Wednesday 2 September 2015 13:58, UK
The transfer window has closed - and every Premier League club must make do with what they have until January.
Did your club get the players they needed? Did they get good value for those that left? Are they going into the season in a stronger position?
We asked Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson to review the signings that each club has made and grade their summer transfer business...
ARSENAL: B (9/2 to win the title at Sky Bet)
Players in: Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Players out: Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray), Serge Gnabry (West Brom, loan), Carl Jenkinson (West Ham, loan), Wojciech Szczesny (Roma, loan), Abou Diaby (Marseille), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Ipswich, loan), Brandon Ormond-Ottewill (Swindon), Ryo Miyaichi (St Pauli), Semi Ajayi (Cardiff), Yaya Sanogo (Ajax, loan), Daniel Crowley (Barnsley, loan), Isaac Hayden (Hull, loan), Jon Toral (Birmingham, loan), Renny Smith (Burnley), Emiliano Martinez (Wolves, loan), Josh Vickers (Swansea, loan), Wellington Silva (Bolton, loan), Gedion Zelalem (Rangers, loan)
MERSE SAYS: Getting Petr Cech was brilliant. To get a goalie like him is absolutely outstanding, but they needed to buy more if they wanted to go on and win the league. If you keep doing the same things you'll keep getting the same results. It will be the same again this year - top four, but no Premier League title. I'll give them a B because the goalie is that good, but it should have been more. They needed a centre-half, a holding midfielder and a centre-forward - the spine of a team.
ASTON VILLA: B+ (8/1 top half finish)
Players in: Jordan Ayew (Lorient), Idrissa Gueye (Lille), Jordan Veretout (Nantes), Adama Traore (Barcelona), Jordan Amavi (Nice), Scott Sinclair (Man City), Jose Angel Crespo (Cordoba), Rudy Gestede (Blackburn), Micah Richards (Man City), Mark Bunn (Norwich), Matija Sarkic (Anderlecht), Joleon Lescott (West Brom), Tiago Ilori (Liverpool, Loan)
Players out: Christian Benteke (Liverpool). Fabian Delph (Man City), Shay Given (Stoke), Darren Bent (Derby County), Enda Stevens (Portsmouth), Andreas Weimann (Derby County), Matthew Lowton (Burnley), Graham Burke (Notts County), Yacouba Sylla (Rennes), Antonio Luna (Eibar), Callum Robinson (Bristol City, Loan), Aly Cissokho (Porto, Loan), Janoi Donacien (Wycombe, Loan), Ricardo Calder (Dundee, Loan), Joe Bennett (Bournemouth, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: I wonder how quickly these new lads will settle. They have let Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph go and they have spent the money. I think Joleon Lescott is a good player and with Micah Richards there they will have experience. I like Rudy Gestede up front and I like the way Tim Sherwood has bought. Staying up is going to be hard but I will give them a B+.
BOURNEMOUTH: B (5/1 top half finish)
Players in: Tyrone Mings (Ipswich Town), Lee Tomlin (Middlesbrough), Max Gradel (St Etienne), Sylvain Distin (Everton), Artur Boruc (Southampton), Adam Federici (Reading), Joshua King (Blackburn Rovers), Christian Atsu (Chelsea, Loan), Filippo Costa (Chievo, Loan), Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace), Tomas Andrade (River Plate), Joe Bennett (Aston Villa, Loan)
Players out: Ian Harte (Released), Josh McQuoid (Luton), Darryl Flavahan (Released), Mohamed Coulibaly (Released), Joe Partington (Eastleigh), Miles Addison (Released), Ryan Fraser (Ipswich Town, Loan), Brett Pitman (Ipswich Town, Free), Jayden Stockley (Portsmouth, Loan), Harry Cornick (Yeovil, Loan), Stephane Zubar (York, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: Tyrone Mings is a lot of money for someone who hasn't played in the Premier League, but I like Glenn Murray and Lee Tomlin. Max Gradel has just been injured for six months and Sylvain Distin isn't the player he used to be, but is still decent. I will give them a B.
