2025-26 Premier League The season has reached the halfway mark with Gameweek 19 (December 30 and January 1), and the story so far has been one of surprises, Aston Villa And Sunderland Exceeding expectations and enduring long-term top-flight clubs such as west ham united And wolverhampton wanderers Facing deportation.
But what about the players? Some have failed to hit the heights and live up to their pre-season billing, although there are plenty of Premier League players who have caught the eye by producing unexpected levels of consistency and top-class performances since joining new teams in the summer.
With the January transfer window set to open on New Year’s Day, here are the summer signings that prove smart recruitment can really pay off if deals can be completed for the right players.
The Sunderland captain has likely yet to sign a contract for the season, having impressed for the newly promoted side after arriving for an initial £13 million. bayer leverkusen,
Xhaka, 33, provides the proven, top-level experience and quality that helped them win the 2023-24 Bundesliga After seven years with Leverkusen armorySunderland remain a young, emerging team under coach Regis Le Bris, but Xhaka has helped tie everything together Switzerland The midfielder has been an important contributor.
When Arsenal signed Madueke for £48.5 million chelseaThis caused anger among Gunners fans and an online #NoToMaduke petition was signed by over 4,000 people. Despite Maduke being senior England The arrival of the international player who had won major trophies with Chelsea left the Arsenal fan base divided.
The 23-year-old has since silenced those critics with a series of impressive performances and goals for the club a stunning long range strike In uefa champions league win against Club BruggeMaduke has shown himself to be a capable deputy bukayo saka And has proven his worth in Mikel Arteta’s side.
when bournemouth were relegated Milos Kerkez To liverpool The Cherries quickly replaced him in a £40 million transfer this summer Hungary Traffert returned after completing an initial £11.4 million deal with Rennes. 24 year old, capped by France In 2022, he was a key figure in the team that won the silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, meaning he arrived at the Vitality Stadium with a strong history.
Since Kerkez had made such an impact for Andoni Ierola’s team, there was pressure on Truffert to prove himself an adequate replacement. But in his brief time at the club, he has achieved this by becoming one of the outstanding fullbacks of the season so far.
robin rofesgoalkeeper, sunderland
The Sunderland shot-stop has been one of the finds of the season, joining the Black Cats from the Dutch team for an initial £9million. NEC Nijmegen in August.
At just 22, Roafes has shown incredible calmness and maturity in his first season in the Premier League, registering six clean sheets as of Tuesday. Rofes has not yet made his senior debut Netherlands Having won 11 caps for the under-21s, but he earned his first call-up in August and looks to be on his way to Ronald KoemanIf he maintains his form and fitness, he can be included in the World Cup squad.
-Schoenfeld: How Sunderland’s spectacular Premier League comeback revitalized an entire city
– O’Hanlon: How much is each position really worth in the Premier League?
– various: Transfer window preview: What do Europe’s big clubs want?
Despite joining Newcastle vfb stuttgart For £69 million, Voltamede arrived at St James’ Park for an undisclosed sum. The 23-year-old also had to bear the burden of replacement alexander isaacFollowing Isak’s £130 million move to Liverpool, despite knowing he was likely Newcastle’s sixth-choice signing.
Woltemaid joins Newcastle after unsuccessful move to club joao pedro, Liam Delap, benjamin sesco, Brian Mbeumo And mattheus cunhaBut he has been a huge success with Eddie Howe’s team, scoring eight goals on Tuesday and quickly adjusting to the demands of the Premier League,
Manchester United were in desperate need of a new goalkeeper this summer and made efforts to sign Paris Saint Germain‘S Gianluigi Donnarumma and aston villa emiliano martinezBut with Donnarumma proving too expensive – the Italy No, 1 eventually joined in Manchester City – And with United resisting a similarly expensive package to sign Martínez, the club agreed an £18.2 million deal for Lammens from Royal Antwerp.
The 23-year-old was billed by United as “one for the future” but has since replaced the error-prone Altay Bayindir In September, he was an ever-present for Ruben Amorim’s side and justified the club’s decision to prioritize ability over experience.
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The Everton midfielder has quickly become a central figure for David Moyes’ team after ending a difficult year-long spell at Chelsea with a £29million move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Dewsbury-Hall’s highest point score to date for Everton was his spectacular goal in a 1–0 win over Manchester United. His performances have drawn interest from the Republic of Ireland, who are prepared to introduce the English-born player into international competition thanks to his Irish heritage.
The Brentford right back was signed permanently after a loan transfer this summer fiorentina during the second half of last season, and he has established himself as a key figure in Keith Andrews’ team.
Kayode’s long throw-in That’s one reason for his importance to Brentford – the 21-year-old has mastered the ability to deliver the ball long, low and at pace – but his athletic ability on the right has also made him a standout performer.
with Italy Facing a difficult route to the World Cup via the UEFA playoffs in March, Kayode could only earn a first senior call-up to the Azzurri after winning eight under-21 caps.
Before injuries derailed his Everton career, Calvert-Lewin was the subject of speculation linking him with a £50 million move to Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle and even Arsenal. real Madrid With former Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti maintaining his admiration for the former England centre-forward. But after leaving Everton as a free agent in the summer, Calvert-Lewin signed with Leeds on the eve of the season to restart his career.
The 28-year-old has since rediscovered his best form and speculation over an England return has been rife. He has scored eight Premier League goals in 16 matches.
Former Liverpool captain spent two years away from the Premier League with unsuccessful moves Saudi Pro League He favored Al-Ettifaq and defeated Dutch giants Ajax, so his return to England with Brentford was a surprise. But the 35-year-old has only missed one league game for the Bees so far and has become one of the most consistent midfielders in the Premier League.
Henderson returned to the England squad in March after a two-year absence, so he has an outside chance of being included in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup party if he continues to perform for his club.
