Premier League: Summer Signings Already Paying Off

Last Updated on agosto 31, 2026 7:40 pm by Erwin Noguera

Two Premier League games are not enough evidence to judge a transfer. It is worth saying that before anything else.

The sample is slightly larger for some. Arsenal and Manchester City have the Community Shield behind them, and several clubs have already played a Carabao Cup tie. Nobody has more than three competitive matches.

It is, however, enough to notice that Manchester City spent £116 million on a midfielder and already look like they got him cheap, that Arsenal’s new winger has four assists in two competitive appearances, and that the best value in the entire window may have been a Bosnian right-back nobody was talking about.

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Seven signings that have already justified themselves.

1. Elliot Anderson — Manchester City

£116 million from Nottingham Forest.

The most expensive signing of the window and the one under the most scrutiny, and the trajectory across three games tells a clear story.

Anderson looked heavy-legged in the Community Shield against Arsenal and again on his home debut against Bournemouth; understandable for a player who went deep in a World Cup summer with England. Then he went to Selhurst Park and was superb, dictating a 4-1 win at Crystal Palace with the range of passing City paid for, breaking lines repeatedly, giving a delicious pass that Foden bottled, and forcing a strong save from Henderson with a curling effort from the edge of the box.

City sit top of the table on six points.

Why it counts: £116m buys immediate inquiries and very little patience. He needed one good performance to change the conversation, and he produced it in his third game.

2. Christos Tzolis — Arsenal

From Club Brugge, where he made 108 appearances with 43 goals and 45 assists.

The most productive start of any signing in the league, and it has come entirely from creating rather than scoring.

Tzolis assisted two of Arsenal’s three goals in the Community Shield against Manchester City, then set up two more on his Premier League debut in the 3-0 win over Coventry. That is four goal contributions in two competitive appearances, at a new club, in a new country.

He was withdrawn early against Aston Villa on Monday, which is worth monitoring rather than worrying about. Arsenal won that game 1-0 through Saka and sit second, level on points with City.

Why it counts: signings from Belgium usually need a season. He needed two games to show his worth.

3. Amar Dedić — Newcastle United

Markus Jaissle’s first signing, and possibly the signing of the summer.

The 24-year-old Bosnian right-back joined on 18 August and has three assists in his first three competitive appearances: two in a 3-2 Carabao Cup win over West Bromwich Albion, and one in the Premier League. He has already equalled Tino Livramento’s Newcastle assist tally in three games.

At Tottenham, he provided a precise headed assist for Elanga’s opener in a 2-0 away win, while helping keep a clean sheet: an intelligent display in both directions, which is the whole point of the position and the part most full-backs get wrong.

The context makes it better. Newcastle spent the summer being written off after a heavy exodus of recognisable players, and they have started well anyway. Dedić is the clearest reason why.

Why it counts: a right-back producing at this rate from a defensive base is the rarest and most valuable profile in the market.

4. Gonzalo García — Fulham

The one bright spot at a club with two defeats from two.

García has two goals already, the first on his debut against Chelsea, making him the first Fulham player to score on his Premier League debut since Chris David in May 2014.

Fulham lost that match 2-3 and have since lost again. Álvaro Arbeloa’s start in the Premier League has been difficult. But the team has played on the front foot in both matches, and García is the reason the scorelines have stayed respectable rather than becoming embarrassing.

Why it counts: signings at struggling clubs are judged unfairly. Two goals in two games at a side yet to take a point is a genuine achievement.

5. Morgan Rogers — Chelsea

From Aston Villa, and already looking like the deal of the window from Chelsea’s side.

Rogers scored on his debut against Fulham and has a goal and an assist from his opening games under Xabi Alonso.

He is visibly not at his sharpest yet, and the explanation is the same as Anderson’s: a long international summer with very little recovery before the season started. However, he is contributing anyway.

The other half of this story: Aston Villa sold him, generated over £100 million in profit across the window, and have lost both league games, conceding four to Brighton and losing at home to Arsenal. They are yet to score.

Why it counts: Chelsea got a player at less than his ceiling and are already being paid.

6. Nobel Mendy — Hull City

The signing behind the result of the opening weekend.

Hull City, the shortest-priced relegation favourites in the division, beat Manchester United 2-0. Mendy, a centre-back making his debut, scored the second on 38 minutes from Regan Slater’s free kick, after Semi Ajayi had opened the scoring on 17.

Both goals came from set pieces. Hull were the better team throughout.

Why it counts: a defender scoring on debut in a shock win over Manchester United is the sort of afternoon that reframes a whole season’s expectations. Hull’s relegation price should already look different.

7. James Trafford — Leeds United

A club-record signing from Manchester City, and an immediate clean sheet.

The England goalkeeper started Leeds’ opener at the City Ground behind a back line of Bogle, Rodon, Bijol, Muharemovic and Justin, and kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest; Leeds’ first top-flight victory at that ground since 1971-72, sealed by Anton Stach’s late free kick.

Why it counts: promoted clubs survive on clean sheets far more than on goals. Leeds spent their record fee on the position that actually keeps teams up.

The Pattern Worth Noticing

The best value was not in attackers. Three of these seven are defenders or a goalkeeper, and the most impressive numbers on the page belong to a right-back. Dedić has more assists than any of the forwards listed here have goals.

Two of them were sold by clubs we backed. We named Nottingham Forest and Fulham among five clubs likely to surpass expectations. Forest banked £116m for Anderson and promptly lost at home to a promoted side. Fulham kept García, and he is the only reason they have looked competitive. Selling well and buying well are genuinely different skills, and the opening fortnight has separated them fast.

Aston Villa are the warning tale. More than £100 million in profit, Rogers and Tielemans out of the door, and two defeats without a goal. The summer that looked shrewd in July looks different now.

The World Cup hangover is real. Anderson and Rogers both went deep into the tournament with England, and both have looked short of their best while still contributing. Judge them properly in October, not August.

What Would Change This List

Everything, and quickly.

Two league games is the smallest sample in football. Tzolis’s four assists came against Manchester City and Coventry: one enormous test and one gentle one. García’s goals have come in defeats. Mendy has played one match anybody will remember.

The signings most likely to still be on this list in November are the ones whose contributions do not depend on form: Trafford and Dedić, doing the unglamorous parts of the job well, at clubs that need exactly that.

Matchweek 3 arrives after the international break, which will tell us considerably more than the last two weeks have.