CHELSEA: B- (6/1 to win the title)
Players in: Pedro (Barcelona), Baba Rahman (FC Augsburg), Asmir Begovic (Stoke), Kenedy (Fluminense), Nathan (Atletico Paranaense), Danilo Pantic (Partizan Belgrade), Radamel Falcao (AS Monaco, Loan) Papy Djilobodji (Nantes), Michael Hector (Reading)
Players out: Petr Cech (Arsenal), Oriol Romeu (Southampton), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Patrick Bamford (Crystal Palace, Loan), Didier Drogba (Montreal Impact), Marco van Ginkel (Stoke, Loan), Danilo Pantic (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Christian Atsu (Bournemouth, Loan), Josh McEachran (Brentford), Tomas Kalas (Middlesbrough, Loan), Gael Kakuta (Sevilla), Mario Pasalic (Monaco, Loan), Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa, Loan), Andreas Christensen (Borussia Monchengladbach, Loan), Isaiah Brown (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Lewis Baker (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Dominic Solanke (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Jordan Houghton (Gilliingham, Loan), Alex Davey (Peterborough, Loan), Mohamed Salah (Roma, Loan), Nathan Ake (Watford, Loan), Juan Cuadrado (Juventus, Loan), Marko Marin (Trabzonspor, Loan), Jeremie Boga (Stade Rennes, Loan), Lucas Piazon (Reading, Loan), Victor Moses (West Ham, Loan), Nathaniel Chalobah (Napoli, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: Pedro is the one that stands out, obviously. They got a good goalkeeper in Asmir Begovic, but they let a very good goalkeeper go to Arsenal. They spent the whole summer trying to get John Stones and then they end up getting this lad from Nantes for two million quid. I don't think Papy Djilobodji (I think I might just call him Papy…) will be playing. Pedro is great but I feel they needed a top-drawer centre-half - a £30million one - if I'm being honest.
CRYSTAL PALACE: A+ (11/2 Top Six Finish)
Players in: Yohan Cabaye (PSG), Connor Wickham (Sunderland), Alex McCarthy (QPR), Bakary Sako (Wolves), Patrick Bamford (Chelsea, Loan)
Players out: Jack Hunt (Sheffield Wednesday, Loan), Shola Ameobi (Released), Lewis Price (Sheffield Wednesday), Owen Garvan (Released), Peter Ramage (Released), Stephen Dobbie (Bolton), Jerome Thomas (Released), Kyle De Silva (Notts County), Hiram Boateng (Plymouth, Loan), Ryan Inniss (Port Vale, Loan), Jerome Binnom-Williams (Burton, Loan), Christian Scales (Crawley, Loan), Glenn Murray (Bournemouth), Adlene Guedioura (Watford)
MERSE SAYS: Bakary Sako has got to be the buy of the transfer window on a free. Patrick Bamford is a good player, I like Alex McCarthy and Connor Wickham has been around. He knows the Premier League. I'm giving them A+ because I think they've bought very, very, very well and have got rid of a few players too.
EVERTON: C (Bottom half finish 7/4)
Players in: Gerard Deulofeu (Barcelona), David Henen (Olympiakos), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Mason Holgate (Barnsley), Leandro Rodriguez (River Plate Montevideo), Ramiro Funes Mori (River Plate), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham)
Players out: Chris Long (Burnley), Sylvain Distin (Bournemouth), Luke Garbutt (Fulham, Loan), Francisco Junior (Wigan, Loan), Jonjoe Kenny (Wigan, Loan), Antolin Alcaraz (Released), George Green (Oldham), John Lundstram (Oxford)
MERSE SAYS: They held onto John Stones, but there was a lot of money on the table and I think they should have taken the money. They haven't really bought anybody of note. It's a big ask for the lad from River Plate, Gerard Deulofeu has been there before and Tom Cleverley was just a free. It's a C for me because I think they should have taken the money for Stones. What's the difference between him being there and not being there? Two positions?
