MORE TRANSFERS, MORE PROBLEMS: All 20 Premier League clubs' biggest issues despite record-breaking summer sales as window slams shut for four months

The summer of all summer splurges is finally done with the conclusion of the transfer window last night.

Premier League clubs have once again spent astronomical sums of money in a bid to improve their squads, Some have managed it. Others have struggled. But all have contributed to yet another record outlay, with spending surpassing the previous £3.14bn record which was set last year.

Manchester City were the biggest contributors on deadline day, spending £125m on Enzo Fernandez and a further £65m on Iliman Ndiaye.

They are among those who've invested heavily in a bid to try and catch Arsenal, who are heavily tipped to retain their Premier League crown. Liverpool and Manchester United have secured some notable deals, the Reds spending £123m on Bradley Barcola.

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Arsenal themselves have added plenty of quality - but no squad is perfect. We take a look at where each team could still be slightly short despite a record spend by England's top flight.

Arsenal

In fairness to Arsenal, it's easier said than done upgrading a squad which came within a whisker of a Premier League and Champions League double. But at the same time, it feels like a massive opportunity missed given it was obvious where Arsenal needed to level up.

With mega-money deals for Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior failing to materialise, though, Arsenal are starting the season with Christos Tzolis as their first choice left attacker. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard are also no longer on the books, so there's an argument that Arsenal are even starting the season with a weaker attack than the one that won them the title. Not exactly ideal.

Aston Villa

Leadership and experience is what Villa are missing following a drastic summer of change which saw the core of their Europa League-winning side depart. Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins were the heart and soul of Unai Emery’s side last season.

Villa have tried to replace them, but in many cases they’ve gone for potential over proven ability. The likes of John McGinn and Victor Lindelof will have a huge job on their hands this season as the new-look squad tries to gel on and off the pitch.

Bournemouth

Barring the change of manager, with Marco Rose replacing Andoni Iraola, it’s been a relatively quiet summer for Bournemouth, who haven’t followed the trend from previous years by selling a clutch of stars. Alex Scott remains a Cherry and that’s a major boost.

Junior Kroupi’s foot injury may have saved him from serious transfer interest, but it has left Bournemouth a touch short up front, where Evanilson doesn’t have much back-up. Alvaro Rodriguez will likely take time to settle following his move from Elche, while Daniel Jebbison has a lot to prove at this level after consecutive Championship loan spells.

Brentford

To their credit the Bees have enjoyed a sensational window. The club who always seem to have a plan and act in a smart way. They may well have landed the best value signing of the summer after landing Mamadou Sangare from Lens for £39m. Their performances to begin the season have impressed and beyond the fear of injuries to key individuals like Igor Thiago or Mikkel Damsgaard there's little room for concern.

Brighton

The obvious concern will be whether the Carlos Baleba hole can be suitably filled. The Cameroonian moved to Manchester United, albeit after a year where his level did dip. Nevertheless he was a major presence in the middle of the pitch. In an effort to plug that gap Chema Andes was signed on deadline day, but much will obviously rest on how quickly he can adapt.

Danny Welbeck is back at one of the country's power clubs in Chelsea. His departure could be telling given the influence he had in the final third, even if Brighton have started the season with seven goals in two games.

Chelsea

In fairness to Chelsea, there was one area of their squad which was in obvious need of a serious upgrade. But with Emi Martinez now in the door at Stamford Bridge, it's harder to nail down an obvious area of weakness in a pretty stacked squad.

After sanctioning the departure of Fernandez for a British record equalling transfer fee, it was surprising to see no replacement arrive. After all, the Argentine had spent the summer flirting with Real Madrid and then Man City; it wasn't like his exit came out of left-field. Chelsea have some serious firepower including a front three who could be the most deadly in the Premier League. But central midfield looks noticeably less star-studded than other areas of Chelsea's squad.

Coventry

The Sky Blues have invested heavily following promotion, but I can’t see where the goals are going to come from. Ellis Simms strikes me as a classic case of a player who is decent in the Championship but out of place in the Premier League, while Haji Wright is also unproven at the top level.

The arrival of Taiwo Awoniyi is a good one – and suits Frank Lampard’s crossing heavy style of play – but the Nigerian has 21 goals in 92 Premier League appearances and isn’t going to fire them to safety. Jack Rudoni, Ephron Mason-Clark and Brandon Thomas-Asante are going to need to chip in after Coventry drew a blank in their opening two games.

Crystal Palace

Palace have lost Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix – their best two centre-backs – in successive windows for a combined £72m and haven’t replaced them like-for-like. Takehiro Tomiyasu has arrived on a free transfer, while Axel Disasi and Honest Ahanor have joined on loan. That has left Palace open to accusations of trying to do things on the cheap.

Pierre Sage was always going to have a difficult job after Oliver Glasner’s exit, but the lack of experienced defenders is going to make it even harder, especially after Daniel Munoz was lost to Nottingham Forest.

Everton

The hole left by Iliman Ndiaye, who moved to Manchester City, is one that will be hard to fill, at least until January. They did manage to land Jack Grealish once again, but last term the two were able to play in tandem, when Grealish was fit. Now more will be placed upon Everton's players in the final third.

Rebuilding bridges may also be among the biggest issue post-the transfer window. Everton did eventually call off a proposed deal to sell midfielder Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest, but only after serious backlash from the club's supporters.

A bid of £40m plus a potential sell-on clause for the England Under-19 international could've seen him leave Merseyside, which would've been tough to stomach given Armstrong is seen as one of the brightest prospects to emerge from Finch Farm in recent years. Everton supporters said there would be a "riot" if he was sold. The board, led by chair Dan Friedkin, eventually decided to reject Forest's bid.

