Biggest ever summer transfer window closes: Who made the best signings?

A report from Transfermarkt claimed this summer was the biggest ever, with total transfer investments surpassing €7.5bn. FIFA rules dictate that clubs must now wait until January 2024 before officially registering any new players.

The main story of this summer was the spending of the Saudi Arabia Pro League. They spent over €750m over the course of the window. Players such as Neymar and Karim Benzema moved to the Middle-East to be part of the project. Signing some of the greatest players on the planet is a sight we need to get used to in the future according to transfer reporter Ben Jacobs. He told us that the Saudis are ambitious and thinking long term.

“This is a project being controlled by the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Sport. The country’s Public Investment Fund, who are also the owners of Newcastle United, are playing a big part too. I’m told there is £17bn allocated between now and 2030 for this project, specifically for transfers and wages. And all of these things fall under the strategic aim of sport within the broader government vision, which is known as vision 2030.”

Many big names from the Premier League moved to the Saudi Pro League, but there were big deals within England and across Europe too. The British transfer record fee was broken on more than one occasion. Early on, we saw Declan Rice swap West Ham for Arsenal in a £105 million deal. But in August that sum was topped again, as Chelsea beat Liverpool to the signature of Brighton star Moises Caicedo. The Blues paid £115 million for his services. They have now spent over £1 billion on transfers in 18 months.

“It all seemed very simple at first,” Jacobs continued, “Caicedo wanted Chelsea and Chelsea wanted Caicedo.”

“But as time went on, Chelsea didn’t feel like