Stats suggest Man Utd, Leeds, Forest have bagged bargains this summer | OneFootball

Leeds and Brentford look to have invested very wisely while Forest have bagged themselves a belting freebie…

All the Premier League signings are gearing up for the start of the new season, with some preparing to sample their first taste of Our League this weekend.

With our friends at Gradient Sports, we’ve gone through all new arrivals under £40million coming in from Europe’s top five leagues to see which clubs might have bagged themselves a bargain.

Across a vast range of metrics, Gradient evaluates execution quality and outcome across key skills weighted by position and grades every player out of 100 to offer the most insightful and accurate view of individual performance.

And with that, here are the top five Premier League recruits from Europe’s top five leagues bought for under £40million…

Mamadou Sangare (Brentford) – 80.1

The Brentford new boy is graded highest of all recruits from the top five leagues bought for under £40million. Sangare only just makes the cut, mind, since he cost the Bees £38.5million, but they are buzzing at the Gtech over their record signing’s potential.

In his one season at Lens after moving to France from Rapid Vienna, the 24-year-old made 29 league appearances, scoring three goals and offering four assists for a club that finished behind only PSG in the table.

Sangare was outstanding in and out of possession in Ligue 1, where he was the fourth-highest graded of 138 midfielders. He was in the top 10 for duels, tackle-resistance, ball-carrying and dribbling.

If Sangare can settle quickly, don’t be surprised if he becomes a target for the Big Six before the end of his first season in the Premier League.

Tarik Muharemovic (Leeds United) – 78.8

Leeds’ new centre-back was graded in the top 5% of all 2562 players in Europe’s top five leagues.

As a replacement for Pascal Struijk, Muharemovic caught Leeds’ eye at Sassuolo as the sixth-highest graded defender in Italy, where they take special pride in their defending. Or they did…

At 6’4″, it is no surprise that Muharemovic is dominant in the air, graded 85.6 in aerial duels – eighth among Serie A defenders – while he was also in the top 11 for positioning and clearances.

Even at £34million and their joint-highest earner, the Bosnian is set to be an extremely popular figure at Elland Road.

Julio Enciso (Ipswich) – 78.8

Enciso signed for Ipswich on Monday but he’s already familiar to everyone at Portman Road, having spent the second half of 2024/25 season on loan there from Brighton, while Gary O’Neil bossed the forward at Strasbourg through the back half of last term after taking over from Liam Rosenior.

In his one season in France, the Paraguayan scored 12 goals and offered nine assists in all competitions. ‘

In Ligue 1, Enciso’s grade put him in the top 20 of 509 players overall and he was the 13th-highest ranked forward.

Enciso graded highest of 112 forwards for dribbling and fifth for crossing while also fifth for tackle resistance and seventh for headed shooting.

Youri Tielemans (Manchester United) – 79.0

Unlike most on this list, Manchester United’s new £35million recruit needs no introduction. But Tielemans’ grades are still eye-catching…

For Aston Villa last season, the Belgian was graded as the ninth best midfielder in the Premier League and the 19th best of the 664 across the top five leagues.

Tielemans stood out in ball control, dribbling, crossing and carry defending, graded in the top 10 Premier League midfielders in each metric.

United, though, still need someone with legs alongside him in midfield.

Xaver Schlager (Nottingham Forest) – 76.7 When arriving at Forest this summer, Schlager rather neatly summed himself up.

The 28-year-old midfielder’s grades for RB Leipzig last season back up his self-assessment. But he’s a better dribbler than he gives himself credit for, graded as the third best among Bundesliga midfielders last term.

Schlager was also graded in the top 10 for passing and tackle resistance. He played for Oliver Glasner before and was seen as a leader, serving as Leipzig’s vice-captain last season. If the Austrian wasn’t already a positive signing, Forest have got all this for free.