The top 10 signings of the Premier League season

Every summer as the transfers roll through the Premier League, the excitement only builds as fans from all clubs line up their predictions of who will guide their side to glory and which other stars will become expensive flops.

Last year was no different as Spurs supporters saw Yves Bissouma, Cristian Romero and Richarlison arrive for an outlay of more than £100m, licking their lips at the future of the club having just edged out arch-rivals Arsenal to the Champions League.

Similarly, many thought Gianluca Scamacca would take West Ham to new levels and that Chelsea had performed a major coup in January by pipping Arsenal to the signing of Mykhailo Mudryk.

Meanwhile, others baulked at Manchester United signing a 5ft 9ins centre back in Lisandro Martinez, while some questioned Brighton bringing in Pervis Estupinan - a defender who had failed to break through at Watford.

But, after a season that saw an enthralling title battle, a top four race and relegation struggle that kept us on our toes throughout, as usual, many of these predictions were miles off.

In light of the campaign finishing, Mail Sport looks back and ranks our top 10 signings in the Premier League.

10. Ben Mee

Perhaps an unfashionable name to have on the list, but it was an intriguing prospect last summer when long-serving Burnley defender Ben Mee pitched up at Brentford following the Clarets' relegation.

Concerns were initially raised over his ability to contribute to a progressive Brentford outfit, but the 33-year-old has silenced all the doubters and more.

Mee has been integral to Thomas Frank's side, starting 37 of their 38 league games - with the only match he didn't feature in being the Bees' 4-0 defeat by Aston Villa in October - as they achieved a club record ninth place finish.

Their 46 goals conceded is the joint-third best in the league and such was his impact, Mee even scooped up the Supporters' Player of the Year award ahead of 20-goal top scorer Ivan Toney.

The centre back - who netted three goals - was also part of a Premier League defence that stopped goal machine Erling Haaland scoring this season, with Mee eloquently explaining just how he did it when he appeared on Monday Night Football back in April.

After arriving at the Gtech Community Stadium on a free transfer, Mee has been a superb bit of business for the club.

9. Morgan Gibbs-White

One of the biggest splashes in the market came when Nottingham Forest smashed their transfer record to sign Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White for a fee rising to £42.5m.

For this was a promising young player, but one who had just one Premier League goal in a career spanning almost 50 top flight appearances.

Steve Cooper knew what he was getting though, linking up with Gibbs-White again having won the Under 17 World Cup with him at England and also signed him on loan at Swansea.

The 23-year-old was integral for Forest as they secured their Premier League place for another year, contributing five goals and eight assists, which included forming a burgeoning partnership with Taiwo Awoniyi towards the back end of the season.

His performances - which included a quite frankly ridiculous backheel assist in a crucial 4-3 win over Southampton - have been so impressive that Mail Sport understands he has been identified for a potential England call-up by the end of the year.

The Wolves academy product exudes quality and if he were to move on from the City Ground in the future, Forest would likely recoup their huge initial outlay and more.

8. Alexander Isak

There are several Newcastle players who could feature in this top 10 - it is worth remembering that their new No 1 Nick Pope cost just £12m and kept 14 Premier League cleansheets this term - but Alexander Isak just edges the lot.

The Swedish striker had to deal with the burden of being Newcastle's record signing when he arrived for £63m last summer and after two goals in his first three games, he struggled with a serious muscle injury that kept him out until January.

However, since returning to full fitness, Isak hasn't looked back, scoring 10 goals in just 14 starts in total as the Magpies qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.

He has stepped up in several crucial moments along the way, scoring decisive late winners against Fulham and Nottingham Forest, while one piece of skill in their 4-1 trouncing of Everton beggared belief.

Isak has dovetailed perfectly with Callum Wilson up-front, often being forced out to the left wing, making Newcastle a formidable attacking team as well as one of the best defensive units in the league.

The athletic forward has justified the hype and in bad news for opposition defences, is likely to get even better next season.

7. Joao Palhinha

An experienced Portuguese midfielder but largely unknown outside of him home country, the £20m signing of Joao Palhinha took Fulham to new levels this season.

Widely-tipped to continue their pattern of yo-yoing between the Premier League and Championship over recent years, the 27-year-old was one of many impressive recruits alongside the likes of Willian, Andreas Pereira and Bernd Leno that guided them to 10th place.

His league high 147 tackles - almost 50 more than second place Moises Caicedo - is a remarkable statistic and it is no surprise Palhinha has been linked to several top European clubs this summer.

He has formed a formidable partnership with Harrison Reed in the Cottagers' midfield, with his presence taking Reed to new levels, while he has provided the solidity to allow the likes of Pereira, Willian and Aleksandar Mitrovic to flourish further forward.

Fulham will hope to hold onto their midfield lynchpin this summer, but if not they stand to make a very decent profit on the £20m they paid for him.

