With Premier League clubs combining to spend a record £3.19 billion ($4.23 billion) during the 2025 summer transfer window, you’d like to think at least some of the new additions would have had an instant impact.
Fortunately, the desire for instant gratification has been satisfied by an array of shiny new toys.
Club have doubtless benefitted from shopping in-division, but it’s not just those familiar with the “English game” who have starred at the start of the 2025–26 season. Premier League novices have dazzled, too.
Here are Sports Illustrated’s ten best Premier League signings of the summer window, based on their performances prior to the October international break.
Honourable Mentions
- Anton Stach (Leeds United)
- Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City)
- João Pedro (Chelsea)
- Estêvão (Chelsea)
- Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
- Granit Xhaka (Sunderland)
10 Best EPL Signings So Far
10. Jaidon Anthony (Burnley)
Don’t worry, folks, we’re not merely focussing on the big boys. The newly promoted sides will be getting their due love, too.
We start off with Burnley’s Jaidon Anthony, who joined the Clarets in an £8 million ($10.6 million) deal from Bournemouth. The former Arsenal academy starlet was one of very few attackers who failed to find their feet under Andoni Iraola, and a move away ahead of 2025–26 made sense.
Many projected Scott Parker’s side to struggle upon their return, but Parker‘s third dig at the top flight has started brightly. Sure, they’re likely to battle against relegation, but it looks like they’ll give themselves a fighting chance.
Parker has shown to be adaptable, with Anthony functioning as their key outlet in attack. He’s lined up as part of a front two and out wide, with his four league goals leading Burnley’s scoring charts.
If the Clarets stay up, Anthony will be a big reason why.
9. Nick Woltemade (Newcastle)
The German international has the biggest of boots to fill on Tyneside, but Woltemade has been aided by the Toon Army’s disdain for Alexander Isak. Had the Swede left on better terms, Woltemade may have found it harder to settle in.
Now, though, the fervent Geordies are desperate for the uniquely-built German to one-up their former hero, who’s yet to hit the ground running at Liverpool.
With Yoane Wissa nursing a knee injury, Woltemade has been thrust into the firing line right away and has seemingly been unbothered by the task at his disposal. A 6’6” ballerina who’s finally learned how to head the ball, Woltemade’s Newcastle career has started with three league goals in four games, including, quite possibly, the best penalty in Premier League history.
8. El Hadji Malick Diouf (West Ham)
It’s been bleak for West Ham United at the start of the new season, but the appointment of Nuno Espírito Santo has eased fears that the Hammers will get dragged into a dogfight at the bottom of the table.
Key to their demise in recent years has been the recruitment, but the Irons have struck gold with Senegalese left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf, whom they signed from Slavia Prague.
A dogged one-on-one defender with a wicked cross, Diouf is an up-and-down left-back who has the potential to emerge as one of the best in the Premier League.
7. Tijjani Reijnders (Man City)
Tijjani Reijnders hasn’t exactly set the world alight in recent weeks, but his outstanding Premier League debut alone means he’s worthy of making the cut.
The Dutchman’s supreme display at Molineux perhaps lifted expectations to an unrealistic degree. Reijnders certainly hasn’t been off pace since, but another statement performance hasn’t arrived.
Instead, the elegant midfielder has flickered his magic with a few standout moments, including the assist for Erling Haaland against Arsenal in September.
6. Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal)
The Spanish midfielder was one of the first major summer signings through the door, with Mikel Arteta targeting Martín Zubimendi to help Arsenal unlock the centre of the pitch.
After a slow start on debut, the classy holding midfielder has since shown much of his quality, even popping up with a goal or two. His first strike against Nottingham Forest was one of the goals of the season so far.
There’s a subtle brilliance to Zubimendi that may only become obvious after a few watches, but there’s no denying that he’s helping this Gunners team evolve into a more direct and vertical outfit via his astuteness from the engine room’s base.
5. Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool)
Record spenders Liverpool have underwhelmed so far, with many of their summer arrivals struggling to settle in.
Arguably, the only new addition who’s had no such issues is Hugo Ekitiké, whose starting spot in Arne Slot’s side is far from guaranteed due to Isak’s presence.
Ekitiké has outperformed the undercooked Swede so far, but Isak’s integration has stopped the Frenchman in his tracks somewhat. Ekitiké started with goals against Bournemouth and Newcastle, but he’s scored just once in the league during his previous four appearances.
Still, the former Eintracht Frankfurt has shown himself to be much more than a mere goalscorer. He’s a slick and silky operator who’s ever so efficient when he drops in to combine. Few can move with the fluidity of the Frenchman, who boasts the necessary self-assurance to emerge as Liverpool’s main man despite the competition.
4. Joao Palhinha (Tottenham)
There’s been some division within the Tottenham fanbase over João Palhinha’s impact. Objectively, though, the loan move looks to be one of the shrewdest deals of the summer.
Sure, he’s no Andrea Pirlo and does have his drawbacks, but Spurs have been crying out for a player of Palhinha’s ilk. Thomas Frank trusts him immensely (perhaps too much at times), and the Portuguese midfielder currently leads the Spurs ranks with just over five combined tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes this season.
Frank’s side have been stubborn and resilient at the start of his tenure, and the robust Palhinha has been a major reason why. Play him alongside someone not called Rodrigo Bentancur and he’ll look even better.
3. Robin Roefs (Sunderland)
There were several Sunderland signings in contention, including captain Granit Xhaka. To atone for those oversights, Robin Roefs grabs a spot in our top three.
Signed to little fanfare from Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, goalkeeper Roefs usurped previous No. 1 Anthony Patterson in preseason and hasn’t looked back. Excluding Matty Cash’s goal for Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light, it’s hard to pinpoint anything Roefs has done wrong at the start of his Premier League career.
You need a superb shot-stopper to give yourselves a fighting chance of remaining in the division, and Sunderland have exactly that. Only Dean Henderson has prevented more goals than Roefs (via FBRef), and the Dutchman has the fourth-best success rate when attempting to claim the high ball.
2. Jack Grealish (Everton)
David Moyes’s return helped shift the feel around Everton at the end of the last season, and their move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium brought about a sense that the Toffees were entering a potentially prosperous new dawn, having spent years worrying about their Premier League safety.
Jack Grealish’s loan move just felt right from the outset, and the maligned Manchester City winger has emerged as the first hero at Everton’s new home.
The Englishman is joint-top of the assist charts and waited for a great moment to score his first goal for the club. Grealish’s last-gasp ’finish’ brought Crystal Palace’s 18-game unbeaten run to an end just before the international break.
1. Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham)
Joining Grealish at the top of the assist charts is Mohammed Kudus, who, off the back of a down year with West Ham, signed for bitter rivals Spurs.
The Ghanaian has operated like a one-man brigade at times this season, with Frank’s tinkering and attempts to find the optimal balance in possession rendering them reliant on Kudus’s magic with the ball at his feet.
There are very few who can retain possession under pressure with his efficiency, and even fewer capable of escaping said pressure before embarking on dazzling solo artistry. Compared to other wingers in the Premier League, Kudus ranks first for expected assists, successful dribbles, offensive duels won and successful crosses.
He’s completed 11 more take-ons than anyone else in the Premier League, too.
Spurs’ maverick down the right has been critical to their early success, and ensured their functionality has been complemented by some attacking genius.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ten Best Premier League Summer Transfer Signings So Far—Ranked.