LEICESTER: B- (Top half finish 15/8)
Players in: Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), Yohan Benalouane (Atalanta), N'Golo Kante (Caen), Gokhan Inler (Napoli), Robert Huth (Stoke), Christian Fuchs (Schalke), Nathan Dyer (Swansea, Loan)
Players out: David Nugent (Middlesbrough), Chris Wood (Leeds), Paul Konchesky (QPR, Loan), Paul Gallagher (Preston), Matthew Upson (MK Dons), Tom Hopper (Scunthorpe), Adam Smith (Northampton), Kieran Kennedy (Motherwell), Esteban Cambiasso (Olympiakos), Ben Hamer (Bristol City, Loan), Ryan Watson (Northampton, Loan), Jacob Blyth (Cambridge, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: Shinji Okazaki is a good player and I like Robert Huth as well. I'll give them a B- because they haven't managed to bring in a load and they've had to rely on the players that kept them up last season. I don't think it's been an outstanding window for them.
LIVERPOOL: A (Top four finish 11/8)
Players in: Christian Benteke (Aston Villa), Roberto Firmino (Hoffenheim), Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton), Joe Gomez (Charlton), Allan (Internacional), James Milner (Manchester City), Danny Ings (Burnley), Adam Bogdan (Bolton), Taiwo Awoniyi (Imperial Academy)
Players out: Raheem Sterling (Man City), Fabio Borini (Sunderland), Iago Aspas (Sevilla), Tiago Ilori (Aston Villa, Loan) Rickie Lambert (West Brom), Sebastian Coates (Sunderland), Glen Johnson (Stoke), Steven Gerrard (LA Galaxy), Andre Wisdom (Norwich, Loan), Lloyd Jones (Blackpool, Loan), Jordan Williams (Swindon, Loan), Kevin Stewart (Swindon, Loan), Brad Jones (Bradford City), Javi Manquillo (Atletico Madrid, Loan terminated), Danny Ward (Aberdeen, Loan), Sheyi Ojo (Wolves, Loan), Lawrence Vigouroux (Swindon, Loan), Taiwo Awoniyi (FSV Frankfurt, Loan), Samed Yesil (FC Luzern)
MERSE SAYS: I think Christian Benteke is a good signing and Nathaniel Clyne is another good one. Joe Gomez has been outstanding so far and you always know what you're going to get from James Milner on a free transfer. They have brought in a lot of money for players like Raheem Sterling and Fabio Borini so they have done good deals. I like the way they've bought, but then I watched them against West Ham and oh dear…
MANCHESTER CITY: B- (1/2 to win the title)
Players in: Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Nicolas Otamendi (Valencia), Patrick Roberts (Fulham), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Enes Unal (Bursaspor), David Faupala (Lens)
Players out: Marcos Lopes (Monaco), Alvaro Negredo (Valencia), Karim Rekik (Marseille), Scott Sinclair (Aston Villa), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Edin Dzeko (Roma, Loan), James Milner (Liverpool, Free), Stevan Jovetic (Inter Milan, Loan), Micah Richards (Aston Villa), Jordy Hiwula (Huddersfield Town), John Guidetti (Celta Vigo), Seko Fofana (Bastia, Loan), Angelino (New York City FC, Loan), Jason Denayer (Galatasaray, Loan), Devante Cole (Bradford, Free), Liam Grimshaw (Motherwell, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: I like the signing of Fabian Delph, but I think Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne are pathetically over-priced. They have spent £54.5m on De Bruyne - and he's a player they don't really need. That position wasn't on their hit-list and now someone like Samir Nasri isn't going to get a game, which is phenomenal for me. They have bought well, but I am going to give them a B- for the money they have had to pay.
