Chelsea, Man City, Everton: Summer 2026 transfer window winners and losers

The transfer window has slammed shut, and once again the Premier League has flexed its financial muscle, rewriting the record books in the process.

Premier League clubs shattered the previous summer spending record, splashing out £3.5bn, with 155 players completing moves before the 11pm deadline.

Manchester City led the spending charts after setting a new club record of £458m, capped by the deadline-day blockbuster signing of Enzo Fernandez, while Chelsea topped the sales table after generating £451m from player departures.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at the biggest winners and losers from the 2026 summer transfer window. 

Enzo Fernandez (winner)

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Enzo Fernandez made history on deadline day, becoming the first player in football history to command a transfer fee of more than £100m on two separate occasions.

Manchester City paid a joint-British record £125m for the Argentine, smashing their club transfer record for the second time this summer after the £116m arrival of Elliot Anderson.

Chelsea had initially set a deadline of August 14 for interested clubs to meet their £120m valuation, before subsequently holding out for a fee closer to £135m.

In the end, City put £125m on the table for the 25-year-old and Chelsea accepted, meaning the Blues walked away with £5m more than their original asking price.

It is difficult to argue with the outcome from Fernandez's perspective, too. He now joins one of the Premier League's biggest spenders and reunites with Enzo Maresca, the manager who knows exactly how to get the best out of him.

Manchester City (winner) 

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After nearly a decade under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City entered a new era with Maresca at the helm, and the new manager was given considerable backing to reshape the squad in his image.

The scale of the overhaul was staggering. Rodri, Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Jack Grealish all departed, while Savinho, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, James Trafford, Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders also followed through the exit door.

City responded by smashing their transfer record twice, bringing in Anderson and Fernandez, while also signing Morocco's 18-year-old sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for £85.6m.

The transition from Guardiola to Maresca could have been messy, but City have instead attacked the rebuild head-on. Whether all the pieces fit remains to be seen, but there is no doubting the scale of their ambition.

Chelsea (winner)

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Chelsea entered the summer with a very different problem: they needed to trim the squad, particularly with no European football on the agenda at Stamford Bridge.

They certainly did not shy away from the task, offloading as many as 20 players, including Fernandez, Andrey Santos, Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap, while generating a reported net profit of around £100m.

Yet this was not simply a summer of selling. The Blues also made one of the window's biggest statements by signing Morgan Rogers for £117m, with the England international expected to form a formidable attacking trio alongside Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.

Maxence Lacroix was added to strengthen the defence, while the club also appeared to recognise the need for experience by bringing in veterans Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.

Newcastle United (winner) 

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It looked all doom and gloom for Newcastle United this summer, with the club losing Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes while also bidding farewell to Eddie Howe after a hugely transformative spell at St James' Park.

The Magpies, however, have responded by embracing a new era under Matthias Jaissle, and their transfer strategy suggests the club are thinking firmly about the future.

Newcastle have made eight signings this summer, with every new arrival aged 25 or younger. It is a clear shift towards youth, energy and long-term potential, with the club seemingly determined to build a team that can grow together under their new manager.

After making an unbeaten start to the new season, the early signs are encouraging, and what initially looked like a summer of upheaval could yet prove to be the beginning of an exciting new chapter on Tyneside.

Tottenham Hotspur (winner) 

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After narrowly securing Premier League safety on the final day of last season, Tottenham needed far more than a couple of cosmetic changes.

Roberto De Zerbi needed the club to give him the tools to turn Spurs into a competitive side again, and the response was emphatic.

Tottenham spent more than £300m on 10 new players, with Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes among the headline arrivals, while De Zerbi was also reunited with Mykhailo Mudryk, having previously worked with the Ukrainian at Shakhtar Donetsk.

Whether that translates into a dramatic improvement on the pitch remains the big question, but after a summer of such significant investment, there can be no complaints that De Zerbi was not given the backing he wanted.

Everton (loser)

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It has been a disastrous transfer window for Everton, who failed to sign Folarin Balogun on deadline day despite a deal reportedly being agreed between all parties.

The Toffees scored just 47 goals last season, with Iliman Ndiaye and Beto contributing 15 of them, but both attackers departed on deadline day, leaving the squad dangerously short of firepower.

Everton spent only around £77m on new players this summer, while frustration among supporters has continued to grow. The club's Fan Advisory Board has called on CEO Angus Kinnear to meet openly with the FAB and representatives of other fan groups, highlighting the growing disillusionment surrounding the club's leadership.

Liverpool (loser)

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Liverpool may try to put a positive spin on their summer business, but the reality is that they have failed to provide Andoni Iraola with the complete squad he wanted.

The arrival of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain for £106m certainly lifts the mood at Anfield, but the Frenchman's arrival does not disguise the shortcomings elsewhere in the squad.

Iraola wanted more than one attacking addition before deadline day, but the Reds also failed to address two glaring weaknesses: right-back and defensive midfield. With the season now underway, those omissions could come back to haunt Liverpool.

Crystal Palace (loser) 

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The post-Oliver Glasner era has hardly provided much excitement at Selhurst Park, with Crystal Palace failing to make the kind of statement signings needed after a successful campaign last season.

The Eagles lost Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Munoz, while their incoming business did little to inspire confidence that the squad has been adequately strengthened.

Keeping hold of Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta was certainly important, but Palace needed more additions to build on their European success and give their new-look side genuine momentum.

Manchester United (loser)

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Manchester United needed to strengthen their midfield this summer, and they did address the area by signing Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.

However, considering the quality of midfield additions made by their crosstown rivals Manchester City, as well as Tottenham, there is an understandable feeling that United could have done considerably better.

The left-back position was another obvious area for improvement, but despite spending 79 days searching for a solution, the Red Devils failed to reach an agreement for anyone.

After another summer of major spending, leaving such an important position unresolved represents a significant frustration and could prove costly over the course of the season.

Arsenal (loser) 

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After finally winning the Premier League title, Arsenal had an opportunity to strengthen from a position of power and build a squad capable of conquering Europe. 

Bruno Guimaraes arrived from Newcastle United for £75m, while Christos Tzolis was brought in from Belgium to replace Leandro Trossard, but the Gunners ultimately fell short of what many expected from them.

Arsenal made plenty of noise around Vinicius Junior, only for the Brazilian to sign a new contract at Real Madrid, while their strong interest in Julian Alvarez never developed into a concrete bid.

Worse still, the Gunners allowed Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus to leave, depleting their attacking depth in the process.