Premier League Summer Transfer Analysis 25/26 [Part One]

Transfer season is well and truly under way, with multiple Premier League clubs already confirming one or more new signings ahead of the 25/26 EPL season. We'll share our analysis on what to expect from each of these new arrivals from a Draft EPL Fantasy perspective between now and when the transfer window slams shut on September 1. Our first installment looks at players confirmed by their respective clubs between the window opening on June 20 and July 1.

Check out our 25/26 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101. Dominate your draft!

Premier League Summer Transfer Analysis

25/26 Premier League Confirmed Transfers Analysis

Below, DraftLad will cover each Premier League transfer individually, providing his analysis of how they will be expected to perform in the upcoming 25/26 season. We use a five-star rating model to rank the new signings relative to their draft value; use these as a guide to help get your Draft Premier League season off to a flyer!

We’ve ranked the transfers, based on a star rating, from 1 to 5:

⭐️ = Steer clear

⭐️⭐️ = Wait and see

⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Could be worth a punt

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Great prospect

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = The Premier League signing you’ve been waiting for!

The Premier League Summer Transfer Analysis covers signings that were confirmed by their respective clubs between the end of the 23/24 season and July 1 (no Pedro, Gittens, Le Fee just yet - look for Part 2 soon!). If you would like to see the converted fantasy points scored by many of the below players this past season (in their respective leagues) check out our table here: https://www.thedraftsociety.com/transfers-fpts PP90 = fantasy points per 90. GPP90 = ghost points per 90. PPS = fantasy points per start. GPPS = ghost points per start. xPP90 = expected fantasy points per 90 (using xG and xA)

Matheus Cunha

Position: Forward (F in Fantrax)

Team: Manchester United

Signed From: Wolverhampton Wanderers for €73m

Prospects: The 26 year old Brazillian, Cunha is well known amongst fantasy managers due to his many successes (and some mistakes) at Wolves the past 2 seasons. 15 goals and 6 assists coupled with 14.8 PPS and 9.3 GPPS in 29 starts for the 16th placed side in the 24/25 season made Cunha the 5th highest scoring fantasy player (in Fantrax default scoring leagues). I won't go too in depth into his playing style as he's been in the league for multiple years, but positionally he played off a target man (Strand Larsen) quite successfully and looks like a great fit for Amorin's preferred 3421 with 2 tucked attackers behind a striker. Cunha is capable of being that striker, and may if United are stuck with Hojlund, Zirkee, and Obi-Martin, but more likely they sign one and he plays as the left 10 (and Mbeumo the right if United close the deal). The quality of the striker they sign may ultimately have a big impact on just how successful the United attack, and Cunha's season turn out to be, but in the absence of that knowledge, let's assume they upgrade on Hojlund but not as far as say Ollie Watkins. So how will moving from the 16th placed Wolves to the 15th placed Man United effect Cunha's output? Well despite the snide remark, United did score 10 less goals than Wolves (despite 9 more xG accrued), but are widely expected to be far better this season. United have the 6th best odds to win the title while Wolves have the 4th best odds to get relegated. Yes, Cunha plays a part in that, but that would also make the United team far better than the Wolves team last season. Better team = better fantasy season then right?

It's more complicated than that, of course. Cunha was by far the focal point of the Wolves team last season, dragging them nearly single-handedly to staying up. He took nearly 70% of their set-pieces when on the pitch, which accounted for 8% of his points (13.6 PPS without sets). Bruno will likely take all those right-footed sets from Cunha. Mbeumo, if eventually signed, was also the focal point for his team, Brentford. So, assuming he's starting, there's a lot of attacking mouths to feed in the lineup and given their lack of many fantasy points last season, I can understand the reluctance to rate multiple United assets in the early draft rounds. Cunha should certainly be expected to get many, many minutes given his fee and resume, but they still do have a lot of attacking talent not yet sold in Garnacho, Rashford, Sancho, and Antony. If they do manage to sell all those guys as they seemingly intend, Mason Mount could end up the best alternative to Cunha, which likely would be great news for the Brazillian. Where I net out on all of this is that Cunha is joining what should be a significantly better team, with many better surrounding talents that will steal his shine a bit but still allow him to prosper nearly enough to replicate a similar season to last. That makes him a late first round pick for me. He's proven he can succeed on bad teams, and maybe, just maybe United could be a good, or even just okay team this season.

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