Premier League clubs spent a staggering £3 billion on signings during the summer transfer window in 2025, but not every new face has hit the ground running.
The surge in cash being spent saw the top-flight break a record for expenditure, surpassing 2023’s £2.36bn total.
That included a £125m deadline day deal for Alexander Isak, who swapped Newcastle for Liverpool, as well as other headline moves for Matheus Cunha, Joao Pedro, Bryan Mbeumo and Eberechi Eze.
Elsewhere in the summer, Manchester United splashed out on another new striker in Benjamin Sesko - a move that set them back £73.7m - while Liverpool also drafted in Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez for a combined £265m.
Which summer signing has been the most successful so far?
The Premier League’s financial power was clear for the rest of Europe to see, with the division matching the combined spend of LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.
But for all the excitement and anticipation around the dozens of new signings that arrived in England before September’s deadline, how many players are living up to their price-tag?
BOYLE Sports has graded the top 10 most expensive summer transfers from A-F based on their start to the 2025/26 campaign.
Grading The 10 Most Expensive Premier League Summer Signings
Alexander Isak (£125m)
Alexander Isak: Newcastle to Liverpool (£125m)
Isak’s move to Merseyside dominated the transfer window this year; however, things have not been smooth sailing since completing his switch to the champions.
The Swedish striker has played just 181 minutes of Premier League football after arriving at Anfield lacking his usual sharpness, and he has provided just one goal contribution in his three appearances.
Still, only Erling Haaland scored more non-penalty goals than Isak’s 35 across the previous two seasons, so there is no question that the ex-Magpie will start firing sooner rather than later under Arne Slot.
But compared to the form we have become accustomed to seeing from the 26-year-old, he is yet to justify Liverpool’s decision to break the British transfer record for his services.
Grade: C
Florian Wirtz (£116.5m)
Florian Wirtz: Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool (£116.5m)
Wirtz has had a rough ride from the media and pundits so far this term, to the surprise of many.
The German playmaker set the Reds back a whopping £116.5m and is yet to score or assist in his new colours, despite tallying 31 goal contributions in 45 matches in all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen in 2024-25.
Across the big deals done in the summer, the 33-cap international is proving to be one of the least successful transfers considering the fee.
Wirtz does deserve some slack, though. Seven games is a small sample to judge a player arriving from a different league by, and he may still prove to be a clever piece of business when he has had time to adapt fully to the Premier League.
Grade: E
Hugo Ekitike (£79m)
Hugo Ekitike: Eintracht Frankfurt to Liverpool (£79m)
Meanwhile, Ekitike is proving to be one of the most successful deals completed in 2025.
The young Frenchman lit up the Bundesliga with Frankfurt last season and has wasted no time in making his mark in unfamiliar territory.
Five goals in 10 appearances - including three in the Premier League - is a good return for a player who was expected to make way as the starting striker once Isak arrived at Liverpool.
But so far, Ekitike has kept his new team-mate very honest, and often on the bench. The only stain on his Reds record comes from his red card in the Carabao Cup for his celebration after scoring, so consider this mark more of an A-.
Grade: A
Which summer signing has been the biggest disappointment?
Benjamin Sesko (£73.7m)
Benjamin Sesko: RB Leipzig to Manchester United (£73.7m)
Manchester United spent big in the summer, to no avail. Ruben Amorim’s tactics remain as flawed as ever, and his new recruits are suffering as a result.
Scoring two goals in as many appearances at Old Trafford has bumped the Slovenian up from an E to a D, but it did take him seven appearances to net his first for the Red Devils.
Amorim needs players who can make a difference in the big moments as United look to battle back against their rapidly increasing rate of decline, a trait Sesko has so far failed to demonstrate.
It says a lot that the man he was brought in to replace - Rasmus Hojlund - is thriving back in Serie A having scored four goals in just six outings.
Grade: D
Bryan Mbeumo (£71m)
Bryan Mbeumo: Brentford to Manchester United (£71m)
Bryan Mbeumo is regarded as one of the best forwards in the Premier League, but once again, United have found a way to stifle a top signing on paper.
The former Brentford star’s start has been brighter than other arrivals, ranking in the top 10 for chances created (13) and top 15 for xG (2).