MANCHESTER UNITED: B- (2/1 to finish outside top four)
Players in: Memphis Depay (PSV Eindhoven), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton), Matteo Darmian (Torino), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Sergio Romero (Sampdoria), Anthony Martial (Monaco), Regan Poole (Newport County)
Players out: Angel Di Maria (PSG), Nani (Fenerbahce), Robin van Persie (Fenerbahce), Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen), Rafael Da Silva (Lyon), Angelo Henriquez (Dinamo Zagreb), Reece James (Wigan, £1m), Saidy Janko (Celtic), Tom Cleverley (Everton), Ben Amos (Bolton), Anders Lindegaard (West Brom), Tom Thorpe (Rotherham), Will Keane (Preston, Loan), Ben Pearson (Barnsley, Loan), Joe Rothwell (Barnsley, Loan), Tyler Blackett (Celtic, Loan), Adnan Januzaj (Borussia Dortmund, Loan), Kieran O'Hara (Morecambe, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: I don't mind Memphis Depay, but I think he will be a little bit hit-and-miss at first and will need time to settle in. I feel for Anthony Martial as well. He was playing for 5,000 people at Monaco on top of a car park and now he is going to be playing in front of 70,000 at Old Trafford. That's a big ask for the lad. They have let a lot of strikers go and I think they will be left short after not getting a top-drawer centre-forward in. Money talks and this club has money to get one. And you have to wonder if David De Gea wants to be there. I'll give them a B- because they didn't get what they should have.
NEWCASTLE: B? (Top half finish 7/2)
Players in: Chancel Mbemba (Anderlecht), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Anderlecht), Florian Thauvin (Marseille), Ivan Toney (Northampton), Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV).
Players out: Mehdi Abeid (Panathinaikos), Jak Alnwick (Port Vale, Loan), Sammy Ameobi (Cardiff, Loan), Adam Armstrong (Coventry, Loan), Remy Cabella (Marseille, Loan), Adam Campbell (Notts County), Shane Ferguson (Millwall, Loan), Jonas Gutierrez (Released), Davide Santon (Inter Milan), Remie Streete (Port Vale), Ryan Taylor (Hull), Freddie Woodman (Crawley), Olivier Kemen (Lyon).
MERSE SAYS: Newcastle have had a go and you can't ask for more than that. I look at the names and you can throw up a coin and say 'heads or tails?' because they might work and it will be a good season or they won't click and it could go the other way. They have spent some money so I am going to give them a B with a question mark because we need to see what these lads are like.
NORWICH: B- (Top half finish 15/2)
Players in: Robbie Brady (Hull), Graham Dorrans (West Brom), Jake Kean (Blackburn), Youssuf Mulumbu (West Brom), Andre Wisdom (Liverpool, Loan), Dieumerci Mbokani (Dynamo Kiev), Matt Jarvis (West Ham, Loan)
Players out: Mark Bunn (Aston Villa), Sam Kelly (Port Vale), Remi Matthews (Burton, Loan), Cameron McGeehan (Luton), Carlton Morris (Hamilton, Loan), Jacob Murphy (Coventry, Loan), Josh Murphy (MK Dons, Loan), Tony Andreu (Rotherham, Loan), Vadis Odjidja Ofoe (Rotherham, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: I thought Jonathan Walters would have been a really good signing for them. Three million quid is a cup of tea in this day and age. He's another James Milner type because you know what you're going to get from him. They needed another centre-forward and for that reason I will give them a B- because they could be in trouble.
SOUTHAMPTON: B- (Top six finish 11/2)
Players in: Steven Caulker (QPR, Loan), Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord), Juanmi (Malaga), Cuco Martina (FC Twente), Oriol Romeu (Chelsea), Cedric Soares (Sporting CP), Maarten Stekelenburg (Fulham, Loan), Virgil van Dijk (Celtic)
Players out: Artur Boruc (Bournemouth), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Emmanuel Mayuka (Metz), Cody Cropper (MK Dons), Sam Gallagher (MK Dons, Loan), Jos Hooiveld (Released), Dani Osvaldo (Released), Omar Rowe (Released), Morgan Schneiderlin (Manchester United), Jake Sinclair (Released), Jack Stephens (Middlesbrough, Loan), Jordan Turnbull (Swindon, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: I'm not sure about Virgil van Dijk at all because he's been playing for Celtic and hasn't had to head a ball. I'm very interested to see what happens with him, but they have kept Sadio Mane and Victor Wanyama which is good news. Their start to the season has been a bit disappointing but they've had injuries so I'll give them a B-.
