cornet (West Ham, loan), Ryan Fraser (Newcastle, undisclosed), Flynn Downes (West Ham £18m), Ronnie Edwards (Peterborough £6m), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Manchester City £20m), Yukinari Sugawara (AZ Alkmaar £5m), (Ben Brereton Diaz (Villarreal £6.5m), Rento Takaoka (Nissho Gakuen High School, undisclosed), Nathan Wood (Swansea £3m), Adam Lallana (Brighton, free), Brook Myers (Charlton, free), Charlie Taylor (Burnley. free), Cameron Archer (Aston Villa £15m), Lesley Ugochukwu (Chelsea, loan) Mateus Fernandes (Sporting £12.8m)
The Saints have shown intent with their incomings. Ramsdale will bring experience and is determined to prove Arsenal wrong. Harwood-Bellis is the England u21 captain and will want to prove his worth in the top flight.
Cornet could be a good acquisition. He has obvious talent but needs consistency. Valuable experience has come in with Lallana & Fraser. Brereton Diaz has scored goals in the Premier League and will hope to continue that. The same goes for Archer, who needs games.
Sugaware has already scored this season and will hope for more to come. Ugochukwu needs game time to show his worth. Fernandes is a young midfielder, capped at all youth levels for Portugal.
NET SPEND: £62.8m
CHELSEA
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester £30m), Marc Guiu (Barcelona £5m), Omari Kellyman (Aston Villa £19m), Tosin Fulham, free), Pedro Neto (Wolves £54m), Renato Veiga (FC Basel £12m), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United, undisclosed), Estevao Willian (Palmeiras £29.1m), Filip Jorgensen (Villarreal £20.7m), Aaron Anselmino (Boca Juniors £15.6m), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid £46.3m), Jadon Sancho (Manchester United, loan)
It’s no longer a surprise but more expected to see Chelsea bring in a bucket load of players. Neto looks like a good buy and will bring something different. Tosin, especially for free, could be a good move. Dewsbury-Hall had a good season in the Championship and will hope to replicate that.
Felix is a curious one. He has not impressed out on loan, so for the price tag, the pressure will be on. Sancho is happy to get away from United for at least a season and could shine in blue. Estevao is a young Brazilian midfielder with huge potential.
Jorgensen is a young Dutch goalkeeper with a big reputation. Guia is a Spanish teenage striker with potential and Veiga is a young defender capped at youth level for Portugal.
NET SPEND: £50.4m
LEICESTER CITY
Abdul Fatawu (Sporting £17m), Odsonne Edouard (Crystal Palace, loan), Michael Golding (Chelsea, undisclosed), Caleb Okoli (Atalanta, undisclosed), Bobby Decordova-Reid (Fulham, free), Facundo Buonanotte (Brighton, loan), Oliver Skipp (Tottenham £25m), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace £7.5m)
Leicester are back in the Premier League and have made some intelligent moves. The duo of Edouard on loan and Ayew for a small fee could be a masterstroke to bring goals to the squad. Along with Decordova-Reid on a free.
Fatawu already looks like a good signing in his short time at the club. Skipp will bring some much-needed Premier League experience. Buonanotte also looks like a decent move and will bring flair and quality.
NET SPEND: £49m
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Elliot Anderson (Newcastle £35m), James Ward-Prowse (West Ham, loan), Morato (Benfica £15m), Eric da Silva Moreiro (St Pauli £1.3m), Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina £12m), Carlos Miguel (Corinthians, undisclosed), Marko Stamenic (Red Star Belgrade, undisclosed), Jota Silva (Vitoria Guimaraes £10.1m), Ramon Sosa (Talleres de Cordoba, undisclosed), Alex Moreno (Aston Villa, loan), David Carmo (Porto, undisclosed)
Forest seems to be another club where it’s become a tradition to bring loads of players in. I was surprised Anderson left Newcastle, but the extra game time could be Forests’ benefit. That also goes for Moreno at full-back, who could be a decent move.
