Seven summer transfers that have been an instant success: Ekitike, Grealish, Son…
New signings from Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Liverpool are among those to have immediately hit the ground running after their summer 2025 moves.
Clubs spend all summer telling us they’ve been planning their transfer business for 12 months. Then deadline day comes, and they’re frantically chucking cash at anyone with two working hamstrings.
For every blockbuster signing, there’s another player who vanishes into the void by October, while the scouting department quietly updates its CV. Happily, this lot are proving to be the opposite…
Jack Grealish (Everton)
Grealish’s £100million move to Manchester City never really lived up to the billing, with flashes of quality buried under long spells out of the team.
His loan to Everton already looks a rebirth, with four assists in 196 minutes proving decisive in tight matches. Without them, Moyes side may have failed to beat Wolves and Brighton.
The numbers back up the eye test. He’s averaging 2.30 chances created per 90, completing nearly three dribbles, and winning over four fouls a game.
That creativity is exactly what Everton lacked, and suddenly, Grealish looks like a difference-maker again.
Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich)
Diaz left Liverpool after a 17-goal title-winning season to join Bayern, who made him their €75million statement signing.
He has carried that form straight into the Bundesliga, scoring on debut in the Supercup and adding two more in his first three league matches.
Diaz is averaging a goal per 90, taking 3.5 shots, and creating 2.5 chances while completing three dribbles.
Bayern wanted a wide forward who could deliver instantly, and the Colombian has slotted in so seamlessly that it almost feels unfair.
Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Eintracht Frankfurt faced a huge hole when Hugo Ekitike left, and their solution was to splash out on Doan. It already looks like money well spent.
The Japanese international has started with four goals and an assist in just three matches, immediately stepping into the scoring burden left behind.
Beyond the headline numbers, he’s averaging over two shots and two chances created per 90, while typically unbalancing defences.
Eintracht have matched Bayern stride for stride with their perfect start, and Doan’s early impact suggests another European push is very much on.
Joao Pedro (Chelsea)
Chelsea paid £55million for Pedro and immediately threw him into the Club World Cup.
He responded with four goals in three games, including a brace against his boyhood club Fluminense and one in the final against PSG.
That fast start has carried into the Premier League. He’s opened with two goals and three assists in his first three appearances.
The numbers are promising, too. He’s averaging nearly three shots a game and putting himself about by winning close to seven duels per 90 minutes.
Pedro surrounds himself with a fitness coach, physio and even a personal chef, and it shows. With that professionalism and a flying start in blue, Chelsea might just be the platform to superstardom.
Granit Xhaka (Sunderland)
Sunderland didn’t just sign a midfielder, they landed a Premier League captain with title-winning pedigree for an initial £13million. For a newly promoted side, that feels like daylight robbery.
Xhaka has been central to a promising start, with six points from three games built on his control in possession and discipline out of it.
As well as bringing some chance creation, he’s winning duels, breaking lines, and giving Regis Le Bris the heartbeat his midfield needs.
If his performances form the basis of survival, the signing will be worth treble the fee. Xhaka looks every inch the classy operator who can help buck the trend of promoted sides being swallowed whole.
Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool)
Liverpool paid up to €95million to land Ekitike, a player who never quite convinced at PSG but rebuilt his reputation with 15 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt.
The early signs are positive. He scored on debut in the Community Shield, followed it with a goal and an assist against Bournemouth, and added another strike at Newcastle.
Ekitike is averaging fewer than two shots per game but converting at 0.78 goals per 90, suggesting a more clinical edge than his reputation hinted at.
Liverpool are still working out how best to create for him, but if they find the supply lines, the Frenchman looks ready to be a major threat.
Son Heung-min (LAFC)
Son’s arrival in Los Angeles was always going to turn heads, and even if LAFC are still working out the best way to use him, his quality is obvious.
Son has just one goal and one assist, but the underlying numbers scream dominance. He’s firing off nearly six shots per 90, creating over four chances, and touching the ball often.
He’s averaging close to ten potential goal involvements every match, a level usually reserved for Lionel Messi. The only surprise is that more of those chances haven’t gone in yet.
Give him a full pre-season in LA, and the return could spike to 25+ goal involvements.
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