Premier League Done Deals: May 28th to June 1st
- Angus Kearney
- Jun 4
- 6 min read
The 2025 summer transfer window officially opened just four days ago, but Premier League clubs are already conducting serious business as multiple big-name signings were announced last week. Below we break down every confirmed Premier League transfer from the first week of the summer window.
Matheus Cunha - Wolves to Manchester United, £62.5m
26-year-old forward Matheus Cunha became the first signing of a potential summer overhaul for Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United when the club announced they’d triggered the Brazilian’s £62.5m release clause from fellow Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Cunha joined Wolves from Athletico Madrid in January of 2023, initially on loan, before signing permanently that summer. Cunha led Wolves in scoring last season, with 15 goals, coming primarily from a left-sided attacking midfield position. He was one of the most productive attacking midfielders in Europe last season, ranking in the 96th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 amongst Europe's top 5 leagues.
The news comes just a few days after the BBC reported that Amorim had told Alejandro Garnacho he could leave the club. Garnacho played a similar role to Cunha for United last season, but his productivity in front of goal was significantly lower. The one area in which Garnacho outperformed Cunha was in progressive carries, United often relied on Garnacho to carry the ball up the pitch in transition, something United may need Cunha to do more than he has in the past.
Regardless, Cunha is an upgrade in that position for United. However, we’ve seen players in the past struggle to make the transition to Old Trafford, so nothing is guaranteed despite Cunha’s quality.
Jeremie Frimpong - Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool, £29.5m
Liverpool announced the signing of Dutch right-back Jeremie Frimpong from German side Bayer Leverkusen for £29.5m this week. It’s a deal that’s been widely speculated on ever since the news broke that Trent Alexander-Arnold would be leaving Liverpool for Real Madrid.
The signing will create comparisons between Frimpong and Alexander-Arnold, but the two players are markedly different in their approach to the right-back position. Where Alexander-Arnold is very much a passer, well known for his ability to spray the ball all over the pitch with remarkable accuracy, Frimpong advances the ball up the pitch with his feet and his pace, rather than his passing ability. Frimpong ranked in the 97th and 99th percentile respectively for progressive carries per 90, and progressive passes received per 90 in Europe's top 5 leagues last season.
Despite differences in style the two players produced at a similar rate in attack last season, with Trent scoring four and assisting seven, while Frimpong scored five and assisted five.
Frimpong is of a similar profile to the fullbacks Slott used while at Feyenoord, so tactically the move makes a ton of sense, and at a relatively low price, Liverpool will be pleased with this business.
Enzo Le Fee - Roma to Sunderland, £20m
Sunderland confirmed the permanent signing of 25-year-old French defensive midfielder Enzo Le Fee for a club-record fee from Roma this week. Le Fee joined Sunderland on loan in January, reuniting with former manager Régis Le Bris, whom he played under at Lorient.
The 25-year-old quickly became a crucial part of Sunderland's promotion push, playing in 15 matches, and assisting in both legs of the Championship Playoff Semi-Finals against Coventry.
The signing isn’t necessarily a surprise, as Le Fee stated quite openly his intent to join the club permanently this summer, but the fact Sunderland were able to attract the former French Olympic team member and U-21 international to play for them in the Championship was quite remarkable at the time. It’s representative of the power that chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, the youngest chairman in English football at just 28 years old, brings to the club.
Le Fee is an exciting prospect to have in the Premier League next season, and Sunderland will hope his ability can help them buck the trend of one-and-done promoted sides of the last two seasons.
Caoimhin Kelleher - Liverpool to Brentford, £18m
One week after we speculated as to what the signing of Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili could mean for the future of Caoimhin Kelleher, it’s been confirmed that the 26-year-old Irishman will join Brentford for a fee of £18m. The news comes at the same time as Brentford announced that former first-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken will leave the club to join Bayer Leverkusen.
Flekken had a very good season for Brentford, leading the Premier League in save percentage at 73.6%, though he did rank sixth in goals conceded per 90, with 1.5. Kelleher on the other hand made ten starts for Liverpool in the Premier League last season, operating firmly as the number two choice goalkeeper behind Allison.
