January transfer window: Grading big signings in men's soccer - ESPN

Premier League clubs spent almost £2 billion during the summer transfer window, and there were some really interesting deals. But January 2024 marked the league's lowest total in winter spending in three years (£96.2m), so what does 2025 hold?

Here are grades for all the major confirmed transfers in the men's game, with each listed by date and then by highest fee.

All fees are reported unless confirmed with an asterisk.

Lecce: A+
Manchester United: B

Signing Dorgu helps Manchester United tick short and long-term targets in one go: At 20, he clearly falls in line with their focus on recruiting young players with potential; while he also plays in their No. 1 position of need right now: left-wing-back.

It's important to recognise that Dorgu is still very early in his development and is no immediate fix to this team, but there have been moments at Lecce where he's looked a bit like an early version of Destiny Udogie in the way he carries the ball, which is no doubt something worth attempting to harness.

This is a club-record transfer for Lecce, surpassing the previous high by over €10m, and given they signed him for €200,000 just 18 months ago, it goes down as a phenomenal deal for them.

Chelsea: D
Torino: A

A genuine star at youth level for Italy in two summer tournaments, there's justifiable excitement over Casadei's potential — but his 2½ years at Stamford Bridge ultimately feel like a waste, having appeared just 17 times for the club and clocking a miserly 71 Premier League minutes.

Chelsea get a poor grade, as they've ultimately received about €10m less than their original asking price, but Torino get a great one, as they represent a great spot for Casadei to get his career back and they haven't paid much to make it