The Christmas period is upon us, which means we are somehow already more or less at the midway point of the 2025-26 football season. As many of Europe's leading leagues pause for the winter break, it's time to take stock and reflect on four scintillating months of action. It's also the opportune moment to assess those players who completed transfers across the continent in the summer, now that they have a decent sample size of games under their belts.
Premier League clubs once again blew the rest of Europe out of the water with their spending in pre-season, shelling out a combined ($4bn) on new arrivals – obliterating the previous record of £2.36bn ($3.16bn) that was set back in 2023. English champions Liverpool dominated the headlines, making the three most expensive signings of the entire window in Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
However, we've seen once again in the early stages of the new campaign that you don't always need to pay the big bucks for a deal to pay off handsomely, with the chances of any given transfer being successful notoriously slim. Indeed, sometimes you don't have to spend a penny.
But across the continent, who are the summer movers who have had the biggest and most unexpected impact for their new employers? Below, GOAL ranks the 10 very best signings of the European season so far:
- Getty Images Sport
10Malick Thiaw (Newcastle – £35m)
Many rival fans and pundits accused Newcastle of late-window desperation when they finally made their second outfield signing of what was a highly frustrating summer in mid-August, with central defender Thiaw arriving from AC Milan. Fast-forward four months, though, and it looks like a very shrewd piece of business.
The German has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, swiftly becoming an ever-present in a staunch rearguard alongside a combination of Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Dan Burn and even being lauded as one of the best centre-backs in the division. Indeed, the Magpies had the third-best defence in the English top-flight through 17 games, based on total expected goals conceded (18.8).
While it was presumed he would just warm the bench, Thiaw has become a key player – dominating in the air, demonstrating his ball-playing ability and even chipped in with a brace against Everton in late November.
Advertisement
- Getty Images Sport
9Marcus Rashford (Barcelona – loan)
It was difficult to overstate the significance of Marcus Rashford's loan to Barcelona when the Manchester United outcast rather surprisingly headed to Catalunya in the summer. There was a genuine case to argue that the 27-year-old was in the last-chance saloon for a career at the very highest level. Thankfully, though, it is an opportunity he has seized with both hands.
While there is fierce competition for places in an attacking unit that also features vice-captain Raphinha, the timeless Robert Lewandowski and wonderkid Lamine Yamal, among others, Rashford has capitalised on an early-season injury to the former to make himself a key figure. Operating more like an out-and-out winger, he has racked up seven goals and 11 assists in 24 games across all competitions, with manager Hansi Flick branding his mentality "perfect".
- (C)GettyImages
8Joan Garcia (Barcelona – €25m)
So far, Barcelona have been vindicated in their contentious decision to brutally relegate long-term No.1 Marc-Andre ter Stegen to third-choice goalkeeper and spark a feud with their club captain in the summer, thanks to the form of the new man between the sticks, Joan Garcia.
The 24-year-old has shone so far, producing a number of fine saves that have helped the Blaugrana rise to the top of La Liga – including a point-saving display against Rayo Vallecano and outstanding showing against Villarreal in their final match of 2025. He boasts an impressive save percentage of 79 and while his six clean sheets in 12 league games speak for themselves. Intriguingly, Ter Stegen has now recovered from a long-term back injury, but Flick has confirmed that Garcia is still his No.1.
- Getty Images Sport
7Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal – £60m)
Martin Zubimendi's debut season at Arsenal won't necessarily be remembered for individual statistics, but the Spain international has had a transformative effect on the players around him – none more so than Declan Rice. The 26-year-old has anchored the Gunners' midfield adeptly, bringing his invaluable combination of ball-playing ability and bite in the challenge, which has crucially allowed the England man – previously pigeonholed as a defensive midfielder – to thrive in a more box-to-box role.
Rice has already professed his love of playing alongside Zubimendi, and as he adapts seamlessly to the demands of English football it feels as though we are witnessing the beginning of an all-time Premier League midfield partnership, with Mikel Arteta's side on track to claim the title.
