With the transfer window done and dusted, we’ve identified nine slightly less obvious Premier League signings that captured our imagination.
Monday brought a close to the summer 2025 transfer window, with Premier League clubs reportedly spending over £3 billion, smashing the previous record.
Reigning champions Liverpool caught the eye, of course, especially with their deadline-day signing of Alexander Isak for a British record £125 million. That came after also spending an initial £100m on Florian Wirtz.
While those deals are undoubtedly exciting from a neutral’s perspective, here at Opta Analyst, we wanted to shine a light on some of the less headline-grabbing deals that captured our imagination…
Nick WoltemadeStuttgart to Newcastle
Admittedly, Nick Woltemade cost a bit more (£75m) than anyone else on this list and so categorising him among “less obvious deals” might be a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, he’s such an intriguing – and fun – player that we are particularly fascinated to see how he adjusts.
As we wrote last week, he’s a unique player. For starters, he’s huge; but then he has this immense technical ability, agility and vision. Blended into one, it makes for quite an array of strengths.
In his sole season at Stuttgart, he was both a creator and a finisher. Among the most rounded centre-forwards in Europe, he was one of just six such players from the top five leagues (900+ minutes) to average at least 2.0 shots (2.7), 0.3 non-pen xG (0.44), 7.0 touches in the opposition’s box (9.8) and 1.0 open-play chances created (1.9) on a per-90 basis last term.
No nominal centre-forward got close to his 1.9 open-play chances created in the Bundesliga in 2024-25, with his 0.25 xG assisted per 90 up there with the very best, and equal to Wirtz.
Woltemade may struggle at times as he adapts to the rough and tumble of the Premier League, but his broad range of skills gives him every chance of being a success at Newcastle.
El Hadji Malick DioufSlavia Prague to West Ham
It would’ve been understandable – natural, even – to do a double-take at West Ham spending roughly £20 million on a young player from Slavia Prague, but El Hadji Malick Diouf has made a positive start.
Those familiar with him prior to joining West Ham were applauding the club for their vision in bringing him in during the summer, even with the hefty fee. He made a strong impact in pre-season and that’s continued even after a somewhat testing first outing at Sunderland.
One of the most notable features of his game is the frequency and quality of his deliveries from the left; in the Czech First League last season, Diouf’s 107 open-play crosses was the second most among all players. And he’s already produced a few beauties for West Ham, including the excellent delivery for Callum Wilson’s goal in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
This also feeds into his general mentality. So often he offers an out-ball on the left, with Diouf ranking second among nominal full-/wing-back for off-ball runs (68) and off-ball runs into the final third (28) this season.
There are still some raw elements to his game, but at 20 years old, Diouf looks set to make a lasting impression on the Premier League.
Tyler DiblingSouthampton to Everton
For a while it looked like Tyler Dibling might have to accept a season of development in the Championship after Southampton’s relegation and suitors being put off by the asking price.
But Everton eventually put aside any potential doubts and made their move in a deal reportedly worth up to £40m. It’s a lot of money, but Dibling is a player with a high ceiling.
Last season, we thoroughly enjoyed Dibling’s graceful style of play as he satisfyingly glided and jinked past defenders, resembling a younger Jack Grealish both in that respect, and with his short socks.
Ball carrying was where he stood out. On average, he travelled 13.2 metres per carry, the eighth furthest among Premier League wingers (900+ mins) in 2024-25, with the teenager (he turned 19 in February) showing significant bravery and belief.
Linked to that, his 5.6 take-on attempts per 90 saw him rank seventh among wingers. Even fewer were able to match his ability to get past multiple defenders, though, with his 14 multi take-ons bettered by just Mohammed Kudus and Jérémy Doku (22 each). Meanwhile, only Morgan Rogers (22) drew more fouls while dribbling than Dibling (21), with the Aston Villa man playing nearly 1,300 more minutes than the England Under-21 international.
The prospect of him on one wing and Grealish on the other is an exciting one, and a boost for manufacturers of tiny shinpads everywhere.
Harvey ElliottLiverpool to Aston Villa (Loan)
We’ve waited a while for Harvey Elliott to explode, but injuries and the presence of Mohamed Salah have meant his progress has been a little slow.
After lighting up the European Under-21 Championship in the summer and with designs on getting into the England squad for next year’s World Cup, it seemed the time had come to move on from Liverpool; only, it took longer than expected, with him only securing a loan to Aston Villa on deadline day.
His switch to Villa is one we like, though. Unai Emery’s team have traditionally been known for their quick transitions, but their nine build-up goals last term was bettered only by Manchester City (10); Elliott has a blend of abilities that can make him a potent weapon in both types of phase.
He’s clever in tight spaces, a competent passer between the lines and he can carry the ball effectively. Elliott is also productive in the final third; over the past two seasons, only five players averaged more shots and chances created per 90 in Premier League games than him (6.0). Meanwhile, only De Bruyne and Rodri were involved in more open-play shot-ending sequences per 90.
If he can have a run of regular games, we have a feeling a season at Villa Park could be the making of him.
Michael KayodeFiorentina to Brentford
After turning last season’s loan into a permanent move from Fiorentina, Michael Kayode has wasted little time making an impression at Brentford. Quite literally, he has hit the ground running.
Kayode’s impact begins with his athleticism. Only central midfielder Yehor Yarmolyuk (79) has pressured opponents more often inside Brentford’s defensive third than Kayode (76). But crucially, that off-ball work is carried out relentlessly: 82% of his pressures can be classified as “high intensity”, a figure bettered only by Nathan Collins (85.2%) among Brentford players to attempt 30 or more pressures in that zone.