STOKE: B (Top six finish 16/1)
Players in: Ibrahim Afellay (Barcelona), Moha El Ouriachi (Barcelona), Shay Given (Aston Villa), Jakob Haugaard (FC Midtyjlland), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Joselu (Hannover 96), Sergio Molina (Real Madrid), Xherdan Shaqiri (Inter Milan), Dom Telford (Blackpool), Marko van Ginkel (Chelsea, Loan), Mark Waddington (Blackpool), Phillipp Wollscheid (Bayer Leverkusen)
Players out: Asmir Begovic (Chelsea), Robert Huth (Leicester), Jamie Ness (Scunthorpe), Steven Nzonzi (Sevilla), Wilson Palacios (Released), Thomas Sorensen (Released), Andy Wilkinson (Released)
MERSE SAYS: Stoke are another club who have bought a lot of players and it depends how quickly they gel - the clubs who have done that are all in the bottom half at the start of the season. Glen Johnson is a good free transfer and I like Xherdan Shaqiri and Phillipp Wollscheid. I think I have got to give them a B.
SUNDERLAND: B- (7/4 to stay up)
Players in: Fabio Borini (Liverpool), Sebastian Coates (Liverpool), Younes Kaboul (Tottenham), Jeremain Lens (Dynamo Kiev), Adam Matthews (Celtic), Yann M'Vila (Rubin Kazan, Loan), Ola Toivonen (Rennes, Loan), Santiago Vergini (Estudiantes), DeAndre (Tottenham, Loan)
Players out: El-Hadji Ba (Charlton), Jordan Pickford (Preston, Loan), Anthony Reveillere (Released), Santiago Vergini (Getafe, Loan), Connor Wickham (Crystal Palace), Emanuele Giaccherini (Bologna, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: I think Fabio Borini is a good signing because he's a handful, he's quick and he will score goals for them. I don't think Younes Kaboul and Sebastian Coates are players you want in a relegation battle either. This is another club that have brought in a lot of players and are likely to end up in the bottom half.
SWANSEA: A- (Top six finish 9/2)
Players in: Andre Ayew (Marseille), Eder (Braga), Oliver McBurnie (Bradford), Kristoffer Nordfelt (Heerenveen), Franck Tabanou (St Etienne), Josh Vickers (Arsenal)
Players out: Modou Barrow (Blackburn, Loan), David Cornell (Oldham), Oliver Davies (Kilmarnock, Loan), Kenji Gorre (ADO Den Haag, loan), Jazz Richards (Fulham), Alan Tate (Released), Nathan Dyer (Leicester, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: Andre Ayew was a free transfer! Based on what I've seen so far I've got to give them A- for that deal alone because he has been a different class. I think they have found an absolute gem in that player.
TOTTENHAM: B- (Top six finish 5/4)
Players in: Toby Alderweireld (Atletico Madrid), Heung-Min Son (Bayer Leverkusen), Clinton N'Jie (Lyon), Kieran Trippier (Burnley), Kevin Wimmer (Cologne)
Players out: Roberto Soldado (Villarreal), Paulinho (Guangzhou Evergrande), Benjamin Stambouli (PSG), Etienne Capoue (Watford), Lewis Holtby (Hamburg), Vlad Chiriches (Napoli), Younes Kaboul (Sunderland), Ryan Fredericks (Bristol City), Jordan Archer (Millwall), Cristian Ceballos (Released), Bongani Khumalo (Released), Grant Ward (Rotherham, Loan), Alexander McQueen (Carlisle), Cristian Ceballos (Charlton, Loan), Grant Hall (QPR), Nathan Oduwa (Rangers, Loan), Dominic Ball (Rangers, Loan), Shaq Coulthirst (Wigan, Loan), DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland, Loan), Aaron Lennon (Everton)
MERSE SAYS: I like Toby Alderweireld and I like what I've seen of Heung-Min Son, but I do think they needed another centre-forward and they were desperate to sign Saido Berahino. I need to give them a B- because they didn't get what they needed and ended up buying anybody they could.
