As the summer transfer window slammed shut on the 30 of August, the English Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – emerge with revamped squads, ready to tackle the 2024-25 season.
This window saw a flurry of activity, with each club marking strategic moves to strengthen their ranks and address weaknesses. From marquee signings to surprising departures, the transfer window dealings have varied widely in ambition, spending and potential impact.
In this article, we will assess and rank the transfer business of the ‘Big Six’, analysing how well each club has navigated the transfer market:
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Arsenal – B+
Arsenal had done very little business in the market until the final few days, when they acquired the services of talented midfielder Mikel Merino, Raheem Sterling and Neto as a back-up goalkeeper, joining the already-signed Riccardo Calafiori.
Arteta’s side certainly strengthened in areas of need, bringing Merino to help support Declan Rice and Thomas Partey as midfield options, Sterling as another option to play from the wings and Calafiori to strengthen an already phenomenal defence.
They also received fantastic fees from departing players as Emile Smith Rowe left for €31.80 million, Eddie Nketiah for €29.70 million and Aaron Ramsdale for €21.40 million.
The only thing that stops Arsenal’s business from being rated an ‘A’ is not adding a world-class striker to their squad. While Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz could return fantastic goal tallies at the end of the campaign, a striker who could rival Erling Haaland’s scoring numbers could have given Arsenal the upper hand in the fight for the title.
Chelsea – B+
Chelsea were one of the busiest sides across the globe in the summer’s transfer window, bringing in and selling a whole host of players.
The additions of Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Marc Guiu and Jadon Sancho may leave them with too many options in the attack, though Romelu Lukaku, Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja and Omari Hutchinson did leave the club.
Lewis Hall, Conor Gallagher and Ian Maatsen were also among those who left the club for considerable fees, while Chelsea also signed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Filip Jorgensen and many others.
While the additions Chelsea made to their squad are fantastic and talented players, they are given a B rating due to their squad being extremely bloated, leaving Enzo Maresca with plenty of hard decisions for naming his matchday squads.
Liverpool – C
Liverpool were very quiet in the window until the final days, when they signed Federico Chiesa for €12 million and Giorgi Mamardashvili, though the goalkeeper will not join the club until next summer.
While Chiesa is an immensely talented attacker to add to the squad for such a small fee, Liverpool once again failed to add a defensive midfielder to the team, something they have been looking for ever since Fabinho’s departure.
That failure to bring in a defensive midfielder, while making just one notable signing to this season’s squad, leaves Liverpool with a ‘C’ rating.
Manchester City – B
Man City are one of the few teams in the world that did not need to add many players to their already immense squad, coming off the back of winning a record-breaking fourth successive Premier League title.
They signed Savinho for €25 million, a talented attack-minded winger that shares many traits of Riyad Mahrez, and brought Ilkay Gundogan back on a free transfer, two brilliant signings. Man City did also receive a phenomenal €75 million from Atletico Madrid for Julian Alvarez, though that does leave Manchester City without a back-up striker for Haaland, which is the reason why they only get a ‘B’ for their window.
Manchester United – A
Man Utd were busy once again in the window, bringing in five top-class players in an attempt to push them back up the table after such a disappointing finish in the Premier League last season.
Talented youngster Leny Yoro, who was the subject of interest of Real Madrid and Liverpool, joined the club for €62 million, alongside Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui. The final signing of the window was arguably their best, bringing in Manuel Ugarte on deadline day for €50 million, a much-needed defensive midfielder to replace the ageing Casemiro.
Those signings addressed every area that Man United required for the new season, while they also recorded their highest-ever fee for departures as Scott McTominay, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Mason Greenwood and Jadon Sancho, among others, left the club.
Tottenham Hotspur – A
Tottenham also had a fantastic window, with a clear emphasis on signing talented young stars. Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall all joined, young players that are likely to play a part this season but also become some of the most important players in years to come, with the key signing being Dominic Solanke, who joined for €64.30 million.
Solanke is finally the striking option to replace Harry Kane, who departed last summer, with Heung-Min Son often playing up front throughout the last campaign.
These signings, especially if Solanke can replicate his goal-scoring form from last year at Bournemouth, could hugely improve Spurs in the short and long term, earning them an ‘A’ rating for their business.
Who do you think had the best transfer window? Comment below with your views!
1 Comment
by Pbenson
Chelsea