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The summer transfer window for the Premier League recently closed at the end of August for clubs to sign and bring new players in.
September 10, 2024
By: Davis Rothman
Looking back at the summer transfer window across the Premier League, there were many clubs that had done well this window. In regard to bringing new players in, selling players and getting the maximum profit for them, and doing intelligent business on the financial side of the coin. However, there were three teams that particularly stood out as to who not only did the best at all of these things, but who also stood out in this transfer window in a positive light. And here are the top three Premier League clubs that ‘won’ in this transfer window:
Before getting into the top three, there are a few honorable mentions of clubs that had done incredibly well in the window, but not well enough and would just miss out on making the top three.
The first honorable mention is Manchester United...
In a summer where they would see great internal change occur with the club on an executive level, with the arrival of the new ownership group, INEOS, headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, there would be an overhaul in the board of directors at the football club. Those who had been apart of the Manchester United board for many years under the complete ownership by the Glazers would soon be replaced.
Joining Ratcliffe would be his Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc to be the figures that the board will be reporting to, Omar Berrada would be brought in from Manchester City to be the new CEO, Dan Ashworth from Newcastle as the sporting director, and Jason Wilcox from Southampton would be brought in to be the new technical director.
With this new area being ushered in by INEOS, manager Erik Ten Hag would find himself in the job for yet another season after leading the club to its worst ever league finish, in eighth place after winning the FA Cup final against Manchester City this past May.
In the summer, the new board would make their intent clear in clearing out the players that had been brought in by the prior regime that had been proven to be ‘bad buys’ to regain whatever profit they could recoup for them or players that were not apart of their vision for the future…
This window would be headlined by French duo Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial leaving the club for free at the expiry of their contracts, Mason Greenwood would depart for Marseille (£26m), Scott McTominay would be sold to Napoli (£25m), and Aaron Wan-Bissaka would leave the club for West Ham (£15m).
Predominantly through their own investment and profit received from home matchdays, the club would send a message of intent to the fanbase in backing the manager with new signings to strengthen themselves ahead of the new season.
Bayern Munich defensive duo Noussair Mazaroui (£15m) and Matthijs De Ligt (£45m ) would join the club for a combined fee of around £60m, midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Paris-St. Germain for £50m, striker Joshua Zirkzee would sign from Bologna after the club met his £36m release clause, and defender Leny Yoro from Lille would sign for the club for a total package deal of £58m (£50m up front + £8m in add-ons). All would be those to walk through the door of Old Trafford this summer transfer window.
So looking at the difference between the amount of money spent for the deals in their entirety (£196m) and the amount of money gained in player sales (£95), Manchester United's netspend for this summer's transfer window would total up to be around £101m.
The signings will add quality in depth for the team…
The team will definitely see the most depth in the defense. With United enduring a severe injury crisis over the course of last season, the defense will have greater depth in the fullback and center back departments.
Yoro and De Ligt add tremendous quality and additional depth to the centerbacks already present in the squad - Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, and Johnny Evans. Like Diogo Dalot, Mazaraoui can play in either fullback position (left or right).
Ugarte will provide legs and cover for Casemiro in the midfield, and Zirkzee provides a different style of striker and alternative to Rasmus Hojlund, who signed for the club last summer. But despite the immense amount of internal transition and still being able to make the amount of signings that they had this summer, Manchester United would miss out on the top three…
Some of the reasons both correlate with Manchester United as the club that we know them to be, from their reputation, status and name. But also, it is due to the other clubs that are included are put above them and their level of expectations nowhere near of what the world expects of a club of Manchester United's stature.
Despite having brought in players, all at a good age, and in key areas that needed to be addressed, the issues still stems with not recruiting in other positions. Of course it would be unrealistic to think that everything would get solved and done in a single window, and that the reforming of Manchester United on a sporting level under INEOS will take some time.
But in areas such as left back where both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia have both been plagued with injuries since they were brought into the club. And despite either Dalot or Mazraoui being able to play in that position, a natural left-footed left back would better suit the role. In addition, bringing in a ball-playing defensive midfielder was a position that was imperative to address. As playing Kobbie Mainoo back in that position hinders and takes away from the skillsets he has on the ball driving forward.
And for a team that struggled tremendously to score goals last season, only bringing in Zirkzee and letting Jadon Sancho depart for Chelsea with out even replacing him with anyone else when there were options available for most of the window in those attacking areas.
