The Best Transfer Windows of Summer 2026

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The 2026 summer transfer window was one of the busiest in recent memory, with clubs across Europe spending huge sums to rebuild their squads following the World Cup.

From ambitious Premier League newcomers to European giants and Saudi Arabian powerhouses, several clubs stood out for the quality, strategy and ambition behind their recruitment.

Here are some of the best transfer windows of the summer.

Hull City

Signings

Nobel Mendy — Rayo Vallecano
Konstantinos Tzolakis — Olympiacos
Ilyas Ansah — Union Berlin
Tim Iroegbunam — Everton
Mohamed-Ali Cho — Nice
Christos Mouzakitis — Olympiacos
Lucas Herrington — Colorado Rapids
Brooke Norton-Cuffy — Genoa
Jens Hjerto-Dahl — Tromso
Sorba Thomas — Stoke City
Joe Gelhardt — Leeds United
Lucas Gourna-Douath — RB Salzburg
Jack Butland — Rangers
Elliot Stroud — Mjallby
Robinio Vaz — Roma — Loan
Hidemasa Morita — Sporting CP
Matt Targett — Newcastle United
Oscar Zambrano — Maribor

Why was it a good window?

Hull's transfer window was arguably one of the most ambitious of the summer. After winning promotion to the Premier League, the club completely transformed its squad, bringing in 18 new players. The recruitment covered virtually every position, with Premier League experience, international quality and exciting young talent all added. It was a clear statement that Hull have no intention of simply making up the numbers in the top flight.

Leeds United

Signings

James Trafford — Manchester City
Tarik Muharemovic — Sassuolo
Nico Elvedi — Borussia Monchengladbach
Michael Zetterer — Eintracht Frankfurt
Jean-Mattéo Bahoya — Eintracht Frankfurt
Melvin Bard — Nice — Loan
Harry Wilson — Fulham

Why was it a good window?

Leeds took a more calculated approach than some of the other clubs on this list. Rather than completely rebuilding their squad, they targeted key positions with high-quality additions. Trafford gives them a long-term goalkeeper, Muharemovic adds youth and potential at centre-back, while Elvedi and Wilson provide valuable experience. The loan deals for Bahoya and Bard also added depth without requiring permanent commitments.

Ipswich Town

Signings

Julio Enciso — Strasbourg
Emersonn — Toulouse
Abdul Fatawu — Leicester City
Exequiel Palacios — Bayer Leverkusen
Abdoul Ouattara — Strasbourg
Zian Flemming — Burnley
Florentino Luis — Burnley
Sasa Lukic — Fulham
Issa Diop — Fulham
Kjell Scherpen — Union Saint-Gilloise
Daizen Maeda — Celtic
Chuba Akpom — Ajax
Cedric Kipre — Reims
Kayne van Oevelen — Volendam

Why was it a good window?

Ipswich went all-in on their return to the Premier League. Their recruitment combined established top-flight players such as Palacios, Florentino, Lukic and Diop with younger attacking talent such as Enciso, Emersonn and Fatawu. Maeda adds proven pace and attacking quality, while Akpom provides another experienced option up front. Ipswich have built a squad designed to compete rather than simply survive.

Middlesbrough

Signings

Will Lankshear — Tottenham Hotspur
Ashley Phillips — Tottenham Hotspur
Radek Vitek — Manchester United
Max Arfsten — Columbus Crew
Rokas Pukstas — Hajduk Split
Kyle Joseph — Hull City
Jeremy Sarmiento — Brighton & Hove Albion
Sebastian Berhalter — Vancouver Whitecaps
Myles Peart-Harris — Oxford United
Sam Byram — Leeds United
Amario Cozier-Duberry — Brighton & Hove Albion — Loan
Connor Barron — Rangers — Loan

Why was it a good window?

