Football writer Alex Keble takes a look back at the Premier League’s summer signings and picks out the best 12 performers so far.
We want YOU to tell us which signing has performed best in the campaign to date.
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City)
When Man City signed another goalkeeper, so soon after James Trafford’s mistake on his home debut, some thought Pep Guardiola – fearing a repeat of the Claudio Bravo debacle that plagued his first year at the Etihad - had been hasty.
It only took one world-class save, from an Bryan Mbeumo volley, for that critique to dissolve on Donnarumma’s debut against Manchester United, and for pundits to put to one side the Italian’s supposedly inferior ball-playing ability.
Donnarumma's save v Man Utd
Like Erling Haaland, Donnarumma represents Guardiola’s evolution towards brute force over delicate positional play. It’s working. Since his debut, the Man City goalkeeper has conceded just seven goals in 12 games in all competitions, keeping six clean sheets.
Martin Dubravka (Burnley)
Burnley have made a far sturdier start than many had expected, and although they have conceded 22 goals in 11 Premier League games (only West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers have let in more), their new goalkeeper Dubravka has made the most saves in the division (46).
Dubravka's shot-stopping success is arguably the biggest factor that has kept Burnley above the dotted line of the relegation zone in 17th place. Opta's "expected points" table has them on just 5.7 points and rock bottom in 20th.
Most saves made in Premier League 2025/26
Goalkeeper Total Dubravka 46 Roefs 39 Sels 37 Pope 36 Petrovic 35 Vicario 34
Estevao (Chelsea)
Chelsea have unearthed a gem in teenager Estevao, who looks the finished product already. The Brazilian is a quick dribbler and intelligent passer and might already be the Blues' best winger.
Enzo Maresca is understandably integrating Estevao slowly into the team, with the 18-year-old only having started four of Chelsea’s 11 matches, but his explosiveness is useful from the bench against tired legs.
Estevao has one goal and one assist so far this season. There will be plenty more of both.
Watch: Estevao's best moments for Chelsea so far
Jack Grealish (Everton)
Having spent several years tied to Guardiola's rigid positional instructions at Man City, most of us had forgotten what it was like to see Grealish in full flow.
Grealish is back playing with style and charisma, although that wouldn’t count for much if he didn’t back it up with a final ball.
Back to his silky (and consistent) best, Grealish already has four Premier League assists for Everton. He leads the Premier League in open-play chances created and is second, only behind Bruno Fernandes, in overall chances created.
Most open-play chances created 25/26
Player Total Grealish 23 Doku 23 Fernandes 19 Gakpo 19 Salah 18
Jordan Henderson (Brentford)
Eyebrows were raised when Brentford brought Henderson back from the Netherlands to the Premier League but the 35-year-old former Liverpool captain has proved how much he has left to give.
Leadership in the dressing room and central midfield was missing following the departure of Christian Norgaard to Arsenal and Henderson has more than filled that gap.
He has performed well on the pitch, too, assisting twice already and making more progressive passes (46) than any other Brentford player.
Michael Kayode, who played for Brentford on loan from Fiorentina last season, also deserves a mention for his performances since signing for the Bees on a permanent deal in the summer.
The full-back has been solid defensively but more importantly, he has been a potent weapon with those long throws, creating more chances (15) than anyone else in the team.
Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham Hotspur)
So far, life at Spurs hasn't gone quite as smoothly as Thomas Frank will have hoped but results have been considerably better than performances, and for that he can thank Kudus for hitting the ground running.
Watch Kudus' best moments of 2025/26 so far
The winger was a notable absentee in the 2-2 draw with Man Utd recently, showing just how much Spurs have already come to rely upon his creativity since the departure of Son Heung-min.
Kudus has created 14 chances in the Premier League and contributed five goal involvements (one goal, four assists), on both counts more than any other Spurs player. More impressively, he is top of the Premier League charts for take-ons attempted (71) and completed (34).
Most take-ons attempted Most dribbles completed Kudus 71 Kudus 34 Doku 58 Doku 34 Ndiaye 51 Minteh 27 Minteh 47 Ndiaye 27 Semenyo 46 Semenyo 21
Bryan Mbeumo (Man Utd)
Plenty of footballers over the last few years have arrived at Old Trafford off the back of a superb season, only to see themselves sucked into the vortex of Man Utd.
Mbeumo has avoided that trap, picking up from where he left off with Brentford to score five goals and assist another in 11 Premier League games for his new club.
And it’s more than just the numbers. Mbeumo has been superb as one of Ruben Amorim’s two No 10s, playing intelligently in a hybrid winger/No 9 role.
Watch: How Mbeumo won October's Player of the Month award
Joao Pedro (Chelsea)
Pedro instantly repaid his fee with three goals in three knockout games in the FIFA Club World Cup and has continued that form into the new season, already contributing seven goal involvements in the Premier League, putting him fourth among all players and first among those signed in the summer.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion forward's ability to play as a No 10 and as a No 9 has helped Chelsea cover for the loss of Cole Palmer, but more importantly his work as a "false nine" is creating space for wingers such as Estevao.
Malick Thiaw (Newcastle United)
Eddie Howe’s defence was transformed once Thiaw, signed for a reported £35 million from AC Milan, made his full Newcastle debut.
The club conceded just six goals in the first nine matches in all competitions with Thiaw in the side, and at that point they were second in the Premier League for clean sheets, with five.
The Magpies, and Thiaw, have suffered a little more of late, losing 3-1 to both West Ham and Brentford in November. Nevertheless, Thiaw has been an important, powerful centre-back; Newcastle have won seven of the 12 games he has started in all competitions.
Adrien Truffert (AFC Bournemouth)
The way Bournemouth have seamlessly continued their good work under Andoni Iraola, despite losing Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen, and Illia Zabarnyi to three of Europe’s biggest clubs, is astounding.
Every member of the Bournemouth defence has performed well above expectations, including new goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, but none quite as well as Truffert – the all-action left-back who, in the space of just a few games, has shown he is Kerkez’s equal.
Both defensively (23 tackles, 54 ball recoveries) and offensively (eight chances created, 47 crosses attempted) he is out-performing Liverpool's new left-back.
Granit Xhaka (Sunderland)
Sunderland have enjoyed an incredible start to the season and there are numerous new signings who have played a key part in that - including Nordi Mukiele, Robin Roefs, and Brian Brobbey to name but three – and yet there is still no question who has been their biggest star.
Xhaka is a leader in the dressing room and on the pitch, in defending the box and in controlling the tempo with his metronomic passing. His over-sized influence is captured in the numbers because in so many of the major metrics, Xhaka isn’t just Sunderland’s best performer – he’s out on his own:
How Xhaka compares to Sunderland team-mates
Category Xhaka's total Next-best team-mate Touches 741 558 Passes completed 505 333 Chances created 16 9 Recoveries 50 38
Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal)
It is easy to overlook the influence Zubimendi has had on Mikel Arteta’s midfield, so quickly has the Spaniard adapted to life in England.
He has completed more passes (627) than any other player in the Premier League aside from Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, and among Arsenal players, only Jurrien Timber (40) has made more combined tackles and interceptions than Zubimendi’s 33.
A smart threader of passes through the lines and a neat-and-tidy screener in the Rodri mould, Zubimendi is the main reason Arsenal’s defensive record has gone to a whole new level in 2025/26.
Watch Zubimendi's double against Nottingham Forest