Ten signings already making their mark on the Premier League, from Tzolis to Tzolakis

Five Premier League matchdays and a handful of cup games. That's enough to start separating the wheat from the chaff among this summer's signings, and the first lesson is clear: price doesn't always dictate impact. Some clubs paid 177 million and are still searching for answers, while others landed a player for a far more modest fee who has already taken ownership of the locker room. Here's a rundown, from smallest to biggest impact, of the ten signings that have generated the most buzz at the start of the 2026-27 season.

From Tzolakis to Jacquet: the names that surprised

We start at number 9 with Christos Tzolis, who arrived at Arsenal without the media fanfare of a Vinícius Júnior or a Morgan Rogers, but who is already the team's top assist provider across all competitions with four assists. He made his debut with two assists in the Community Shield and has grown into his role by cutting inside from the left, though he's also had quiet afternoons, like against Brighton or that halftime substitution versus Aston Villa.

Between the posts for Aston Villa, Zion Suzuki has soothed a wound that stung: Emiliano Martínez's departure to Chelsea. The Japanese goalkeeper leads the league in goalkeeper clearances (7) and, above all, has dazzled with his distribution, capable of launching pinpoint long passes with either foot.

Leeds United have in Tarik Muharemović a center back tailor-made for the Premier League: gritty, strong in the air and fourth in the league in defensive clearances (37), he has slotted seamlessly into Daniel Farke's back three following Pascal Struijk's departure.

At Stamford Bridge, Morgan Rogers arrived for a record fee for a British player, 117 million pounds, and has answered with seven goals and assists across all competitions, including three goals in a single cup comeback against Leeds that finished 6-3. He's a boom-or-bust player, bad games included, but the overall balance has been very positive.

Brentford found a bargain in Mamadou Sangaré, who for 38.5 million pounds has become, according to the analytics firm Gradient, the best player in the league in individual duels (rating of 81.1), with a reading of the game that stands out even to the naked eye.

Brighton, for their part, bet 46 million pounds on Luka Vušković, just 19 years old, and the Croatian center back has responded with defensive solidity and shares second place in the league for completed switches of play (5).

The top three

Elliot Anderson has become a key piece for Manchester City, who top the table with five wins from five matches. The midfielder, signed from Nottingham Forest for 116 million pounds, leads the team in tackles and interceptions (3.25 per game) and in passes (86.1 per game), and was decisive in the tight 1-0 win in the Manchester derby played with ten men.

At Anfield, Jérémy Jacquet has taken over from Ibrahima Konaté with an authority nobody expected so soon. The French center back, who arrived from Rennes for 60 million pounds after a shoulder injury, has the best individual defense rating in the entire league (82.4) according to Gradient.

And right at the top, in the number one spot, is Konstantinos Tzolakis, the goalkeeper who has turned Hull City into the surprise of the season's opening weeks: eight points from five matches, including a win over Manchester United and a draw with Chelsea. Tzolakis already has three clean sheets to his name and has come up with decisive saves, like the one that denied Coventry's goal on matchday 2, the stop on a Reece James free kick against Chelsea on matchday 4, and the penalty he saved from Yoane Wissa right before the international break. He's also the goalkeeper with the most crosses claimed in the league (11).

The stat that best sums up Ronald Araújo, second in this ranking, also serves as a fitting close: with him on the field, Liverpool have yet to concede a single league goal. He arrived from Barcelona with a buy option set at 55 million euros for next summer, and far from being a risky gamble, he has earned his place in a side that has won four of its last five matches across all competitions.