So even though United have done a significant amount of business in the summer to address the spine of the team, more was still needed to be brought in, whether it's on a permanent or a loan deal to help strengthen in certain areas of the pitch that should have been prioritized during this window. And all of these reasons are why Manchester United will not make the top three, but still deserves takes a place as an honorable mention.
The second honorable mention is Chelsea…
Like Manchester United, this would be a summer where they would see internal change occur within the club, but on a managerial level. Maurcio Pochettino would be removed from his job after failing to secure the club a place in the Champions League. And he would be replaced by former Manchester City assistant coach and Leicester City manager, Enzo Maresca.
In the summer where they would see a Chelsea squad that was overloaded and bloated with too many players, the board would make their intent clear in clearing out the players to regain whatever profit they could recoup for them or players that were not apart of their vision for the future…
Chelsea's outgoings would be headlined be the sales of midfielder Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid (£36m) and striker Romelu Lukaku to Napoli for a package deal of £37m. Some of the departures that Chelsea would also facilitate this summer would be Raheem Sterling's loan departure for London rivals Arsenal, Ian Maatsen to Aston Villa would depart for £37.5m, Newcastle's obligatory clause in the Lewis Hall loan deal last season would be activated in a £28m deal, Omari Hutchinson would return to Ipswich on a permanent deal in a club-record £18m deal, along many more departures would follow throughout the summer window both permanent and temporary departures
In addition to player sales, internal investment and profit received from home matchdays would be used to send a message of intent to the fanbase in backing the manager with new signings to strengthen themselves ahead of the new season.
The summer arrivals at Stamford Bridge would be headlined by a pair of Portuguese attackers. Pedro Neto would arrive from Wolves for £54m, and Joao Felix, who was on loan at the club two seasons ago from Atletico Madrid, would make a permanent return to the club in a £46m deal.
Defender Tosin Adarabioyo would join the club on a free transfer from fellow West London-side Fulham. Midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall would be reunited with the same manager he had worked under with last season at Leicester City in a £30m deal. Striker Marc Guiu would be signed from Barcelona for £5m, defender Renato Veiga from FC Basel for £12m, and Brazilian attacker Estevao Willian will be joining the club in 2025 from Palmeiras in a deal worth around £30m.
Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen would be another to make the move to West London, and like striker Nicolas Jackson had done last summer, he would join the club from Spanish side Villarreal in a £20m deal. And on deadline day, Chelsea would strike a deal with Manchester United to sign attacker Jadon Sancho on loan with an obligation to buy in deal with around £25m.
Along with several others that would be signed by this summer, Chelsea would bring an overhaul and an influx of new faces to The Bridge this summer transfer window.
So looking at the difference between the amount of money spent (£220m) and the amount of money gained in player sales (£153m), Chelsea's netspend for this summer's transfer window would total up to be around £67m.
The signings will add quality in depth for the team…
The team will definitely see the most depth in the attack. With Chelsea facing a similar issue to Manchester United in goalscoring and a lack of creativity apart from Cole Palmer who consistently provided heavily in both of those departments on a matchday basis, Chelsea have added tremendous depth to their attack.
Marc Guiu providing an understudy and a different kind of profile to striker to Nicolas Jackson, and with a numerous amount of ballplaying attackers now at Maresca's dispoal. Neto, Felix, and Sancho all adding onto a Chelsea attack consisting of Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk, and of course the 2023/2024 Young Player of the Year, Cole Palmer. This gives Chelsea a vast amount of depth in their attacking areas.
Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia returning from injury feels like a new signing and depth piece to their midfield options after missing the vast majority of last season due to injury.
Tosin is another option to have at centerback, along with the likes of Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, and Wesley Fofana. Filip Jorgensen will add depth in the goalkeeping department to compete with Robert Sanchez for the starting goalkeeper spot, and Renato Veiga providing cover and competition to Marc Cucurella at left back. Which will pave the way for an exit for Ben Chilwell.
But despite the transition and amount of signings made, like Manchester United, Chelsea will share the same result in missing out on the top three as well… would miss out on the top three…
Despite having spent a tremendous amount of money once again under this ownership in another summer window, it is looking at how Chelsea have underwhelmed tremendously with the money have spent since taking over the club for Roman Abramovich having spent over £1 billion on players. And for that amount of money being spent on any group of players, one would think they would be winning everything.
But for the players that have been what they have used that money to sign and seeing the way a large majority of those signings have turned out has been astounding. However, with players that were not in Maresca's nor the club's plans for the season or future, the club had done well to sell them and get decent amounts of profit for them. As for the manner in which the club would force the players out, it is definitely something that has divided lots of opinion and came under heavy scrutiny.