WATFORD: B- (8/13 to stay up)
Players in: Etienne Capoue (Tottenham), Jose Jurado (Spartak Moscow), Matej Vydra (Udinese), Steven Berghuis (AZ Alkmaar), Valon Behrami (Hamburg), Jose Holebas (Roma), Miguel Britos (Napoli), Allan Nyom (Udinese), Sebastian Prodl (Werder Bremen), Giedrius Arlauskis (Steaua Bucharest), Nathan Ake (Chelsea, Loan), Alessandro Diamanti (Guangzhou Evergrande, Loan), Obbi Oulare (Club Brugge), Victor Ibarbo (Cagliari, Loan), Adlene Guedioura (Crystal Palace)
Players out: Jonathan Bond (Reading), Lewis McGugan (Sheffield Wednesday), Juanfran (Deportivo La Coruna, Loan), Uche Ikpeazu (Port Vale, Loan), Luke O'Nien (Wycombe), Diego Fabbrini (Middlesbrough, Loan), Sean Murray (Wigan, Loan), Miguel Layun (Porto, Loan), Gabrielle Angella (Watford), Matej Vydra (Reading, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: I really don't know what to say about Watford and all of these players they've bought. I've watched them this season and they are struggling to score a goal, so I can only give them a B- because they're another team who've bought a lorryload of players and are in the bottom half of the table while they try to gel.
WEST BROM: B (Top half finish 4/1)
Players in: Jonny Evans (Manchester United), Salomon Rondon (Zenit St Petersburg), James Chester (Hull), Rickie Lambert (Liverpool), James McClean (Wigan), Serge Gnabry (Arsenal, Loan), Anders Lindegaard (Man Utd)
Players out: Brown Ideye (Olympiakos), Graham Dorrans (Norwich), Youssuf Mulumbu (Norwich), Chris Baird (Derby), Alex Jones (Birmingham), Kemar Roofe (Oxford), Jason Davidson (Huddersfield), Bradley Garmston (Gillingham), Donervon Daniels (Wigan), Wesley Atkinson (Notts County), Liam O'Neill (Chesterfield)
MERSE SAYS: What they have brought in looks pretty good, but I think the manager might be disappointed that they have ended up keeping Saido Berahino because they could have got a lot of money in for him. I am going to give them a B because Salomon Rondon looks like a good signing, Jonny Evans has played for a big club, Serge Gnabry is a decent player and Rickie Lambert has plenty of experience.
WEST HAM: B (Top half finish 5/2)
Players in: Dimitri Payet (Marseille), Angelo Ogbonna (Juventus), Pedro Obiang (Sampdoria), Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal, Loan), Manuel Lanzini (Al Jazira, Loan), Darren Randolph (Birmingham), Nikica Jelavic (Hull City), Alex Song (Barcelona, Loan), Victor Moses (Chelsea, Loan), Mikhail Antonio (Nottingham Forest)
Players out: Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Matt Jarvis (Norwich, Loan), Dan Potts (Luton), Paul McCallum (Leyton Orient), Carlton Cole (Released), Guy Demel (Released), Jussi Jaaskelainen (Released), Nene (Released), Diego Poyet (MK Dons, Loan), Reece Burke (Bradford, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: Dimitri Payet is a different class and Victor Moses is a good signing, but I'm not so sure about Nikica Jelavic. I was tempted to give them a higher grade, but I think I will give them a B because they have done fine.
