Premier League summer transfer grades so far

Jonathan Victoria • 17 Aug 2026 Features

High spending from the bigs but some great acquisitions…

Premier League summer transfer grades so far

The new Premier League campaign draws ever closer, and with it the excitement of seeing the stars that are donning new shirts, for this season brings a host of key signings for many of the league's biggest clubs - and Spurs.

This summer has seen a number of major talents vying for a chance to shine in the Prem as sides add to their arsenal with their goals in mind.

With that, I’ve taken a look at 10 of the biggest said signings so far and given my grades to each of them.

Morgan Rogers, £117m | C+

Aston Villa to Chelsea

Breaking the British transfer record for the second time in the week, Chelsea parted ways with this hefty fee for the 23-year-old childhood friend of Blues star Cole Palmer.

With 25 goals involvements in Aston Villa’s 25/26 campaign that saw them finish fourth and win the Europa League, plus a solid showing with England at the World Cup, it’s no surprise one of the top sides came knocking.

However, I have my reservations about the move, specifically about the fee. Any player over £100m gets no room for error. They have to be on it from matchday one. Unfortunately for the winger, the track record of high-fee forwards in recent years hasn’t been great.

I’ll be more than delighted to be proven wrong, but unless Chelsea have a massive turnaround under new manager Xabi Alonso this season, I can’t see them or Rogers impressing. The Villains certainly got the better of the deal here.

Though, Chelsea didn’t completely make Villa’s summer. They did send Garnacho the other way on loan, so there’s that.

Elliot Anderson, £116m | B-

Nottingham Forest to Manchester City

Beaten for the British record fee by just £1m two days before, Nottingham Forest cashed in on their star midfielder when Manchester City came calling.

Anderson is certainly a great midfielder and can be a key piece for City going forward. At 23 years old, he can already do so much and has a very high ceiling - so long as he doesn’t fall away due to the pressure of the fee.

Yes, once again, my concerns with the hefty transfer cost., though I give him a slightly higher grade than Rogers because he’s in a much better situation in Manchester. There’s more quality around to alleviate some of said pressure. Plus, he’s not a forward.

Enzo Maresca has big shoes to fill taking over from Pep Guardiola, and he’ll no doubt be looking towards his team’s record signing to be the solid anchor during his hopefully long tenure.

Sandro Tonali, £92.5m | C-

Newcastle United to Tottenham Hotspur

The last 12 months haven’t been great for Newcastle, and this summer shows no signs of things getting much better. But getting £92.5m from Tottenham for Sandro Tonali might just be worth it all.

Sure, on the surface it looks like they’ve lost a key player of their squad. But in actuality, Tonali was a bit of a dud in his three years up north, with only one solid season there.

So Spurs thinking he might be the answer to their problems is, without sugarcoating it, laughable.

Maybe he finds his footing in the Prem there. But between the players and the teams’ performances in the last couple of years, I have no reason to believe that they will succeed enough to warrant the price tag - which I should add, might and likely will rise to £100m thanks to highly achievable add-ons.

Mateus Fernandes, £85m | B

West Ham to Tottenham Hotspur

Another major splurge from Spurs but this one hits a bit closer to home for me since it’s a former Saint, so I see the vision.

Fernandes is a very talented young player who was a standout for the Hammers despite their relegation last season. He had the highest average match mating on Sofascore with a 7.19 from 36 appearances and chipped in with three goals and four assists.

With all that said, he likely won’t be the fix-all to Spurs’ problems. He can play a large part in their success if he settles in well, acting as the catalyst for the talented squad. The move gets a B grade as it will depend entirely on how he is utilised.

Bruno Guimaraes, £75m | A

Newcastle United to Arsenal

An actual key loss for Newcastle came as star midfielder Bruno Guimaraes forced a move away from the Magpies and made his way to the defending champions.

This is the first A-grade I’m giving and I believe it’s warranted. Bruno’s are some of the best midfielders in the world, and this Brazilian variation will be key in the Gunners’ midfield going forward.

The defending champs are in win-now mode and are only in the business of making moves for players that will only increase their chances of staying on top.

That’s exactly what they’re getting with Guimaraes, who will undoubtedly step into the starting lineup, providing even better bench depth to allow for another good stab at Champions League success this season.

Jan Paul van Hecke, £52m | B

Brighton & Hove Albion to Tottenham Hotspur

Four good years with Brighton and a solid World Cup campaign earned Van Hecke the move to the capital (quick note: he actually moved during the tournament but the point still stands).

Yes, you could argue this move is a step back for the defender, what with Brighton playing in the UEFA Conference League next year while Spurs have nothing following two near-relegation campaigns.

But the Dutchman is going back to play under former manager Roberto de Zerbi, the man who brought him into the Prem. He’ll also be partnering with his national teammate Micky van de Ven, so it’s clear to see he values the connections. I think it has great potential to work.

Maxence Lacroix, £52m | B-

Crystal Palace to Chelsea

The last two seasons for Crystal Palace have been historical for the south London side and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that they came along when Lacroix joined.

The French defender was the anchor for the team, appearing 98 times over his two years with the club - more than anyone else - with more minutes played and helping deliver 31 clean sheets.

But the move gets a B- because of where he’s going. It’s hard to be optimistic for players joining Chelsea with how things have been going for them. In that same two year span, they’ve spent over £400m and have only won the same trophy as Palace in that time. If he wanted a move to a bigger club, he should’ve gone elsewhere.

Johan Manzambi, £50m | B

SC Freiburg to Aston Villa

I’ll be honest, I don’t know anything about this kid. From what I have found, he had a fairly decent sophomore season with Freiburg last year, scoring five and assisting four in 27 games.

He also scored two and assisted two in their Europa League campaign which ended with a loss in the final to his new team, so I imagine Unai Emery was impressed with the scouting report on him.

He’s 20 years old and seems to have a lot of promise. I can’t grade it higher since I don’t know of the player, but it seems a very promising buy for Villa.

Andrey Santos, £48m | B+

Chelsea to Manchester United

Man United needed midfield reinforcements. After losing their Brazilian stalwart Casemiro, they turned to Atalanta’s Brazilian midfielder Ederson. They pulled the plug on that deal and instead opted for a Brazilian midfielder from Chelsea.

It could be considered a somewhat baffling move considering Chelsea finished seven places back from United last year, but I think it was what they saw from the player that led them to take the chance on him.

At Chelsea, with the overabundance of players, it was hard for him to breakthrough and stand out. At 22 years old and now with a team in need of his position and skillset, Santos has the opportunity to prove why he’s worth every penny.

I think the ceiling for him is Fred, on a good day. The floor, probably Fred again, but on a bad day.

Marco Palestra, £48m | B

Atalanta to Chelsea

Like Manzambi, I don’t know anything about this player, but from what I can make out, this could be an inspired signing.

He had a stellar loan spell with Cagliari last season, winning Serie A Defender of the Season. And in terms of his playstyle, it seems to be that he fits Alonso’s schemes perfectly.

Again, like Manzambi, I can’t give him a higher grade, but if there’s any new player that has me throwing them straight into my FPL team, it’s Palestra.