Premier League Signing of the Season: Rayan Cherki, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and GOAL's top 20 for 2025-26 - ranked

As with any season, a number of new signings have played significant roles, though finding diamonds in the rough is becoming increasingly difficult for Premier League clubs given the increased exposure of the global game. Spending big on proven commodities, meanwhile, comes with its own risk, with the amounts involved meaning any level of failure will not be tolerated.

Fortunately for teams in England's top-flight, a number of investments have paid off over the past nine months, and here at GOAL , our team of editors and writers in the UK have put our heads together to rank the top 20 Premier League signings of the season, based on overall performance, pre-transfer expectations and value for money:

NOTE: Players whose transfers were completed before the 2025 summer window (e.g. Eli Junior Kroupi) or who had previous loan deals become permanent (e.g. Kevin Danso) were not considered.

Noah Sadiki (Sunderland) - £15m

Sunderland's ability to not just survive, but thrive upon their return to the Premier League has been largely attributed to their summer recruitment, with a whole host of the Black Cats' new arrivals playing key roles in a season that could yet still end in them securing European qualification.

One who has perhaps flown under the radar outside of Wearside is midfielder Noah Sadiki, who joined from Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise having earned comparisons to N'Golo Kante for his tireless pressing and clever use of the ball in midfield. The DR Congo international has certainly lived up to the hype, too, leading to reports linking him with a move to Chelsea or Manchester United in the coming months.

Pascal Gross (Brighton) - £1.75m

After two-and-a-half years away, Pascal Gross returned to Brighton in January, with the Seagulls able to agree a cut-price fee with Borussia Dortmund to bring the popular German back to the south coast. To say the midfielder has been transformational for Fabian Hurzeler's side might be pushing it a bit, but Gross has certainly played a key role in Brighton turning around a season that was at risk of heading towards a relegation battle in late winter.

Despite him approaching his 35th birthday, Gross' energy has been key to Brighton pushing for a top-six finish, with him the only player to have run further than 13 kilometres in a single Premier League game on more than one occasion across the entire campaign. His set-piece deliveries have also added an extra dimension to the Seagulls' game following what must be one of the best value-for-money signings of the season.

Piero Hincapie (Arsenal) - loan

Given Arsenal weren't exactly short of left-back or centre-back cover following last season, some eyebrows were raised when it emerged at the end of the summer window that the Gunners were closing in on a deal to sign Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen. The Ecuador international arrived on an initial loan deal and had to bide his time to make an impact - but once he fought his way into the Arsenal line up, he proved difficult to dislodge.

Able to combine physicality with confidence on the ball, Hincapie has become Mikel Arteta's first-choice left-back over the course of the season, playing an important role in shutting down opposition wingers as the Gunners chased the title. The £45m they will pay to make Hincapie's move permanent this summer looks like it will be money well spent.

Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United) - £65m

Bryan Mbeumo was a wanted man last summer, but the ex-Brentford forward rejected the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle so as to join the club he supported as a boy, Manchester United . And while Mbeumo hasn't been able to match the 20 Premier League goals he mustered during his final season at the Gtech Community Stadium, he has still managed double figures during his debut campaign at Old Trafford.

Mbeumo got off to a flying start, and by early February had scored nine goals in 20 league appearances, while his partnership down the right-hand side with Amad Diallo was one of the few plus points to emerge from Ruben Amorim's time in charge. However, the Cameroon international's form has dropped off during the final months of the campaign and he has spent time on the bench under Michael Carrick. Still, his impact on the Red Devils has been mostly positive.

Matheus Cunha (Manchester United) - £62.5m

Matheus Cunha's season has run in almost exact opposite to that of fellow new United forward Mbeumo, with the summer signing from Wolves enduring something of a slow start to life at Old Trafford before enjoying an uptick in form under Carrick.

His six goals and three assists since the former England midfielder took charge have included a stunning winner against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and the only goal in April's victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. That run has propelled to Cunha to a third-straight season with a double-figure goal tally in the English top-flight, while his versatility within the forward positions has also proved advantageous.

Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool) - £69m

Liverpool's headline-grabbing, £450m summer spending spree may not have gone as well as many at Anfield would have hoped, but the one positive in terms of new arrivals this season has undoubtedly been Hugo Ekitike. Signed from Eintracht Frankfurt from under the noses of Newcastle , Ekitike earned comparisons to Fernando Torres on his way to scoring 11 goals and providing four assists in the Premier League before an Achilles injury ended his campaign in March .

