The 2019/20 Premier League summer transfer window shut at 17:00 (GMT) on Thursday August 8. Close to £1.5billion was spent by the 20 top tier clubs across the off-season, besting last year’s tally by £158m. £170m was spent on Deadline Day, with Alex Iwobi’s move from Arsenal to Everton the most expensive signing, whilst Manchester United recouped the £70+ million they had spent two seasons ago on forward Romelu Lukaku. There were 419 ins and outs in the window, but who has done the best business this summer? Here are the club rankings from 20 to 1.
20. Chelsea
IN: Mateo Kovacic / Real Madrid, £40.2m
OUT: Eden Hazard / Real Madrid, £88.5m; Ola Aina / Torino, £8.8m; David Luiz / Arsenal, £8m; Tomas Kalas / Bristol City, £8m; Kasey Palmer / Bristol City, £3.5m; Ethan Ampadu / RB Leipzig, loan; Lewis Baker / Fortuna Düsseldorf, loan Jake Clarke-Salter / Birmingham, loan; Danny Drinkwater / Burnley, loan; Gary Cahill released.
Chelsea have of course had a transfer ban slapped on them, but kept the previously on-loan Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid. The loss of Eden Hazard doesn’t need any more explaining. It’s a new exciting era at Chelsea. Having had to watch rivals splurge in the summer shouldn’t necessarily be looked upon with envy.
19. Crystal Palace
IN: Jordan Ayew / Swansea, £3m; James McCarthy / Everton, £3m; Gary Cahill / Chelsea, free; Victor Camarasa / Real Betis, loan; Stephen Henderson free.
OUT: Aaron Wan-Bissaka / Manchester United, £45m; Julian Speroni released; Bakary Sako released; Jason Puncheon released; Alexander Sørloth Trabzonspor, loan; Pape Souaré released.
Oh dear. It isn’t looking good for the Eagles this season. There’s been just a £6m outlay from the £45million gifted from the sale of Wan-Bissaka to Man Utd. Retaining Wilfried Zaha has been a blessing.
18. Burnley
IN: Jay Rodriguez / West Brom, £10m; Bailey Peacock-Farrell / Leeds, £3m; Erik Pieters / Stoke, £1.5m; Joel Senior / Curzon Ashton, undiscl; Ryan Cooney / Bury, loan; Danny Drinkwater / Chelsea, loan; Adam Phillips / free.
OUT: Tom Heaton / Aston Villa, £8m; Peter Crouch released; Stephen Ward released; Anders Lindegaard released.
The rise of Joel Senior, a former player at non-league Maine Road FC, feels like a fairytale. Erik Pieters brings a heft of experience, and it’s a pleasant return for Jay Rodriguez in a two-part deal. Solid, typically unglamourous business from the Clarets.
17. Bournemouth
IN: Philip Billing / Huddersfield, £15m; Lloyd Kelly / Bristol City, £13m; Arnaut Danjuma / Club Brugge, £13m; Jack Stacey / Luton, £4m; Harry Wilson / Liverpool, loan.
OUT: Tyrone Mings / Aston Villa, £26.5m; Lys Mousset / Sheffield United, £10m; Harry Arter / Fulham, loan.
After fairly damp high-profile signings in the past few years, this is where the Cherries need to show their astuteness in the transfer window. Ultimately, the impetus this season should be to see whether Jordon Ibe and Dominic Solanke (a combined £35m) have finally acclimated to the south coast after moving from Liverpool.
16. Newcastle United
IN: Joelinton / Hoffenheim £40m; Allan Saint‑Maximin / Nice £16.5m;Emil Krafth / Amiens £5m; Kyle Scott / Chelsea free; Jake Turner / Bolton free; Jetro Willems / Eintracht Frankfurt loan; Andy Carroll free.
OUT: Ayoze Pérez / Leicester £30m; Joselu / Alavés £2.5m; Dan Barlaser / Rotherham loan; Mohamed Diamé released; Liam Gibson Grimsby loan; Freddie Woodman / Swansea loan.
Steve Bruce still hasn’t removed the blinding mist of anger enveloping St. James’ Park but the acquisitions of Joelinton and Saint-Maximin did give a moment’s respite. If the season starts poorly for Newcastle however, the losses of Ayoze Perez and Solomon Rondon will be mentioned again. Andy Carroll has sentimental value.
