At the very end of an extraordinary summer window, Transfer Deadline Day did not disappoint.
Enzo Fernandez’s joint-British transfer record move from Chelsea to Manchester City grabbed the headlines, but a host of other big deals ensured a suitably dramatic end to a hectic summer.
With Man City reportedly spending £125m on Fernandez, the Argentina midfielder became the fourth £100m+ player to move to a Premier League club this summer, following Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa to Chelsea), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain to Liverpool) and Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest to Man City).
City also left it late to secure the services of Iliman Ndiaye, who joined from Everton, while other notable moves included Newcastle United’s capture of Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Aston Villa’s signing of Ibrahim Mbaye.
Here is our round-up of deals done on a dramatic deadline day:
Man City’s midfield revamp
Having been omitted from Chelsea’s squad for their two most recent matches, Fernandez moved to Man City. It's the second time he has commanded a transfer fee in excess of £100m, after joining Chelsea from Benfica in 2023 for a reported then-British record fee of £107m.
Fernandez's transfer reunites the Argentinian with former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, and forms part of a wholesale Man City midfield revamp that the media suggests has cost the club in excess of £300m.
After initially breaking the club’s transfer record to sign Anderson from Forest earlier this summer, Maresca’s side had a busy deadline day, also bringing in wingers Ndiaye, for a reported £65m from Everton, and Allan Elias, a Brazilian from Palmeiras.
The latest additions will join 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi, who arrived from Lille last week. According to reports, Bouaddi's transfer fee was more than £80m.
A host of midfielders have departed the Etihad Stadium this summer, with Savio joining Tottenham Hotspur, Nico Gonzalez moving to Newcastle, Rodri heading to Barcelona, Tijjani Reijnders joining Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah, and Bernardo Silva leaving at the end of his contract to join Real Madrid. Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush also left, joining Spurs.
Chelsea’s day of departures
Seeking a direct central midfield replacement for Fernandez, Chelsea reportedly came close to signing Monaco’s Lamine Camara, only for the deal to break down late in the day.
Fernandez was far from alone in leaving Stamford Bridge, with former No 1 goalkeeper Robert Sanchez joining Italian side Como, managed by former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, on a loan deal with an option to make the transfer permanent.
A pair of Chelsea players headed across London to join Spurs, with centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo signing on a permanent basis and winger Mykhailo Mudryk arriving initially on loan with an option to buy.
The latter’s move reunites him with his former manager Roberto De Zerbi. The pair worked together at Shakhtar Donetsk, with De Zerbi later suggesting Mudryk “has the potential to win the Ballon d’Or”.
Chelsea also saw striker Marc Guiu join RB Leipzig, while Deivid Washington moved permanently to Strasbourg and Dario Essugo joined the French club on loan.
Italy’s 18-year-old defender Honest Ahanor will join Chelsea from Atalanta in 2027 after spending the rest of this season on loan at Crystal Palace.
Two in for Everton
Ndiaye’s departure was the biggest move on a busy day for Everton, who had mixed success while missing out on American forward Folarin Balogun.
The club submitted a deal sheet to extend the 11pm deadline in the hope of signing the former Arsenal man from Monaco, but the transfer did not progress to completion. David Moyes will have Jack Grealish back at the Hill Dickinson Stadium though, after the England midfielder joined on a season-long loan from Man City, having also spent the 2025/26 campaign there.
Another former Arsenal player, the versatile defender/midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles, joined from Lyon. Heading in the other direction, as well as striker Beto leaving for Fiorentina, right-back Nathan Patterson joined Torino.
Newcastle and Villa opt for youth
Newcastle’s youthful rejuvenation continued with the signing of forward Fernandez-Pardo from Lille for a reported £51m. Capable of playing as a No 9, No 10 or wide on the left, the 21-year-old Belgian fits a similar mould to Anthony Gordon, who left the club in a summer that also saw senior figures Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali depart.
