With the season drawing to a close, we’ve ranked the biggest midfield and attacking signings of the Premier League campaign to see who has been the most – and least – value for money of the league’s major summer arrivals.
- Chelsea’s Cole Palmer is the best value signing of the season at £1.1M per goal/assist
- Moises Caicedo is the worst value signing at £57.5M per goal/assist
- Mason Mount has cost Manchester United £27.5M per goal involvement
In the interest of fairness, this study only considers summer arrivals. Joining mid-way through the campaign, with no pre-season to integrate into their new squad, it would be harsh to judge the value of January signings alongside those with almost a full year under their belts.
Using data from Transfermarkt.com, we have calculated the cost per goal involvement of the top 20 most-expensive summer signings in the Premier League this season.
As their value to a team comes more from preventing goals than scoring or creating them, we have also excluded defenders and goalkeepers from this comparison.
Below, we have ranked players from best to worst value based on their cost-per-goal involvement this season.
By goal involvement, we mean senior goals and assists for their new club across all competitions, excluding friendlies.
The Best Value Premier League Signings Of The Season (Midfielders/Attackers)
| Player | Club | Fee (£M) | G/A | Cost per G/A (£M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Palmer | Chelsea | 40 | 36 | 1.1 |
| Joao Pedro | Brighton | 30 | 21 | 1.4 |
| Nicolas Jackson | Chelsea | 30 | 17 | 1.8 |
| James Ward-Prowse | West Ham | 30 | 17 | 1.8 |
| Matheus Cunha | Wolves | 44 | 20 | 2.2 |
| Mohammed Kudus | West Ham | 37 | 16 | 2.3 |
| Alexis Mac Allister | Liverpool | 35 | 13 | 2.7 |
| Moussa Diaby | Aston Villa | 52 | 15 | 3.5 |
| James Maddison | Tottenham | 40 | 11 | 3.6 |
| Brennan Johnson | Tottenham | 48 | 12 | 4 |
| Jeremy Doku | Man City | 55 | 13 | 4.2 |
| Kai Havertz | Arsenal | 65 | 15 | 4.3 |
| Rasmus Hojlund | Man United | 64 | 15 | 4.3 |
| Dominik Szoboszlai | Liverpool | 60 | 11 | 5.5 |
| Harvey Barnes | Newcastle | 38 | 6 | 6.3 |
| Ryan Gravenberch | Liverpool | 34 | 5 | 6.8 |
| Declan Rice | Arsenal | 100 | 13 | 7.7 |
| Matheus Nunes | Man City | 53 | 5 | 10.6 |
| Mason Mount | Man United | 55 | 2 | 27.5 |
| Moises Caicedo | Chelsea | 115 | 2 | 57.5 |
*Goal/Assist data from Transfermarkt.com – Correct as of 19 April 2024
Top 5 Best Value Premier League Signings This Season
5. Matheus Cunha (Wolves) – Cost per goal involvement: £2.2M
Starting off our list of the top five best-value signings of the summer window is Wolves’ Matheus Cunha.
The 24-year-old Brazilian joined from Atletico Madrid for £44m, and has been a welcome arrival at Molineux.
With 13 goals and seven assists across all competitions, he’s averaged a cost of £2.2m per goal involvement for the West Midlands outfit.
4. James Ward-Prowse (West Ham) – Cost per goal involvement: £1.8M
Former Southampton skipper James Ward-Prowse arrived at West Ham to fill the void left by Declan Rice’s departure.
And despite failing to score one of his infamous free kicks, he’s still been an important player for the Irons.
The England international has six goals and 11 assists in all competitions, equating to £1.8M per goal involvement since his £30m move.
3. Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea) – Cost per goal involvement: £1.8M
Next up may surprise some, but despite Chelsea’s well-documented struggles in the transfer market, Nicolas Jackson has delivered fairly well for the Blues.
The Senegalese forward is still only 22, so his £30m fee could prove to be great business if he lives up to his full potential.
But this season, he’s already showing his worth, contributing 16 goal involvements in all competitions since moving to Stamford Bridge, at a cost of £1.8m each.
Although posting identical numbers to Ward-Prowse, Jackson edges ahead in our rankings due to having played nine fewer games this season.
2. Joao Pedro (Brighton) – Cost per goal involvement: £1.4M
Brighton seem to have a conveyor belt of incredibly successful signings. None have exemplified this more in 2023/24 than Joao Pedro.
Joining from Watford in the summer for £30m, Pedro has 21 goal involvements. These include 19 goals and two assists, with his six goals in the Europa League group stages proving pivotal for the Seagulls.
At a cost of just £1.4m per goal involvement, the Brazilian is yet another shrewd signing for the South Coast club.
1. Cole Palmer (Chelsea) – Cost per goal involvement: £1.1M
But no Premier League player has earned their money more than Chelsea’s Cole Palmer this campaign.
The Manchester City youth graduate swapped the Etihad for Stamford Bridge at the start of the season and hasn’t looked back.
With an incredible 23 goals, including four in Monday’s 6-0 thrashing of Everton, the 21-year-old starlet has been a shining light throughout a mostly torrid season for Chelsea.
On top of that, Palmer also has 13 assists in all competitions, giving him 36 total goal involvements to date for his £40m transfer fee.
At a cost of £1.1m each, this makes Cole Palmer statistically the best value major Premier League signing of last summer.
Top 5 Worst Value Premier League Signings This Season
5. Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) – Cost per goal involvement: £6.8M
At the other end of the scale, we have some players who have struggled to justify their price tags.
Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch joined from Bayern Munich for £34m, but has just five goal involvements from his 33 games for the Reds.
At a cost of £6.8m per involvement, he’s among the worst value arrivals of the season.
4. Declan Rice (Arsenal) – Cost per goal involvement: £7.7M
Next is a man who has actually performed very well since his move. Declan Rice has been crucial for Arsenal’s title challenge, contributing 13 goal involvements in all competitions.
But his £100m transfer fee means each goal or assist has cost the Gunners a hefty £7.7m, meaning Rice needs to score or assist a fair few more to repay Arsenal’s massive investment.
3. Matheus Nunes (Man City) – Cost per goal involvement: £10.6M
In third place on the list of worst value signings is Manchester City’s Matheus Nunes.
The Portuguese international has made 26 appearances for City, contributing five assists.
But having paid £53m to pry him away from Wolves in the summer, each of Nunes’ goal involvements has cost the club £10.6m.
2. Mason Mount (Man United) – Cost per goal involvement: £27.5M
Since joining United, Mason Mount has played only 17 times, missing more than three months with a calf injury.
As a result, he’s managed just one goal and an assist for Eric Ten Hag’s side, having cost the Red Devils £55m. At a rate of £27.5m per goal involvement, he’s the second-worst value Premier League signing this season.
1. Moises Caicedo (Chelsea) – Cost per goal involvement: £57.5M
But topping our list as the worst value signing of the season is Moises Caicedo.
Granted, Caicedo is not a player you bring in for his goal contributions. But with a price tag of £115m, Chelsea can be forgiven for feeling somewhat short-changed.
Ecuadorian midfielder Caicedo joined from Brighton for a near-record fee, but has delivered very little for Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
An assist against Leeds United in the FA Cup and another in February’s 4-2 home defeat to Wolves in the Premier League gives Caicedo an eye-watering cost per goal involvement of £57.5m.
That makes Moises Caicedo comfortably the worst-value Premier League arrival of the season.
