The so-called smaller clubs have been tasked with replacing key players the Premier League’s big boys have nabbed this summer, which is never easy. And then you have the big boys themselves, trying to move on from legends — which often proves impossible.
We did the ten biggest upgrades of the summer, now it’s time for the biggest downgrades.
8) Dean Huijsen to Bafode Diakite (Bournemouth)
Diakite could end up being better than Huijsen, who knows? But at this stage it’s difficult to see any Bournemouth centre-back signing having the same impact as the new Real Madrid man.
Huijsen came in last summer for £12.6million and made an immediate impact. So much so that Juventus wanted to re-sign him in January for three times what they sold him for. Talk about a mistake.
Madrid were decisive in their pursuit of Huijsen and fought off stern competition from Arsenal, Liverpool and others to get his signature. Bournemouth took their time to sign a replacement, eventually settling on Lille defender Diakite.
Only Evanilson has cost Bournemouth more than the Frenchman, who comes with Champions League experience and 198 senior appearances under his belt. We’re not writing him off, but it’s hard to view him as anything other than a downgrade on Huijsen.
7) James Trafford to Martin Dubravka (Burnley)
Replacing Trafford was always going to be difficult, and Burnley have done reasonably well with the cost-effective addition of Dubravka. But Scott Parker’s goalkeeping department has still taken a serious hit.
Trafford kept 29 clean sheets in the Championship last term, boasting a save success rate of 84.6%. In a wildly competitive division, those are outrageous numbers.
Burnley have lost an impressive ball-playing goalkeeper with an incredibly bright future. A future England No.1, the 22-year-old has been replaced by Newcastle United’s No.2.
We like the deal for Burnley, but Dubravka’s ability with the ball at his feet is lacking. In fact, he makes you nervous whenever he has it. And yes, we know Trafford messed one up on the weekend, but he’s a victim of the system. Promise.
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6) Rayan Ait-Nouri to David Moller Wolfe (Wolves)
Similar to the Huijsen/Diakite downgrade, it’s possible Wolfe could prove us wrong and end up even better than Ait-Nouri. We doubt that even more if anything, though Wolves signing a dude called Wolfe does have a certain charm.
There’s no doubt Manchester City fleeced Wolves for Ait-Nouri. They paid £31m when it really ought to have been closer to £50m. He’s simply fantastic, and Pep Guardiola will hope the injury he sustained against Spurs is not serious. It looks like we won’t see him again until after the international break.
Wolfe hasn’t had the best start at his new club, but the season is still very young. He should improve, but even if he does, it’s hard to see him reaching Ait-Nouri levels of influence at Molineux.
5) Mohammed Kudus to Niclas Fullkrug (West Ham)
The only downgrade here that doesn’t involve two players moving, Fullkrug is the prime candidate to step in and assume Kudus’ role in Graham Potter’s XI. Under their struggling head coach, centre-forward is the position the Ghanaian suited best, with the wide roles reserved for wing-backs and no true attacking midfielder.
Kudus might have struggled in a poor West Ham team last term, but his start at Spurs has made it abundantly clear he’s a top player. Meanwhile, West Ham’s start to 2025/26 has been miserable. They’re missing a spark in attack, with Jarrod Bowen — or anyone — incapable of bringing the quality needed to keep Potter in a job.
Fullkrug disappointed last season after becoming the most West Ham striker signing West Ham could possibly make. It’s clear he’s not suited to the Premier League, and a return to Germany will surely come in 2026.
Potter needs to add more flair and pace to his attack before the deadline. You know, the two things Kudus had in abundance.
4) Bryan Mbeumo to Dango Ouattara (Brentford)
Ouattara is a fine player and someone Brentford paid a lot of money to sign, but he isn’t on the same level as Mbeumo, who left for Manchester United in a deal worth around £65m.
The Bees were always going to downgrade, but they’ve probably done as well as they could with the ex-Bournemouth forward. Will he score 20 Premier League goals this season? Surely not. Can he do enough to keep them in the top flight? Probably.
But Mbeumo is borderline world-class. He has a lot to prove at Old Trafford though, as so many brilliant players have joined Manchester United and seemingly forgotten how to play football overnight. The Cameroonian has no goals or assists in his first two league appearances, but got off the mark against Grimsby with a fine run and finish before the all-powerful Manchester United narrative saw him miss the crucial penalty.
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3) Trent Alexander-Arnold to Jeremie Frimpong (Liverpool)
Alexander-Arnold is arguably the best right-back in the world, and any replacement was inevitably going to be a downgrade. Frimpong, who cost £29.5m from Bayer Leverkusen, is a really good player; we’re not knocking him, but Trent is really, really bloody good.
That’s why so many Liverpool fans had a meltdown over his move to Real Madrid. It’s always painful to lose a world-class academy graduate, but the boos at Anfield were still baffling.
2) Kevin De Bruyne to Rayan Cherki (Manchester City)
De Bruyne might be 34 and past his peak, but he’s still a huge miss. Replacing City’s greatest-ever player (a debate for another day) with Cherki is a gamble, to say the least.
The jury will be out on Cherki for a while. Right now people are split on whether he’ll be a flop or a success. A handsome Scottish man backed him as flop of the season, and that same bias might have helped push this particular downgrade higher than it should be.
1) Matheus Cunha to Jhon Arias (Wolves)
Coming from Fluminense, Arias is an unknown quantity, which makes it risky to put him first. He could end up fantastic, maybe even better than Cunha. But we can’t see that happening.
This isn’t a slight on Arias, but on the immense influence of the player he’s replacing. Cunha was Wolves in 2024/25. Without his goals and assists, there would have been an actual relegation battle.
Like Mbeumo, Cunha has shown promise in his first two United appearances, but he still has a lot to prove. Old Trafford is a graveyard for players. Arias, meanwhile, has zero goal involvements in two Wolves matches so far.
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