The Janaury transfer window is well underway but the Premier League has not delivered too many blockbuster deals just yet.
Aston Villa have landed Donyell Malen while Ipswich signed Jadon Philogene from the Midlands side. Spurs moved quickly for a new goalkeeper in Antonin Kinsky, while Manchester City started their foray into the market by agreeing a deal for Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens.
With time ticking for the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United to make their moves however, it seems the summer of 2024 saw the biggest deals of the season. Transfers are trickier of course come the turn of the year, with clubs happy to splash cash from a stronger negotiating position.
Mirror Football takes a look at the Premier League’s biggest deals from last summer and assesses if they have been a success.
Games played: 14 (9)
Rating: 6
Assessment: The Brighton ace has scored six goals and provided two assists in his debut season for the Seagulss so far this season and shown flashes of very good form. Rutter started the season well but endured a dip in his performances but has once again started to find the net since 2025 started.
Games played: 25
Rating: 5
Assessment: West Ham spent a significant fee to prise the central defender from Wolves and a difficult season has ensured Kilman has endured a tough time proving his vaule. The 27-year-old showed some good performances early in the season but has struggled since and perhaps requires a domineering presence alongside him at London Stadium.
Games played: 12 (4)
Rating: 5
Assessment: The Italian defender has enjoyed some significant moments with the Gunners so far, including a goal against Manchester City. Injuries to Calafiori may have some of an Arsenal persuasion questioning the outlay however, given the clues in his career at Bologna.
Games played: 23 (4)
Rating: 5
Assessment: Questions quickly arose of the Dutch defender following his move to Manchester United with his pace and agility seeming to ensure some vulnerability in the Old Trafford defence. The ex-Bayern Munich and Juventus centre-half has shown some improvement under in Ruben Amorim’s back three and there will be hope he can offer more performances such as that against Arsenal in the FA Cup.
Games played: 9 (11)
Rating: 3
Assessment: It’s a massive fee to justify for a player primarily confined to outings from the bench and in the Europa League, despite his seven goals. There’s little sign that the ex-Atletico Madrid will find a way past Cole Palmer in Chelsea’s starting XI, making it a difficult signing to view as a success.
Games played: 18 (3)
Rating: 7
Assessment: Onana quickly became a key component in Unai Emery’s Aston Villa midfield, though an injury suffered on international duty with Belgium disrupted his progress in December. Onana has slot in well at Villa Park however and may be one of the more successful signings on this list.
Games played: 19 (6)
Rating: 4
Assessment: The midfielder has shown some good quality since moving to Manchester United but, like his team, has frustrated plenty too. Ugarte impressed alongside Kobbie Mainoo against Arsenal and Liverpool recently but has not transformed that into true consistency with Amorim suggesting his star was ‘tired’ in a difficult outing against Southampton, before having a tough time against Brighton.
In some respects was expected to be a gamechanger for United and has not quite fit that billing, seeing his rating suffer.
Games played: 16 (8)
Rating: 5
Assessment: The former Wolves man has managed three goals and two assists since his mega-money move to Stamford Bridge but has been unable to produce his best under Enzo Maresca. The Chelsea star is pretty much another player stuck in rotation.
Games played: 5 (6)
Rating: 5
Assessment: A pre-season injury diminished the opportunity for Yoro to establish himself as an undeniable presence at Manchester United. The 19-year-old was finally able to make his debut in December and hasn’t waited long for opportunities to start under Amorim. It’s still a case of waiting to see when judging his move however.
Games played: 24 (5)
Rating: 7
Assessment: The Tottenham signing has 11 goals to his name this term, despite the Lilywhites enduring a difficult season with a plethora of injuries. Now set for a spell on the sidelines due to injury, Spurs are set to miss their primary striker who provides presence up front in addition to goals and has benefitted Ange Postecoglou’s attack.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.