Bruno Guimaraes and the five best signings of the summer transfer window

Analysis

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

The summer transfer window has slammed shut for clubs in Europe’s top five leagues, with a host of eye-catching deals taking place over the past two-and-a-half months.

Teams in the Premier League unsurprisingly dominated the market thanks to their immense financial backing, but they weren’t the only clubs to

Below, five FootballTransfers experts pick their signing of the summer.

Robin Bairner: Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal (€87.5m)

Arsenal attacked the transfer window from a position of authority this summer, and while they might not have got the additional attacker that many of their fans craved, Mikel Arteta’s side still did some excellent business.

Bruno Guimaraes’ arrival from Newcastle is a case in point. The Brazil international has arrived to provide the squad with something they did not have before. Not only does he have energy and grit in abundance, he is also a more direct player than any of their other central midfielders. His passing is more adventurous, with the former Lyon man capable of probing through lines in a way that the Gunners were unable to do last season.

On top of that, there is the price point. Manchester City – likely their closest rivals in the title race this season – spent €100 million on three different centre midfielders, and Tottenham did likewise with two, underlining how competitive the market has been this summer. It makes the €87.5m that Arsenal have spent on a proven Premier League performer look all the smarter.

At 28 years old, Bruno will be able to give the Gunners many years of service still, and while they are unlikely to see a positive financial return on their investment, the Gunners can luxuriate in the knowledge that this is a deal conducted with the intention of the here and now.

Cameron Smith: Mamadou Sangare to Brentford (€48m)

Mamadou Sangare’s Premier League debut against Tottenham Hotspur was flawless and he backed that up with another excellent performance during Brentford’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United.

The Mali international became Brentford’s all-time record signing upon his arrival for €48m from RC Lens but he already looks like a major bargain. In fact, it would come as a massive shock if Sangare doesn’t join a ‘big-six’ Premier League club for a fee of at least €100m next summer, with Liverpool arguably his most likely destination amid their pursuit of a long-term replacement for Alexis Mac Allister.

Sangare was a shining light for a Lens side that pushed Paris Saint-Germain all the way in the Ligue 1 title race last season, yet Brentford won the race for his signature despite rumoured interest from a plethora of major European clubs.

The 24-year-old is a proven talent ready to contribute now and he is someone who will earn Brentford a profit in excess of €50m in less than 12 months’ time.

A 10/10 signing for a ridiculously good fee given the money spent on excessive players such as Sandro Tonali, Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes. Brentford have done it again in the transfer market.

Martin Macdonald: Rodri to Barcelona (€60m)

Rodri seemed destined to join Real Madrid sooner or later. There had been flirtations between the Ballon d'Or winner and Los Blancos for well over a year, which makes it all the more shocking that he ended up signing for their Clasico rivals, Barcelona.

With Rodri having accomplished everything he possibly could at Manchester City, including one Champions League and a raft of domestic trophies, the time came for him to move on. Due to an ACL tear in September of 2024, many believed that his stock had fallen, but Man City's struggles without him in the year that followed highlighted his importance to the team - and to Pep Guardiola.

Furthermore, he proved at the 2026 World Cup that he remains the best holding midfielder in the world as he effortlessly patrolled the Spain midfield to their second-ever triumph at the tournament.

Barcelona eventually gazumped Real Madrid to his signature after agreeing an initial fee of €60m, plus €16.5m in add-ons.

There are concerns over his fitness levels and whether he can play 60 games a season anymore, but, crucially, he won't have to at Barcelona. The club already proved their quality without a player like him last season and have looked sparkling so far this term without him having started a game.

Rodri is here, mostly, to help Barcelona reclaim the Champions League. That means that, akin to Luis Enrique's policy at PSG of saving some key players for Europe instead of easy Ligue 1 fixtures, the Blaugrana can manage their new midfielder's minutes to ensure he's at top fitness at the right time.

Ronan Murphy: Cole Campbell to Elversberg (€6m)

Cole Cambpell played just 12 top-flight games before Elversberg decided to smash their transfer record by spending €6m on him. Two of those to-flight games were in Iceland, where the American arrived in 2020 as a 14-year-old, before moving on to Germany to join Borussia Dortmund two years later.

His mother is a former Iceland international who moved to the US to play women's soccer, so his unusual path to Europe makes a bit more sense. At Dortmund, he featured sparingly and was then loaned out to Hoffenheim where he showed glimpses of his potential in the second half of the 2025/26 season.

Hoffenheim did not activate the purchase option in his loan deal, so Elversberg decided to take the plunge instead. The smallest city to ever have a team in the Bundesliga, the minnows from Saarland do not see the signing of the 20-year-old as a gamble. He scored on the club's debut in the German top flight as they shocked Bayer Leverkusen with a 3-2 win.

Even if they do not stay in the Bundesliga, the signing will prove a success as he will no doubt do enough this season to become a full USMNT international, meaning that his value will rise further and Elversberg will make a profit. If he does help them stay in the Bundesliga, that will be an even bigger success for him and his club.

Suraj Radia: Amar Dedic to Newcastle (€35m)

Some may call it being a prisoner of the moment but Amar Dedic’s impressive start to life at Newcastle has immediately thrust him in contention to be the signing of the summer.

Dedic became the first signing under Matthias Jaissle, with the new Magpies boss splashing €35 million on the 24-year-old, having worked with him at RB Salzburg, and the full-back has immediately repaid the faith with three assists in his first three appearances.

Prior to Dedic’s arrival, Newcastle had just one right-back at the club in the perpetually injured Tino Livramento, whose future has been uncertain amid long-term interest from the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal.

However, perhaps the biggest compliment to Dedic has been the fact that the Bosnian has made Livramento a forgotten figure and a player who may struggle to get back his previously undisputed spot at right-back, while also able to seamlessly provide cover for Lewis Hall on the opposite side.

Having shown his class both defensively and in attack, Dedic has already formed a strong partnership down the right flank with Anthony Elanga due to his athleticism, workrate and positional awareness, to already cement his status as a true bargain of the window.

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Written by

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Cameron Smith is a Digital Content Producer for FootballTransfers, having joined the team upon its inception in November 2020.

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