da wazamba： There was plenty of big spending in England over the summer, but only some arrivals have taken to life at their new clubs
da bet sport： The 2023 summer transfer window was another record-breaking moment for Premier League clubs. All in all, the 20 top-flight sides spent over £2 billion ($2.5bn) on new players, smashing the previous all-time highest tally from the previous year.
Chelsea were the biggest contributors to this record splurge, but they weren't the only club who had an extremely active few weeks. Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham all spent over £200m ($253m) each, while even 'lesser sides' like Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest paid out more than £100m ($126m).
However, boasting the most-expensive transfers does not guarantee success and on reflection, the class of 2023 is unlikely to be viewed as a vintage year for new recruits. Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Andre Onana are just three examples of high-profile new arrivals that have endured mixed starts at their respective new clubs.
It's not all been bad, though, with plenty of other signings hitting the ground running in the Premier League. Below, GOAL ranks 15 of the best pieces of business completed this summer:
Getty Images15Ross Barkley (Luton Town) – Free transfer
After an underwhelming move to Nice last season, it seemed like Ross Barkley's Premier League career had reached its natural conclusion. However, he was thrust back into the limelight when Luton Town came calling in the summer.
After overcoming some early fitness problems, he's become a mainstay of the starting line-up in more recent times, providing the Hatters with a sorely-needed X-factor in the middle of the park. Barkley has regularly rolled back the years with some trademark driving runs, providing a reminder of why he was such an exciting prospect when he first broke through at Everton.
AdvertisementGetty Images14Thomas Kaminski (Luton Town) – £2.5m ($3.2m)
After surprisingly opting to not make Ethan Horvath's loan move permanent after the American helped Luton reach the Premier League last season, the Hatters were on the lookout for a new No.1 in the summer.
In the end, Rob Edwards opted to bring in 31-year-old Thomas Kaminski from Blackburn Rovers. While the Belgian has let in a lot of goals so far, as you might expect when you're playing in a side that concedes an average of 18 shots per game, he has helped keep the score down regularly this season. His ability to get the ball upfield to Luton's attackers quickly has been similarly important.
Getty Images13James Ward-Prowse (West Ham) – £30m ($38m)
There were plenty of onlookers who turned their noses up at Ward-Prowse's summer move to West Ham, but the English midfielder has proved to be a perfect fit for the Hammers. He got off to an incredible start, racking up two goals and five assists in his first six games for the club, and his pinpoint set-piece delivery is a big reason why David Moyes' side have been so effective from dead-ball situations this season.
His performances have led to ever-increasing calls for Ward-Prowse to be reintegrated into the England squad. And when you consider Kalvin Phillips isn't playing at Manchester City and Jordan Henderson is hardly operating at the top level in Saudi Arabia, it's hard to understand why Gareth Southgate is so reluctant to select him.
Getty12Mohammed Kudus (West Ham) – £38m ($48m)
West Ham left it late to complete the signing of Kudus this summer and it took the Ghanaian a little bit of time to break into David Moyes' starting XI properly. His Hammers career kick-started into life at the end of September when he inspired a Europa League comeback against FK TSC, forcing an own goal before scoring one himself in a 3-1 victory.
Since then, he's firmly established himself as a fan favourite at the London Stadium, exciting supporters with his inventive ball-carrying and bubbling creativity. Losing him to the Africa Cup of Nations will be a significant blow.