As summer transfer windows go, one club had an almost perfect summer.
In fact, such was their success in capturing their targets, the defending Premier League champions were already considered overwhelming title favourites long before their deadline day capture, for a British transfer record, of Alexander Isak.
The purchase of a player whose behaviour was as crass as it was unprofessional, was the second time Liverpool broke the record this summer in what was the biggest summer spending spree in European football history.
Naturally, when you spend around £440 million on a stellar collection of talent, it is expected silverware will follow and certainly anything but a major trophy this term will be a considered a significant failure.
Their only downside was not securing the talented and highly professional Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi as the Eagles rightly pulled the plug because the Merseysiders’ bid on deadline day didn’t give them enough time to land an oven-ready replacement.
Three points clear of Arsenal and six of Manchester City after just three games of the new campaign is ominous for many and that is why the SBOTOP Premier League 2025 betting odds tip Arne Slot’s team for success.
There is a debate to be had about bad behaviour being rewarded and we should not shy away from the fact that football has lost its way when the likes of Isak and, to a lesser extent, Yoane Wissa demonstrated unprofessional behaviour and were, in effect, allowed moves of their choices. But that is not for here and now.
So, other than Liverpool – whose lavish spending makes them the team to beat – how did other sides fare in the window?
Well Arsenal did damn well. Headline moves for Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze have given Mikel Arteta the firepower and creativity he asked for, while Martín Zubimendi has added class to midfield and they should thrive as long as they avoid the injuries they picked up last season.
The loss, in just the second weekend of the season, of Kai Havertz, captain Martin Odegaard and wing wizard Bukayo Saka, to varying degrees of spells on the sidelines, is something they cannot afford much of.
Elsewhere, I think there has been a mixed bag of who has fared well and not so well.
Manchester City have gone big again, although it remains to be seen if manager Pep Guardiola can oversee the first (and perhaps only) major rebuild of his managerial career.
The deadline day capture of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain is an excellent acquisition. At the same time, it led to a very quiet goodbye to arguably the league’s top number one over the past eight years in Fenerbahce-bound Ederson who should be rightly remembered as one of the top flight’s elite custodians.
Elsewhere in the capital, Chelsea have once more splashed the cash in a big way – although I still don’t think they are equipped for a title tilt. Neither are Spurs, although they have responded well to long-term injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski as the arrival of Xavi Simons and loanee Randal Kolo Muani should help enormously as they juggle domestic and European commitments.
Meanwhile, the jury remains out for me on many clubs, including Newcastle whose turbulent summer ended with the arrivals of Wissa and Nick Woltemade.
Aston Villa have really struggled for failing to qualify for the Champions League but their loan day deals for Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott caught my eye and will give them fresh impetus.
A quiet word for Everton too who have got gaps in certain areas but have definitely uplifted their attacking quality in recent weeks with the signings of Jack Grealish (on loan), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Tyler Dibling.
As the gap between the established clubs and the rest grows stronger – Palace lost Michael Olise last year and Eze and nearly Guehi this – my final thought goes to Brentford.
A team I have tipped to struggle and for possible relegation this term, the departures of Bryan Mbeumo and Wissa, who produced so many of their Premier League 2025 highlights and scored 39 of the Bees’ 66 league goals last term, may have brought in more than £120 million but have left a huge hole.
The loss of the captain Christian Nørgaard to Arsenal is a further blow but, perhaps even more critically, it is the departure of manager Thomas Frank which could prove one step too far and it has been an underwhelming response by the club in the transfer market for their new inexperienced young manager, Keith Andrews.
They are probably the team most damaged this summer and while they, along with Brighton and Bournemouth continue to defy the odds, this could be one blow too many.
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