Ranking the best Premier League signings of the season, so far

Fantastic starts and now indispensable

Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal): 9/10
Robin Roefs (Sunderland): 9/10
Jack Grealish (Everton): 9/10
Nick Woltemade (Newcastle): 9/10
Granit Xhaka (Sunderland): 9/10
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Man City): 9/10
Tijjani Reijnders (Man City): 9/10

Zubimendi is a joy to watch for Arsenal as he links everything together seamlessly and gives the Gunners incredible balance and tempo with their play. New boys Sunderland have had a great start with plenty of new signings gelling well together and they look to have a bargain buy in young goalkeeper Robin Roefs, while new captain Granit Xhaka has aged like a fine wine and is loving his role as a leader. Jack Grealish has been fantastic for Everton following his loan move from Man City and looks free and fresh out on the left wing as he’s contributing with goals and assists. Newcastle’s new main striker Woltemade is already becoming a cult hero on Tyneside and his calm finishing, languid style and lively personality is exactly what was needed following the sale of Isak. Man City have done plenty of business and the two best buys look to be Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal and Tijjani Reijnders in midfield. They both ooze class and Donnarumma in particular has calmed down City’s defense. Reijnders is so silky smooth on the ball and he slots into a Pep Guardiola team perfectly.

Big additions who will continue to get better

Bryan Mbeumo (Man United): 8/10
Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham Hotspur): 8/10
Estevao Willian (Chelsea): 8/10
Anton Stach (Leeds United): 8/10
Joao Palhinha (Tottenham Hotspur): 8/10
Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth): 8/10
Eberechi Eze (Arsenal): 8/10

Bryan Mbeumo has been the best of Man United’s new star forwards and his energy, direct running and versatility have been crucial for Ruben Amorim’s side. They need to get the ball to him early and often and let him do his thing. Spurs have clearly made a couple of great additions with Mohammed Kudus settling in very nicely out wide and he suits Thomas Frank’s system extremely well. So does Joao Palhinha as the Portuguese midfielder, on loan from Bayern Munich, has given Spurs the extra steel they needed in central midfield and helps them stay high up the pitch. Chelsea’s young Brazilian sensation Estevao Willian, just 18, has been a revelation and Enzo Maresca is doing his best to try and calm down the expectation levels around the winger. Good luck with that! Leeds have done some great business to sign German international midfielder Anton Stach as his calmness on the ball and direct runs have added an extra dimension to their midfield. Eberechi Eze has done the same for Arsenal and he’s added some silky assists, including that brilliant pass to set up Arsenal’s late equalizer against Man City. Eze will get better the more he plays and it seems like he could thrive in a central role at Arsenal. Bournemouth sold plenty of defenders this summer but they look to have struck gold with the signing of French left back Adrien Truffert, who has been so solid defensively and has also added real quality in the final third.

Great signings who have settled in very well

Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool): 7/10
Malick Thiaw (Newcastle): 7/10
Xavi Simons (Tottenham Hotspur): 7/10
Bafode Diakite (Bournemouth): 7/10
Cristhian Mosquera (Arsenal): 7/10
Anthony Elanga (Newcastle): 7/10
Matheus Cunha (Man United): 7/10

We’ve seen flashes of Ekitike’s sublime finishing prowess and it looks like he should probably start on the left and cut inside to help ease the goalscoring burden on Isak. After finally selling Isak, Newcastle have spent the money wisely with a couple of brilliant additions in Malick Thiaw at center back and Anthony Elanga out wide. They are both specialists in their positions and enhance the strength of Eddie Howe’s starting lineup. Center back Mosquera looks a real bargain for Arsenal as he was chucked in due to injuries and looked totally comfortable as Arteta now knows he can rotate Gabriel and Saliba whenever he needs to. Cunha has struggled with injury but in spells we’ve seen his dynamism and desire helping Man United look like a totally different proposition in attack. And Xavi Simons has looked smooth and elegant for Spurs and the young Dutch playmaker will only get better as he will be Spurs’ creative hub with Maddison and Kulusevski out injured.

We need to see much more from these new signings…

Alexander Isak (Liverpool): 6/10
Benjamin Sesko (Man United): 6/10
Jeremie Frimpong (Liverpool): 6/10
Yeremy Pino (Crystal Palace): 6/10
Maxim De Cupyer (Brighton): 6/10
Dan Ndoye (Nottingham Forest): 6/10
Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal): 6/10
Tyler Dibling (Everton): 5/10
Milos Kerkez (Liverpool): 5/10
Harvey Elliott (Aston Villa): 5/10
Jhon Arias (Wolves): 5/10
Jadon Sancho (Aston Villa): 5/10
Omari Hutchinson (Nottingham Forest): 5/10

It may be a little harsh to judge Isak and Sesko so early, but both have done okay. More is expected, especially in terms of goals, but we know Isak will start scoring plenty of goals soon and Sesko has also started to score more and lead the line better. Liverpool will want to see much more from their two new young full backs Frimpong and Kerkez who have struggled defensively. While Arsenal will also want more production from Gyokeres as he’s had a solid but unspectacular start to life in north London. A few other marquee signings have yet to get going with playmakers Tyler Dibling, Harvey Elliott and Omari Hutchinson all struggling to settle in at new teams following big summer moves.