Nonetheless, for £71m, you expect your star signings to stand out from the rest, not blend in amongst a squad full of mediocre talent.
Mbeumo remains just one of three players to score 10 goals and provide more than five assists in the Premier League in 2025, so there is hope yet that the Cameroon international can break through the barrier and lead the Red Devils back to their glory days.
Grade: C
Nick Woltemade (£69m)
Nick Woltemade: Stuttgart to Newcastle (£69m)
It was never going to be an easy task to replace Isak on Tyneside, but Newcastle look to have done a superb job.
After a summer of constant rejection, the Magpies landed on Nick Woltemade, a 6ft 5in unit of a striker with an eye for goal and a loveable personality to go with it.
The huge German became the first Newcastle player to score on both their Premier League and Champions League debut, which was just the start of his impressive tally of four goals in seven appearances.
The Toon love a battler, and that is exactly what they have in Woltemade. He is an aerial specialist with a real hunger to his game. Newcastle have got themselves a bargain.
Grade: A
Eberechi Eze (£67.5m)
Eberechi Eze: Crystal Palace to Arsenal (£67.5m)
Arsenal pulled off a flawless operation to sign Eberechi Eze under the noses of north London rivals Tottenham, and the boyhood Gunner has already added a new layer of excitement and flair to Mikel Arteta’s side.
The ex-Crystal Palace talisman provided an assist with his very first chance created for Arsenal, becoming the only Englishman to contribute on his debut since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2012.
Yet, Eze has taken more shots without scoring than any other player in the Premier League this season, so there is still room for improvement.
The England star has joined a team aspiring to win the title this term, and he may just prove to be the final piece of the puzzle that Arteta has been working on for the last six years.
Grade: B
Viktor Gyokeres (£63.5m)
Viktor Gyokeres: Sporting CP to Arsenal (£63.5m)
Viktor Gyokeres essentially forced his way to Arsenal in the summer in a bid to finally prove himself in the Premier League.
Arsenal have lacked a capable No.9 who can stay fit and lead the line for several years now, and Gyokeres’ time at the Emirates has provided mixed results so far.
The Swedish powerhouse is capable of performing for a title-challenging team, but does not yet have the quality to impact the more difficult, higher-stakes matches.
Goals against bottom-half opposition such as Leeds and Nottingham Forest - where all four of his strikes this term have come from - are all well and good; however, the ex-Coventry and Brighton forward ghosted in games against Liverpool, Newcastle and both the Manchester clubs. That must change if he is to end Arsenal’s 21-year wait for the top prize.
Grade: C
Matheus Cunha (£62.5m)
Matheus Cunha: Wolves to Manchester United (£62.5m)
Like Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha is an incredibly exciting signing on paper, yet there has been little to no impact on United’s results with him in the team.
Unfortunately, Cunha will be grouped with Wirtz, having not provided any goal contributions in the opening seven games of the season, although the Red Devils have taken much less of a risk by paying nearly half of what Liverpool forked out for their creative outlet.
With all the new signings that were completed over the summer, the Brazilian’s move to Manchester seems to have gone under the radar, particularly as there are many more scapegoats in line ahead of him to blame for the club’s poor performances.
But Cunha has shown glimpses of his quality inside the Theatre of Dreams, and United look a more dangerous team in the attacking third with him on the pitch than without.
Grade: D
Which player will improve the most by the end of the season?
Joao Pedro (£60m)
Joao Pedro: Brighton to Chelsea (£60m)
Joao Pedro comes in as the 10th-most expensive signing of the summer, a remarkable feat considering he still cost Chelsea £60m.
However, unlike several others on this list, the former Brighton man has led by example and already become a main man for his new side.
After scoring two goals in his first two appearances for the Club World Cup champions - the first player to do so since Diego Costa in 2014 - Pedro has since added two Premier League goals and a further three assists as the Blues keep pace at the top of the table.
Having seen Liam Delap and Cole Palmer both pick up serious injuries this season, the 23-year-old has filled in as a striker and No.10, with most of the attacks running through him and resulting in the Brazilian becoming the second-quickest Chelsea player to reach five goal involvements, behind the legendary Eden Hazard.
Grade: B
Which team made the best transfer business?
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