However for the way Chelsea have restructured and reformed their attack with the players they brought in, their attack has been tremendously upgraded upon from last season. Both in quality and in depth.
Another center back would have been most ideal as well, due to the injury record of Fofana, and the lack of consistency in the performances of both Badiashille and Disasi throughout their times at the club. And thus sums up why Chelsea in my opinion, will not make the top three, but still takes a place as an honorable mention…
And now onto the top three…
In third place is Manchester City…
The four-time consecutive league winners would make their business known to the rest of the world in the market…but not in the sense of players brought in, but more so through the players leaving the club this past summer…
In a summer window that would be headlined their sale of forward Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid in deal worth £82m, City would see many smaller-scale outgoings this summer. Some of those being forward Liam Delap to Ipswich in a deal worth £20m, defender Joao Cancelo would depart the club for Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in a £25m deal, and defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis would make his loan deal at Southampton, where he joined last January into a permanent transfer, in a £20m deal.
In addition to player sales, internal investment and profit received from home matchdays would be used to send a message of intent to the fanbase in backing the manager with only two new signings to strengthen themselves ahead of the new season.
The Cityzens would make just two signings this summer. Brazilian winger Savinho would join the club from Troyes in a deal worth around £33m, and the return of former midfielder and club captain, Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer from Barcelona, where he had spent the last season playing after leaving the blues last summer.
So looking at the difference between the amount of money spent (£33m) and the amount of money gained in player sales (£147m) , City's netspend for this summer's transfer window would total up to be around £-114m, making them the team with the lowest netspend across the Premier League this summer.
The signings will add quality in depth for the team…
IN MIDFIELD AND ATTACK...The team will definitely see the most depth added onto. Manchester City, a team that is known across the world of having immense levels of depth in every area of the pitch. But it's not just depth, but the quality in depth. From the goalkeeper to the striker up front.
Despite not having signed a replacement for Alvarez to provide cover to Haaland, this team has showed over so many season, their ability to be tactically flexible and shift the changes in shape when needed. Whether if it's having to player with a system that requires the use of a 'false striker' or a 'false nine' up front. Savinho's skillset will provide another incredible talent and different profile of player that can play on either side of the attack.
But offers something completely different than the likes of Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish. Savinho specializes in dribbling and technical ability, whereas Doku's most dangerous asset is his explosive pace and directness towards goal, and differing from Grealish's specialties to hold the ball up and creating space and opportunities for his teammates around him (acting as a wide creative midfielder).
And if you also add Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva who primarily play on the other flank but can also play on the left as well, City have a wealth of different options in their attack at their disposal.
Ilkay Gundogan as a footballer, is so incredibly intelligent he can and has played in numerous different roles under this manager (Pep Guardiola) and in the numerous amount of systems that City have deployed year after year.
He has played and flourished in that false striker position, and can play in any either of the midfield positions. He has the intelligence to play in the defensive midield position (cover for Rodri), and can play in a more advanced midfield role as well.
Despite making only two signings this transfer window, it is the financials involved in the deals of these signings and the amount of money generated from player sales to prepare Manchester City to try to defend their crown for yet another season which sees them placed in the top three…in third…ahead of the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United….
As for why… as the most successful team in the country in the last five years (as the bare minimum), the expectation for them is to keep adding players and strengthening in quality and depth, to the point where every player in that squad is good enough to start in any match in any occassion.
And not only players that are the biggest of names, but players that are intelligent investments as well and are a profile of player that either fits or can offer something unique to the way the manager plays. Savinho offers something completely different to their attacking options, but has the level of quality to play in the team.
As for Gundogan, this is a player who was not only Pep's first signing when he took charge of City in 2016, but has always been a fundamental part of every one of his City's teams and to each of their successes. So bringing him back to the club on a free transfer is an incredibly shrewd piece of business. And selling Alvarez for £82m, when they had bought him for just £15m. Which is just one of many examples of City's ability to both intelligent buys and selling players for the absolute maximum profit.
Of course a downside is that they now have no alternative to play up front to Erling Haaland, but the way the manager can change the system of the team in any department and still ensuring lots of goals being scored for the team is why that having that lack of an Alvarez replacement will not be a detriment to this side, as they seek to retain their crown for a fifth consecutive season. Thus is why Manchester City make the top three, and clinch third place.
In second place, is West Ham...