Middlesbrough mixed permanent investments with smart loans and free transfers. Lankshear gives them a young striker with plenty of potential, while Phillips and Vitek strengthen the defence and goalkeeping positions. Sarmiento and Cozier-Duberry add attacking pace, while Byram brings valuable experience. It was a balanced window that improved the squad without relying on one or two headline signings.

Swansea City

Signings

Joseph Opoku — Zulte Waregem
Moussa Yeo — RB Salzburg
Elijah Just — Motherwell
Stephen Eustaquio — Porto
Leo Walta — IK Sirius
Tom Iorpenda — Huddersfield Town
Ross Stewart — Southampton
Stephen Welsh — Celtic
Jeremy Monga — Manchester City — Loan
Jenson Seelt — Sunderland — Loan
Tiago Parente — Benfica — Loan

Why was it a good window?

Swansea focused heavily on adding technical quality and younger players with room to develop. The arrival of Eustaquio was particularly significant, bringing considerable experience, while Opoku, Yeo and Just give the squad more pace and creativity. The overall strategy was to improve the squad while maintaining Swansea's long-term recruitment model.

Wrexham

Signings

Anthony Patterson — Sunderland
Jacques Ekomie — Angers
Callum O'Hare — Sheffield United
Danny Imray — Crystal Palace
Ben Whiteman — Preston North End
Issa Kabore — Manchester City
Joe Worrall — Burnley

Why was it a good window?

Wrexham targeted proven Championship players rather than simply relying on their growing profile. Patterson gives them a strong goalkeeper, O'Hare adds creativity and Whiteman brings valuable midfield experience. Ekomie and Kabore strengthen the defence, while Worrall adds further experience. It was a window built around players who can immediately contribute.

Deportivo La Coruna

Signings

Leo Roman — Mallorca
Jonathan Asp Jensen — Bayern
Bright Ede — Motor Lublin
Lorenzo Amatucci — Fiorentina
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — Marseille
Teun Gijselhart — De Graafschap
Adama Traore — Fulham
Marc Casado — Barcelona
Jose Gimenez — Atletico Madrid
Angelino — Roma

Why was it a good window?

Deportivo made a major statement with a mixture of experience and younger talent. The biggest attraction was Aubameyang, while players such as Casado and Gimenez add considerable pedigree. The window gave Deportivo greater depth while significantly raising the overall quality of the squad.

Getafe

Signings

Martin Satriano — Lyon
Zaid Romero — Club Brugge
Mario Martin — Real Madrid
Ramon Terrats — Villarreal
Sebastian Boselli — River Plate
Johan Mojica — Mallorca
Enes Unal — Bournemouth
Francho Serrano — Real Zaragoza
Nemanja Gudelj — Sevilla
Saba Sazonov — Torino
Orel Mangala — Lyon — Loan
Andres Garcia — Aston Villa — Loan
Ivan Azon — Como — Loan
Jean-Ives Valou — Villarreal

Why was it a good window?

Getafe once again showed how to operate efficiently without spending at the level of Europe's richest clubs. Satriano and Romero strengthen important areas, while Mario Martin represents an exciting young addition from Real Madrid. The addition of experienced midfielder Gudelj on a free transfer also provided excellent value.

Racing Santander

Signings

Pablo Garcia — Real Betis
Julen Agirrezabala — Athletic Club
Ivan Martin — Girona
Facundo Gonzalez — Juventus
Aaron Martin — Genoa
Aiser Villalibre — Deportivo Alaves
Iker Luque — Atletico Madrid
Matteo Prati — Cagliari
Pedro Felipe — Juventus
Sergio Canales — Monterrey
Pablo Ramon — Espanyol
Jeanuel Belocian — Bayer Leverkusen — Loan
Yassir Zabiri — Stade Rennais — Loan
Andre Almeida — Valencia — Loan

Why was it a good window?

Racing Santander's window was built around improving the squad across the pitch. The additions of Pablo Garcia, Agirrezabala, Ivan Martin and Facundo Gonzalez strengthened several key areas, while the club also added plenty of experience and depth. It was an ambitious window without the need for a handful of blockbuster signings.

