Quenda, Manzambi, Madjo and Rogers: The most exciting Premier League signings to look out for

With the new Premier League season kicking off in five days and two weeks of the transfer window still to run, the business completed so far has already given supporters plenty to be excited about. From England internationals stepping up to new challenges to teenagers arriving in the division for the first time, here are some of the most intriguing signings to watch when the action begins.

Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa to Chelsea

Rogers is not a new name to Premier League fans — or defenders. The 24-year-old was one of the key figures of Aston Villa's rise under Unai Emery, signing in 2024 and helping them qualify for the Champions League twice and win the Europa League last season. In spite of the promise of European football at Villa Park, he has taken his attacking talents to Chelsea for a club-record £117m ($158.3m) fee, becoming the marquee signing of Chelsea's rebuild under Xabi Alonso.

"He is brave on the ball, audacious in his finishing, and entering the prime years of his career," the report notes. This move sees him link up with long-time friend and former Manchester City academy team-mate Cole Palmer — and if Alonso can unlock that partnership, it could be one of the most intimidating in the division. There were positive signs on his debut on Saturday against Real Sociedad, too, as Rogers scored the opening goal in a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge.

Elliot Anderson to Manchester City

One of the earliest major moves of the summer — and remains one of the most important. Manchester City have fallen from their perch as perennial winners over the past two seasons, and to restore that they need their midfield engine room back to its best. City moved decisively to secure an agreement with Nottingham Forest for Anderson at the beginning of July, spending £116m — a club record for City — reflecting their faith that Anderson can add the athleticism and physicality they need.

As he showed at Forest, Anderson is capable of being the keystone of a Premier League side: involved across the pitch, crucial in and out of possession, and physically robust enough to handle the dual burden of domestic and European football.

Geovany Quenda to Chelsea

Before a drive for experience and maturity became the focus of Chelsea's summer, the club's penchant for snapping up young talents was in full swing last year — and Quenda was one of those high-potential buys, having agreed a deal in 2025 and now joined up with his new team. The 19-year-old rose through the ranks at Sporting CP and has already shown his versatility, adapting impressively to a wing-back role under Ruben Amorim and potentially playing the same role for Xabi Alonso's Chelsea.

He impressed on his debut on the club's pre-season tour in Hong Kong, and the reports indicate Quenda will be around the first team rather than going out on loan. His preparation has been rigorous: during rehabilitation from a foot injury sustained last December, he visited London and used Chelsea's training ground, and undertook a programme of nutrition and muscle development aimed at getting him ready for Premier League football.

Ousmane Diomande to Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest's latest acquisition is unlikely to be making his mark on the opposition goal. Instead, the 22-year-old, acquired for €40m (£34m) from Sporting CP, is the statement defensive signing of Forest's new Oliver Glasner era — one Glasner also wanted at Crystal Palace and has now secured to complete his back-three formation. Kristian Kjaer, technical director of Diomande's former club FC Midtjylland, highlighted Diomande's "pace, his size, his strength, his athleticism and the fact he's also good on the ball" in an interview with The Athletic. Diomande was named in the Primeira Liga team of the year in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur

After standing out in two league winners and subsequent relegations (Southampton in 2024-25 and West Ham United in 2025-26), this was the summer for the 22-year-old to take the next step — and Tottenham have bet on his potential to translate into their new-look midfield, to the tune of a guaranteed £85m. Spurs saw off interest from Manchester United to bring the Portugal international across London from West Ham, part of a heavy-spending rebuild as they look to recover from two seasons flirting with relegation.

At West Ham, Fernandes enhanced his reputation as a player who can not only drive his team forward but also defend on the front foot. He gave Spurs fans a glimpse of his long-range shooting with a sublime volley in pre-season against MK Dons.

Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal

After a long-summer saga — and before that, a long-time admiration from Mikel Arteta — Bruno Guimaraes is an Arsenal player. Arsenal's talismanic midfielder, who guided Newcastle to their first major domestic silverware in 70 years, has made his name as a combative and creative all-round midfielder. There are few current Premier League players who have been as pivotal for their sides. At Arsenal, Guimaraes does not need to be a talisman yet, but his leadership and style fit well with Mikel Arteta's approach, and he can help take the burden off a fatigued-looking Declan Rice. The arrival takes Arsenal's midfield from impressive to seriously intimidating.

