1. Watford

Arguably the club who most backed their manager relative to their resources, and also signed the widest range of different qualities. Watford got Marco Silva strikers, players he knows like Andre Carrillo, and a decent English core to add some badly needed identity to a previously transient team in players like Nathaniel Chalobah and Tom Cleverley. There was a forensic nature to what they did, as was reflected in the forensic way they took apart Bournemouth last week.

2. West Brom

On a deadline day that was expected to involve so many massive deals, West Brom pulled off one of the most impressive in getting Grzegorz Krychowiak from Paris Saint-Germain. That didn’t just raise eyebrows but was in-keeping with the way they generally raised the level of their squad with signings like Kieran Gibbs, Oliver Burke and Jay Rodriguez.

3. Leicester City

They went about it rather quietly, but that was just one other reason why the 2016 champions enjoyed one the smartest transfer windows, even if they ended up losing Danny Drinkwater. They still kept Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, and signed intelligently in additions like Harry Maguire and Vicente Iborra.

The fact Jose Mourinho was so relaxed coming up to deadline said almost as much as his side’s recent displays. The club completed signings for all the positions that he saw as crucial, as those early-season performances made clear, even if it would have been his preference to bring in another wide player.

It would in fact have been an ideal window if that wide player had also been the kind of star quality that truly elevates the overall standard of the team, such as Gareth Bale, and there is still an argument that United may end up ruing the inability to bring in that type of player. It is inarguable, however, that they have improved the balance and fluency of the squad.

Their window is so much better than it looked like it was going to be a few weeks ago and, in the end, so much better than most of the division. Spurs added significant depth, added a genuine coup in Fernando Llorente, and only lost Kyle Walker from their much-envied squad. The only wrinkle is that much envied squad could still have done with that extra bit of innovation and quality in attack, to really take them up a level. This window may not do that, but it is still a step above most.

Substantially improved their squad in most areas, but enough to bridge the gap between seventh and sixth or above? The lack of pace from a striker suggests not. A hugely progressive window, but no longer looks like a properly ground-breaking one.

City missing out on their top target in Alexis Sanchez will greatly colour their window - and will especially disappoint Pep Guardiola - but it shouldn’t be forgotten that their attack was already supremely well stocked, while they have strengthened a number of other key areas. The Catalan got the full-backs he wanted, and Bernardo Silva is likely to prove one of the signings of the summer.

For a time, it threatened to be a truly block-busting and game-changing summer as there was hope they would still add Virgil van Dijk and Thomas Lemar to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mohamed Salah, with Naby Keita to come next summer - and that is pretty much the only reason why this otherwise good transfer now feels a touch underwhelming.

Liverpool have undeniably improved and also kept Philippe Coutinho, but not quite made the huge impression expected. It also remains debatable whether Jurgen Klopp has the depth, or the defence, for a full title challenge.

9. Swansea City

Made one of the most remarkable deals of the summer in getting Renato Sanches from Bayern Munich, topping off some clever business that also saw the gem of Roque Mesa arrive… but have also lost the defence-opening capabilities of Fernando Llorente. Whether Wilfried Bony can still offer that type of strikerate is open to question.

10. Stoke City

Given some of the fears for their campaign, they ended up making some very astute deals, adding the experience of Darren Fletcher, the sturdiness of Kurt Zouma and exhilarating speed of Jese.

11. Huddersfield

Their work in the market reflects their displays in the Premier League so far: progressive and confidence-inspiring, if also economy-defying.

12. Bournemouth

Have brought in a range of different qualities they lacked in the experience of Jermain Defoe and Asmir Begovic and the youth of Nathan Ake, but maybe could still have done with another attacking midfielder.