Real Madrid

Signings

Yan Diomande — RB Leipzig
Marc Cucurella — Chelsea
Carlos Espi — Levante
Denzel Dumfries — Inter Milan
Ibrahima Konate — Liverpool
Bernardo Silva — Manchester City

Why was it a good window?

Real Madrid combined superstar-level recruitment with smart free transfers. Diomande was the headline arrival, while Cucurella and Dumfries dramatically improve the full-back positions. Adding Konate and Bernardo Silva without paying a transfer fee was arguably just as impressive, giving Madrid two elite players with no transfer fee required.

Como

Signings

Trevoh Chalobah — Chelsea
Alvaro Morata — AC Milan
Mattia Liberali — Catanzaro
Luis Milla — Getafe
Moise Kean — Fiorentina — Loan
Yan Couto — Borussia Dortmund
Samuele Ricci — AC Milan — Loan
Andres Cuenca — Barcelona
Robert Sanchez — Chelsea — Loan
Kaiki — Cruzeiro — Loan
Willy Kambwala — Villarreal — Loan

Why was it a good window?

Como continue to show that their rapid rise is no fluke. Chalobah adds Premier League and European experience to the defence, Morata gives them a proven international striker, while Liberali and Ricci fit the club's long-term strategy of recruiting younger talent. The loan deals for Kean, Sanchez, Kaiki and Kambwala also allowed Como to add significant quality without permanently committing to every player.

Fiorentina

Signings

Christ Inao Oulai — Trabzonspor
Arthur Atta — Udinese
Mateo Pellegrini — Parma
Beto — Everton
Viery — Gremio
Giovanni Fabbian — Bologna
Marco Brescianini — Atalanta
Victor Valdepenas — Real Madrid
Alieu Njie — Torino — Loan
Pedro Goncalves — Sporting CP — Loan
Alex Jimenez — Bournemouth — Loan
Joao Mario — Juventus — Loan
Radu Drqgusin — Tottenham Hotspur
Wilfried Gnonto — Leeds United — Loan
Franco Mastantuono — Real Madrid — Loan

Why was it a good window?

Fiorentina's window was one of the biggest squad rebuilds in Europe. The club added depth and competition throughout the squad, while also bringing in players with significant potential. Gnonto, Mastantuono, Fabbian and Jimenez provide a mixture of youth and upside, while Beto and Dragusin add experience and strength. The sheer scale of the rebuild makes Fiorentina one of the most interesting teams to watch this season.

Borussia Dortmund

Signings

Konstantinos Karetsas — Genk
Giannis Konstantelias — PAOK
Joey Veerman — PSV Eindhoven
Joane Gadou — RB Salzburg
Kaua Prates — Cruzeiro
Justin Lerma — Independiente
Ethan Nwaneri — Arsenal — Loan

Why was it a good window?

Dortmund once again leaned into their reputation for developing elite young talent. Karetsas, Konstantelias and Gadou all have huge potential, while Veerman adds proven quality and creativity in midfield. Nwaneri also gives Dortmund another exciting young attacking option. The recruitment fits Dortmund's long-term model rather than being a collection of short-term fixes.

Hamburger SV

Signings

Fabio Vieira — Arsenal
Zakaria El Ouahdi — Genk
Albert Gronbaek — Stade Rennes
Martin Adeline — Troyes
Terem Moffi — Nice
Kofi Amoako — Dynamo Dresden
Sebastiaan Bornauw — Leeds United — Loan
David Moller Wolfe — Wolverhampton Wanderers — Loan
Bilal Nadir — Marseille
Patson Daka — Leicester City

Why was it a good window?

Hamburg made a serious effort to strengthen after returning to the Bundesliga. Vieira provides creativity, while Moffi and Daka add attacking options. The loans of Bornauw and Moller Wolfe also added quality without requiring permanent commitments. Overall, Hamburg addressed multiple areas of the squad and showed they are serious about competing in the Bundesliga.

