With one of the strangest Premier League transfer windows of all-time, we will be taking a look at how well each of the Premier League sides did in the window, grading them accordingly.
Arsenal - A
Arsenal managed to spend much more than what reports were claiming they had as a budget, especially with their marquee signing, Nicolas Pepe, who costed them £72 million in the summer, but will surely bolster their attack massively. They also managed to bolster their defence with the signings of Kieran Tierney and David Luiz, but they also lost their captain Laurent Koscielny. Overall, they did well in terms of signings, but Arsenal fans might have wanted to offload some more deadwood and get some more fresh talent in.
Aston Villa - A+
Aston Villa had one of the most eventful transfer windows in their whole history, buying a staggering total of 12 players over the whole window. Whilst many have criticised their business, saying that they will repeat what Fulham did a year ago, their signings have been much better in terms of Premier League quality and experience than Fulham. Apart from this, Aston Villa have also managed to get Tyrone Mings, Anwar El Ghazi and Kortney Hause on permanent deals after they had very successful loan spells at the club last season. To make things even better, they managed to hold on to their star players, Josh McGinn and Jack Grealish.
Bournemouth - B-
Bournemouth's main objective for this transfer window was to hold on to their star players in Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and David Brooks, and they have successfully done so. Whilst they might have wanted to buy more, the loan signing of Harry Wilson in particular, is very interesting. Apart from this, they got rid of plenty of deadwood as well, offloading Tyrone Mings, Lys Mousset and Marc Pugh, who were all struggling for game-time in recent years.
Brighton - C
Brighton's signings have been quite mediocre to say the least. They have probably overspent when it comes to recruiting players that performed well in the Championship last season, buying Adam Webster and Neal Maupay for a total of £37 million. Whilst they have also added Leandro Trossard, a playmaker from Genk that could be a star for them, they have also been forced to loan out Anthony Knockaert to Fulham. Personally, Brighton seem to have added some quality, but not enough to take them out of a possible relegation battle.
Burnley - D
Burnley have left much to be desired during this window, and with Tom Heaton leaving, they have lost plenty of Premier League experience. Whilst the signing of Jay Rodriguez from West Brom might be a fruitful one, they basically failed to add any quality to their side. Danny Drinkwater's loan from Chelsea might provide a boost in quality, but with him only being there till January, it might not be enough for Burnley in the long-haul. Although they might stay up due to Sean Dyche's efficient style of football, they will need a miracle to stray away from a relegation battle.
Chelsea - C
Given Chelsea's transfer ban, you cannot expect much to happen at Stamford Bridge, but somehow, they did manage to secure the permanent signing of Mateo Kovacic and they also got Christian Pulisic available to play for them now. However, losing Eden Hazard may prove to be too much of a loss for Frank Lampard's team. The only benefit to this may be that several young players that were out on loan last season may get a chance to prove themselves in the Premier League, along with Michy Batshuayi, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Callum Hudson-odoi, who all need to show that they are enough for Chelsea to make this rebuilding process as soothing as possible.
Crystal Palace - B-
From the very start of the window, Crystal Palace's objective was to hold on to their star players, Wilfried Zaha and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Whilst they failed to hold on to the English right-back, they did manage to convince Wilfried Zaha to stay, and that has possibly earned them the right to get a B- for this window. Apart from holding on to the Ivorian, they have not managed to get any players in that excite the fans too much. James McCarthy and Gary Cahill might be solid signings with their Premier League experience having a good effect on the squad, but they are clearly not gamechangers.
Everton - A+
Everton have been the pick of the bunch when it came to getting players in, managing to get seven signings over the line, all of which have strengthened their options massively. The signing of Moise Kean was needed the most out of all of them, with Everton struggling for a first-choice striker for several years. Along with that, Alex Iwobi will compete with Richarlison for a place in the team, whilst also providing some more pace to the team. Defensively, Djibril Sidibe on loan, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Fabian Delph in midfield, along with the permanent signing of Andre Gomes, have all brought some experience, along with some quality to what is already a very neat Everton squad. The only downside to this transfer window for the Merseyside team might be that they lost Idrissa Gueye to PSG, but with Gbamin in, they might have just found the perfect replacement.
Leicester City - B+
Leicester were involved in what was the biggest transfer of the window, Harry Maguire to Manchester United for a record-breaking £80 million. They also managed to add plenty of options in midfield and in attack, with the signings of Youri Tielemans, Ayoze Perez and Dennis Praet, who are all filled with enough quality to help push Leicester for a place in Europe. The only real concern for them is that they did not manage to replace the void that was left by Harry Maguire, which might be concerning for them in the long-run.
Liverpool - C-
Liverpool had possibly one of the dullest transfer windows in history. One could argue that they did not need to strengthen that much as they already have a solid team, but with all of their rivals adding to their teams, they clearly needed to add someone to their team to continue on challenging. Getting Adrian in for Simon Mignolet might be a good replacement, with the Spaniard much more reliable in goal. The only real good thing that Liverpool fans can get out of this window is that they did not lose any of their top players to other clubs.