That ferocity is matched by his combative nature in duels. Kayode leads Brentford players for tackles per 90 minutes (2.7) and ranks second for ground duels won (4.8 per 90), just behind fellow full-back Rico Henry (5.6).
He has also shown the confidence to play forward. Only Mikkel Damsgaard and Jordan Henderson have completed more passes in the final third for the club, and Kayode has been involved in six of Brentford’s open-play attacking sequences, behind only Igor Thiago.
Furthermore, Kayode leads Premier League defenders for completed dribbles (five), a strength he’d also shown last term.
And then there’s the additional dimension to his game that fits neatly into Brentford’s long-standing emphasis on set-pieces: his long throw.
He has launched eight throws into the penalty area, creating two chances directly – a league-high figure. Those deliveries have already generated 0.21 expected goals, more than any other player in the division from throws.
Adrien TruffertRennes to Bournemouth
Bournemouth have made some excellent signings in recent seasons, including Milos Kerkez. The Hungarian left-back departed for Liverpool in the summer for a big profit, and so it was little surprise that the Cherries simply went into the market and found a player who many believe is another gem.
Adrien Truffert had already caught the eye in Ligue 1 with Rennes, earning himself a call up to the France senior squad in September 2022 after Lucas Digne pulled out with injury, and he has continued to impress.
Only midfielder Ludovic Blas (47) created more chances for Rennes than Truffert (39) in Ligue 1 last season, while just six players in the whole of Ligue 1 attempted more crosses than him (145).
Truffert also won possession more times than any other Rennes player (139), while only teammate Azor Matusiwa (64) made more than his 61 tackles.
He has taken to the Premier League seamlessly too, standing out in Bournemouth’s 1-0 win at Tottenham on Saturday. Truffert made more tackles than anyone else (5), won more duels than any other Bournemouth player (12), and no-one in the game attempted more than his five crosses.
Anton StachHoffenheim to Leeds United
When promoted Leeds United confirmed the signing of midfielder Anton Stach, with the greatest of respect, it was quite surprising that more established teams from Europe’s top five leagues hadn’t already taken a punt on him.
The Germany international had two solid seasons at Hoffenheim after joining from Mainz in 2023. Only six players won possession more often than Stach (171) in the Bundesliga last season, while just 10 made more interceptions (46).
However, it was perhaps the 2023-24 season that caught Leeds’ eye even more, when Stach made the most interceptions of all Bundesliga players (74), while only Nico Schlotterbeck (245) and Granit Xhaka (226) won possession more times than him (222).
He showed his strengths in other parts of his game on his Premier League debut against Everton; Stach attempted more shots than anyone else in the game (4), created the most chances (4), had the most touches (86) and made the most passes in the final third (26) with an impressive accuracy of 96.2%.
It was a similar story in an admittedly dull 0-0 draw with Newcastle on Saturday, where Stach attempted the most shots (3) and created the most chances (3) for Leeds.
Robin RoefsNEC to Sunderland
Sunderland signed Robin Roefs to compete with long-term goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, and the Dutchman seems to have already established himself as first choice at the Stadium of Light.
Roefs only had his first season of regular first-team football in the Eredivisie last season with NEC, and he rewarded the faith shown in him by head coach Rogier Meijer.
According to Opta’s expected goals on target model (xGOT), Roefs prevented 11.5 goals in the Dutch top flight last season, (38 goals conceded excl. own goals from 49.5 xGOT), more than any other goalkeeper in the competition.
He kept 10 clean sheets in 32 league games, which helped NEC to an eighth-place finish. Only Gábor Babos (11 in 2006-07) has more for the club on record in a single Eredivisie campaign.
The data was there to suggest that the 22-year-old was a solid stopper, and it was enough to earn him a place in our Eredivisie Team of the Season.
Roefs has also made a promising start to life at Sunderland, keeping a clean sheet on his debut against West Ham, and saving a penalty from Kevin Schade in Saturday’s dramatic late victory over Brentford.
Dan NdoyeBologna to Nottingham Forest
It looked like a blow for Nottingham Forest when they sold Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United, one of their star men leaving for a team they hoped to compete with in the Premier League for European spots. The early impact made by Dan Ndoye has allowed fans to largely move on from the Swede, though.
Ndoye joined from Bologna over the summer and took no time at all in making an impact. He scored on his debut with a fabulous header in the 3-1 home win over Brentford, before playing a sublime pass from inside his own half to Callum Hudson-Odoi to equalise at Crystal Palace.
That made Ndoye the first Forest player since Geoff Thomas in 1998 to score or assist in each of his first two Premier League appearances for the club.
Only Riccardo Orsolini (15) scored more goals in Serie A for Bologna last season than Ndoye (8), while none of his teammates attempted as many as his 86 dribbles. Ndoye likes to get on the ball and take players on, much like Elanga.
In fact, Ndoye attempted 3.6 dribbles per 90 minutes in the league last season, completing 1.6, while Elanga, although Forest’s most prolific dribbler, only attempted 2.6 per 90, with 0.9 being completed.
Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Transfer Window Wrapped: Nine Premier League Signings We’re Excited About Opta Analyst.
Hence then, the article about transfer window wrapped nine premier league signings we re excited about was published today ( ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Transfer Window Wrapped: Nine Premier League Signings We’re Excited About )
Also on site :