FC Koln

Signings

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey — Manchester City
Jakub Kaminski — Wolfsburg
Luka Lochoshvili — Nurnberg
Tom Kraub — Mainz
Reigan Heskey — Manchester City
Paul Okon-Engstler — Sydney FC
Thijs Dallinga — Bologna — Loan
Ellyes Skhiri — Eintracht Frankfurt
Gideon Mensah — Aj Auxerre
Martin James — PSG
Gil Neves — Benfica
Mikey Moore — Tottenham Hotspur — Loan
Borna Sosa — Crystal Palace — Loan

Why was it a good window?

Koln targeted a mixture of young prospects and Bundesliga experience. Simpson-Pusey and Heskey represent significant long-term potential, while Kaminski, Kraub and Skhiri bring experience at a higher level. The loan additions of Dallinga and Moore also increased the attacking options and gave Koln greater depth.

Besiktas

Signings

Orkun Kokcu — Benfica
Leandro Trossard — Arsenal
Kassoum Ouattara — AS Monaco
Umit Akdag — Alanyaspor
Alexander Nubel— Bayern Munich
Ernest Poku — Bayern Leverkusen — Loan
Ilhan Fakili — Clermont Foot
Fabio Miretti — Juventus — Loan
Dogan Alemdar — Stade Rennes
Dusan Vlahovic — Juventus
Salih Ozcan — Borussia Dortmund

Why was it a good window?

Besiktas made a major statement by adding established international quality alongside younger players. Kokcuand Trossard bring experience at the highest level, while Vlahovic gives the attack a proven goalscorer. Nubel's move also provides an experienced goalkeeper, making this one of the most ambitious windows in Turkiye.

Corum

Signings

Mohamed Diomande — Rangers
Ermin Mahmic — Slovan Liberec
Jesss Ramirez — Nacional
Andrei Borza — FC Rapid 1923
Alexandros Kyzirdis — Hearts
Markus Karlsbakk — Lillestrom SK
Hrvoje Smolcic — Eintract Frankfurt
Yiber Ramadani — Lecce
Aral Simsir — Altinordu
Serdar Saatci — Trabzonspor
Marcos Felipe — Eyupspor
Gokhan Gurpuz — Trabzonspor
Gokhan Sazdagi — Besiktas
Cengiz Under — Fenerbahce
Caglar Soyuncu — Fenerbahce
Berat Ozdemir — Basaksehir
Emircan Gurluk — Orenburg
Hasan Abdulkareem — Al-Zawraa SC
Hasan Emre Yesilyurt — Sariyer
Huseyin Bulu — A. Keciorengucu
Erhan Erenturk — Genclerbirligi
Alexandre Penetra — AZ Alkmaar
Youssoufa Moukoko — Copenhagen

Why was it a good window?

Corum's recruitment was notable for the sheer number of additions. The club brought in experience, international pedigree and younger talent across virtually every position, giving the squad considerably more depth heading into the new season.

🇵🇹 Benfica

Signings

Georgiy Sudakov — Shakhtar Donetsk
Alessandro Circati — Parma
Jakub Kaminski — Koln
Joao Palhinha — Bayern Munich
Enzo Barrenechea — Aston Villa
Jhon Duran — Al-Nassr — Loan
Gabriel Indio — Athletic
Souffian El Karouani — Al-Qadsiah — Loan
Claudio Echeverri — Manchester City — Loan
Clement Lenglet — Atletico Madrid

Why was it a good window?

Benfica strengthened in several areas while continuing to focus on players who could either contribute immediately or become valuable assets in the future. Sudakov and Echeverri provide enormous attacking potential, while Palhinha adds experience and defensive quality. The overall recruitment gives Benfica greater depth for both domestic and European competition.

