The English Premier League silly szn is just heating up, but already we’ve seen some jaw-dropping moves. A handful of teams are loading up on new talent to battle for a league title and European glory this coming season. While there are sure to be more hair-raising transfers and loan announcements, let’s take a look at the most titillating news so far. Here’s our ranking of the seven most interesting new signings to date.
7. Mathys Tel, Bayern Munich to Tottenham Hotspur, £30 million
Both teams are in the Big Six. Both teams embarrassed themselves and their supporters last season as they shockingly flirted with relegation for a time. Crazily, if one of them would have been sent down, it would have marked the first time a Big Six club suffered that ignominy since 1989-90.
One team is Manchester United. The other is Tottenham Hotspur. And they are taking very different approaches to rebuilding their crumbling foundations. While United are splashing the cash on players like Matheus Cunha (see below), Spurs are looking to younger, less expensive talent. To wit, Monsieur Tel. He’s a under-21 France international, and Tottenham just made his loan from Bayern Munich permanent.
New Tottenham gaffer Thomas Frank is thrilled to have the left winger on board. “I think he's a very talented player that can play across the front four positions,” he said.
Tel played in 13 matches this past season, starting 11. He scored two goals and provided one assist. But he’s already proven he has amazing potential to contribute more. In 1,723 minutes with Bayern, he averaged more than half a goal and one-third of an assist per 90 minutes. He is exactly the kind of player Spurs needs right now to climb back to respectability.
6. Michael Kayode, Fiorentina to Brentford, £15 million
Unless you’re a Brentford fan, you might be scratching your head wondering who Michael Kayode is and what he’s doing on this list. But stick with me. In a few years when Kayode is one of the best right backs in the Premier League, you’ll be telling your mates that you knew about him first.
Kayode came to Brentford on loan from Florence last season and impressed enough for the Bees to make the move permanent. So, yes, he successfully transitioned from the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance where he dined on bistecca alla Fiorentina to Brentford, home of the London Museum of Water & Steam and meat pies.
Kayode, an Italian U21 international, played in just 12 EPL matches (starting six) this past season. But in 528 minutes, he notched 2.9 tackles per 90 (better than Liverpool’s Trent Alexander Arnold) and 4.1 tackles plus interceptions per 90 (better than Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui). It seems Brentford have found their starting right back for the next decade.
5. Jeremie Frimpong, Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool, £29.5 million
Remember that line in Star Wars: Episode IV after the Death Star obliterates the planet Alderaan? Obi-Wan Kenobi says, “I felt a great disturbance in the Force…as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror.” That’s pretty much what we all heard coming from North Rhine-Westphalia when Bayer Leverkusen sold both Frimpong and Florian Wirtz (see below) within a three-week span.
Frimpong makes this list not necessarily because he’s Frimpong, but because of the man he’s replacing. Trent Alexander Arnold became one of the best right backs in the world before leaving Liverpool for Real Madrid in early June. Frimpong has some massive boots to fill. The 24-year-old is highly talented. scoring 10 goals in his last 97 matches with Leverkusen. He’s also an excellent passer and crosser, and he ranks in the 90thpercentile among fullbacks in assists, according to FBRef. But he’s going to have to step up his game to make Liverpudlians forget about TAA.
4. Liam Delap, Ipswich Town to Chelsea, £30 million
Delap was the birthday party pinata in June, with almost every team taking a swing at him. Reportedly Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and others were chasing the 22-year-old striker before Chelsea bagged him. There’s good reason why he was a man in demand. Delap scored 12 goals for a struggling Ipswich this past season and was available for the cut-rate price of £30 million due to a relegation clause in his contract.
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca is already beaming about his new striker. Maresca coached Delap on the Manchester City under-21 side, and he’s told the press he expects Delap to someday be starring as England’s center forward. At 6’1” and about 175 pounds, Delap boasts a powerful physical presence that is sure to strengthen with age.
Before he takes the international stage, however, he’s going to have to break the infamous hex of the Chelsea No. 9 shirt. Many guys have worn it – ranging from Romelu Lukaku to Fernando Torres and Alvaro Morata – and many have failed to meet the Blues’ sky-high expectations. Can Delap end the curse?
3. Tiijani Reijnders, AC Milan to Manchester City, £46.3 million
Life without Kevin De Bruyne begins now for Man City with the Belgian moving to Napoli. KDB’s departure leaves a gaping hole not just in City’s midfield, but also in their changing room in terms of his missing leadership presence. If any man can begin to fill the void, it’s Tiijani Reijnders.
Turning 27 this summer, Reijnders became known in Milan as a classic box-to-box central midfielder and a steady, calming presence. He’s adept at shooting, dribbling, passing and finding space on and off the ball. Last season, he scored 15 goals in all competitions and was named the top midfielder in Serie A. In truth, he was among the best midfielders in the world. In 2024-25, he ranked in the 85th percentile or better among European midfielders in goals per 90 minutes, shots on goal per 90 minutes, through balls, touches in the penalty area and progressive carrying distance (dribbling toward an opponent’s goal), per FBRef.
2. Matheus Cunha, Wolverhampton to Manchester United for £62.5 million
Even if you had gotten your pupils dilated every week of the past Premier League season and could not see the matches, you would have noticed that United lacked a bona fide goal scorer. In 2023, United paid Atalanta £64 million for Rasmus Hojlund to come to England to score goals in bunches. In his first season with the Red Devils he did just that, netting 16 goals in all competitions. But in 2024-25, he fell off a cliff, scoring just seven goals in 32 appearances and suffering a 21-match goalless streak. United dropped to their lowest goal total since the EPL began.
Enter Cunha, who will need to provide a spark – actually, make that a bonfire – to Ruben Amorim’s attack. Cunha scored 15 goals in the league last season for Wolverhampton, by far his best scoring output. Sounds good, right? Sure, until you realize his xG was 8.63. Does this mean he was lucky, or he was an outstanding finisher? Well, his stats were similar in 2023-24: 12 goals with an xG of 8.7. These numbers indicate he makes a habit of overachieving. He's also dished out a total of 13 assists over the past two campaigns.
One word of warning to United fans: Cunha doesn’t run. According to Premier League stats, he spent more of his time walking around the pitch (77 percent) than any other outfield player in the league last season. But if he scores goals in bunches and helps Hojlund become more effective, the United faithful won’t care.
1. Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool, £116 million
Okay, you knew this one was coming. It’s obvious this is the deal of the summer so far. But it’s still mindboggling to try to put this signing into perspective. Liverpool didn’t just break their transfer record…they demolished it. Wirtz’s all-in price of £116 million blows away the £85 million the Reds committed to Darwin Nunez in 2022. It’s more than they paid for Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo combined.
But is Wirtz worth it? The 22-year-old attacking midfielder and German international has been called a generational talent. In his last 94 matches, he’s scored 34 goals. Beyond his scoring ability, he’s quite simply one of the best passers on the planet. Per data from FBRef, he ranks in the 91st percentile or better in assists, shot-creating actions, passes completed and progressive passing distance. He makes everyone around him better.
The key questions are: Will Wirtz follow in the footsteps of Mesut Ozil, another Germany-born attacking midfielder who became an EPL star with Arsenal? Or will he become more like Pascal Gross, a good-but-not great midfielder during his seven seasons with Brighton?