6. Pervis Estupinan

There was concern for Brighton when last season's Player of the Year Marc Cucurella departed to Chelsea for £62m.

However, as is the way with the Seagulls, they brought in a replacement for just £14.9m who has arguably had an even better campaign than that of his predecessor with Pervis Estupinan being a key reason as to why they qualified for Europe for the first time in history.

The Ecuadorian - who spent four years at Watford without making an appearance - started 26 games in a row for Roberto De Zerbi's side between October and the final day of the season, making a stunning impact.

In total, Estupinan scored once and contributed six assists as he bounced up and down Brighton's left hand side.

He really took off following the World Cup, laying on seven goals in all competitions since January and is the latest example of the Seagulls' outstanding recruitment system.

5. Lisandro Martinez

Not only has Lisandro Martinez shown incredible quality on the pitch, but his resilience to bounce back from a tricky start to the campaign and vociferous criticism means he deserves enormous credit.

Jamie Carragher was one of many to write off the 5ft 9in defender, claiming as early as August that the signing 'already looked wrong' and that his height would be a 'problem'.

The Argentine quickly settled into Old Trafford after that and has formed a formidable partnership with Raphael Varane this season.

His performances were crucial as Man United won the Carabao Cup, while he also won the World Cup with his national team, as his ability on the ball and astute passing transformed Erik ten Hag's side.

It is no surprise the Red Devils' form dipped once he suffered a season-ending injury in April, and it is just reward for his performances that the £57m signing is set to discuss an improved contract this summer.

4. Manuel Akanji

It's fair to say one of Manchester City's signings from Borussia Dortmund last summer generated much more attention than the other, but the £15m addition of Manuel Akanji from the German side proved to be a sensational piece of business.

The Swiss defender has become integral to Pep Guardiola's side and deserves enormous credit given it often takes City signings at least a season to adapt to all of the Spaniard's demands.

He usurped Aymeric Laporte in the pecking order, and shone across their defence, including at left back in recent weeks with Nathan Ake - who has arguably been their standout defender - injured.

Akanji has been an ever-present member of the team during their sensational run over the second half of the season, showing his technical quality, adaptability and athleticism throughout.

If City are to complete a treble, Akanji will be one of many stars they will have to thank and at a bargain price, he deserves to be among the signings this season.

3. Casemiro

The sheer impact of Casemiro can be measured by the fact that in the 24 league games he started, Manchester United conceded 22 goals, while they leaked 21 in other 14 matches.

The Brazilian - who arrived for £70m from Real Madrid - has been exactly what United have been missing for years as a solid presence in defensive midfield, allowing those further up the pitch to excel.

Having come in when Erik ten Hag's side had suffered two dismal defeats to Brighton and Brentford to start the season, he stopped it becoming a nightmare campaign.

Casemiro added power and defensive acumen to a previously vulnerable midfield and even chipped in with seven goals in all competitions.

With five Champions League titles and a whole plethora of other trophies from his time with Los Blancos, he also brought a winning mentality to the squad and was crucial in their Carabao Cup triumph.

A blot on his copybook has been his disciplinary record, with the midfielder missing seven league games through suspension across the season, when his absence was sorely felt.

2. Oleksandr Zinchenko

It's easy to write off the achievements of Arsenal given their late season title collapse, but the way they were transformed and the quality of the football they played at times cannot be ignored.

A man who was integral to this was former City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko, with the £32m the Gunners paid for him looking better and better each week.

Mikel Arteta's side wouldn't have been able to dominate like they did if it wasn't for the Ukrainian as he fulfilled the inverted left back role, providing an extra presence in midfield.

Despite the way they were blown away by City at the Etihad in April, Zinchenko helped the Gunners to win some big games across the campaign, driving them onto victory against Man United and Tottenham when he had more touches, made the most passes and won more duels than any other player.

Like Casemiro, his experience of winning titles at his former club helped bring a new-found mentality to his teammates and despite the disappointing way everything ended, the 26-year-old had a big role to play in Arsenal's best season in a very long time.

1. Erling Haaland

Who else? It's hard to do justice to the impact the simply sublime Erling Haaland had on the Premier League this season.

Record after record was broken as the Norwegian racked up a goal every 77 minutes, scoring 36 in 35 games in total.

Haaland never went more than two matches without scoring and he quickly banished the ridiculous speculation that Man City were a better team without him, as the 22-year-old provided a new presence in attack for his side, along with a devastating threat on the counter-attack.

Having scored the most goals of anyone in a Premier League season, the striker also netted four of his six hat tricks in the top flight

It has been a frankly ridiculous debut year from Haaland and the scary thing is at just 22, he is only likely to get better, all the while having arrived from Dortmund for a mere £51m.