15. Sheffield United
IN: Oliver McBurnie Swansea, £18m; Lys Mousset Bournemouth, £10m; Callum Robinson Preston, £8m; Luke Freeman QPR, 5m; Ben Osborn Nottm Forest £3.5m; Phil Jagielka Everton, free; Ravel Morrison free; Michael Verrips Mechelen, free; Dean Henderson Manchester United, loan; Mo Besic Everton, loan.
OUT: Conor Washington Hearts, free; Martin Cranie Luton, free; Ched Evans Fleetwood, undiscl; Rhys Norrington-Davies Rochdale, free; Mark Duffy Stoke loan.
Phil Jagielka makes a return to his boyhood club and Oliver McBurnie’s move has caught the eye. The main question is, will rolling the dice on former Manchester United academy graduate Ravel Morrison pay off?
14. Southampton
IN: Moussa Djenepo Standard Liège, £14m; Che Adams Birmingham, £15m; Danny Ings Liverpool, £18m.
OUT: Matt Targett Aston Villa, £13m; Sam Gallagher Blackburn, £5m; Charlie Austin West Brom, £4m.
Saints have recruited carefully for Ralph Hasenhüttl’s first campaign in charge, adding some much needed fire power in winger Djenepo and forward Adams, and making Ings’ move permanent. Over the past three years, Southampton have averaged just 41 goals a season; that’s 1.08 goals a game. Those brushes with relegation that have been a staple of the last couple of seasons should be comfortably avoided if everything clicks into place. Excellent news on keeping Nathan Redmond as well.
13. Watford
IN: Ismaïla Sarr / Rennes, £30m; Danny Welbeck / Arsenal, free; Bayli Spencer-Adams / Arsenal, free; Joseph Hungbo / Crystal Palace, free; Sam Dalby / Leeds, undiscl; Tom Dele‑Bashiru / Manchester City, free.
OUT: Dodi Lukebakio / Hertha Berlin, £18m; Miguel Britos / released; Obbi Oularé / Standard Liège, undiscl.; Jerome Sinclair / VVV-Venlo, loan.
Welbeck, Sarr, and Troy Deeney up front? Yes please Hornets! Aside from that, in comparison to Watford’s positional rivals, the transfer window hasn’t been the most encouraging. Watford finished last season with a whimper, in the bottom half of the table, despite all the good work Javi Gracia put in. Breaking the bank for the simply scintillating Sarr needs to pay-off.
12. Brighton & Hove Albion
IN: Neal Maupay / Brentford, £20m; Adam Webster / Bristol City, £20m; Leandro Trossard / Genk, £15m; Matt Clarke / Portsmouth, £5m; Taylor Richards / Manchester City, £2.5m; Romaric Yapi / Paris St-Germain, undisclosed; Aaron Mooy / Huddersfield, loan.
OUT: Markus Suttner / Fortuna Düsseldorf, £2m; Matt Clarke / Derby, loan; Anthony Knockaert / Fulham, loan; Ben White / Leeds, loan; Alexis Mac Allister / Boca Juniors, loan.
The big cheese here is Neil Maupay, with Brighton finally getting their man in the last week before the deadline. The Seagulls have, however, for the most part gone about their business quietly but quite strongly with a £60m plus outlay.
11. Norwich City
IN: Sam Byram / West Ham, £750k; Aidan Fitzpatrick / Partick Thistle, £350k; Patrick Roberts / Manchester City, loan; Daniel Adshead / Rochdale, undiscl; Josip Drmic / Borussia Mönchengladbach, free; Archie Mair / Abderdeen, undiscl; Rob Nizet / Anderlecht, undiscl; Rocky Bushiri / Oostende, undiscl; Ralf Fährmann / Schalke, loan; Charlie Gilmour / Arsenal, free; Ibrahim Amadou / Sevilla, loan.
OUT: Matt Jarvis / released; Ivo Pinto / Dinamo Zagreb, free; Steven Naismith / released; Adam Phillips / Burnley, free.
The Championship winners have admirably made the focus of the off-season providing new contracts for the players who brought them back to the top tier. Loanee Patrick Roberts will likely want to make a statement in the Premier League, although he’ll find competition for places in an already stacked attack.
10. Liverpool
IN: Sepp van den Berg / Zwolle, £1.3m; Harvey Elliott / Fulham, undisclosed; Adrián free
OUT: Danny Ings / Southampton, £18m; Simon Mignolet / Club Brugge, £6.4m; Rafael Camacho / Sporting, £5m; Daniel Sturridge free; Alberto Moreno / Villarreal, free; Sheyi Ojo / Rangers, loan; Marko Grujic / Hertha Berlin, loan; Harry Wilson / Bournemouth, loan.