Similar to Chelsea, this would be a summer where they would see internal change occur within the club on a managerial level. Long time manager David Moyes, who had won the UEFA Conference League for the club, would leave his job this past June at the expiry of his contract. And he would be replaced by the former Wolverhampton and Sevilla manager, Julen Lopetegui, who had won the UEFA Europa League with Sevilla fours years ago.
In a summer that would see the club miss out on a place in European football via their XYZ place finish in the league table this past season, the club would be in need of a rebuild, significant investment, and the fans wondering what they are going to look like before the start of the season, the board would make the first step to make their intent clear in addressing those questions in clearing out the players to regain whatever profit they could recoup for them or players that were not apart of their vision for the future…
Along with a large clearout within the club, many of the departures that the Hammers would facilitate would consist of several loan departures this summer. Moroccan defender Nayef Aguerd would depart the club on loan to Real Sociedad, forward Maxwell Cornet would join Southampton on loan, and midfielder James Ward-Prowse would leave for Nottingham Forest on loan just a year after joining the East London club.
There would be many players who would be sold for profit via the triggering of a buy clause (option or obligation) in the terms of the loan deal that took place last season. Thilo Kehrer's loan at AS Monaco last season would be made a permanent transfer this summer in a deal worth £9.5m, Said Benrahma's loan at Lyon would be permanent in a £13m deal, and midfielder Flynn Downes, would see his Southampton loan spell turn into a permanent transfer in deal worth £18m.
In addition to player sales, internal investment and profit received from home matchdays would be used to send a message of intent to the fanbase in backing the manager with new signings to strengthen themselves ahead of the new season.
But it would be through the club’s technical director, Tim Steidten, where the signings themselves and the financials used to get the deals done, which are the most eyecatching…and would be what would send the most significant message of intent to the West Ham fans of their desires to put themselves back into the mix for a place competing in a European competition next season…
West Ham would make address many areas of the pitch. Goalkeeper Wes Foderingham would join on a free transfer from Sheffield United, along with Midfielder Guido Rodriguez from Real Betis. Defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka would arrive from Manchester United in a £15m deal, and Brazilian attacker Luis Guilherme would follow suit, as he would join the club this summer from Brazilian outfit Palmeiras in a £25m deal.
Lopetegui would be re-united with defender Max Kilman, whom he had worked with during his spell in charge of Wolves, as a fee of £40m would be what it would take to secure his signature. Central-defender Jean-Clair Todibo would also join the club as well, from Nice on a loan deal with an obligation-to-buy clause for next summer for a fee around £34m.
Striker Niclas Fullkrug would join the club from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth £27.5m, midfielder Carlos Soler would join the club on loan from Paris-St. Germain, and winger Crysencio Summerville would sign from Leeds United in a deal worth an initial £25m (plus additional add-ons).
So looking at the difference between the amount of money spent (£133m) and the amount of money gained in player sales (£33m), West Ham's netspend for this summer's transfer window would total up to be around £100m.
These signings will add quality in depth for the team…
Having strengthened in areas across the entirety of the pitch in almost every position, West Ham have done a tremendous job in not just adding depth to the positions, but adding quality in those positions of players that fit the profile of the kind of football that the club and manager are trying to play. And that each player brought in has the quality to start for the club on weekly basis.
Wes Foderingham will provide an adequate deputy to the goalkeeping department, and to both deputy-goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski and first-choice goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka provides a different profile of player and an adequate level of cover or competition to Vladmir Coufal at right back. The additions of both Todibo and Kilman provide excellent quality to the center back department, adding on to Konstantinos Mavropanos and club are in search of another central defender in the free agents market, as that remains open year-round. Rodriguez and Soler provide quality depth to the midfield options that West Ham already has in the forms of Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek.
But of all the areas of the pitch, it is the attacking department which has seen the most amount of quality in depth added on. For a team that already has one of the better attacking lineups in the league in the forms of Mohamed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, and Lucas Paqueta, they already have undeniable quality in that area. And now, they have significantly improved in adding such quality depth to that position that they are one of the favorites to claim one of the three European spots outside of the top four, which guarantee a place in the UEFA Champions League.
Fullkrug adds an experienced and quality addition to the striking department, alongside veteran Michail Antonio. And Summerville and Guilherme add tremendous depth in the attack areas on either flanks in the attack.
As for why West Ham secure second place…for the window that they have had and that stature of club that they are in the Premier League, it is absolutely superb. With the amount and level of investment into the the rebuilding and rejuvenating of this squad that the club have undertaken to prepare for this season has been nothing short of remarkable.