You can add Ward-Prowse to that sentiment, and if only for his set-piece abilities, it could be a wise move. Morato is a young but experienced Brazilian defender. As is Serbian defender Milenkovic and Jota Silva is a skilful winger.
NET SPEND: £44.9m
BOURNEMOUTH
Daniel Jebbison (Sheffield United £1.5m), Alex Paulsen (Wellington Phoenix £2m), Luis Sinisterra (Leeds £20m), Enes Unal (Getafe, £14m), Koby Mottoh (Portsmouth, free), Dean Huijsen (Juventus £15.2m), Julian Araujo (Barcelona £8m), Evanilson (Porto £40m), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea, loan)
I was impressed with some of Bournemouth’s business this summer. Kepa, in goal, has already made a difference and will bring much-needed experience. Sinisterra has also made a difference and looked like a good, exciting acquisition.
Unal could be a good move. He is a well-travelled, experienced Turkish striker. Evanilson came in for big money as a direct replacement for Solanke, so pressure could be on.
Araujo is a fullback previously on Barca’s books but never played for them. He is a USA youth international turned Mexican full international. Huijsen is a teenage centre-back who made a few appearances in Serie A.
NET SPEND: £32m
FULHAM
Ryan Sessegnon (Tottenham, free), Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal £34m), Jorge Cuenca (Villarreal, undisclosed), Sander Berge (Burnley £25m), Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace £30m), Reiss Nelson (Arsenal, loan)
This was a decent window for Fulham. I was surprised Palace let Anderson go. He has been one of their best players and a massive acquisition for Fulham. Smith Rowe will have some needed game time and the opportunity to prove Arsenal wrong.
Berge could be a shrewd signing, but big shoes to fill in Paulinha’s absence. Sessegnon and Nelson, signing on loan, will have an opportunity to get minutes in the league and show their worth.
NET SPEND: £31.4m
ASTON VILLA
Ross Barkley (Luton, undisclosed), Enzo Barrenechea (Juventus, undisclosed), Lewis Dobbin (Everton £10m), Samuel Iling-Junior (Juventus, undisclosed), Omar Khedr (ZED, undisclosed), Ian Maatsen (Chelsea £37.5m), Amadou Onana (Everton £50m), Jaden Philogene (Hull City £18m), Max Jenner (West Brom, free)
Aston Villa has made some interesting signings, obviously with the strains of the Champions League in mind. Onana has started superbly and already looks like a talisman. Barkley looks like a shrewd signing with his ability and experience.
Maatsen also looks a decent signing and will hope to show his worth. Iling-Junior impressed at Juve and will hope to get opportunities at Villa. Barrrencchea has followed him from Juve, and will also hope for minutes to shine.
Young strikers Archer & Dobbin had a taste of the Premier League and will hope to get minutes for Villa. Philogene will hope to step up from the Championship to the top flight.
NET SPEND: £28.7m
BRENTFORD
Igor Thiago (Club Brugge £30m), Benjamin Fredrick (Simoiben, undisclosed), Fabio Carvalho (Liverpool £27.5m), Sepp van den Berg (Liverpool £25m), Jayden Meghoma (Southampton £5m plus bonuses)
I would say this is a mixed bag from Brentford. They will be happy with the purchase of Carvalho, who will be eager to get games and show Liverpool what they will be missing. That also goes for van den Berg, who will want games in the Premier League.
Thiago is a Brazilian forward with good goal-for-game stats. Meghoma is a teenage full-back, capped at all youth levels for England, and has already featured this season.
NET SPEND: £23.4m
ARSENAL
David Raya (Brentford £27m), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna £42m), Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad £31.6m), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea, loan), Lucas Nygaard (Nordsjaelland, free), Tommy Setford (Ajax £850,000)
I have to say I am impressed with Arsenal’s business, and it could lead to a first title in 20 years. Raya did so well last season that they made his move permanent. Calafiori looks a good signing with all the attributes to be a top defender.
The deadline day coup of Sterling on loan could well be a masterstroke with his championship experience and know-how. If that wasn’t enough, they bought a midfield maestro and Euro24 winner Merino.
