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With the Premier League transfer window ending early, clubs have been forced to speed up their summer business in order to be ready ahead of the coming season. Here is a list of the five Premier League clubs that have made the best transfers ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
5 - West Ham
Adapting from the style of David Moyes to that of Manuel Pellegrini was always going to be difficult, but West Ham have set themselves up perfectly for completing this challenge this season. Bringing in the likes of Jack Wilshere from Arsenal, Andriy Yarmolenko from Borussia Dortmund and Felipe Anderson from Lazio, the Hammers look ready to play a far more expansive and possession-based style of football ahead of the upcoming season.
Along with flair, the side have also added backbone to their squad, with signings such as Colombia's Carlos Sanchez from Fiorentina and French defender Issa Diop from Toulouse. Additionally, captures such as the aforementioned Wilshere, as well as Fulham right-back Ryan Fredericks, on free transfers constitute excellent pieces of business for the club.
4 - Fulham
Fulham's return to the Premier League after four seasons in the Championship has been met with much adulation around West London. Despite playing some of the best football in the Championship last season, the side have further strengthened their squad and look a force to be reckoned with after a staggering £110m outlay this summer, making them one of the biggest spending sides in the division.
Amongst their arrivals, the signings of Jean Michel Seri from Nice (£25m) and Alfie Mawson from Swansea (£15m) stand out as particularly excellent acquisitions. Big money moves for Newcastle striker Aleksander Mitrovic (£22m) and Andre-Frank Anguissa of Marseille (£30m) also put the side in good stead for next season.
Fans have been particularly excited by the arrival of former Chelsea star Andre Schurrle, who has joined the club on loan from Borussia Dortmund and is expected to form a front three alongside Mitrovic and youngster Ryan Sessegnon. Keeping a hold of the English youngster despite interest from clubs such as Tottenham and Manchester United will also be a point of pride for the Cottagers, allowing them to look ahead to a successful Premier League campaign.
3 - Everton
After weeks of transfer inactivity, a late flurry of signings has added to the sense of growing optimism around Goodison Park ever since the arrival of Portuguese coach Marco Silva. After sealing a somewhat overpriced £40m deal for Brazilian winger Richarlison, the side signed Barcelona trio Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes and Yerry Mina in the final weeks of the window. The side further added to their ageing back-line with the acquisition of Kurt Zouma on loan from Chelsea, adding further depth to their defense which already features the highly-rated Michael Keane.
However, their most impressive bit of business may be the signing of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Bernard on a free transfer. The Brazilian had previously been linked to Premier League moves with figures in the range of £30m being touted, Everton's swoop for the Shakhtar star may be one of the signings of the season.
Everton have effectively addressed most of their issues from last season, adding pace in vital areas of the pitch and strengthening in the heart of their defense.
2 - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Widely tipped to be one of the strongest promoted sides in recent memory, Wolverhampton Wanderers come into the Premier League with the backing of Chinese conglomerate Fosun International and the support of super-agent Jorge Mendes, making them one of the most powerful clubs in the transfer market.
After already signing rising Portuguese starlet Ruben Neves last season, Wolves have added many more players from the Iberian peninsula to their books this time around. Diogo Jota's arrival from Atletico Madrid for just £12.6m stands out as a particularly excellent bit of business, as does the signing of Portuguese World Cup star Joao Moutinho from Monaco for a mere £5m.
Under the stewardship of Nuno Espirito Santo, Wolves are expected to usher in fresh excitement to the league and become a breeding ground for the next generation of Portuguese talent - something that makes them an exciting prospect ahead of the upcoming season.
1 - Liverpool
After a devastating defeat to Real Madrid in Kiev in May, Liverpool got straight to work on building a squad capable of going the distance both domestically and in Europe. After completing the previously agreed transfer of Naby Keita from RB Leipzig for £52.8m, the Reds added Monaco's Fabinho (£40m) to complete what appears to be one of the strongest midfields in the Premier League ahead of the upcoming season.
The capture of Xherdan Shaqiri from relegated Stoke City for a mere £12m gives the side much needed attacking depth, and the Swiss World Cup star has already shown his talent in pre-season. With Virgil Van Dijk also preparing for his first full season with the Reds, Liverpool appear to be one of the strongest sides in the league on paper for this campaign.
A strong showing in the transfer market has given the fans a reason to be hopeful ahead of manager Jurgen Klopp's third full season at the club, and the Reds are widely expected to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title.