The European champions spent a colossal £161m last year, but have remained understandably quiet this time around. Jurgen Klopp has moulded a stellar squad which he has legitimate faith in his squad, which welcome the return of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
A nice idea to take on Adrian as back up to Alisson.
9. Manchester United
IN: Harry Maguire / Leicester, £80m; Aaron Wan‑Bissaka / Crystal Palace, £45m; Daniel James / Swansea, £15m.
OUT: Romelu Lukaku / Inter, £70m; Ander Herrera / PSG, free; Antonio Valencia / LDU Quito, free.
Daniel James was an early doors acquisition, though how much the Welshman will feature will become evident in a very expectant campaign, particularly after breaking the bank for Harry Maguire. The defence ultimately now genuinely looks assured and stable: Shaw/ Lindelof / Maguire / Wan-Bissaka. But they’re still missing that extra creative midfielder or wide player that the fans are craving.
8. Leicester City
IN: Youri Tielemans / Monaco, £40m; Ayoze Pérez / Newcastle, £30m; Dennis Praet / Sampdoria, £18m; James Justin / Luton, £8m; Mitchell Clark / Aston Villa, free; Vontae Daley-Campbell / Arsenal, undiscl; George Hirst / Leuven, undiscl; Ali Reghba / Bohemians, undiscl.
OUT: Harry Maguire / Man Utd, £80m; Shinji Okazaki / Málaga, free; Danny Simpson released.
The main prize here is tying down Youri Tielemans from AS Monaco, after the midfielder impressed on loan in the second half of last season, and picking up arguably Newcastle United’s best player in Ayoze Perez to bolster the attack. Not replacing Maguire may however prove detrimental.
7. Manchester City
IN: Rodri / Atlético Madrid, £62.6m; João Cancelo / Juventus, £60m; Angeliño / PSV, £5.3m, Pedro Porro / Girona, undiscl.
OUT: Danilo / Juventus, £32.3m; Douglas Luiz / Aston Villa, £15m; Fabian Delph / Everton, £8.5m; Manu García / Sporting Gijón, £3.6m; Taylor Richards / Brighton, £2.5m; Thierry Ambrose / Metz, £2.3m; Pablo Marí / Flamengo, £1.5m; Patrick Roberts / Norwich, loan.
With the arrival of Cancelo, Manchester City have now spent an eye-watering £190.55m on full-backs over the past three seasons. They identified the need for a Fernandinho replacement early on and captured Rodri. Typically efficient business from the Abu Dhabi Group. The versatility of Cancelo could make a big difference, though the question hovers whether the Portuguese defender will be entirely happy slotting in a still yet unfulfilled left-back role on occasion.
6. Aston Villa
IN: Tyrone Mings / Bournemouth, £26.5m; Wesley Moraes / Club Brugge, £22m; Douglas Luiz / Manchester City, £15m; Matt Targett / Southampton, £14m; Ezri Konsa / Brentford, £12m; Marvelous Nakamba / Club Brugge, £11m; Björn Engels / Reims, £9m; Trezeguet / Kasimpasa, £8.8m; Tom Heaton / Burnley, £8m; Anwar El Ghazi / Lille, £8m; Frédéric Guilbert / Caen, £5m; Jota / Birmingham, £4m; Kortney Hause / Wolves, £3m.
OUT: Glenn Whelan released; Ritchie De Laet released; Alan Hutton released; Mile Jedinak released; Micah Richards released.
Go hard or go back to the Championship, seems to be the policy at play-off winners Aston Villa, going someway to prove ‘the richest game in football’ tagline of that game in Wembley. Lessons need to be learnt from Fulham’s similar transfer activity last season. Jota, Targett, and of course, Mings are stand-out.
5. Wolverhampton Wanderers
IN: Raúl Jiménez / Benfica, £30m; Patrick Cutrone / AC Milan, £16.2m; Leander Dendoncker / Anderlecht, £12m; Pedro Neto / Lazio, £10.8m; Bruno Jordão / Lazio, £7.2m; Jesús Vallejo / Real Madrid, loan; Renat Dadashov / Estoril, undiscl
OUT: Kortney Hause / Aston Villa, £3m; Renat Dadashov / Paços Ferreira, loan; Hélder Costa / Leeds, loan; Ivan Cavaleiro / Fulham, loan.
