The Athletic 500: Which Premier League signings were the best and worst rated overall?

When Chelsea announced the signing of Jadon Sancho on Saturday afternoon, it marked the end of a summer transfer window dominated by profit and sustainability rules (PSR), Erik ten Hag’s attempts to build an Eredivisie superteam at Old Trafford, and Chelsea’s attempts at playing real-life Football Manager (again).

To coincide with the opening of this window, we launched a new series, The Athletic 500, the day the window opened. Our writers — experts in transfers, tactics, data and football finance — rated moves by way of five categories, with each aspect given a score out of 100 to reach a total out of 500. Hence, The Athletic 500. (You can learn more about the ratings here.)

So with the window now closed, we looked back through all 69 published ratings —  not every Premier League transfer was rated due to lack of data — to see how they compared.

Which transfer has the highest score?

Chelsea spent big on the signings of Joao Felix (Overall Rating: 319) and Pedro Neto (305), while Manchester United raided Bayern Munich for defenders Noussair Mazraoui (351) and Matthijs de Ligt (357), who both played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax.

The highest-rated signing of the window, however, was Ilkay Gundogan’s (400) return to Manchester City on a free transfer.

Gundogan was key for Barcelona last season, featuring 51 times across La Liga, the Champions League, Copa Del Rey and the Supercopa. The 33-year-old, who captained Germany to the quarter-finals at Euro 2024, scored five goals and provided 14 assists (Season Rating: 85) as Barca finished second in La Liga, 10 points behind Real Madrid.

Despite his age, Gundogan proved his ability to perform at the elite level in club and international competitions last season. City signing a player of that pedigree on a free transfer (Financial Rating: 77) put this deal on an island of its own.

Raheem Sterling’s (Overall Rating: 378) season-long loan to Arsenal from Chelsea came in second place. Having been frozen out of Enzo Maresca’s first-team squad, Sterling searched for a move away from Stamford Bridge and landed at the Emirates Stadium, where he will play under Mikel Arteta, who coached him at Manchester City.

Arsenal signing Sterling, who has won four Premier League titles, on loan without committing to paying his sizeable wage beyond this year — Chelsea have committed to paying more than half of Sterling’s salary for his season in north London — appears to be among the very best business of the window. This little financial commitment eliminates many of the dangers (Risk or Reward Factor: 87).

Federico Chiesa (Overall: 374) was the highest-scoring permanent transfer with a fee. His £10million ($13.2m) move from Juventus, with a further £2.5m in potential add-ons, appears fantastic business for Liverpool (Financial: 78).

Jean-Clair Todibo’s (Overall: 370) loan-with-an-option-to-buy move from Nice to West Ham also seems to be an excellent purchase, as does Savinho’s (365) move to Manchester City from fellow City Football Group (CFG) outfit Troyes and Manuel Ugarte’s (362) move from Paris Saint-Germain to Manchester United.

Which transfer has scored the lowest and why?

At the halfway point of the transfer window, Wes Foderingham’s move from Sheffield United to West Ham had the lowest overall score (292).

Foderingham was one of several second- and third-choice goalkeepers to move this summer, but his poor performance as the No 1 for Sheffield United last year condemned him to one of the lowest Season ratings (44). As noted in his rating: “West Ham needed goalkeeping cover without breaking the bank and Foderingham’s arrival on a free protects funds to target outfield targets.” Still, his score of 292 only ranks as the second-lowest of the window.

It was eventually William Osula’s move from Sheffield United to Newcastle United that became the lowest-scoring transfer of the summer (289). As with Foderingham, Osula’s low Season rating (51) reflected his struggles in a poor team. He often came on from the bench late in the Premier League, with the Bramall Lane club already consigned to defeat.

While Osula displayed his potential in small doses at Sheffield, the initial £10million outlay, potentially rising to £15m, is not an insignificant fee for a player yet to prove he can cut it in England’s top flight. Still, he is only 21 and has the raw physical attributes to become a reliable forward should he develop at St. James’ Park.

PSR-related transfers before the June 30 accountancy deadline also scored poorly. Signings including Lewis Dobbin (307), Enzo Barrenechea (295) and Samuel Iling-Junior (328), who all joined Aston Villa before the deadline and have since left the club on loan, had average ratings.

Of the high-profile summer signings, Neto’s €60million transfer from Wolves to Chelsea had the lowest rating. While Neto had strong Season (67) and Gaming (75) ratings, he scored just 50 for Risk or Reward. The rating reflects his enormous talent while noting his poor injury record.

Another factor is that there are several players in his position already on the books at Stamford Bridge, which has since increased with the signing of Jadon Sancho (Overall: 336).

Which club has done best overall?

City, with an average TA500 score of 383, comfortably won the transfer window.

Savinho, their first summer signing, joined from Troyes in France after spending last season on loan with Girona. City signed the 20-year-old for £33.7million; favourable terms for a senior Brazil international compared to some of the fees exchanged for young attackers.

Savinho impressed on loan at CFG club Girona last season (David Ramos/Getty Images)

Gundogan, their only other summer signing, was another straightforward deal. It saw them add another world-class player with experience — and experience at City — for Pep Guardiola to call on in the biggest matches.

Liverpool have grown accustomed to closely trailing City in recent seasons and their summer transfer business reflects that. There were only two arrivals at Anfield this summer: Giorgi Mamardashvili (Overall: 373), who will spend this season at Valencia, and Chiesa. Given Liverppol’s pedigree, the financials stand out for these recruits: they were able to sign two highly-rated international players at cost-efficient prices. Their average TA500 score was 373.5.

Arsenal round out the top three with an average score of 363.

What is the average score for a transfer?

Of the 69 ratings published, the average score was 340.

The three players who score exactly that rating are Ross Barkley (Aston Villa), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), and Flynn Downes (Southampton). Other players who fall close to that average include Archie Gray (341; Tottenham), Dominic Solanke (341; Tottenham), and Jaden Philogene (Villa, 343).

GO DEEPER

The Athletic 500: Assessing the financial value of the Premier League’s summer transfer business

(Top photo: Getty Images; design: Dan Goldfarb)