NET SPEND: £12.7m
CRYSTAL PALACE
Chadi Riad (Barcelona £14m), Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal £30m), Daichi Kamada Lazio, free), Jemiah Umolu (West Ham, free), Ismaila Sarr (Marseille £11m), Maxence Lacroix (Wolfsburg £21m with add-ons), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest, loan)
It was an interesting window for Palace after losing a few stars. They are hoping for a return on Nketiah, who will be keen to show Arsenal he can cut it at this level. Japanese midfielder Kamada brings experience from playing in Italy & Germany.
Sarr is a decent signing. He has previous Premier League experience and looks a good fit for Palace. Lacroix is a strong French defender, capped at all youth levels. Riad is a Moroccan international centre-back, who was previously with Barca but only played once.
NET SPEND: £4.5m
EVERTON
Orel Mangala (Lyon, loan), Omari Benjamin (Arsenal, free), Jack Harrison (Leeds, loan), Tim Iroegbunam (Aston Villa £9m), Iliman Ndiaye (Marseille £20m), Jesper Lindstrom (Napoli, loan), Jake O’Brien (Lyon £17m), Asmir Begovic (QPR, free), Armando Broja (Everton, loan)
A mixed bag from Everton. However, Ndiaye already looks like a good signing in the few games he has featured this season. Mangala could also boost the midfield with his power and physicality. As will Danish international Lindstrom, who has Serie A and Bundesliga experience
Harrison, on loan, also looks a wise move, with his experience and ability. Broja will be keen to get some minutes and prove he can score goals at this level. O’Brien is a young Rep of Ireland international who recently did very well in the French league.
NET SPEND: £-26.1m
NEWCASTLE
Lewis Hall (Chelsea £28m) Miodrag Pivas (FK Jedinstvo Ub, undisclosed), Odysseas Vlachodimos (Nottingham Forest, undisclosed), Lloyd Kelly (Bournemouth, free), John Ruddy (Birmingham, free), William Osula (Sheffield United £15m)
I am sure Newcastle fans are not impressed with their summer window, especially after their well-documented club finances. Nevertheless, Hall proved on loan last season he could be an asset. He has played for all youth levels for England.
Danish youth international Osula will hope to get games and minutes to show his worth. Kelly will bring versatility to the back line. Vlachodimos & Ruddy are both covering goalkeepers.
NET SPEND: £-30m
WOLVES
Tommy Doyle (Man City, £4.3m), Carlos Forbs (Ajax, loan), Andre (Fluminense, undisclosed), Rodrigo Gomes (Braga £12.7m), Pedro Lima (Sport Recife £8.45m), Arthur Nasta (Larkhall Athletic, undisclosed), Jorgen Strand Larsen (Celta Vigo, loan), Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace £10m), Ethan Sutherland (St Mirren, undisclosed)
Not sure what to make of Wolves’ summer window, and it could go either way. I was surprised that Palace let Johnstone go. He could be a good acquisition. As could Andre, he had been looked at by a few top Premier League clubs, so a real coup for Wolves.
Doyle has been on loan away from Man City for five years, so, will be happy to get home and lock in some top-flight games. Gomes & Forbs are both tricky wingers, capped at all youth levels for Portugal, and Lima is a young Brazilian full-back.
NET SPEND: £-32.5m
LIVERPOOL
Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia £29m – joins in the summer of 2025), Federico Chiesa (Juventus £12.5m)
Although the little business they did do was good, I am sure the Liverpool fans would have wanted more in the door. However, Mamardashvili is one for the long-term future and marvelled during Euro24.
Chiesa, especially for the price, could be a masterstroke of a signing, providing he stays fit. He has the experience, attacking flair and ability to light up the Premier League.
NET SPEND: £-42.8m
MANCHESTER CITY
Savio (Troyes £33.6m), Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona, free)
It is extremely rare and surprising to see the champions at the bottom of a net spend table, but I suppose after all these years of spending, what more do they need to do? However, they will be happy with Savio, who has already fitted into the team seamlessly.
They also welcomed back their former captain Gundogan, who has escaped his Barca nightmare and back at is spiritual home in a quest for five league titles in a row.