Manchester City - A-
City have once again strengthened their side further, making a push towards winning three Premier League titles in a row. Adding Rodri, Angelino and practically robbing Juventus of Cancelo, might just be enough for Manchester City to become the first side to win three titles in a row since Manchester United did it between 2007 and 2009. They also managed to hold on to Leroy Sane for now, and he does not seem to be leaving after getting badly injured right before the start of the season.
Manchester United - B
Manchester United were in need of a rebuild after last season's disaster. They managed to fix one of their main problems, the defence, by getting Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in, but they have created plenty of other problems as a result. They were in desperate need of a central midfielder after losing Ander Herrera and also Marouane Fellaini in the previous window, with them constantly being linked to Bruno Fernandes and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, yet they failed to bring anyone in. The signing of Daniel James is clearly one for the future, as he will need some brushing up in end-product to guarantee a place in the starting 11. Apart from all of this, they now have to see how they will push on in terms of attack, after losing Romelu Lukaku to Inter on deadline day. They really need their big players to step up this season, mainly Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Alexis Sanchez.
Newcastle United - C+
Newcastle added plenty of good players at the wrong time. Once they lost Rafa Benitez after the Spaniard did not want to work with Mike Ashley for any longer, the club hired Steve Bruce and they immediately started to spend. Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin will need to prove their worth and get most of the goals, especially with Newcastle losing Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon. They also managed to secure an emotional return to St James' Park for Andy Carroll, whilst also adding some players for defensive depth.
Norwich - B+
Norwich were set to be one of the few promoted sides in history to stick to the team that got them promoted the season before, but with the signings of Ralf Fahrmann, Josip Drmic and Patrick Roberts, they have added plenty of quality to what is already a solid young side. With their team being filled with youth and pace at all ends of the pitch, the experience of players like Fahrmann and Drmic, who have both played in European competitions in the past, will be crucial.
Sheffield United - B+
Sheffield United have practically ticked all of their needs, adding the experience of Phil Jagielka to the squad, along with their attacking options with Oli McBurnie and Lys Mousset coming to the side. Whilst also managing to get Dean Henderson for another year, along with Muhamed Besic on loan from Everton, the way their season goes can be largely affected by the transfer of Ravel Morrison. The Englishman was tipped to be even better than Paul Pogba in the past, but his attitude has let him down massively, but this might be the 26-year-old's final chance to show his worth in England's top flight.
Southampton - B
Southampton have managed to bolster their attack and change their style according to the needs of Ralph Hasenhuttl. By getting rid of Charlie Austin and Sam Gallagher, replacing them with the permanent signing of Danny Ings, along with getting Che Adams, Southampton might have a very good season, possibly taking them back to the heights of a few seasons ago.
Tottenham - A+
After having two transfer windows with no signings at all, Tottenham have outperformed in this transfer window, getting three massive signings in. Tanguy Ndombele was the one that was needed the most, as he will shore up the only position that they possibly needed recruitment in. Additionally, they also got Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham, who will fill in plenty of gaps on the left-hand side, along with Giovani Lo Celso on loan with an option to buy, with the latter possibly being a wildcard. Whilst Lo Celso struggled at PSG, he was impressive for Real Betis last season, scoring 16 goals and providing six assists in 45 games in all competitions for the Spanish side. They also got rid of some of their deadwood as well, selling Kieran Trippier to Atletico Madrid and finally getting rid of Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente.
Watford - C+
Watford had a pretty uneventful window, apart from getting in their club-record signing, Ismaila Sarr from Stade Rennais for £27 million, along with Danny Welbeck for free and Craig Dawson from West Brom. They mainly wanted to hold on to Abdoulaye Doucoure, who was their star man last season, and they managed to do so. However, overall it was a pretty average window for the Hornets.
West Ham - A-
West Ham had to find a way to replace Marko Arnautovic, with the Austrian being their top scorer for the last two seasons, and they somehow managed to do so. By bringing in Sebastien Haller in, they have brought an immense amount of quality to a side that already had plenty of it. If Haller manages to perform like he did in the Bundesliga, coupled with Pablo Fornals and the quality that there already is in the forms of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini and Declan Rice, then West Ham might be one of the clubs to watch this season.
Wolves - B
Wolves badly needed to strengthen in squad depth this season, especially with their commitments in the Europa League early on this season. Whilst the signings of Patrick Cutrone, Pedro Neto and the loan signing of Jesus Vallejo are very good signings, Wolves clearly needed more in terms of numbers and quality. They also managed to get Raul Jimenez and Leander Dendoncker signed up permanently after their loan deals expired, so there are still plenty of positives to take out of this window if you are a Wolves fan.
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