Ekitike's assuredness in front of goal combined with his superb close control and eye for a pass have marked him out as one of the best all-round forwards in the Premier League already, and it is a real shame that he won't be gracing the field again for another six months while he recovers full fitness.

Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal) - £56m

After turning down the chance to join Liverpool in the summer of 2024, Martin Zubimendi eventually landed in the Premier League 12 months later, joining Arsenal despite a last-ditch effort from Real Madrid to keep the midfielder in Spain. Zubimendi immediately formed half of one of the best central duos in the top-flight alongside Declan Rice as he provided energy and intelligence to the Gunners' engine room.

The former Real Sociedad star also managed to chip in with five goals, and though he seemed to run out of gas down the stretch, leading to him losing his place in the line-up for the final weeks of the campaign, he can still be more than satisfied with what he produced during his first year in north London.

Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal) - £55m

Is Viktor Gyokeres the most technically gifted footballer to ever represent Arsenal? Is he the most natural goal-scorer in the Gunners' illustrious history? Is he even the answer to their much-discussed No.9 problem? The answer to all those questions may well be 'no', but that is not to say that Gyokeres hasn't played his part in the success of Mikel Arteta's side.

Heading into the final round of fixtures, only four players in the entire division have netted more than the 14 Premier League goals that Gyokeres has managed since arriving from Sporting CP. And while his critics will point to the majority of those strikes coming against teams in the lower reaches of the table, those goals still needed scoring, and Gyokeres was able to produce the goods when his predecessors in the role might have come up short.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Everton) - £24m

It's fair to say that the 2024-25 campaign was a lost season for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The midfielder's move from Leicester City to Chelsea looked a strange one at the time, and so it proved as he made just two Premier League starts under Enzo Maresca. A new start was required, then, and Dewsbury-Hall looks to have made the right choice in joining Everton .

The 27-year-old has been a near ever-present for David Moyes' side and has contributed eight goals and six assists, including his memorable winner at Old Trafford as the 10-man Toffees beat Manchester United. Talk of an England call-up even surfaced midway through the campaign, so impressive were Dewsbury-Hall's performances on Merseyside.

Nordi Mukiele (Sunderland) - £9.5m

Sunderland weren't shy in targeting players with experience of the very highest levels during their summer spending spree, but it was still something of a coup to persuade Nordi Mukiele, who had spent the previous six seasons playing in the Champions League for Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen, to join Regis Le Bris' project at the Stadium of Light.

That the Black Cats were able to do so while also forking out a modest fee makes it all the more impressive, and Mukiele has more than paid back that investment him. The right-back has been a marauding presence for Sunderland, chipping in with three goals and three assists, while his experience has been key in ensuring a sense of defensive stability on Wearside.

Anton Stach (Leeds United) - £17m

Much like Sunderland, that Leeds United were able to survive in the Premier League with games to spare owed plenty to their recruitment, with Daniel Farke able to rely upon a number of seasoned campaigners upon his return to the top-flight. One of the most impressive arrivals at Elland Road was Anton Stach, who joined from Hoffenheim and quickly became a fan favourite in West Yorkshire.

A midfielder who is able to match a combative style with comfort on the ball, Stach also thrilled supporters with some superb strikes from dead-ball situations, scoring three direct free-kicks among his five total goals. A first call-up to the Germany squad for four years was just reward for Stach's excellent debut campaign in England.

Marc Guehi (Manchester City) - £20m

One of the great sliding doors moments of the season came on transfer deadline day in September, when Crystal Palace pulled the plug on Marc Guehi's long-protracted move to Liverpool after they failed to sign a replacement for their captain. As a result, the Reds' defence has lurched from one shambolic performance to another, while their failure to land Guehi allowed Manchester City to steal in and secure the England international's signature in a cut-price January deal.

With Guehi's contract at Selhurst Park set to expire, City took advantage as they dealt with a defensive injury crisis of their own. He has played every minute of Premier League action since arriving at the Etihad, and though it hasn't all been plain sailing - his mishit back-pass against Everton proved to be the decisive moment of the title race - Guehi has shown just why so many of the league's elite clubs wanted to sign him with some assertive displays.

Robin Roefs (Sunderland) - £9m

Plenty of Premier League clubs went in search of new goalkeepers during the summer of 2025, but few did a better job than Sunderland after they plucked little-known Robin Roefs away from NEC in the Eredivisie . The Dutchman became an instant hero among the Stadium of Light faithful, and must go down as one of the bargain buys of the year anywhere in Europe.

Only five 'keepers have kept more clean sheets than Roefs' 10 in the English top-flight this term, while his save percentage of 70.4% is better than those posted by the likes of David Raya, Jordan Pickford and Alisson Becker.

