The first seven gameweeks of the 2025–26 Premier League season have included a number of gripping plotlines. With their performances thus far, some clubs and players have either fulfilled expectations or taken fans by surprise. Others, however, haven’t lived up to the expectations.
The level of scrutiny is especially severe when it comes to new signings. There may have been expectations that they would have an instant influence after making a big splash when they arrived at their new teams. However, disillusionment and questions about their necessity have replaced that hope.
During the transfer window, there were 155 senior moves made in the English top division. Additionally, after more than a month of playing football, the top 12 worst additions have been identified and ranked.
Factors that rank
The following criteria were used to determine rankings and positions:
Impact to date of the transfer money paid
Anticipation
12Harvey Elliott
Harvey Elliott, who was signed on an initial loan from Liverpool, departed Anfield in pursuit of consistent minutes and a starting spot, which he had failed to achieve on Merseyside. And, given how well Aston Villa did under Unai Emery in 2024/25, there was hope that the midfielder could become an important part in a great side’s structure.
However, such has not been the case thus far. While a period of transition may be required, Elliott has only made one start in his first three league games at Villa Park, and he was replaced at halftime against Fulham. While there is hope that the 22-year-old will improve, the results thus far have not been encouraging.
11Anthony Elanga
Anthony Elanga rose to prominence as one of the Premier League’s most dangerous wingers under Nuno Espirito Santo at Nottingham Forest. Six goals and 11 assists, along with his explosive pace, showed what he could provide to any squad. While some questioned Newcastle’s £55 million signing fee for the Sweden international, there was no doubt about his quality.
However, Elanga has had an uncharacteristically slow start to life at St James’ Park. In seven appearances, he has yet to score or assist, and his play has been described as “underwhelming.” Given the sum spent, he should be showing Eddie Howe more if he wants to keep his spot in the side.
10Armando Broja
Armando Broja was a highly regarded talent who came through Chelsea’s prestigious Cobham program. However, injuries have dogged his career thus far, both at his hometown club and on loan to Southampton, Fulham, and Everton.
Burnley’s decision to commit to a deal worth up to £20 million is odd given that he has played less than 900 minutes of Premier League football in the last two seasons. The talent is there, but the consistency and availability make it difficult to justify such a significant investment. With only 45 minutes in three Premier League games, none of which were starts, the deal appears more doubtful with each passing week.
9Aaron Ramsdale
Following Southampton’s relegation from the Premier League, some of their players, including Aaron Ramsdale, were anticipated to leave this summer. Although the 27-year-old has been demoted with four separate clubs, he has demonstrated over the years that he is a Premier League custodian capable of making excellent saves.
After losing out on James Trafford to Manchester City, Newcastle decided to sign Ramsdale on loan, paying a reported £4 million loan fee and covering his salary. They anticipated he might challenge with Nick Pope for the starting custodian position, but the former Arsenal player has failed to unseat his partner. So far, the Magpies are paying a significant amount for a backup, which is hardly value for money.
8Kevin Danso
Although Kevin Danso joined Tottenham on loan in February of this year, the Lilywhites chose to make the transfer permanent in June, paying £21 million to buy him from Lens. There were some positive signs during the initial loan, as the Austrian international appeared in 10 league games.
And, while the defender was brought in primarily to serve as a backup to first-choice centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, even Danso will be astonished by how few minutes he has received. He’s only made one start in the Champions League, against Bodo/Glimt, and hasn’t shown why he deserves more than 18 Premier League minutes.
7Florian Wirtz
Look, nobody doubts Florian Wirtz’s potential. After all, we’ve seen what he’s capable of with numerous outstanding performances for Bayer Leverkusen, cementing his status as one of the most exciting midfielders in the world. We can all agree, however, that Liverpool’s £116 million signing has yet to produce.
Wirtz has shown a lack of confidence and appears to be still figuring out where he fits into Arne Slot’s tactical setup, with Jamie Carragher even advocating for the manager to drop the German. Given his reputation and the likelihood that he will succeed, we are not rating him higher just yet. However, if this form continues, he will get closer to the top slot as the season progresses.
6Jadon Sancho
This entire transaction screamed ‘panic’ at the time, and little has changed since then to discourage fans of that. Jadon Sancho’s loan move from Manchester United was completed on deadline day, with the Aston Villa administration feeling he was the guy they needed to give depth out wide. That was despite Chelsea paying a £5 million penalty to avoid their duty to purchase clause for the midfielder following a decent but unremarkable tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Sancho’s current move is probably best described as unremarkable. He has only made one start for the club in the League Cup and has received mixed reviews for his play. With Villa paying him 80% of his Manchester United income, the only consolation is that it was not a permanent transfer.
5
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Nottingham Forest has been in free slide since the start of the current season. Nuno Espirito Santo was let go, Ange Postecoglou took over, and the results have been disastrous since. It’s not what Oleksandr Zinchenko imagined when he joined the club on loan.
The Ukrainian was somewhat of a panic buy, as the Tricky Trees had been hoping to recruit Javi Galan from Atletico Madrid before the deal fell through on deadline day. However, Zinchenko is a poor match for Forest’s current structure, as he is unsuited to playing in Postecoglou’s preferred high defensive line due to defensive judgement failures. That was underlined against Real Betis in the Europa League, and it will not be the last time if he plays.
4Jamie Gittens
Chelsea knew they needed to sign a left-winger during the summer season, with Jadon Sancho failing to impress and Mykhailo Mudryk suspended after testing positive for a forbidden substance. The club settled on Jamie Gittens as a target, continuing their policy of signing young players who could develop into future stars.
The English teenager was brought to the club from Borussia Dortmund in a move worth up to £52 million, and he has looked quite raw. With no goals or assists in his first five Premier League appearances, Gittens must improve soon if he is to justify the amount paid for him and replace fellow new signing Alejandro Garnacho.
3Mads Hermansen
Mads Hermansen had shown promise at Leicester City in 2024/25, despite the club being relegated. West Ham paid £20 million for the Denmark international, believing he could replace outgoing Lukasz Fabianski and serve as their long-term custodian.
However, the 25-year-old has had a terrible start to the new season. Hermansen conceded 11 goals in his first four league games, including several high-profile mistakes against Chelsea. Alphonse Areola is back in goal as the starter, with his putative successor on the bench.
2Jean-Clair Todibo
Unfortunately for West Ham, two failed transfers rank near the top of the list. Jean-Clair Todibo was signed on loan by Nice for the 2024/25 season after establishing himself as a promising young defender, and the move was made permanent for £36.3 million after an obligation to buy was activated. However, given what has happened since then, Hammers fans may wish those sums had been allocated elsewhere.
Graham Potter sacked the Frenchman following poor performances at the start of the new season, with Jamie Redknapp calling his defending in West Ham’s 5-1 defeat to Chelsea “scandalous”. He is yet to add to his two Premier League appearances under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo, and he will need to improve significantly to justify the price tag.
1James Trafford
James Trafford had Newcastle and Manchester City vying for his signature in the summer before deciding to rejoin the latter from Burnley for £27 million. But if you asked him if he regretted his decision now, he’d probably say yes.
Following the rookie goalkeeper’s failures at the start of the season, Pep Guardiola’s team decided to replace him with Gianluigi Donnarumma, one of the top goalkeepers in the world right now. Trafford is now a backup to the Italian at a time when he should be starting every week, and City have a backup custodian on their roster who is becoming increasingly dissatisfied. In retrospect, this was not the best choice for either party.
xz