With the profile and names of the players that have been brought into the club, and adding them onto the quality that is already in the squad makes them a viable threat to most of the league. Including to some of the sides in the traditional top six.
The only few cons or reasons why they just missed out on the top spot is because this is a squad that even before the investment made, this was a squad that already had several quality players in the side that would be of a peak interest to any of the top sides in the league and around the world if they were somehow ever made available by the club.
For a club that had finished in a European place or secured European football for last few years the expectations and to underwhelm as much as they did last season by finishing outside of the top seven with the players that they got, it was a poor season due to both players and manager underperforming.
Another con that had them just miss out on first place was that they let central defenders leave on loan, but to the point where they would leave themselves at risk of having an injury crisis in that position if a sufficient number of injuries were to occur in that department.
And now they are having to search around the free agents market for a stopgap in that position. In addition to that, another left-sided fullback to compete with Emerson Palmieri would have been an ideal signing.
However, it was not something to be a top priority that window as club veteran Aaron Cresswell plays that position and is more than capable of providing cover in that position for another season. Thus is why West Ham, would comfortably in my opinion, take second place, but just not enough to secure the top spot.
At number one in first place, and the ultimate winner of this transfer window - is Fulham!
In a summer where they would see their club captain, Tim Ream return to the United States to play for MLS outfit Charlotte FC at the end of this past season, their most important player and midfielder Joao Paulinha depart the club to join Bayern Munich (£50m), and striker Jay Stanisfield depart for Birmingham (£15m), both for a combined fee of £65 million (Paulinha - , the club would already have funds to spend in the summer, let alone the money they would generate throughout the season via ticket sales, shirt sales, internal investment, etc.
But to replace a player of Paulinha’s quality would most certainly be difficult to do for the amount of money they received for in today’s market, it would cost around the profit they had received for both Paulinha and Stanisfield to replace a player with the equivalent quality of Paulinha.
Fulham would go on to strengthen in multiple areas of the pitch, emphasizing the strengthening in the spine of their team. Defender Joachim Andersen, who had spent a loan spell at the club back in the 2020/2021 season, would return to the club in a £30m deal from Crystal Palace.
Jorge Cuenca, another defender, would join the club from Villarreal in an initial £8m deal (plus additional add-ons). Forward Reiss Nelson would join the club on a loan deal from Arsenal, Ryan Sessegnon would return to the club on a free transfer from Tottenham, where he left to join them back in 2019. And midfielder Sander Berge would join the club from Burnley in a deal worth £25m.
But their summer would be headlined by the signing of creative midfielder Emile-Smith Rowe from Arsenal in a £35m.
So looking at the difference between the amount of money spent (£98m) and the amount of money gained in player sales (£65m), Fulham's netspend for this summer's transfer window would total up to be around £33m.
These signings indeed will add quality in depth for the team...
IN DEFENCE AND MIDFIELD...The team will definitely see the most depth in the defense. Ryan Sessegnon provides a reliable backup and competition for first choice left back Antonee Robinson, as Anderson and Cuenca provide quality in depth to both Calvin Bassey and Issa Diop.
Sander Berge, brought in as the replacement to Joao Paulinha, and is seen as the starter alongside one of Andreas Pereira, Susa Lukic, Harrison Reed, or even Alex Iwobi, who has experience playing in a deeper midfield role.
Emile-Smith Rowe is a quality addition of creativity to Fulham's midfield, and adding another player in that department alongside club captain Tom Cairney.
And as for the reason why they claim first place...it's because of the expectations and where this football club usually places in the table (literally the definition of a mid table team as they always finish in the very middle portion of the table) and being far from the richest club in the Premier League leaves me stunned with the level of investment and strengthening they have been able to accomplish this summer.
They may not have top quality depth in every area of the pitch, but the depth that they have across each position are more than sufficient to do well in the Premier League. And to not only bring in the players that they did, but to also convince them to sign for Fulham over other options or clubs both domestically and continentally from where the players had previously played that might have offered them more money or to play at a higher level.
It speaks volumes to the kind of project they are trying to build. Which is why Fulham, in my opinion, is the ultimate winner of this summer’s transfer window across the Premier League!
But who did you think won this transfer window? Do you agree with the chosen winners and honorable mentions or do you think differently? Feel free to let us know in the comments down below as to who you think are the winners from this summer transfer window across the 20 Premier League clubs!
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