Porto

Signings

Jakub Kiwior — Arsenal
Gabriel Mec — Gremio
In-beom Hwang — Feyenoord
Andre Silva — Elche
Santiago Gimenez — AC Milan — Loan
Souza — Tottenham Hotspur — Loan
Seko Fofana — Stade Rennais — Loan

Why was it a good window?

Porto strengthened the spine of their team with experienced players while also adding younger talent. Kiwior gives the defence another high-level option, Hwang provides quality in midfield and Gimenez offers a proven goalscoring threat. Fofana also adds considerable experience and physicality.

Ajax

Signings

Marcos Leonardo — Al-Hilal
Caio Henrique — AS Monaco
Viktor Tsygankov — Girona
Thilo Kehrer — Monaco — Loan
Julian Brandt — Borussia Dortmund
Sofyan Amrabat — Fenerbahce
Daley Blind — Girona
Jofre Torrents — Barcelona
Simon Adingra — Sunderland — Loan
Tolu Arokodare — Wolverhampton Wanderers — Loan
Marc-Andre ter Stegen — Barcelona — Loan

Why was it a good window?

Ajax produced one of the most fascinating windows in Europe. They combined proven stars with younger talent, bringing in Marcos Leonardo to lead the attack while adding experience through Brandt, Amrabat, Blind and Kehrer. The loan of ter Stegen is particularly eye-catching, while Arokodare provides another attacking option. Ajax have built a squad capable of competing immediately while still maintaining their traditional focus on developing talent.

Club Brugge

Signings

Jan Virgili — Mallorca
Freddie Potts — West Ham United
Andrej Vasovic — Luzern
Han-beom Lee — Midtjylland
Cheveyo Tsawa — FC Zurich
Wisdom Mike — Bayern Munich
Matteo Dams — Al-Ahli
Yann Sommer — Inter Milan
Samba Coulibaly — PSG

Why was it a good window?

Club Brugge combined ambitious recruitment with excellent squad planning. Virgili, Potts, Vasovic and Tsawa all represent significant investments in younger players, while Sommer provides enormous experience for free. The club have also continued to build a squad with a strong balance between immediate quality and future potential.

Al-Hilal

Signings

Gabriel Martinelli — Arsenal
Crysencio Summerville — West Ham United
Ollie Watkins — Aston Villa
Mohammed Mahzari — Al-Taawoun
Mohamed Al-Sarnoukh — Al-Fateh
Sabri Dahal — Al-Fayha
Mohammed Al-Owais — Al-Ula
Abdullah Al-Anazi — Al-Fateh
Nawaf Al-Habashi — Al-Hazem

Why was it a good window?

Al-Hilal made arguably the biggest statement outside Europe. Martinelli, Summerville and Watkins give the club a frightening amount of attacking quality, while the recruitment also fits their ambition to dominate Saudi football and compete for major honours in Asia. The addition of three Premier League attackers immediately makes Al-Hilal one of the most dangerous squads outside Europe's elite.

Olympiacos

Signings

Gustavo Puerta — Racing Santander
David Carmo — Nottingham Forest
Armando Gonzalez — Chivas
Marcus Pedersen — Torino
Leon Bailey — Aston Villa
Nair Tiknizyan — Red Star Belgrade
Joel Roca — Girona
Zinedin Smajlovic — Sandefjord
Jota Silva — Nottingham Forest
Pablo Maffeo — Mallorca
Balsa Popovic — Red Star Belgrade
Manolis Saliakas — St Pauli
Remo Freuler — Bologna
Stefan Ortega — Nottingham Forest
Konstantinos Fortounis — Al-Khaleej
Dimitrios Stouraras — Iraklis
Gustavo Sa — Nottingham Forest — Loan

Why was it a good window?

Olympiacos combined experience, physicality and technical quality across the squad. Puerta was a major investment, while Bailey provides Premier League and European experience. The free transfers of Freuler and Ortega are particularly strong pieces of business, while the loan of Gustavo Sa gives the club another creative option. The overall window leaves Olympiacos with considerably more depth for both domestic football and European competition.