Azeez, Mbaye and Ndiaye head seven smart Premier League deadline day deals

Premier League clubs spent deadline day putting the finishing touches to their summer rebuilds, and among the flurry of medicals and paperwork were several pieces of business that look genuinely shrewd. Brighton pulled off a double swoop for Femi Azeez and Chema Andrés, Sunderland raided Lyon and Tottenham, Aston Villa landed one of Europe's most exciting teenagers and Manchester City broke the £60m barrier for a dribbling machine. Here are the seven deals that could prove the savviest of the window.

Femi Azeez – Millwall to Brighton, £15m

A "tricky, exciting, quick and versatile midfielder", Azeez has proven himself in the Championship with Millwall over the past two seasons and now deserves his chance to test himself in the top flight. Brighton had been chasing him for a while and struck a deal on deadline day for a very reasonable reported initial £12.5m, rising to £15m. If he can make the step up and produce anything like his second-tier form, he will be a steal.

Azeez is a high-volume producer at the sharp end of the pitch, constantly making things happen that threaten the opposition's goal, but standing out most for his crossing. He ranked top of the Championship last season for open-play crosses (227) and expected assists from crosses (6.71 xA), fourth for dribble attempts (131), ninth for shots (95) and sixth for chances created from open play (58). Crucially, he created good-quality chances too: only two players created more big chances than his 18, and he ranked fourth for expected assists. His 9.12 xA alongside only seven assists suggests he may benefit from playing alongside better finishers — something Brighton's squad can certainly offer.

Ibrahim Mbaye – PSG to Aston Villa, £47m

A hugely exciting prospect, Mbaye arrives at Villa Park with significant and noteworthy experience despite being just 18. Last year he made six appearances, including in the final, for Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations, and this summer he made four appearances at the World Cup. He has also played in two Ligue 1 title-winning campaigns, including 2024-25, when he became the youngest player in PSG's history to start a game, and won the Champions League in both of those seasons.

On the pitch, Mbaye is a dribbling and ball-carrying menace who always looks as if he is about to do something special. Among players to play at least 900 minutes in Ligue 1 last season, he was 11th for carries (moving at least five metres with the ball) per 90 with 20.0, and 12th for progressive carries per 90 with 10.3 — with most of the players above him in both lists defenders, who naturally have more space to move into. He was third for take-on-ending carries (running with the ball for at least five metres before attempting to beat an opponent) with 2.9 per 90. And he has end product to boot: he scored at Afcon and the World Cup despite limited minutes, and his 0.45 goals or assists per 90 for PSG last season is not to be sniffed at.

Kevin Danso – Tottenham to Sunderland, loan with buy obligation

Danso had a pretty impossible task over his two years at Tottenham. He was the back-up to the first-choice centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, playing intermittently on both sides of central defence in dysfunctional teams jumping between styles of play, and he very rarely played for any consistent run of games. Unfairly compared with the players he was replacing for much of his time there, the truth is he was always reliable enough — and he excelled when Romero got injured during the run-in last season, answering Spurs' call in their time of need as they scraped clear of relegation.

He may not be the best on the ball — though he is hardly terrible — but he is an excellent deep defender. Among those to play at least 1,000 minutes in the Premier League last season, Danso ranked first for clearances (8.2 per 90) and headed clearances (6.3), and was fifth for aerial duels won (4.8 per 90). He could thrive at Sunderland, who spent more of their out-of-possession game time in a low block than any other team in the Premier League last season (25%). Danso could be perfectly at home in that setup, paired alongside the player he beat into second place for clearances and headed clearances: Dan Ballard.

Iliman Ndiaye – Everton to Manchester City, £65m

It was always said during Pep Guardiola's time at Manchester City that attackers had their wings clipped in terms of individual freedom, limited to playing within the parameters of the manager's meticulous gameplan. But dribbling ability became increasingly important in the final years of his reign, with Jérémy Doku, Antoine Semenyo on the wings and Rayan Cherki in between. Doku (162) and Semenyo (144) ranked first and second for dribbles attempted in the Premier League last season, with Cherki ninth (111). They also ranked first (84), fourth (59) and eighth (51) respectively for dribbles completed.

With the deadline-day addition of Ndiaye, City have gone in even harder on dribbling ability under Enzo Maresca. The Senegal international ranked second for dribbles attempted (136) and dribbles completed (73) in the Premier League last season — exactly the profile the champions are now building around.

Matias Fernandez-Pardo – Lille to Newcastle, £51m

Fernandez-Pardo's versatility is a major attraction for Newcastle. He is comfortable playing off the left and cutting in on to his right foot, or as a No 9. Although not the bulkiest, he has explosive pace and promises to be a threat in behind. The Belgium international is arguably at his most threatening when running with the ball, because he does so with such purpose.

The numbers back it up: his 122 carries progressing the ball at least 10 metres upfield in Ligue 1 last term were bettered by only seven players, several of whom were defenders. On top of that, he ranked first for carries into the penalty area (69) and seventh for carries ending with a shot or chance created (39) — a relentless ball-carrier who gets his team up the pitch and into dangerous territory.

Malick Fofana – Lyon to Sunderland, £30m

Fofana appeared to be enjoying a swift rise in 2024-25, only for a serious ankle injury to massively disrupt his development in 2025-26. Sunderland will be hoping they can get him back to the levels shown the season before last, when he was a real livewire on Lyon's left flank. He contributed nine goal involvements (five goals, four assists) in 1,586 minutes in Ligue 1 in 2024-25, averaging one every 176 minutes, and only eight forwards (900+ mins) averaged more expected assists per 90 (0.25).

The most eye-catching aspects of his game, however, were his dynamism and pace. He could be difficult to stop once moving, which made him a very useful outlet: among Ligue 1 forwards (900+ mins), his 16.6 carries per 90 ranked sixth, and he moved up to third for progressive carries per 90 (11.5). Fofana is direct, exciting and has significant potential — a player Sunderland could make a profit on if he reaches the levels previously expected.

Chema Andrés – Stuttgart to Brighton, £20m

Andrés arrived to bolster Brighton's midfield options after Carlos Baleba's exit to Manchester United. Although a different type of midfielder to the Cameroonian, Chema is another with vast potential. A product of Real Madrid's academy, he joined Stuttgart last summer and, during his sole campaign in the Bundesliga, was in and out of the team but caught the eye at the base of their midfield.

Comparisons have been made to Rodri because of his physical attributes and nominal role as a holding midfielder. He does not have anything like the same influence in possession, but Chema is tidy on the ball. It is what he offers defensively that is most notable, however: he has been broadly praised for his anticipation and reading of the game, ranking second among midfielders (900+ mins) since the start of last season for interceptions per 90 in the Bundesliga (2.3).

From a £15m Championship winger to an 18-year-old Champions League winner, this year's deadline day was less about panic buys and more about premeditated punts on data-backed potential. Whether these seven deals pay off, only time will tell — but on the evidence of the numbers, the smart money looks well placed.

Analysis based on Opta data.