By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-09-02 12:22:30 | Updated at 2026-09-02 14:21:07
3 hours ago
It was a typically busy transfer deadline day for Premier League clubs. Here, we pick out seven deals that we think could work out very well for the buying club.
The transfer window is closed again for another few months following an action-packed deadline day.
Premier League clubs spent well over £400 million on Tuesday alone, plus plenty more on loan and undisclosed fees, but not all of those signings are certain to work out.
Here, we pick out seven of our favourite deadline-day deals that saw players move to a Premier League club and look, in our opinion, like very good business.
Femi Azeez
Millwall to Brighton, £15m
A tricky, exciting, quick and versatile midfielder, Femi Azeez has proven himself in the Championship with Millwall over the past two seasons and now deserves a chance to test himself in the top flight.
Brighton had been chasing him for a while and finally struck a deal on deadline day for a very reasonable reported initial £12.5m, rising to £15m. If he can make the step up and produce anything like his second-tier form at Brighton, he’ll be an absolute steal.
He is a high-volume producer at the sharp end of the pitch, constantly making things happen that threaten the opposition’s goal, but standing out most for his crossing. He ranked top of the Championship last season for open-play crosses (227) and expected assists from crosses (6.71 xA).
He also ranked fourth for dribble attempts (131), ninth for shots (95), sixth for chances created from open play (58). He created good-quality chances, too; only two players created more big chances than him (18), and he ranked fourth overall for expected assists. His 9.12 xA alongside only seven assists suggests he may benefit from playing alongside better finishers.
Ibrahim Mbaye
PSG to Aston Villa, £47m
A hugely exciting prospect. Despite being just 18 years old, Ibrahim Mbaye already has significant and noteworthy experience under his belt. Last year, he made six appearances, including one in the final, as Senegal won the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (even if that title was later taken away from them), and this summer he made four appearances at the World Cup. He has also played in two Ligue 1 title-winning campaigns, including 2024-25, when he became the youngest player in PSG’s history to start a game, and won the Champions League in both of those seasons, too.
He is a dribbling and ball-carrying menace, who always looks like he’s about to do something special. Among players to play at least 900 minutes in Ligue 1 last season, he was 11th for carries (moving at least five metres with the ball) per 90, with 20.0, and 12th for progressive carries (moving at least five metres upfield with the ball) per 90, with 10.3. Most of the players above him in both lists are defenders, too, who naturally have more space to move into than him.
He was third, however, for take-on-ending carries, or running with the ball for at least five metres before attempting to beat an opponent with a dribble, with 2.9 per 90.
And he also has end product to boot. He scored at both AFCON and the World Cup for Senegal despite limited minutes at both, and his 0.45 goals or assists per 90 for PSG last season is not to be sniffed at.
Kevin Danso
Spurs to Sunderland, Loan with Buy Obligation
Kevin Danso had a pretty impossible task over his two years at Tottenham. He was the back-up to first-choice centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, playing intermittently on both sides of central defence in dysfunctional teams jumping between styles of play, and he very rarely played for any consistent run of games.
He was unfairly compared to the players he was replacing for much of his time there, but the truth is he was always reliable enough. He excelled, however, when Romero got injured during the run-in last season and he was called upon in Spurs’ time of need as they scraped clear of relegation.
He may not be the best on the ball – though he is hardly terrible in that regard – but he is an excellent deep defender. Among those to play at least 1,000 minutes in the Premier League last season, Danso ranked in first place for both clearances (8.2 per 90) and headed clearances (6.3), and he was also fifth for aerial duels won (4.8 per 90).
He could thrive at Sunderland, who spent more of their out-of-possession game time in a low block than any other team in the Premier League last season (25%). Danso could be perfectly at home in this setup, paired alongside the player he beat into second place for both clearances and headed clearances: Dan Ballard.
Iliman Ndiaye
Everton to Man City, £65m
It was always said during Pep Guardiola’s time at Manchester City that attackers had their wings clipped in terms of individual freedom, limited to playing within the precise parameters of the manager’s meticulous gameplan.
But dribbling ability became increasingly important in the final years of his reign, with Jérémy Doku and Antoine Semenyo on the wings and Rayan Cherki in between. Doku (162) and Semenyo (144) ranked first and second for dribbles attempted in the Premier League last season, with Cherki not too far behind in ninth (111). They also ranked first (84), fourth (59) and eighth (51), respectively, for dribbles completed.
