More than £3 billion ($4 billion) and 155 incoming transfers set high expectations across the Premier League this summer. Several recruits have settled quickly, but others have produced worrying initial returns that have left managers and supporters asking questions.

Everton’s Thierno Barry arrived from Villarreal after a season that yielded 11 goals and four assists. The 22-year-old joined for £27 million ($36 million) with time to adapt, but he remains behind Beto, has made two Premier League starts, nine appearances in total and is still searching for his first goal or assist for the club. On two occasions he was substituted early: at half time at Anfield and after about an hour at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.

West Ham’s £20 million ($26.7 million) signing Mads Hermansen began the campaign as Graham Potter’s first-choice goalkeeper but has endured a difficult start. The 25-year-old conceded 11 times in four appearances, sustained several high-profile errors and has dropped behind Alphonse Areola with Nuno Espírito Santo opting against an early recall.

Anthony Elanga moved to Newcastle for £55 million ($73.4 million) after scoring 18 goals for Nottingham Forest in 2024–25. The 23-year-old has made 10 appearances for the Magpies without a goal or assist and has oscillated between starting and the bench while competing with Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy.

Jean-Clair Todibo’s permanent move to West Ham cost £32.8 million ($43.8 million) after an obligation to buy. He has fallen out of favour following disciplinary issues under Potter and is unlikely to figure under Espírito Santo.

James Trafford returned to Manchester City for £31 million ($41.3 million) but is now behind Gianluigi Donnarumma and has been restricted to the bench following a difficult display against Tottenham Hotspur.

Alexander Isak joined Liverpool for a Premier League record £125 million ($166.9 million) but missed pre-season after a strike. Arne Slot has eased him in, using him alongside Hugo Ekitiké, with the record signing yet to reach expected levels.

Newcastle paid £55 million ($73.4 million) for Yoane Wissa from Brentford, but a knee injury means he is yet to play for his new club and has only two competitive appearances since the end of last season.

Chelsea’s £51.5 million ($68.7 million) addition Jamie Gittens has made seven appearances and three starts without making a major impact. At Liverpool, Milos Kerkez arrived for £40 million ($53.4 million) to succeed Andy Robertson but has made a sluggish start, was bullied on his debut by Antoine Semenyo and was hooked in the first half against Burnley as he edged toward a red card.

It remains early and circumstances differ across clubs, but the opening weeks have provided enough evidence to raise concerns about several high-cost recruits.

Jordan Henderson has described a prolonged period of difficulty after his exit from Liverpool in 2023, admitting he could not watch the club for a time. After a six-month spell in Saudi Arabia and a subsequent period with Ajax, Henderson is now back in the Premier League with Brentford, which gives him the prospect of facing the Liverpool side for which he made a total of 492 appearances over 12 years.

“It was a really tough period when I left Liverpool,” said Henderson, who led Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2019 and the Premier League title 12 months later. “I was there for a long period of time, 12 years.

“Leaving Liverpool itself was huge and really difficult. At any point it was going to be hard, because it had been my life for so long. And then it is gone just like that. So I have struggled for a period after that.”

He continued: “I couldn’t watch a lot of games, I certainly couldn’t watch Liverpool. I didn’t watch a lot of Premier League. It was tough. Because I was there for so long, because I had such an attachment and I dedicated a large part of my life there, when I left I found it really difficult. It felt like a breakup. It was just difficult.

“When you have been at a club for so long, and you have that attachment to them, whether you retire or move on, for a period of time that was hard. With time, things change, you move on. That was probably the most difficult time.”

Henderson’s move to Saudi Arabia attracted significant criticism. Henderson faced significant criticism for his move to Saudi Arabia, primarily because of the fact his previous work to support human rights causes and homosexuality did not align with the laws in the Middle Eastern nation. The 35-year-old repeatedly rejected claims he chose to move simply for the money. His departure from Al Ettifaq after six months prompted a fresh wave of tension from fans who again questioned his motives.

Henderson accepted that his decisions might look different in retrospect. “In hindsight, maybe I would have made different decisions,” Henderson admitted. “But at the time that is how I felt. And the decision I made was for many different reasons, and only I know the reasons.

“In the end, I tried to do the right thing. I thought it was best to do it at the time, and then best to come back to Europe and play for Ajax, which I really enjoyed.”

Manchester City ended the weekend fifth in the Premier League table after a 1-0 victory over Brentford that marked Pep Guardiola’s 250th win in England’s top flight since his arrival in 2016. The decisive moment began with Joško Gvardiol’s long ball forward that drew the Brentford centre backs toward their own goal. Erling Haaland latched onto the pass and used strength, pace and clever feet to drive through before a left-footed finish. Haaland had been on 11 goals in eight games so far this season prior to kick-off.

City dealt with an early injury to Rodri. The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner had a grave look on his face that hints at another frustrating setback. Despite that loss, Phil Foden and Oscar Bobb found promising pockets on City’s right; Foden dragged a shot wide from a good position about half an hour in. Soon after, Brentford were denied what should have been a second City goal when Caoimhín Kelleher produced a strong reflex save to stop Tijjani Reijnders at the far post.

Brentford began the second half with a vigour that had been missing and nearly drew level when Igor Thiago found a one-on-one opportunity, only for Gianluigi Donnarumma to make an alert stop. The visitors created a spell of pressure after the interval but produced only blocked or off-target attempts. City’s chance creation faded from the dominant first half, yet there was rarely any sense of real jeopardy for Guardiola’s side. At the death Kevin Schade charged down an attempted clearance and the rebounding ball did not trouble the goal.

Man City player ratings (out of 10):
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma 8.1
RB: Matheus Nunes 7.8
CB: Rúben Dias (c) 8.0
CB: Joško Gvardiol 8.1
LB: Nico O’Reilly 7.9
DM: Rodri 6.8
RM: Oscar Bobb 7.8
CM: Tijjani Reijnders 7.6
CM: Phil Foden 7.6
LM: Savinho 6.7
ST: Erling Haaland 7.8
SUB: Nico González (22’ for Rodri) 7.3
SUB: Jérémy Doku (76’ for Bobb) 5.8
SUB: Bernardo Silva (76’ for Reijnders) 6.5
Subs not used: James Trafford (GK), John Stones, Nathan Aké, Rico Lewis, Mateo Kovačić, Rayan Cherki.

Brentford (5-3-2): Caoimhín Kelleher; Michael Kayode, Kristoffer Ajer, Sepp van den Berg, Nathan Collins (c), Aaron Hickey; Yehor Yarmolyuk, Jordan Henderson, Mikel Damsgaard; Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade.