Ranking the top 10 Premier League summer transfers so far: No. 1 may surprise you

We’re just five Premier League games, plus a handful of cup bouts across several competitions, into this fledgling 2026-27 campaign. It’s too early to hand down definitive verdicts on the slew of players who moved over the course of yet another big-spending summer, but we can take an early look at which players have settled in quickly and impressed the most at their new clubs.

Here’s a top 10, ranked on their overall impact and excellence, taking into account every game they’ve played so far this term, regardless of competition.

10. Ronald Araújo, RB/CB, Liverpool

Key stat: Liverpool are yet to concede in the league with Araújo on the pitch.

Liverpool have won four of their past five games in all competitions, a jump in form that roughly coincides with Araújo entering the XI. He felt like an opportunistic loan signing from Barcelona (with a €55 million permanent option for next summer) that could go one of two distinct ways, but so far he has been an overwhelming positive.

He has the physique and athleticism to survive the rough-and-tumble of the Premier League, while he’s also aware enough of his technical limitations to keep his time on the ball simple, accurate and therefore effective — except for that sumptuous backheel assist for Dominik Szoboszlai‘s goal against Atlético Madrid, of course.

9. Christos Tzolis, FW, Arsenal

Key stat: He leads Arsenal in assists in all competitions (four).

Tzolis has brought something different to Arsenal’s attack. OK, he wasn’t the big-name addition (like Vinícius Júnior or Morgan Rogers) the club craved over the summer, but he has been effective from the start.

His debut in the Community Shield brought two assists, and in general the Greece international winger has added a greater connectivity to the left side as he cuts inside onto his right foot. It hasn’t all been positive — he was poor against Brighton & Hove Albion and taken off at halftime against Aston Villa — but he has comfortably outperformed his €40 million transfer fee so far.

8. Zion Suzuki, GK, Aston Villa

Key stat: He leads the Premier League in goalkeeper sweeps (7).

Emiliano Martínez‘s exit from Aston Villa to Chelsea caused plenty of concern among the fans, as he is the club’s greatest-ever goalkeeper, but from the moment his replacement Suzuki took to the pitch, those concerns were allayed.

The Japan international possesses a fine combination of smart reflexes and a strong physique, allowing him to fling himself across goal to stop shots and claim crosses among the crowd. His eagerness to race out of his box and sweep up has also stood out among his peers.

But the real story with Suzuki is his incredible distribution. He’s not only comfortable with the ball at his feet, he’s capable of firing off inch-perfect long passes with both feet to spark counterattacks. The early signs are that Villa have replaced Martínez extremely well.

7. Tarik Muharemović, CB, Leeds United

Key stat: He is joint-fourth for defensive clearances (37) in the Premier League this season.

Tall and combative, with a love for defending deep and smashing clearances high into the sky, Muharemović was made for the English game. After impressing at the World Cup for Bosnia-Herzegovina last summer, he signed for Leeds United for €40 million and has slotted in on the left side of Daniel Farke’s back three seamlessly, replacing Pascal Struijk, who departed for Brighton.

The 23-year-old excels when it comes to the nuts and bolts of defending — like duels, headers and clearances. His work with the ball is solid enough, with plenty of room to improve, but he has been key in the club’s rise to fifth place in the Premier League table before the international break.

6. Morgan Rogers, AM, Chelsea

Key stat: He leads the way for Chelsea with seven goals+assists in all competitions.

There’s only one way for an attacker whose transfer cost £117 million — a record for a British player — to shrug off the pressure and it’s to produce goals and assists immediately. Rogers has certainly done that.

Three of the former Aston Villa midfielder’s seven goals and assists came in one cup game against Leeds United, where he was sent on to salvage a game they were losing 2-0, with the scoreline eventually ending 6-3 as Rogers and teammate Cole Palmer ran riot. He has also netted against Fulham, Arsenal and Hull City.

Rogers will always have games where the ball gets away from him too much, or his dribbles don’t come off — that’s the nature of a high-risk/high-reward player like him — and he has already shown Stamford Bridge this side of himself. But, so far, the good has outweighed the bad.

5. Mamadou Sangaré, CM, Brentford

Key stat: He has the best dueling grade (81.1) in the league, according to Gradient.

Of every impressive Premier League debutant in the first gameweek, Sangaré shone the brightest. His all-action display at the heart of Brentford’s 3-0 thumping of Tottenham Hotspur got the whole world talking as the club paid just £38.5 million to sign him. The Mali international hasn’t quite hit those heights again but has continued strongly, showing how he tackles, carries and passes the ball to a very high standard.

Data from sports company Gradient suggests he’s the best dueler in the Premier League, and when you watch him, his tactical understanding and ability to move into the right space at the right time (on and off the ball) stands out.

4. Luka Vušković, CB, Brighton & Hove Albion

Key stat: He is joint-second for completed switch passes (5) in the Premier League.

Technically, Vušković was already a Tottenham player, but he never made a first-team appearance and was one of the most sought-after young defenders in Europe when he returned following a sparkling loan at Hamburg in the German Bundesliga to find his future unclear. In the end, he joined Brighton for a club-record £46 million — quite the weight for a 19-year-old to carry.

So far, he has made light work of any pressure that might have generated. The Croatia international dominated in the air and from attacking set pieces (he scored six goals from 28 games) in Germany, and he’s remained strong in these areas for Brighton this season. But he has perhaps stood out more for his front-foot defending and anticipation of passes, while he has also shown a willingness to switch play from one flank to the other.

3. Elliot Anderson, CM, Manchester City

Key stat: He tops all City players for tackles and interceptions (15).

City are top of the league with five wins from five and Anderson has been at the heart of everything. It should come as no surprise, as he is the Premier League’s ultimate all-action midfielder right now, hence his eye-watering £116 million transfer fee from Nottingham Forest.

Anderson leads all City players in tackles and interceptions per game (3.25) and passes per game (86.1); combined with his typical hard running and aggression, he’s already emerging as the dominant force in the club’s new-look midfield setup now that manager Pep Guardiola has moved on.

The England international has played with several different central midfield partners — Nico O’Reilly, Enzo Fernández, and even center back Marc Guéhi — but has not skipped a beat. His performance in the Manchester derby was spectacular and, thanks to his superhuman athleticism, City coped well with going down to 10 men and eked out a 1-0 victory.

2. Jérémy Jacquet, CB, Liverpool

Key stat: Best grade (82.4) for one-vs.one defending in the Premier League, according to Gradient.

Jacquet’s £60 million move to Liverpool from Rennes was sealed in January, but he did not officially arrive at Anfield until July. At just 21 years of age and coming off a season-ending shoulder injury, it would have been fair to hope that he just settled in well and avoided another ailment. But the Frenchman has delivered so much more.

He has stepped into the role Ibrahima Konaté (now at Real Madrid) once commanded with ease, delivering assured performances in the defensive line. Gradient’s data rates him as the best one-vs.-one defender in the entire league so far this season, while his clean penalty box defending has impressed too.

France have continually produced high level talent at center back. Though Jacquet following that trend is no real surprise, to see him excelling so quickly has brought a lot of relief to a Liverpool fan base that spent the entire summer worrying about what was around the corner.

1. Konstantinos Tzolakis, GK, Hull City

Key stat: He has kept three clean sheets in five league games.

Hull City have been one of the stories of the 2026-27 Premier League season so far. They’ve accrued eight points from their first five games and picked up some incredible results, such as beating Manchester United and drawing with Chelsea.

Underpinning that excellence has been a defensive solidity and, more specifically, some brilliant goalkeeping, as new signing Tzolakis has wowed between the sticks. He has three clean sheets already and has made some eye-catching saves. In particular: one to deny Coventry City the lead in Gameweek 2; a flying effort to keep out a Reece James free kick against Chelsea in Gameweek 4; and a penalty save against Newcastle United‘s Yoane Wissa just before the international break.

Perhaps most importantly of all, he has a talent for plucking the ball out of the air, and has claimed the most crosses (11) of any Premier League goalkeeper, relieving pressure on his defense at key moments and helping defenders see out results. Plenty was expected of the Greece international after he (briefly) broke the Tigers’ transfer record over the summer in a move worth £17 million, and he has been very impressive so far.

Honorable mentions

Just missing the cut was Leeds goalkeeper James Trafford, who has made the most saves in the league (20) so far and has looked extremely assured in goal after moving from Manchester City for £40 million.

New joint-Premier League record transfer Enzo Fernández was also close, after his £125 million transfer from Chelsea. But while there have been some obvious highlights to his play so far, his addition to the City team has created some tactical conundrums that need solving defensively.

Former Ajax midfielder Sean Steur, 18, has been the most impressive of a handful of Newcastle signings, and had it not been for his bad giveaway against Leeds — which he publicly apologized for — perhaps he’d have made the top 10.

Ipswich Town have started strongly and that’s in part thanks to 22-year-old forward Emersonn, who has two goals and an assist after his £24 million move from Toulouse, plus £9 million ex-Fulham star Saša Lukić, who has added steel to their midfield.

Finally, England defender Ezri Konsa has enjoyed a predictably good opening month as an Arsenal player after his £52 million move from Aston Villa, but hasn’t quite stood out enough to crack the top 10.