The five best Premier League transfers of the season

Suraj Radia

• 12 May 2024 10:30 BST
• 6 min read

Premier League sides spent more than €2.5 billion on players last summer as the Europe’s most lucrative league achieved a record-high outlay in the transfer market.

Chelsea were the biggest spenders, splashing out nearly €500m on players – almost as much as the entirety of Serie A, who spent the second-highest amount behind the Premier League.

Part of the record outlay came from the money received from Saudi Arabian clubs, who became part of the heavyweights leagues, spending more than La Liga teams.

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024: All the Done Deals

But which transfers ended up working out the best for Premier League sides this season? FootballTransfers takes a look at five of the best signings of the 2023/24 season in the English top flight.

Cole Palmer – €47m, Manchester City to Chelsea

Todd Boehly’s spending has come under massive scrutiny since his 2022 but Chelsea’s purchase of Cole Palmer from Manchester City has proven to be a bargain, with the 22-year-old proving to be a revelation this season.

Although the €47m fee raised eyebrows at the time, the attacking midfielder has provided a stunning 21 goals and ten assists this year, leading to his first England caps and a nomination for the Premier League Player of the Season award.

Declan Rice – €116m, West Ham to Arsenal

Another summer signing in the running for the Player of the Season award is Declan Rice, with the Arsenal midfielder taking his game to a new level since his big money move from West Ham.

Rice’s €116m transfer was the biggest buy in Premier League history before Moises Caicedo’s move to Chelsea later in the summer but the England international has been worth every penny with his seven goals and nine assists this season helping Arsenal push for the title.

Guglielmo Vicario – €18.5m, Empoli to Tottenham

Although he had a rough end to his time in North London, it was going to be a tough ask for someone to replace Hugo Lloris after 12 years as Tottenham’s first choice goalkeeper but Guglielmo Vicario has been the perfect successor to the Frenchman.

Fans in England were mostly unfamiliar with Vicario following his arrival for a modest €18.5m from Empoli but the 27-year-old has been a standout performer in goal and a reliable pair of hands in Ange Postecoglou’s attacking system.

Ross Barkley – free transfer, Nice to Luton

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No-one would have expected Ross Barkley to appear on this list after he left Nice on a free transfer to join Luton last summer but the ex-Everton star has displayed some of the best form in his career for the newly-promoted side.

The 30-year-old has perhaps never lived up to his potential and had a decent year in France before joining Luton and his nine goal contributions has helped the Hatters fight bravely against relegation this season.

Alexis Mac Allister – €42m, Brighton to Liverpool

Liverpool pulled off one of the bargains of the summer when they signed World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister for just €42m from Brighton last summer and the Argentine has lived up to expectations after a slow start to life at Anfield.

Mac Allister initially struggled to adapt to a more defensive midfield role under Jurgen Klopp but the 25-year-old has been one of the best performers in the league in 2024, also providing four goals and five assists across the campaign.