Fulham

Fulham failed to have a shot on target in their 1-0 defeat by Sunderland on the weekend and it’s hardly surprising when you look at their attacking options. The Cottagers have allowed Alvaro Arbeloa a lot of sway on their summer deals, with Real Madrid youngsters Gonzalo Garcia and César Palacios the two major arrivals. They are 22 and 21 respectively and barely have any first-team experience, let alone Premier League experience.

Raul Jimenez is gone, Rodrigo Muniz blows hot and cold and there is very little other firepower in the squad, with wingers Kevin and Oscar Bobb yet to prove their worth in a Fulham shirt.

Ipswich

The Tractor Boys are going to concede an awful lot of goals this season. Manchester United looked toothless against Hull on the opening weekend and then banged in five (which could’ve been many more) against Gary O’Neil’s side.

Jacob Greaves was part of the Ipswich squad which was relegated in 2024/25 and looked some way short of Premier League quality against United. Ipswich have signed Premier League experience in the form of Issa Diop, but Dara O’Shea at right-back doesn’t look like a viable option. New goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen is going to be a busy man, with O’Neil unlikely to opt for a defence-first tactical approach.

Hull

The season couldn't have started better for the Tigers, who have a 100 percent record so far, but they'll no doubt be up against it at points this season. They finished sixth, some 22 points off champions Coventry, but still won promotion via the play-offs last term so the obvious concern will be the overall quality of their squad given they now have to mix it with the Premier League's elite. Nobel Mendy has arrived for a record fee and immediate shown his class, an injury to him could be something Hull struggle to cope with.

Leeds

The Yorkshire side secured a point on Sunday courtesy of Dominic Calvert-Lewin's late strike, but the dependence on the former Everton striker remains. He excelled last season, scoring 15 times, but the lack of cover beyond him is notable.

He has dovetailed well in the final third with the likes Lukas Nmecha, who assisted his goal last time out, but an injury to either of those would leave Leeds short. Daniel Farke will feel more comfortable with his defence, owing to the major captures of James Trafford and Tarik Muharemovic, but goals win games and last term Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha were responsible for 40 percent of Leeds' goals.

Liverpool

The fact it’s hard to choose one position tells you a lot about Liverpool’s transfer window. But I would say that keeping Cody Gakpo is wise and at least means it’s not just Rio Ngumoha on the right wing.

Jamie Carragher had been desperate for a new central midfielder, which undoubtedly would’ve been advantageous. But I think right-back is even more precarious, with Jeremie Frimpong essentially unchallenged as the first-choice in the position, with Conor Bradley a long-term injury absentee. Frimpong is rapid, but isn’t a great defender and his crossing in the first two games of the season have shown just how good Trent Alexander-Arnold really was.

Manchester City

It's definitely a new-look Manchester City who will be vying for another Premier League title under Enzo Maresca. But have they really replaced the best defensive midfielder in the land after agreeing to sell Rodri to Barcelona?

They have spent the best part of £300m to 'upgrade' their engine room with mega-bucks deals for Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez and Ayyoub Bouaddi. Who could all be sensational signings. But there is still a Rodri-shaped hole in that Man City midfield.

Manchester United

United seem prepared to heavily target one area per summer at the moment, 12 months after they invested heavily in the attack they ploughed over £150m into their midfield. That has left the defence exposed though.

No major recruit for the backline has been added in two years and United can be got at in that area. They've conceded twice in each of their opening two games and the lack of a world class individuals, especially when compared to their rivals, is obvious. The lack of depth is also clear, an injury to Luke Shaw, or a centre-half could leave Michael Carrick's side exposed at the back.

Newcastle

Newcastle have taken some heavy hits in recent windows and losing Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes would not have been part of their big summer plan. But the Magpies have regrouped and done plenty of positive business.

Do they have the teeth in attack to ensure they enjoy a better campaign under Matthias Jaissle? It's been a fine start and already both Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa look far more dangerous than they did last year. Newcastle added the versatile Matias Fernandez-Pardo to their ranks from Lille on deadline day with Nick Woltemade heading out on loan to Juventus. Guimaraes was Newcastle's top scorer last with nine goals with Woltemade one behind. It feels like they are short of an out and out No 9 to score the goals needed to get back into the Champions League picture.

Nottingham Forest

Central midfield appears a bit thin to me, which is hardly surprising after the departure of star man Elliot Anderson. James McAtee caught the eye at Anfield on the weekend but lacks the tenacity and ball-winning ability to play in Oliver Glasner’s demanding two-man midfield. Xaver Schlager arrived on a free transfer from Leipzig, and the Austrian knows Glasner well having worked under him at Wolfsburg, but has huge boots to fill.

Sunderland

The £25.7m deadline day deal for Malick Fofana addressed an issue on the wing, but doubt remains over whether the Black Cats have enough depth on their squad to cope with Premier League and Europa League campaigns. The difficulty of playing two games per week and the travel that comes with it will tell.

Sunderland’s best starting XI is largely unchanged from last season’s impressive campaign, but Regis Le Bris will have to rely on the back-up players at times. If Granit Xhaka, Dom Ballard or Enzo Le Fee are unavailable, will their replacement step up to the mark? A gruelling season awaits.

Tottenham

Spurs have splashed a serious amount of cash in an attempt to improve on back-to-back 17th-place finishes and they surely will do just that. But there are a few obvious weaknesses. One is at right-back, where Pedro Porro is the only specialist, leaving Archie Gray as an awkward back-up.

But the most glaring issue might be up front, where Dominic Solanke hasn’t impressed. Richarlison was keen to leave for Everton on deadline day. And while a fine addition, Omar Marmoush isn’t a centre-forward and will have a lot of expectation on his shoulders.

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