Inside the Premier League’s record-breaking transfer window – who has done the best business?

In the fourth instalment of Metro’s In The Mixer, we’re looking ahead to the third weekend of the Premier League season and analysing the transfer window to see if anyone has ‘won’ this summer. Sign up to receive this, plus exclusive analysis, insights and transfer talk straight to your inbox every week. 

If it’s the hope that kills in football, then the transfer window is often the one pulling the trigger. 

As the final few days of a record-breaking window approach, fans of clubs across the Premier League will be taking stock of their squads ahead of the rest of what promises to be a gruelling season. 

Premier League sides have splashed over £2.36 BILLION on new players since the start of the summer, with plenty more waiting to be spent before the window slams shut on Monday.

Teams across the league have taken different approaches – with some even deciding not to invest much at all so far. 

The ‘drama’ of the transfer news cycle means that emotions run hot even when there’s no football to dissect, but as we’ve seen so far this season, what happens on the pitch is still separate from the boardrooms and Here We Go announcements – for now at least.

Which Premier League team has ‘won’ the transfer window this season? 

Arsenal have been decisive in the transfer market this summer and have strengthened their squad in the exact places they fell short in last season.  

Martin Zubimendi will be a class act in midfield, Noni Madueke will provide great cover for Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze can be the spark against sides that sit in and defend.

Mikel Arteta will be hoping that the real jewel in the crown is star striker Viktor Gyokeres, who will finally help us get an answer to the age-old question: ‘Do Arsenal need a proper striker to win the league?’

Add in Kepa, Christian Norgaard and Christhian Mosquera for extra depth and the Gooners now have some of the best depth in the league – Arteta needs to convert that to extra points.

Liverpool are another contender, having added two starting fullbacks in Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong alongside British transfer record signing (for now) Florian Wirtz and superstar in the making Hugo Ekitike. 

The additions make the reigning champions a frightening prospect going forward this season, but they do still look light at the back even after signing Italian teenager Giovanni Leoni on the eve of their opening game.

If Alexander Isak and Marc Guehi come through the door in the coming days, it’s hard to look elsewhere for the best transfer window crown. 

If winning the transfer window was actually measured by the number of players signed, the promoted sides would be top of the table by some distance.

Burnley, Sunderland and Leeds have bought 13, 12 and ten players respectively at a combined cost of close to £350m, highlighting the need for newly-promoted teams to try to bridge the gap between the Premier League and Championship if they are to stay up this season. 

Chelsea are a club that know a thing or two about signing players, and again added plenty of quality to their squad this summer.

Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Estevao and Jamie Gittens add flair and power going forward, but Enzo Maresca is still on the lookout for a new centre-back after Levi Colwill’s cruciate ligament injury ruled him out of the rest of the season.  

The Chelsea manager could take a look at his ‘bomb squad’ for some ready-made replacements, but he too, like fans, seems to prefer buying a shiny new player instead.

Which teams have had the worst transfer window? 

PSR restrictions have left some teams in tricky situations when it comes to buying.

Aston Villa’s only significant addition has been Evann Guessand from Nice, while they have also had to sell academy product Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle for £38m. 

Newcastle themselves have felt uniquely put out by the financial restrictions on spending, but have still managed to spend £125m on Ramsey, Anthony Elanga and Malick Thiaw, although it’s their chase of a new striker (or two) that has made headlines all summer. 

Of course, the transfer window is not just about buying players, there’s also the small matter of selling too. 

Bournemouth and Brentford are two of the sides that have lost the most key players during the summer.  

For the Cherries, replacing four of their starting back five from last season will prove tricky, with Kepa, Dean Husjen, Illia Zabarnyi and Kerkez all departing.

Brentford, meanwhile, have lost their top scorer, captain, starting goalkeeper and manager over the past few months – and could potentially lose their second-top scorer in Yoane Wissa in the coming days. 

Meanwhile Manchester United, having added three new attackers at high cost are having trouble finding clubs willing to spend on some of their high earning ‘flops’. 

Marcus Rashford was sent out for another loan, this time to Barcelona, but there have been no takers so far for Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho or Tyrrell Malacia.

With Ruben Amorim wanting to add a midfielder and goalkeeper to the squad, finding a suitable club for some or all of those he wants out will be key. 

Why have some teams not bought many players?

Some of the most interesting sides this season are in fact those who have done the least business. 

As Gary Neville said on Sky Sports after Manchester United held Fulham to a draw on Sunday: ‘I know there’s a lot of talk at Fulham about the fact that they’ve not made signings and there’s a little bit of despair. 

‘When a club doesn’t make signings everyone feels sort of downbeat about it but when I looked at the Fulham team and I saw the Fulham bench, I thought ‘Fulham are OK’. 

‘Fulham have got a good team already and a good bench.’ 

After Liverpool won the title last season having only added Federico Chiesa, it seems a number of teams are taking a ‘less is more’ approach. 

Tottenham famously missed out on signing Eze last week, with fans bemoaning a lack of incomings and pressuring Daniel Levy to get someone, anyone in the door. 

They went into last weekend’s game against Manchester City – who have added a number of talented players – with little hope of getting a result. 

Thomas Frank’s side outplayed and outfought City, showing it’s what happens on the pitch that really matters. 

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