Top 25 players in Premier League history Show all 25 1 / 25 Top 25 players in Premier League history Top 25 players in Premier League history 25. Michael Carrick Behind Ronaldo and Rooney, the next-most important man to United’s recovery in the second half of the 2000s. He was a stylish player for Tottenham but over 11 seasons at Old Trafford he has given them the control that they lacked during their difficult years in the early 2000s. And he was even more important to their resurgence in Europe. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 24. Eden Hazard The most decisive attacking player in the Premier League of this decade, Hazard came to Chelsea from Lille in 2012. He was then Chelsea’s best player in their title wins of both 2015 and 2017, mixing an ability to burst past defenders with an eye for goal and a muscular physicality that opponents often under-estimated. And even then it feels like his very best football is still ahead of him. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 23. Didier Drogba The most important signing of the Jose Mourinho era at Chelsea, Drogba joined from Marseille in 2004 and once he established himself he was the perfect modern target man. His power, presence and goals were crucial to Mourinho’s Chelsea, and then to Carlo Ancelotti’s, and he won three titles before returning to help out in the 2014-15 title win too. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 22. Peter Schmeichel With all due respect to Petr Cech, Schmeichel is the greatest goalkeeper of the Premier League era, a man almost as important as Eric Cantona in giving Manchester United the presence, charisma and quality they needed to reassert themselves as the best team in the country in the 1990s. Won five titles at United, and played for Aston Villa and Manchester City afterwards. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 21. Luis Suarez Only played in the Premier League for three and a half years and yet he was so unforgettably good during his brief spell at Liverpool that he demands inclusion. His 2013-14 season remains the greatest single season by a player in Premier League history, when he scored 31 brilliant goals and came within inches of winning Liverpool’s first title for a generation. Wonder what he could have done in a better team? In his first year at Barcelona he won the Champions League. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 20. Sol Campbell During his long peak, Campbell was a mix of athleticism, bravery and intelligence, anchoring the Spurs defence for six seasons, Arsenal for five and Portsmouth, at their very best, for another three. He was one of the crucial signings who helped to take Arsenal to the next level, and to the 2001-02 and 2003-04 titles, even if that controversial free transfer move will never be forgiven by Tottenham fans. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 19. Sergio Aguero One of the greatest strikers of the Premier League era, and the man who provided its greatest ever moment. Aguero will always be known as the man whose 94th minute winner won the 2011-12 title for Manchester City. But that was just one of 122 Premier League goals he has scored in his six seasons in England, in four of which he has gone past 20. If he had stayed injury free he would even more. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 18. David Beckham Yet another star of the Manchester United treble-winning team, Beckham’s fame eventually transcended United, the Premier League and football itself after his move to Real Madrid in 2003. But before then he was a consistent, dangerous, hard-working midfielder who was as important as anyone to the six Premier League titles he won during his time at Old Trafford. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 17. Andy Cole Number three on the list of all-time top Premier League goalscorers with 187, Cole was a star of Kevin Keegan’s first great Newcastle United team. In 1995 he made a surprising transfer to Manchester United and after a slow start he was eventually a big success: he brilliantly partnered with Dwight Yorke in the treble season, before being sold to Blackburn in 2001. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 16. Michael Owen Like Rooney, a striker who almost suffered by achieving so much so early: Owen won two Premier League Golden Boots as a teenager and was electric between breaking into the Liverpool first team at 17 and leaving for Real Madrid at 24. He even won the Ballon d’Or. Did eventually get his medal, with Manchester United, but it is the first half of his career for which he will always be remembered. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 15. Paul Scholes Perhaps underappreciated at the peak of his powers, Scholes was the pass and move specialist at the heart of United’s great teams. He played some of his best football in the final years of his career, after overcoming an eye injury, and even came out of retirement in 2012, helping United to the 2012-13 Premier League title, the sixth of his career. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 14. David Silva Manchester City’s greatest ever player, Silva was signed from Valencia in 2010 and has now given them seven years of highly-skilled control in midfield. City would never have won their two Premier League titles without Silva pulling the strings and he has proven more consistent than his two best colleagues, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 13. Dennis Bergkamp As important as Thierry Henry to the style and success of the early Arsene Wenger years, Bergkamp predated Wenger’s arrival but was his perfect representative on the pitch. Bergkamp was, in his own words, the ‘technical leader’ of those Arsenal teams and those three Premier League titles before his retirement would have been unimaginable without him. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 12. John Terry The last great old-fashioned centre-back, Terry was one of the building blocks of the great Chelsea team of the 2000s, and outlasted all of them, not leaving the club until 2017. He was the captain and defensive organiser behind four Premier League titles and was there for a fifth, under Antonio Conte, although by that point he was in a bit-part role. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 11. Wayne Rooney Went from teen prodigy at Everton to become leading man at Manchester United before returning to Goodison with five Premier League titles and 198 league goals. Happy to play up front, out wide or in midfield, always with the same audacity, conviction and skill. Questions he faces about whether he fulfilled his potential are a testament to just how good he was, and what he achieved, before the age of 25. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 10. Eric Cantona Not Manchester United’s best player of the Premier League era but one of the most important. He gave United the extra edge they needed when he arrived in 1992, inspiring them with his charisma and imagination, and a stylish approach to the game that stood out in the muddy early 90s. He only played four and a half seasons at United but it was more than enough to make his deep mark. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 9. Rio Ferdinand The most accomplished defender of the era, he was promising at West Ham United and Leeds United and then consistently brilliant during his 12 seasons at Manchester United. He won the league six times there, anchoring the defence of arguably the greatest English team of this century. Neither United nor England have known quite what to do since. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 8. Alan Shearer The Premier League’s greatest ever goalscorer, by far. His 260 goals is 62 more than second-placed Wayne Rooney, the result of terrorising defences from the league’s foundation in 1992 with Southampton until his retirement in 2006. He only won one title, with Blackburn, having joined Newcastle in 1996, but he was a hero there, overcoming knee injuries and staying dangerous. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 7. Steven Gerrard Surely the greatest Premier League player never to win a medal, Gerrard was the inspiration for almost 15 years’ worth of Liverpool teams. There has never been a Premier League midfielder quite like him, as powerful and spectacular, but he could never find the team to take him to the title. He came close in 2009 and closer in 2014, and unfortunately he will always be associated with that glorious failure. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 6. Patrick Vieira The first and best signing of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal reign, he arrived as a 20-year-old who had not settled at Milan and left as a three-time Premier League winner. He was as much of a by-word for leadership, tenacity, resilience and skill under pressure as his great rival Roy Keane. There has not been a player truly like him or Keane in the 12 years since they both left. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 5. Frank Lampard Unmatchable as a consistent goalscoring midfielder: 10 consecutive seasons with double figures of Premier League goals. He was the intelligent engine of the great Chelsea teams through the 2000s, winning three league titles as well as the Champions League in 2012. He retired with 177 Premier League goals, the fourth most ever, having never even played up front once. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 4. Ryan Giggs No-one can match Giggs for longevity but he is about even more than that. His total of 13 Premier League medals will surely never be matched and he will also be remembered as a man whose game changed as his body did, more successfully than anyone ever. He was an explosive winger in the first great United team of the mid-1990s before, in the late 2000s and early 2010s, finishing off as a thoughtful midfielder. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 3. Roy Keane Behind Sir Alex Ferguson himself, the next most important man in establishing Manchester United’s Premier League hegemony was Roy Keane. Arrived as the British record signing in 1993 but then inspired United to the 1994 double, the 1996 double and best of all the 1999 treble. He was an imposing presence in midfield, and after he faded in the 2000s, United spent years trying to replace him. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 2. Thierry Henry Unlike Ronaldo, Henry gave the best years of his career to England, winning two Premier League titles and four Golden Boots during his long purple patch in the first half of the 2000s. He was Arsenal’s cutting edge and embodied their best qualities: speed, style, skill, imagination and class. He is the fifth top goalscorer in Premier League history, a remarkable achievement for a player who only spent seven seasons here. Getty Top 25 players in Premier League history 1. Cristiano Ronaldo No player has ever dominated and decided the Premier League like Cristiano Ronaldo did for Manchester United between 2006 and 2009. Those three straight title-winning seasons – he won the 2008 Champions League too - remain the high-point for consistent performance in the history of this competition. And he was only 24 when he left for Real Madrid. Imagine what he could have achieved in England if he had stayed. Getty

