The Guardian assesses how every Premier League club fared in the summer 2026 transfer window, in which the British transfer record was equalled and one club signed as many as 18 players. Arsenal strengthened but were criticised for missing out on a marquee attacker after failed pursuits of Morgan Rogers, Vinícius Júnior and Julián Álvarez, while Aston Villa underwent a major squad overhaul under Unai Emery, generating around £300m from sales to fund roughly £250m of new signings. Bournemouth, by contrast, focused on retaining key players such as Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott rather than making major additions, as they prepare to juggle European and league football for the first time.

Notable individual deals included Newcastle's Bruno Guimarães moving to Arsenal for £75m, Ezri Konsa joining from Villa for £51m, and Villa's marquee arrivals of Johan Manzambi (£51m) and Nicolas Jackson (£47.5m) from Chelsea. Villa also sold Morgan Rogers to Chelsea for £117m and Ollie Watkins to Al-Hilal for £51m as part of a wider squad refresh. Bournemouth added Portugal centre-back António Silva from Benfica for £21.4m while resisting bids, including from Chelsea, to keep hold of their most prized young talents.