Premier League’s 15 Best Signings of 2025/26 – Ranked with Bite
Arsenal are setting the pace after 22 games, Manchester City are stalking them like seasoned champions, and Aston Villa are clinging to third with real purpose. Behind them, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and the surprise package Fulham are scrapping for that precious final Champions League berth. It’s been a season shaped by smart recruitment — and some daft money — so let’s cut through the noise and rank the best deals of 2025/26 so far.
How we judged it
Simple criteria, proper outcomes: transfer fee versus value, impact on the team, and how performances stack up against what the fanbase expected. No reputations, just reality.
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15) Dominic Calvert-Lewin – Leeds United
Leeds have long needed a proper No 9, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin has walked in and filled that void. A free transfer in 2025, he’s stuck away nine goals and laid on one assist in 21 league outings. It started sluggishly — one in 10 had the eyebrows arching — but seven in six between November and December reminded everyone there’s still a top-flight striker in there. Injuries once stalled his rise; at Elland Road, he looks reborn.
14) Jack Grealish – Everton (loan)
On loan from Man City and on a mission to prove a point, Grealish flew out of the traps for David Moyes and then hit a sticky patch. Still, two goals and six assists is a healthy return, and that late winner against Bournemouth at the Hill Dickinson Stadium was vintage Grealish — cool head, big moment. The challenge now is consistency. If he strings it together, Everton’s attack instantly looks two gears slicker.
13) Mohammed Kudus – Tottenham Hotspur
£55m from West Ham and, frankly, one of Spurs’ few bright sparks. Three goals and six assists, plenty of menace between the lines, and the kind of drive Thomas Frank’s 14th-placed side desperately need. A poorly timed hamstring issue has paused the momentum, but when he’s back, his ability to conjure something out of nothing could be the difference between a stale season and a late surge.
12) Robin Roefs – Sunderland
Signed from NEC Nijmegen with minimal fanfare, Roefs has been the cool head behind Sunderland’s impressive top-flight return. Commanding box work, tidy hands, quick off his line — the 23-year-old has offered calm where promoted sides often show panic. No senior Netherlands cap yet, but if he keeps swatting away Premier League forwards like this, a call-up feels inevitable.
11) Nick Woltemade – Newcastle United
Big fee, bigger frame. At £69m from Stuttgart, the 6ft 6in German had to replace Alexander Isak and win over a demanding St James’ Park crowd. Seven goals in his first 20 league appearances says he’s on the right track, and here’s a tasty stat: he became the first Newcastle player to score on both his first Premier League start and his first Champions League start. Not bad for a lad finding his feet in a new league.
10) Noah Sadiki – Sunderland
£15m from Union Saint-Gilloise looks an absolute steal. The DR Congo international has been an ever-present when available, starting all 18 league games he could before his AFCON commitment. Relentless engine, snappy interceptions, quick transitions — no wonder Wearsiders whisper comparisons to N’Golo Kanté. He’s the metronome and the mop in one energetic package.
9) Gianluigi Donnarumma – Manchester City
Ederson was the mainstay, but Pep Guardiola fancied a reset. In came Donnarumma from PSG, and the 26-year-old has played every Premier League minute so far. Less fuss, more saves; City have tilted the balance back toward elite shot-stopping without losing their authority. James Trafford will have to be patient — the Italian looks nailed on as No 1 in a title chase that leaves no room for wobble.
8) Malick Thiaw – Newcastle United
£31.3m from AC Milan and a signing that screams smart scouting. Aerially dominant, rapid over the ground and composed with the ball, Thiaw has helped steady a previously jittery back line. He’s looked tidy alongside Fabian Schär and Dan Burn, but a long-term pairing with Sven Botman could be genuinely formidable. A mentality monster, as they say up there.
7) Estevão – Chelsea
Another Brazilian livewire at the Bridge. The 18-year-old arrived via Palmeiras for an initial £29m and already has six goals and three assists across 28 games in all comps. He’s fearless, direct and already carrying Champions League swagger. Even Willian has tipped him to hit the heights, likening his potential to Europe’s brightest teenagers and backing him to bring silver back to SW6.
6) Nordi Mukiele – Sunderland
A £9.5m deal from PSG that looks daylight robbery. Aggressive, athletic and versatile, Mukiele has stiffened Sunderland’s right side and even chipped in with a key goal against Wolves in October 2025, a game where he won 15 duels for good measure. And then there’s the long throw — the ‘Mukiele missile’ — now a fully fledged weapon on Wearside. One of the cleverest additions anywhere in the division.
The bigger picture
More than 150 summer deals and a staggering £3.19bn spent — but it’s the smart fits, not just the big fees, shaping this season’s narrative. Arsenal’s momentum, City’s relentlessness, Villa’s consistency and a feisty top-four dogfight all carry the fingerprints of sharp recruitment. We’ve given you 15 through 6; the top five is where the real arguments start. Watch this space.