13. Southampton

They claimed the coup of keeping Virgil van Dijk but, as with Arsenal and Alexis Sanchez, it will now depend on the player whether that is actually the positive it would have seemed a few months ago. At the very least, he is unlike the Chilean in that he cannot leave on a free at the end of the season, and it shouldn’t be overlooked Southampton still did some good deals like Mario Lemina.

14. Burnley

It’s worth remembering that one of the fears at the start of the summer was losing Sean Dyche, and they have kept him while also bolstering the side with the muscle of Jon Walters and - as illustrated against Tottenham last week - the striking thrust of Chris Wood.

Had Arsenal been told at the start of the summer that they would definitively keep Alexis Sanchez - as Arsene Wenger had been insisting all along - it would have felt like such a success, but that is now up for considerable debate. The very fact that Wenger was willing to sell him at the end makes those insistences rather hollow, and also reflects the fact that they are now stuck with a player who desperately wants to leave, rather than having been able to bring in someone they could build with. And this is the issue. Have they really built on a squad that finished sixth last season and needed something different? That is not as debatable. They simply haven’t built enough, especially since they didn’t get a midfielder.

They may have got good money for the erratic Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the circumstances and also got in the muscle of Saed Kolasinac and goals of Alexandre Lacazette but, as the opening games have already made clear, it still feels the same old Arsenal.

16. Brighton

Some typically considered buys, and have greatly added to the depth of their squad with 11 signings, but it’s currently difficult to see how any of them will add the goals they need to stay up.

Chelsea did actually make some good signings, and have maybe even improved their first XI… but the brutal reality is that, unless they retain the title, none of that will be remembered. What will be remembered is a much more damaging perception: that so many players rejected the champions, and that they struggled to get so much business over the line. Everything they did, right down to the now relatively early signing of Tiemoue Bakayoko, was painstaking in how difficult it was. Little wonder Conte has been so pained about it all, especially since it still looks like Chelsea could struggle for numbers if they suffer injuries from an extended schedule this season. They only got one of the wing-backs he wanted in, and didn’t get the extra forward players. It again raises the question as to why they let so many players like Nemanja Matic go before bringing in replacements, as it meant they couldn’t raise the overall standard of the squad - and that was the main concern. The irony is that one of the players they definitely wanted to get rid of, in Diego Costa, is still there. The bottom line is meanwhile that this summer was supposed to be about Conte finding the solutions to the few remaining problems in the champions’ teams, but has instead only resulted in so, so many questions.

18. West Ham United

A club with a relatively thin squad didn’t do enough business, despite quality signings like Javier Hernandez, and it just seems to reflect the lack of direction around the entire team right now.

19. Crystal Palace

Just as at the very start of the summer, much will depend on the managerial situation, but the under-pressure Frank de Boer hasn’t been able to do much with what he has and they don’t seem to have strengthened enough in any case.

20. Newcastle United