Premier League signings of the season power ranking: New top two as Liverpool, Chelsea stars fall

Which new signings in the Premier League will be performing the best this season? We’re keeping track of their average ratings to find out.

With the 2025/26 Premier League season underway, clubs will be hoping their players old and new can help them reach their targets. As well as defending champions Liverpool, challengers such as Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea have made some high-profile additions to their squads, while Manchester United have rejuvenated theirs in an effort to get back where they belong.

There’s also been some big business by the promoted clubs, Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland. But whose new signings will be most impactful as the season progresses?

Here, we’ll be providing an ongoing rundown of the 10 new signings with the highest average ratings on WhoScored for their Premier League appearances in 2025/26.

To be eligible for the top 10, a player has to have made more than the average number of appearances in the league this season.

We’re not counting any players who were already on loan at a club and then made the move permanent, but we will be including January signings when the time comes as well.

WhoScored’s ratings are calculated from a plethora of in-game statistics for individual players and how their teams have done. Last season, the highest-rated signing would have been Omar Marmoush at Manchester City with 7.13, while for summer signings, it would have been Aaron Wan-Bissaka at West Ham United with 7.07. So who will it be this time?

Based on the opening matches of the season so far, here are the new signings with the highest ratings.

The arrows next to each player’s name indicate how they have moved since the last gameweek’s ranking.

10. Joao Pedro (⬇️ 3)

• Club: Chelsea
• Appearances: 7
• Goals: 2
• Assists: 3
• Average rating: 7.06

Pedro’s first Premier League outing in Chelsea colours was a goalless draw with Crystal Palace, but he burst into action in their 5-1 win over West Ham.

It was Pedro who equalised for Chelsea with a header before assisting Pedro Neto with a cross for the second goal. Later, he recorded another assist by nodding the ball into a danger area for Trevoh Chalobah’s goal that completed the 5-1 rout.

Pedro scored for a second successive game when putting Chelsea in front against Fulham in their last game before the international break.

Rio Ferdinand has stated: “I think Pedro is going to be the best value, Joao Pedro at Chelsea, out of all the summer transfers.

“I think he’s a great mix and a great addition to the Chelsea squad. He can play centre-forward. He can play as a 10. I see him as a little bit of an 8/10 in the team. I think he’s a really, really, really good addition.”

Pedro also assisted Chelsea’s first goal back in action after the September break but has not made much of an impact in the three games since.

9. Sean Longstaff (=)

• Club: Leeds United
• Appearances: 7
• Goals: 1
• Assists: 1
• Average rating: 7.07

Longstaff stood out among Leeds’ summer signings as one who could offer them some crucial Premier League experience.

The former Newcastle midfielder grabbed a goal and assist for his new club in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth and also put in another impressive display in the loss to Tottenham, a game in which Leeds were arguably worth a point at least.

8. Martin Zubimendi (⬆️ 2)

• Club: Arsenal
• Appearances: 7
• Goals: 2
• Assists: 0
• Average rating: 7.11

Zubimendi scored his first two goals for Arsenal in their win over Nottingham Forest on his fourth appearance.

Across his appearances so far, the Spanish midfielder boasts a pass completion rate of 89.4%. He put in another dominant display in the win over West Ham last time before coming off on the hour mark.

7. Hugo Ekitike (⬇️ 1)

• Club: Liverpool
• Appearances: 6
• Goals: 3
• Assists: 1
• Average rating: 7.11

One of only two players this season to get a goal and an assist on his Premier League debut, Ekitike has been leading the line for Liverpool until they can fully integrate Alexander Isak.

Following on from his scoring debut in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, the striker opened the scoring in the first half against Bournemouth before getting the assist for Cody Gakpo’s goal to make it 2-0.

And yet he promised after his encouraging Premier League debut: “I could do better.”

Ekitike followed it up with another goal against Newcastle United, making it three from three in all competitions before ultimately drawing a blank against Arsenal and Burnley either side of the international break.

He then further endeared himself to his new fans by scoring in the Merseyside derby against Everton.

After missing the loss to Palace through suspension, however, Eitike made a cameo off the bench in the weekend loss to Chelsea.

6. Robin Roefs (⬆️ 2)

• Club: Sunderland
• Appearances: 7
• Goals: 0
• Assists: 0
• Average rating: 7.12

Roefs has conceded fewer goals (six) than the number of games he’s played in the Premier League so far for Sunderland, which is encouraging for a newly promoted side.

