As the curtain prepares to fall on another enthralling year of European football, it's time to look back on the players that made the biggest impact after completing high-profile transfers. The Premier League dominated the market, with over £2 billion spent on new players across English football's top 20 clubs, but significant deals were also struck in Italy, Spain, Germany, France and beyond.
Money doesn't always guarantee success, though. Chelsea invested more in new players than any other club on the continent, but they won't be playing in Europe next season after plummeting down into the bottom half of the Premier League standings.
Some of the most expensive signings of the year have thrived, but a large number of cut-price deals have ended up proving to be bargains, and there has also been great value found in free agents. Domestic champions Manchester City, Napoli and Barcelona can all attest to that.
Assessing the best of the best is no easy task, but GOAL is here to rank the most successful signings of the 2022-23 season. The final 21 includes a host of risk-takers, leaders and mavericks; fearless players capable of delivering at the very highest level week in, week out.
But the main thing that unites them all is their insatiable hunger for victory. Check out the cream of the crop below...
