Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Arsenal sit at the Premier League summit after 11 games as we enter the latest international break, with Manchester City hot on their tails in second, and newly-promoted Sunderland shocking the top flight in fourth. Within the pre-season summer window, over 150 transfers were made across the Premier League for a monumental combined £3.19b, with several of those proving to be instant successes for their respective sides so far in the two months of top flight action. Here, GIVEMESPORT runs through the 11 best summer signings made by Premier League clubs for the 2025/26 season, based on: their transfer fees, impact on the club so far and how that has matched up against the expectations from supporters. 11 Nick Woltemade - Newcastle United German striker Nick Woltemade arrived at Newcastle United from Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart for a club-record £69m fee, and the 6'6" centre-forward has already endeared himself to the St James' Park faithful. Woltemade had exceptionally big boots to fill following the departure of Alexander Isak to Liverpool, but has already proven to be a real handful for Premier League defences to contend with, notching four goals from his first eight top-flight outings. Eddie Howe's side have endured a downturn in form at the start of the season, but the solace for the Magpies is how quickly the 23-year-old striker has adapted to life in the Premier League, and his physical presence combined with his technical prowess will continue to be imperative for the Toon Army in the post-international break run. 10 Martin Zubimendi - Arsenal Arsenal completed the signing of Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in the summer window, and Mikel Arteta's compatriot has so far proven to have been an exceptional acquisition. Zubimendi, 26, has slotted into the Gunners' central midfield ranks with ease, notching three goal contributions in 11 Premier League appearances for his side to help them to the top of the table. Most recently in the 2-2 draw at Sunderland, the Spaniard created the most chances (2) of any player in the match and won the most duels (10) throughout the affair, as well as providing the assist for Leandro Trossard's stunner, albeit the Belgian deserves all the credit for his sensational long-range strike. 9 Senne Lammens - Manchester United Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens arrived at Manchester United from Royal Antwerp with lofty expectations, and desperation from the Old Trafford faithful to see an improvement on last season's struggling shot-stopper Andre Onana. Fortunately for Ruben Amorim, the £18.2m signing has proven to be a considerable upgrade on his predecessor, having performed admirably between the Red Devils' sticks so far this season. Lammens has conceded seven goals in his five top flight outings, keeping one clean sheet, and was particularly impressive in United's 2-1 win away at Liverpool, earning player-of-the-match for his exploits. 8 Mohammed Kudus - Tottenham Hotspur Mohammed Kudus made the across London from West Ham United to Tottenham Hotspur for £55m in the summer, and his since proven to be one of Spurs' brightest lights so far this season. Spurs sit fifth in the top-flight table in Thomas Frank's maiden campaign, and Ghanaian international Kudus has played a pivotal role in their resurgence, netting once and providing four assists thus far. Fortunately for Frank, Kudus is expected to return from the sidelines for the North London derby clash when top-flight football resumes, and the pacey winger could hold the key to disrupting Arsenal's often resolute defence. 7 Noah Sadiki - Sunderland 20-year-old Noah Sadiki is the first of three Sunderland signings to feature, and has more than earned his place following his £15m arrival from Belgian outfit Union Saint-Gilloise in July. Under Regis Le Bris, the Black Cats have enjoyed an exceptional start to their Premier League return, and the energetic young central midfielder has been imperative to their efforts so far. The Congolese starlet has featured in all of Sunderland's league outings so far this season, and has been dubbed as the 'next N'Golo Kante' by the Wearside faithful for his incredible athleticism and ability to turn defence into attack with sharp interceptions. 6 Jordan Henderson - Brentford From one current Sunderland starlet to a former, Jordan Henderson has proven to be an extremely shrewd piece of business from Brentford following his arrival as a free agent after leaving Ajax. With Keith Andrews replacing Frank at the Bees' helm, many Premier League supporters had backed Brentford as relegation candidates this season, but the former Liverpool skipper has helped his new side to mid-table solidarity. On Henderson's part, the veteran 35-year-old midfielder has proven he still has the ability to impact games at the highest level by notching assists against both Manchester United and Chelsea, earning him a place in the best Premier League signings of the summer. 5 Estevao - Chelsea Teenage winger Estevao is the first name in the top five Premier League signings of the summer, after notching five goal contributions in 16 appearances already, following his exhilarating start to life at Stamford Bridge. The 18-year-old arrived from Palmeiras for an initial £29m fee, after a deal was struck between the two clubs in the summer of 2024, and is the latest Brazilian to get Blues supporters off their seats. As quoted by ESPN Brazil, ex-Chelsea and Brazil winger Willian has backed the youngster to help his former side to glory. He said of Estevao: "He has great potential like Lamine Yamal, they have a similar style. I hope he can be very successful in England playing for Chelsea, that he can score a lot of goals in the Chelsea jersey and will help them to win titles. With the exciting starlet amply impressing in the Champions League as well as the Premier League, he could very well go on to enjoy similar levels of success at Stamford Bridge akin to his compatriot Willian's. 4 Nordi Mukiele - Sunderland The second Sunderland star to enter the fray is French defender Nordi Mukiele, who has proven to be an inspired addition to the newly-promoted Black Cats' squad since his initial £9.5m move from French champions Paris St-Germain. Based on statistics from WhoScored, Mukiele is the top-performing defender of the 20 best players in the Premier League so far this season, with his combination of aggression and athleticism making him a perfect addition to combat the rigours of top-flight football. The versatile defender has also made an impact on Sunderland's attack, getting off the mark with his goal against Wolves last month (in a game in which he won 15 duels), and wreaking havoc for opponents with his now-fashionable-again long-throw, affectionately dubbed the 'Mukiele missile' by the Wearside faithful. 3 Jack Grealish - Everton Jack Grealish has a point to prove to his parent club Manchester City during his loan spell at Everton this season, and the England winger has started the campaign in incredible form for David Moyes' side. Already this Premier League season, the England international has a goal and four assists to his name for the Toffees, and has appeared to rekindle the form which saw Man City shell out £100m to Aston Villa for his services in August 2021. Alongside Iliman Ndiaye, Grealish has been imperative to Everton's attack, with his most recent goal coming in the final moments against Crystal Palace to complete a dramatic comeback. 'Never fall in love with a loan player' is an adage often used in football, but the blue half of Merseyside can certainly be forgiven for having already fallen into that trap. 2 Bryan Mbeumo - Manchester United Manchester United spent heavily this summer as Amorim looked to rebuild from last season's disastrous 15th-placed finish, and frontman Bryan Mbeumo has undoubtedly been the greatest addition at Old Trafford. Cameroon international Mbeumo arrived at United from Brentford, after scoring 20 goals in the top flight last term, in a deal worth up to £71m. Although the former Bees winger is the most expensive outlay on this list, his impact at the Red Devils cannot be understated. Mbeumo has fired five goals and notched one assist in his 11 league outings so far to become Man Utd's top goalscorer thus far, and equally impressively, has scored four goals in his last four games to help inspire his side's now-five-game unbeaten run in the league.