He made six saves in their most recent fixture against Nottingham Forest to keep a clean sheet, his third of the season after also shutting out West Ham on his debut and Crystal Palace on his fourth appearance.

He did concede two last time out at Manchester United but put in another strong display, including an incredible save to deny Bruno Fernandes.

READ MORE – Every completed Sunderland transfer in summer 2025: Signings, sales, loans

5. Omar Alderete (⬇️ 1)

• Club: Sunderland
• Appearances: 7
• Goals: 1
• Assists: 1
• Average rating: 7.21

Alderete didn’t even start Sunderland’s opening game against West Ham, but the defender made an assist for the opening goal less than 10 minutes after coming on. He also had a 93% pass completion rate and won two of his three aerial duels.

Regis Le Bris rewarded him with a start next time out against Burnley and has kept him in the starting lineup for each of their games since.

Alderete scored his first goal for Sunderland, grabbing the winner against Nottingham Forest and played the full 90 minutes in the weekend loss to Man Utd.

4. Nordi Mukiele (⬇️ 3)

• Club: Sunderland
• Appearances: 6
• Goals: 0
• Assists: 0
• Average rating: 7.26

Mukiele has played in four Premier League matches for Sunderland so far since his move from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer and is starting to impress.

He was the highest-rated player in their game against Aston Villa, so much so that even the Newcastle-through-and-through Alan Shearer named Mukiele in his Premier League Team of the Week for a second consecutive week.

Mukiele’s ranking dropped significantly after the weekend loss to Man Utd, though, despite putting in a solid display at Old Trafford.

3. Granit Xhaka (=)

• Club: Sunderland
• Appearances: 7
• Goals: 0
• Assists: 3
• Average rating: 7.36

The experienced, recognisable face to spearhead Sunderland’s spending spree after their Premier League return, former Arsenal captain Xhaka hasn’t missed a minute for his new club yet in the league.

He made his first assist in their win over Brentford, setting up the stoppage time winner scored by Wilson Isidor.

After the return from the international break, he won an impressive seven aerials in a draw with Crystal Palace.

Xhaka added assists for Isidor against Aston Villa and for Alderete against Nottingham Forest and put in another strong performance in the loss to Man Utd.

READ MORE: The 10 most expensive Premier League signings in summer 2025

2. Jack Grealish (⬆️ 3)

• Club: Everton
• Appearances: 7
• Goals: 1
• Assists: 4
• Average rating: 7.38

Grealish is getting his mojo back at Everton while on loan from Manchester City. His first appearance was as a sub against Leeds, but on both of his first two starts, he produced a pair of assists.

Iliman Ndiaye and James Garner converted chances set up by Grealish against Brighton, before Beto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall did the honours against Wolves.

“He [Grealish] is even better than I thought,” said manager David Moyes after the Wolves game. “He probably needs a bit of love and attention. He needs the games as well.

“Hopefully he starts building on it and he gets even better as the season goes on. He is making a big difference. Whether it is his assists, his presence, lots of things.

“So all credit to him. He is playing the minutes he may not have had in recent years. You know, he’s so good. What Jack gives us is something just on the edge, which, hopefully it’s on the edge of creativeness and maybe scoring goals.”

Grealish grabbed his first goal for the Toffees as he bagged a dramatic late winner against Crystal Palace at the weekend.

1. Mohammed Kudus (⬆️ 1)

• Club: Tottenham Hotspur
• Appearances: 7
• Goals: 1
• Assists: 5
• Average rating: 7.58

On his league debut after his move from West Ham to Spurs, Kudus made a significant impact in their 3-0 win over Burnley by assisting both of Richarlison’s goals.

Kudus crossed the ball in from the right wing for the opening goal and repeated the trick to set up Richarlison’s overhead kick in the second half.

“That’s what I love to do, take players on and try to create and help the team win, and I’m glad that Richarlison was able to finish them off,” he said after the game.

He then helped Spurs to a 2-0 win away at Manchester City, completing the most dribbles of anyone on the pitch, which was also the case in the subsequent loss to Bournemouth, their win over his former club West Ham, their draw with Brighton, in which he added his third assist of the season, and their draw with Wolves.

Kudus grabbed his first goal for the club, to go along with an assist, in the 2-1 win at Leeds over the weekend – a performance that has seen him jump to top spot.