James Trafford to Leeds United

That Trafford would depart Manchester City, his boyhood club, was always expected. The size of the fee has surprised. The deal to take him to Leeds is worth more than £40m — making them the only Premier League club whose record signing is a goalkeeper. On paper it is a huge outlay for a keeper who was second-choice last season, but had it not been for the last-minute arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma at the Etihad, Trafford may well have been No. 1. Many feel Trafford — strong shot-stopper, comfortable on the ball and advancing out of his box — to be the successor to Jordan Pickford in England's goal, and he impressed on his debut against Manchester United in a pre-season friendly at Croke Park.

Johan Manzambi to Aston Villa

It was his sparkling performances for Switzerland at the World Cup that drew attention, but clubs had eyed Manzambi long before. After a tussle with Newcastle, Manzambi has chosen Aston Villa, where the midfield is opening up for him to take centre stage. The 20-year-old's delightful run to set up Switzerland's opening goal against Algeria at the World Cup was a highlights-reel moment, as was his brace against Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Villa boss Unai Emery had been hooked during pre-match analysis before facing Manzambi's Freiburg in the Europa League final and continues to shape the team around him. The departures of Rogers and Youri Tekelemans, and injuries to Amadou Onana and new signing Joao Gomes, mean the youngster could immediately star as prominently for his new club as he did for his country this summer.

Daizen Maeda to Ipswich Town

If you don't know Maeda's name or his most famous goal: a stunning looped overhead kick against Rangers in May. That strike for Celtic helped them over the line to clinch the Scottish Premiership title by two points. Now, after four and a half years at Celtic, the 28-year-old has joined newly promoted Ipswich Town. He has played in various forward positions and catches the eye not only for that iconic goal (79 in 212 games for Celtic) but also his out-of-possession attributes — relentless pressing and work rate, worth 78 sprints in Japan's World Cup last-32 defeat to Brazil.

Jeremy Jacquet to Liverpool

Liverpool had one key piece of the puzzle oven-ready in 21-year-old Jacquet. The Merseysiders agreed a deal in the winter window with Rennes for Jacquet to join this summer, seeing off competition from Chelsea, for an initial £55m plus up to £5m in add-ons. Alongside Giovanni Leoni, Jacquet can be one-half of the succession plan to the legendary duo of Virgil van Dijk (entering the final season of his contract) and Ibrahima Konate (who left as a free agent). Jacquet is a front-footed, aggressive defender, comfortable on the ball and strong one-on-one — though he still needs to be refined. He is finally expected to be available for Liverpool's final pre-season game against Como after missing all other fixtures through injury.

Brian Madjo, Geovany Quenda and more

There are few better ways to announce your arrival at a new club than a goal against the champions of Europe. And that is how 17-year-old Brian Madjo launched his Aston Villa career against Riyad Mahrez's side — a goal in their 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup, where his performance embarrassed the PSG centre-back pairing of Marquinhos and Willian Pacho. Complications with his registration had him set to be blocked until January 2027, but a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling removed that barrier, and the teenager is not expected to displace Ollie Watkins just yet — but if his first impression is anything to go by, he could be set for a breakout as soon as he is available.

Other summer signings building up the season

Beyond the headline deals, more moves bring intrigue. Chelsea rejected Paris Saint-Germain's advances and Athletic linked, and Brentford's new midfielder Mamadou Sangare (€48m from Lens) adds what Rapid Vienna's sporting director Markus Katzer called "a mix between a six and an eight": "He's technically very strong, he can dribble and he can always find solutions in really, really tight spaces. And then how he wins balls is his biggest strength... He was crazy about getting better, he was addicted to." Sangare was also among the goals this weekend in Brentford's 7-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Other noteworthy arrivals include Mateus Fernandes' Spurs switch already covered, plus Daizen Maeda and Geovany Quenda as above, and young Swedish midfielder/academy prospects across the league. In short, the new season begins with a wave of transfer activity offering a reminder that in the Premier League, everyone begins from zero.