Grading the 10 most expensive Championship signings from last summer | OneFootball

Stars from Ipswich Town, Southampton and Sheffield United were amongst the most expensive Championship signings from last summer.

The money that Championship clubs are paying for players seems to be increasing each year and this summer was no exception.

Using figures provided by Transfermarkt, we’ve graded the 10 most expensive summer signings from 2025, based on how well they’ve done so far.

Nathan Broadhead (€8.7m) – B

Wrexham have got good use out of Broadhead this season, with the forward producing eight goal contributions so far.

Considering that he was entering the final year of his contract with Ipswich, there’s an argument that Wrexham slightly overpaid for his services, but he’s been a good addition nonetheless.

Leo Scienza (€9m) – A-

Despite Southampton falling below expectations, Scienza has proven to be a good signing so far.

The creative wide-man has scored five goals and produced four assists, averaging a goal contribution every 166 minutes.

His latest goal against local rivals Portsmouth was a particularly sweet one for Southampton fans.

Along with his impressive output, he’s also been one of the best dribblers in the Championship, completing an impressive 37 successful dribbles as of writing.

Kyogo Furuhashi (€9m) – E

This transfer just hasn’t worked out whatsoever.

In fairness to Birmingham, around half of the €9million quoted transfer fee is tied up in add-ons, which will likely never be triggered.

The former Celtic man looked sharp during his debut against Ipswich Town, but has struggled to adapt to Championship football since then.

Having only scored one league goal in 26 appearances, we can safely put this one down as a flop.

Tom Fellows (€9.25m) – C

After joining Southampton from West Brom, Fellows has struggled to justify his price tag as of yet.

He’s managed to produce three assists, but looks nothing like the player who produced 18 goal contributions for the Baggies last season.

Mark McGuinness (€11.5m) – C

For the money Sheffield United paid Luton Town, McGuinness hasn’t lived up to expectations as of yet.

The Blades have struggled defensively all season, having conceded the fifth most goals in the division, as of writing.

In comparison to Japhet Tanganga, who also joined over the summer, but for less money, McGuinness still has a lot of doubters to win over at Bramall Lane.

Azor Matusiwa (€11.5m) – A

When Matusiwa plays well, Ipswich Town tend to win football matches.

The 27-year-old has proven to be an excellent pick-up for Kieran McKenna’s side and probably wouldn’t look out of place in the Premier League.

He’s made 54 interceptions in the league so far – the most of any Championship player.

Caspar Jander (€12m) – B

Jander has proven to be a solid player for Southampton so far, despite Tonda Eckert’s side struggling for consistency.

The 22-year-old has looked like a tidy technical player in the middle of the pitch, but for a reported fee of €12million, he still has a long way to go before he justifies that price tag.

Kasey McAteer (€13.9m) – D

McAteer is a decent Championship player, but there’s no doubt that Ipswich overpaid for the 24-year-old.

Despite joining for €13.9million, he’s struggled to hold down a consistent starting spot and is yet to produce a goal or assist in the league.

Given he’s under contract until 2029, he still has time to come good in an Ipswich shirt, but the early signs haven’t been too promising.

Finn Azaz (€13.9m) – B

Azaz started the season well and had a good run of games throughout November, but has tailed off of late.

The creative midfielder is only second to Adam Armstrong in the Southampton squad in terms of goal contributions, but it’s safe to say that his form has been patchy of late.

However, he did produce a nice assist in Southampton’s recent clash with Portsmouth, which is hopefully a sign of things to come.

Sindre Egeli (€20m) – C

Given that Egeli is currently the most expensive Championship signing of all time, he’s not exactly lived up to his price tag as of yet.

For Ipswich this season, the teenager has scored two goals and has produced two assists, averaging a goal contribution every 306 minutes.

He was signed as a long-term project for the Tractor Boys and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him become a top player in the years to come.

However, given his price tag and what he’s produced so far, we think a grade C is probably the correct call, as of writing.