And with the deadline-day addition of Iliman Ndiaye, they have gone in even harder on dribbling ability under new manager Enzo Maresca. The Senegal international ranked second for both dribbles attempted (136) and dribbles completed (73) in the Premier League last season, behind Doku.
While Arsenal are buying so many defenders who rarely get beaten in one-on-ones, City appear to be trying to counteract that by stockpiling the best dribblers around.
It’s impossible to know if this tactic will work, but one thing we know for sure is that Ndiaye’s arrival will make City more fun, and we’re here for it.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Lille to Newcastle, £51m
It’s been a long summer for Newcastle, and one of considerable change. But the past couple of weeks have been fairly positive, and their transfer window closed with a bang.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo was apparently someone they’d been keen on for a while but were told by Lille that he would be unavailable this summer. After a final push over the weekend, they got a deal done on Tuesday, paying a reported £51m.
Fernandez-Pardo’s versatility is a major attraction. He’s comfortable playing off the left and cutting in onto his right foot, or as a number nine. While not the bulkiest, he is blessed with explosive pace and promises to be a threat in behind – whether played out wide or through the middle.
Linked to the above, the Belgium international is arguably at his most threatening when running with the ball because he does so with such purpose.
For starters, his 122 carries progressing the ball at least 10 metres upfield in Ligue 1 last term were bettered by only seven players, several of whom were defenders, evidence of his willingness to drive forward.
But on top of that, he ranked top for carries into the penalty area (69) and seventh for carries ending with a shot or chance created (39), highlighting how frequently he carried into dangerous areas and threatened goal.
With Nick Woltemade not in Matthias Jaissle’s plans, Newcastle needed an attacker with a completely different profile, and Fernandez-Pardo fits the bill.
Chema Andrés
Stuttgart to Brighton, £20m
If Brighton sign a promising young player, you know to take note, and they did just that on deadline day.
Twenty-one-year-old Chema Andres arrived for a reported £20m from Stuttgart to bolster their midfield options following Carlos Baleba’s exit to Manchester United. While a different type of midfielder to the Cameroonian, Chema is another with vast potential.
A product of Real Madrid’s academy, Chema only joined Stuttgart last summer. During his sole campaign in the Bundesliga, he was in and out of the team but caught the eye nonetheless at the base of their midfield.
Comparisons have been made with Rodri because of his physical attributes and nominal role as a holding midfielder. He doesn’t have anything like the same influence in possession as the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, but Chema is still tidy on the ball.
It’s what he offers defensively that is most notable, however. He’s been broadly praised for his anticipation and reading of the game, ranking second among midfielders (900+ mins) since the start of last season for interceptions per 90 in the Bundesliga (2.3).
Among the same group, he averages the most aerial duels (6.4 per 90) and successful aerial duels (3.6), while he ranks 10th for possession regains (5.6 per 90).
Chema won’t get close to replacing the explosiveness of Baleba, but the young Spaniard will provide plenty of defensive intelligence and protection, not to mention strength. If he continues to grow into his frame, he could be an immense physical specimen.
His progress will be fascinating to watch.
Malick Fofana
Lyon to Sunderland, £30m
The race for Malick Fofana’s signature ended up being a bit of a saga. First there were reports Arsenal were contemplating a late move for him, followed by claims he was doing a medical in France without knowing whether it was for Sunderland or Crystal Palace.
In the end, Sunderland got him over the line, and the 21-year-old represents something of a coup for them.
A Belgium international, Fofana looked to be enjoying a swift rise in 2024-25 as he caught the eye for Lyon, only for a serious ankle injury to massively disrupt his development in 2025-26.
Sunderland will be hoping they can get him back to the levels shown the season before last, when he was a real livewire on Lyon’s left flank.
He contributed nine goal involvements (five goals, four assists) in 1,586 minutes on the pitch in Ligue 1 in 2024-25, averaging one every 176 minutes. Aiding him in that respect was the fact only eight forwards (900+ mins) averaged more expected assists per 90 (0.25) than him, evidence of how he got the ball into dangerous areas.
The most eye-catching aspect of his game, however, was his dynamism and pace. He could be difficult to stop once he was moving, and this made him a very useful outlet on the left.
Among Ligue 1 forwards (900+ mins), his 16.6 carries per 90 saw him rank sixth, while he moved up to third for progressive carries per 90 (11.5).
Fofana is direct, exciting and has significant potential. While the reported £30m Sunderland have committed to spending isn’t a mere drop in the ocean, he’s a player they could make a profit on if he reaches the levels previously expected of him.
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