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City) - £26m

It was scarcely believable when news broke that Paris Saint-Germain were ready to listen to offers for Gianluigi Donnarumma last summer. The Italy international's heroics had played a huge role in Luis Enrique's side winning the Champions League, and so while Donnarumma doesn't match Pep Guardiola's typical style of goalkeeper, bringing him to the Etihad for a knock-down fee was an offer that was too good to turn down.

Donnarumma has admittedly had some sticky moments with the ball at his feet and struggled at times when pressured from set-pieces , but from a shot-stopping perspective he has been unmatched upon his arrival into the Premier League. He ranks first for both save percentage (72.9%) and goals prevented (5.8), while only Golden Glove winner David Raya can better his 15 clean sheets.

Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City) - £62.5m

Antoine Semenyo was one of the outstanding players through the first half of the Premier League season, and so when it emerged that the Ghana international's contract at Bournemouth included a release clause that could be activated early in the January transfer window, English football's elite made their interest known.

Manchester City eventually won the race , and Semenyo barely skipped a beat despite the step up in class and pressure to perform. He netted five goals in his first eight Premier League games for Guardiola's title-chasers, and while he was unable to maintain that rate of scoring through to the end of the campaign, he remained an ever-present in the City line-up. His sublime flick to win the FA Cup final wasn't bad, either.

Joao Pedro (Chelsea) - £60m

Joao Pedro was always going to struggle to maintain the electric start to life he made as a Chelsea player at the Club World Cup , but the ex-Brighton forward did continue to be a thorn in the side of Premier League defences during his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge.

With one game of the season to play, he ranks fourth in the English top-flight for both goals (15) and combined goals and assists (20), while his excellent hold-up play and direct dribbling have adhered him to fans to the point that he was named Chelsea's Player of the Year . All that makes it even more puzzling as to why he wasn't named in Brazil's squad for the World Cup this summer .

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United) - free

Leeds United knew they needed a proven goal-scorer when they arrived back into the Premier League last summer, so that they plumped for injury-plagued Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer in mid-August raised plenty of eyebrows. The 29-year-old had mustered just 17 league goals over the past four seasons combined before leaving Everton for pastures new.

However, Calvert-Lewin has been revitalised in West Yorkshire, and a run of scoring in six successive games through November and December kickstarted his and Leeds' campaign . With one game to go, only four players have managed more than his 14 goals for the campaign, while a brace on the final day would see Calvert-Lewin equal his best ever campaign in the English top-flight. The England recall he received in March was, then, well deserved.

Senne Lammens (Manchester United) - £18m

The bar that a Manchester United goalkeeper needs to clear for fans to get behind them has admittedly been lowered in recent years, but that shouldn't take away from what Senne Lammens has produced during his debut campaign at Old Trafford. Preferred to Emiliano Martinez when the Red Devils were weighing up their options towards the end of the summer window , Lammens has handled the step up from Royal Antwerp with relative ease despite his lack of top-level experience.

The 23-year-old has exuded confidence to the United defence while he has coped particularly well with the barrage of set-pieces that modern day 'keepers have to deal with in English football . From a shot-stopping perspective, meanwhile, he ranks second for goals prevented (4.1) behind only Donnarumma.

Granit Xhaka (Sunderland) - £17m

Few transfers were more surprising last summer than Granit Xhaka's decision to leave Bayer Leverkusen and join newly-promoted Sunderland - with even Leverkusen boss Erik ten Hag caught out by the Switzerland international's switch to Wearside . The Black Cats knew they had pulled off a coup and immediately handed Xhaka the captain's armband. He has not let them down.

Xhaka has led from the front for Regis Le Bris' side, bringing top-level experience to a squad that was light on leaders following their promotion via the play-offs. His passing remains elite, while his tally of six assists is bettered by just five players in the entire league. Off the ball, he ranks in the top 5% for both blocked shots and clearances, highlighting the key role he has played at both ends of the pitch.

Rayan Cherki (Manchester City) - £30.5m

Rayan Cherki arrived at Manchester City with question marks over his attitude and whether such a flamboyant individual could function as part of a Guardiola team . And while he hasn't always been the first name on the teamsheet at the Etihad, Cherki has proven to be one of the most thrilling players to watch anywhere in the Premier League during his debut season in English football.

Only Bruno Fernandes has provided more assists than the 12 that Cherki managed, and while his goal tally of four will need to be improved going forward, it's clear that the France international will be a key figure for Enzo Maresca once Guardiola steps down this summer. At just 22, his best years are still ahead of him.