The summer Premier League transfer window is still at an early stage but already we’ve seen some pretty big moves …both inwards and out of the English top flight.
There have also been a number of switches between clubs and, while the buyers hope they have spent their money wisely, there is always work for the selling club to do; to replace their key players, or adapt.
The 2025 champions Liverpool have spent big as they prepare for their title defence, the marquee signing being Germany star Florian Wirtz in a £100m plus move from Bayer Leverkusen. But a long standing Red has departed too, with the much anticipated transfer of wingback Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid. The England man was part of that prolific pair of fullbacks at Anfield, along with Andrew Robertson, who made record assists during Liverpool’s 2020 league triumph.
Trent and Roberston were key components of Jurgen Klopp’s Gegenpressing football style as Liverpool turned defence into attack at breakneck speed, and the delivery of these two wide men was second to none. Arne Slot’s team is a little less heavy metal and more fluid football, so the gradual evolution may mean less need for a player like Trent, adaptable though he clearly is.
The biggest Premier League 2025 news of the month was the departure of Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City after his contract at the Etihad expired and Serie A champions Napoli jumped in to secure his services. The Belgian star has been one of the best creative midfielders in world football over the past decade and his relationship with Erling Braut Haaland was almost telepathic, as he managed to find the Norwegian goal machine with great precision with passes and crosses from the deep.
With wingers Savinho and Jeremy Doku improving as 2025 progresses, the Sky Blues are likely to get to the bi-line more often rather than wait for De Bruyne to pull the strings from a deeper position. The Premier League 2025 betting odds here at SBOTOP say the Sky Blues will be in a tussle for the title along with Liverpool and Arsenal; there were some raised eyebrows when City let De Bruyne’s contract run down, so Guardiola will hope he’s got this one right…he usually does.
After watching Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton all drop back to the Championship (the second season in succession that all three promoted teams have been relegated), Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland are recruiting in an attempt to avoid the very same fate. But there have been two notable departures. Play-off winners Sunderland have sold Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund for 32m as he follows in the footsteps of big brother Jude who made his name at the Signal Iduna Park. Bellingham was the Black Cats most creative player last season and he will need replacing.
Meanwhile Burnley’s record breaking defence, which conceded a miserly 16 goals as they romped to promotion with 100 points, has already begun to be dismantled with the departure of centre back CJ Egan-Riley to Olympique Marseilles. The Clarets have signed Bashir Humphries from Chelsea on a permanent deal and he will likely slot in to the centre of defence. Burnley will miss Egan-Riley’s passing skills but, in the Premier League I suspect they will be less keen to play out from the back.
Wolves, Brentford and Bournemouth could be in peril
Three of the teams that the new boys will have in their sights have already lost some key players and staff. Wolverhampton Wanderers, the only club the bottom three had any hope of catching last year, have seen star striker Matheus Cunha transfer to Manchester United while playmaker Rayan Ait-Nouri was quickly picked up by Manchester City. Those are two big losses in the creative department; without Cunha’s goals and Ait-Nouri’s assists last season, Wolves could well have dropped.
It could be a difficult window for Brentford too. The Bees beloved manager Thomas Frank has headed to Tottenham Hotspur and star striker Bryan Mbeumo looks set to leave after a stellar season last term. At the other end of the pitch Mark Flekken, the keeper who has earned the Bees many points with his commanding displays, has switched to Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundeliga while experienced defender Ben Mee has been released.
But the biggest losses by any club so far must be at Bournemouth who have already said goodbye to their standout stars of the 2024/25 campaign. The Cherries have lost flying full back Milos Kerkez in a £40m transfer to Liverpool, while centre back Dean Huijsen, who was a revelation last term, has made a headline £50m to Real Madrid.
There’s a long way to go in this window… but some players are very hard to replace.
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