Newcastle have focused on young talent to take their place, having also brought in the likes of Bazoumana Toure (20 years old), Sean Steur (18) and Aladji Bamba (20).
Deadline day also saw forward Nick Woltemade depart Newcastle on loan for Juventus.
Villa have also largely opted for youth after a summer of high turnover. They paid Paris Saint-Germain a reported £47m on deadline day for 18-year-old winger Mbaye, who became the youngest African player to score at a men’s World Cup when he netted for Senegal this summer. Villa also brought in England international centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton.
Deadline day for Arsenal marked by exits
Much of the summer had seen Julian Alvarez linked with a potential move to Premier League champions Arsenal, but the Spanish forward remained at Atletico Madrid, with Mikel Arteta’s side opting against attacking reinforcements and instead focused on outgoings.
Gabriel Martinelli’s potential departure to Al-Hilal could be the biggest sale in Arsenal’s history with a reported fee of £55m, although the deal has not yet been completed. Saudi Arabia’s transfer window runs until 6 September.
Gabriel Jesus' exit was confirmed as he became the third Premier League player to join Barcelona this summer after Gordon, from Newcastle, and Rodri, from Man City.
Ethan Nwaneri headed to Borussia Dortmund on loan, with Fabio Vieira moving on a permanent deal to Hamburg.
A few miles away at Spurs, several fringe players also departed on season-long loans. Pape Matar Sarr moved to Juventus on an initial loan with an obligation to buy, while winger Mikey Moore joined Cologne, centre-back Kevin Danso headed north to Sunderland, fellow centre-back Kota Takai headed to Sint-Truidense, and full-back Souza joined Porto.
Hull take summer signings to 18
Following an already busy summer, Hull City were the most active Premier League club on deadline day, making six signings to take their total number of incomings this transfer window to 18.
Central midfielder Tim Iroegbunam made the switch from Everton, German forward Ilyas Ansah joined from Union Berlin, Wales winger Sorba Thomas arrived from Stoke City, Greece midfielder Christos Mouzakitis joined from Olympiacos and full-back Brooke Norton-Cuffy moved from Genoa, with Cody Drameh going in the opposite direction to the Italian club. Roma striker Robinio Vaz also joined on a season-long loan, while Liam Millar departed the MKM Stadium, moving on loan to Birmingham City.
Other clubs doing business on Deadline Day
Sunderland signed 18-year-old striker Juan Riquelme Angulo Caicedo after reportedly winning a battle with Crystal Palace to sign Lyon winger Malick Fofana.
However, Palace did make three late signings themselves, bringing in Ben Chilwell from Strasbourg, Quinten Timber from Marseille and Dario Osorio from Midtjylland. Meanwhile, Borna Sosa left Selhurst Park to join Cologne on loan.
Manuel Angel became Fulham’s third signing from manager Alvaro Arbeloa’s former club Real Madrid this summer, with the midfielder following Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios in moving to Craven Cottage.
Austrian centre-back David Affengruber signed from Elche, while Fulham also brought in Swedish central midfielder Hugo Larsson, who joined from Eintracht Frankfurt initially on loan but with an obligation to buy.
The German club also saw Jean-Matteo Bahoya depart, with the winger moving to Leeds United on an initial loan with an option to buy. Wilfried Gnonto left Elland Road on a season-long loan to Fiorentina.
Brighton & Hove Albion brought in Spain Under-21 midfielder Chema Andres from Stuttgart. Igor Julio left the club for Burnley.
Liverpool’s only deadline-day signing was 18-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans, who has agreed a six-year contract at Anfield, but will remain at his former club Genk on loan for the remainder of the season.
Forest had three players depart on loan - Omari Hutchinson to AC Milan, centre-back Morato to West Ham United where he is reuniting with Nuno Espirito Santo, and Zach Abbott to Southampton.
Coventry City loaned out Liam Kitching to Sheffield United, while fellow newly promoted club Ipswich Town brought in Zian Flemming as their 14th signing of the summer. The forward scored 11 Premier League goals for Burnley last season.