Summer transfer window 2024 review: Who were the best Premier League bargains?

Huge sums have been paid, both for proven talent and wonderkids with great potential, and even the dreaded prospect of PSR spoiling the party has not stopped each club making at least a few signings.

Proven Premier League players such as Pedro Neto, Dominic Solanke and Amadou Onana have all come with an expensive price-tag, but who were the best bargain buys during this year's summer window?

Here, Sports Mole assesses which clubs fared best and rounds up the top value-for-money transfers.

How did 'the big six' do?

With the most spending power at their disposal, sides such as Manchester City and Arsenal are expected to bring in top talent during both windows, but the current landscape does not lend itself to such carefree recruitment.

England's elite clubs are concerned about the Premier League's PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules), so in addition to big outlays on Riccardo Calafiori, Leny Yoro and co, they have all - to some extent - looked for some value signings too.

Much comment has been made about Federico Chiesa's arrival at Liverpool, as the ex-Juventus winger was one of Italy's best prospects for several years and has been able to bounce back from serious injury.

Chiesa's £10.9m move to Merseyside was opportunistic, with Liverpool taking advantage of his exiled status in Turin, and the free-transfer return of Ilkay Gundogan to champions Manchester City also fits into that category.

Already a winner of multiple trophies during his time under Pep Guardiola, the Germany midfielder returned 'home' from Barcelona when it became clear the Blaugrana had to cut players loose in order to register their own returnee, Dani Olmo.

Meanwhile, Manchester United's recruitment has been more expensive, as they seek to make up the gap to several teams above them in the Premier League pecking order.

Nonetheless, the latest ex-Ajax arrival at Old Trafford - joining alongside former teammate Matthijs De Ligt - looks to be something of a snip.

Noussair Mazraoui may have had his opportunities restricted at Bayern Munich, but early displays suggest that a modest fee of £15m could be money well spent - particularly given Erik ten Hag's endless injury woes at the back.

Leaving United, though, is unwanted winger Jadon Sancho, while Raheem Sterling ultimately did not move back to Manchester as many expected.

Perhaps both players' outlandish wages should automatically omit them from being a 'bargain', but late loan moves to Chelsea and Arsenal could revive their careers for a relatively low outlay. Time will tell if that represents money well spent.

Promoted teams spend wisely

Having to cut their cloth more carefully, in order to upgrade promotion-winning squads for the rigorous demands of the Premier League, teams freshly arrived from England's second tier have been busy tying up some smart deals this summer.

For just over £20m all told, Leicester City recruited promising centre-back Caleb Okoli - just named in Luciano Spalletti's latest Italy squad - plus two reliable top-flight performers, Jordan Ayew and Bobby Decordova-Reid.

The latter pair have done it all before - and several times over - at Premier League level, and such guile and experience will be invaluable as the Foxes' comeback campaign goes on.

Meanwhile, Championship runners-up Ipswich Town have been more ambitious, filtering out some valued players that helped them escape League One just two years ago and bringing in others with greater potential.

Perhaps the best bargains to arrive at Portman Road were Republic of Ireland pair Chiedozie Ogbene (£9.5m) and Sammie Szmodics (£10.6m), both of whom will bolster Kieran McKenna's attack: the former impressed for Luton Town last year, while the latter could not stop scoring in the Championship.

Southampton's low-risk gamble on Ben Brereton Diaz may pay off too, as Saints' £8.3m signing fared well enough in a struggling Sheffield United side last season.

Mid-table bargains

An encouraging end to the window will surely leave Crystal Palace fans more positive about the challenges ahead; after the exits of Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen seemed set to spark an exodus, main man Marc Guehi has stayed put in South London.

While £30m spent on Eddie Nketiah still represents a risk, bringing in Maxence Lacroix (£18m) to replace Andersen for a significant profit followed earlier moves for Ismaila Sarr (£15m) and industrious midfielder Daichi Kamada (free).

The latter did not fit in at Lazio but has already settled well at Selhurst Park and scored his first Palace goal in midweek.

Another 'free' signing that went a little under the radar was Newcastle United's acquisition of Lloyd Kelly, formerly captain of Bournemouth and a proven Premier League defender.

Elsewhere, a deal wrapped up in May was formalised this summer, as Wolverhampton Wanderers confirmed the signing of Man City's Tommy Doyle on a permanent basis, following a season on loan at Molineux.

At just under £5m, that could turn out to be a true bargain buy should the 22-year-old midfielder go on to fulfil his potential.

Finally, the arrival of Mazraoui in Manchester heralded a long-expected exit for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but amid a summer of big spending, West Ham's £17.6m outlay for the reliable right-back must be considered a good piece of business.

Loan stars?

In a complex landscape, loans can mean many different things these days: delaying payment for the purchaser, moving players not in a new manager's plans, or just getting a big wage temporarily off the books.

For clubs able to play the loan market well, though, such short-term deals can make all the difference, supplementing their squads without splashing out huge sums up front.

This summer's headline loanees are, of course, Sterling and Sancho - but several others could make an impact on the Premier League over the course of the season.

For instance, Wolves have brought in both Jorgen Strand Larsen and Ajax winger Carlos Forbs to supplement their Neto-less attack: the former scored against Chelsea last week and looks to be tailor-made for English football.

Elsewhere, Carlos Soler has arrived at West Ham, replacing Nottingham Forest-bound James Ward-Prowse, who will significantly bolster the Tricky Trees' set-piece prowess.

Reiss Nelson should get more game time alongside former Arsenal teammate Emile Smith Rowe at Fulham, while the three promoted clubs have also been canny on the loan front.

An erstwhile member of Chelsea's 'bomb squad', Lesley Ugochukwu could thrive in Southampton's midfield, with Napoli and Man City exiles Jens Cajuste and Kalvin Phillips set to do the same at Ipswich.

Leicester's late loan signing of Odsonne Edouard should take some pressure off veteran striker Jamie Vardy, and the French forward will be one of many hoping to impress and earn a more permanent move.