While Kelleher has looked very capable of being a first-choice keeper when playing, it’s important to note he has never played a full season as a first-choice keeper. He’s been at Liverpool for his entire career and never left on loan. It would be reasonable to expect that there may be some hiccups in the transition from backup to first-choice goalkeeper for Kelleher, but there’s no doubt Brentford have landed a top goalkeeping prospect.
Kevin Danso - RC Lens to Tottenham, £20.9m
Tottenham confirmed the signing of Kevin Danso permanently from RC Lens. The 26-year-old centre-back spent the second half of last season on loan with Spurs, and the club activated a £20.9m buy obligation in his contract.
Danso made ten appearances for Spurs while on loan, including coming off the bench in their Europa League Final victory over Manchester United. Considering Danso was thrown into a struggling defense when joining Spurs, he performed solidly when called upon, and will be an important part of the defensive improvements Spurs must make this summer.
Charly Alcaraz - Flamengo to Everton, £12.6m
Everton confirmed the signing of Argentine attacking midfielder Carlos “Charly” Alcaraz from Flamengo for £12.6m this week. Alcaraz joined the Toffees on loan in January, making 16 appearances with seven starts, scoring twice and assisting three times.
Alcaraz settled in quickly at Everton, and at just 22 years old it seems to be a savvy bit of business for Everton, considering the midfielder already proved he can produce in the Premier League while on loan.
Everton have several holes to fill in their squad, with ten players' contracts running out this summer, but signing Alcaraz early means that with him and Iliman Ndiaye, Everton won’t have to worry about strengthening in attacking midfield as well.
Dario Essugo - Sporting to Chelsea £18.5m
Chelsea announced the signing of 20-year-old defensive midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting CP this week for £18.5m. The Portuguese is expected to operate as a backup to Moises Caicedo, according to the Athletic.
Essugo spent last season on loan at La Liga side Las Palmas, starting 25 matches and scoring once, and ranking in the 81st and 98th percentiles respectively in tackles and interceptions per 90 amongst defensive midfielders in Europe’s Top 5 Leagues.
Essugo is another promising youngster joining a Chelsea squad full of them but in an area of the pitch where they lacked cover last season. With Champions League football also on the agenda for next season, Essugo could play an important squad role.
Marcus Edwards - Sporting CP to Burnley, undisclosed
Burnley announced the signing of another loan player permanently, as Marcus Edwards the 26-year-old English winger joins from Sporting CP in Portugal. Edwards scored twice and assisted once in 16 appearances for Burnley in the latter half of the season, but is most well-known for several highly successful European seasons in Portugal.
A Tottenham youth product, Edwards’ best seasons came in 2022/23 and 2023/24 between which he scored 18 goals and contributed nine assists, while winning the Portuguese title in 2023/24. He notably scored against Tottenham in the group stages of the Champions League, in a 1-1 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
While Edwards didn’t produce massive numbers in the Championship last year, he’s a player with solid experience at the highest level who’s still only 26. It will be exciting to watch how he performs now that he’s finally in the Premier League.
Romelle Donovan - Birmingham to Brentford, undisclosed
Brentford confirmed the signing of 18-year-old attacking midfielder Romelle Donovan from Birmingham City for an undisclosed fee.
The Englishman spent last year on loan with Brentford B, scoring 11 goals with 10 assists in only 15 appearances. A very impressive record for a player who is one to watch for the future.
Notable Releases:
Arsenal released Jorginho. Aston Villa released Robin Olsen. Burnley released Nathan Redmond and Jonjo Shelvey. Crystal Palace released Jefferey Schlupp. Tottenham released Sergio Reguillon and Fraser Forster. Wolves released Pablo Sarabia
Check back next Wednesday with Grubby Balls for all the Premier League's latest confirmed deals!
Great that you compare the new players to the ones they’re replacing. Is Cunha an upgrade to the Garnacho Man Utd bought? Seems like he’s really lost his way and Cunha could do the same.