The main impetus here was tying down Raul Jimenez and Leander Dendoncker, which they managed to do. Picking up Patrick Cutrone from AC Milan could reap dividends for Nuno Espirito Santo, with their attention this season also occupied by the Europa League.
4. Tottenham Hotspur
IN: Tanguy Ndombele / Lyon, £55.5m; Jack Clarke / Leeds, £10m; Giovani Lo Celso / Real Betis, loan; Ryan Sessegnon / Fulham, £25m.
OUT: Kieran Trippier / Atlético Madrid, £20m; Vincent Janssen / Monterrey, £6.3m; Michel Vorm released; Fernando Llorente released; Tobi Oluwayemi / Celtic, undiscl.
Beating many of the European elite to Tanguy Ndombele’s signature was a massive coup, and then came speculation that they could tempt Paulo Dybala from Juventus.
So Spurs - who hadn’t purchased any player in the two preceding transfer windows - have broken their transfer record in emphatic style, and could well do so again in the future by making Lo Celson permanent. And let’s not forget they’ve lured one of the hottest young British talents in Ryan Sessegnon. The Champions League finalists aren’t thinking last season was an anomaly: Spurs are looking strong.
3. West Ham United
IN: Sébastien Haller / Eintracht Frankfurt £40.7m; Pablo Fornals / Villarreal, £24m; Albian Ajeti / Basel, £8m; Gonçalo Cardoso / Boavista, undiscl
OUT: Marko Arnautovic / Shanghai SIPG, £22.4m; Edimilson Fernandes / Mainz, £8m; Pedro Obiang / Sassuolo, £7.2m; Reece Oxford / Augsburg, £3.6m; Lucas Pérez / Alavés, £2m; Sam Byram / Norwich, £750k; Andy Carroll / Newcastle, free.
That charming man Manuel Pellegrini will be able to boast an exciting new-look attack, as well as welcome the return of Manuel Lanzini and Andriy Yarmolenko from injury. Gone also is the troublesome Marko Arnautovic, for a similar price in which they bought the Austrian. That rainbow might finally be shining over the London Stadium.
2. Arsenal
IN: Nicolas Pépé / Lille £72m; William Saliba / St‑Étienne £27m; Kieran Tierney / Celtic £25m David Luiz / Chelsea £8m; Gabriel Martinelli / Ituano £6m; Dani Ceballos / Real Madrid loan.
OUT: Krystian Bielik / Derby £7.5m; Laurent Koscielny / Bordeaux £4.6m; David Ospina / Napoli £3.5m; William Saliba / St-Étienne loan; Carl Jenkinson / Nottm Forest undiscl; Danny Welbeck / Watford, free; Alex Iwobi / Everton £35m.
After months of worry that Arsenal were going top-heavy and ignoring leg day, they quell fears with the double-whammy of youthful Kieran Tierney and experienced David Luiz.
Winger Nicholas Pepe was in the Ligue 1 team of the season last year with runners-up Lille, impressing as one of the few players across the continent to manage double figures for both goals and assists.
1. Everton
IN: Moise Kean / Juventus, £29m; Jean-Philippe Gbamin / Mainz, £22.5m; André Gomes / Barcelona, £22m; Fabian Delph / Man City, £8.5m; Djibril Sidibé / Monaco, loan; Alex Iwobi / Arsenal, £35m.
OUT: Idrissa Gueye / PSG, £29m; Ademola Lookman / RB Leipzig, £22.5m; Nikola Vlasic / CSKA Moscow, £12m; James McCarthy / Crystal Palace, £3m; Ashley Williams released; Jonjoe Kenny Schalke, loan; Sandro Ramírez / Real Valladolid, loan. Mo Besic / Sheffield Utd, loan.
Marcel Brands should be applauded. Even failed bids for Marcos Rojo and Chris Smalling (which should have got Toffees fans shuddering), and the questionable prizing of Iwobi doesn’t dilute the proficiency of Everton’s business this season.
A smart choice is bagging a solid deputy for Jordan Pickford in Jonas Lössl. There was a triangularly brilliant deal for Fabian Delph; a player with bags of experience, a smart price in the current market, and also allowed Manchester City to make a tiny profit (like they need it). In World Cup winner Sidibe, they’re showing foresight for Seamus Coleman’s eventual replacement, with the Irishman turning 31 a few months into the new season. Expectations at Goodison should be stratospheric.
