The summer transfer window closed with a flurry of drama, and former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison has given his verdict on the standout moves — including Chelsea's failure to secure a midfield replacement for Enzo Fernandez.

Fernandez heads to Man City

The headline deal of the window was Fernandez's £125 million move from Chelsea to Manchester City. Morrison is clear that Chelsea will feel the loss keenly. "He's a good footballer," Morrison said, "and Chelsea would be devastated to lose him." He believes Fernandez is best used as a number eight — a player who drives forward and contributes goals — rather than a direct replacement for Rodri in the holding role.

Manchester City now boast a formidable squad, with either Rayan Cherki or Phil Foden expected to operate in the number ten position. Morrison says it will be fascinating to watch how manager Enzo Maresca fits all his options into a coherent starting eleven.

Chelsea's midfield gap

Despite a positive window overall, Morrison believes Chelsea fell short on deadline day. The club reportedly pursued Manu Kone from Roma, but the Italian club's manager refused to sanction the move. Lamine Camara of Monaco was another target, though Monaco ultimately held onto him alongside Folarin Balogun.

"Chelsea have still got Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson in that position," Morrison noted, "but I feel like they've left themselves one player short." He highlighted Camara specifically as the type of box-to-box midfielder who would inject the energy Chelsea's midfield requires.

The Fofana saga and Sunderland's bold move

One of deadline day's more chaotic storylines involved Malick Fofana, with Sunderland's owner travelling to Lyon personally to persuade the winger to join. Morrison says the outcome — Fofana choosing Sunderland over Crystal Palace — was almost inevitable once that level of personal commitment was shown. He questioned why Palace did not move earlier if Fofana was their priority target, arguing that waiting until the final hours of the window is a recurring and unnecessary mistake by clubs.

"He's an exciting player and a good signing for Sunderland," Morrison said of Fofana. "It was a crazy situation watching it unravel."

Best signing of the summer

Morrison's pick for the standout Premier League signing of the summer is Bruno Guimaraes' move to Arsenal for £75 million. He rates Youri Tielemans' switch to Manchester United for £35 million as a close second — though he quips that £35 million "seems like the cost of a cup of tea in transfer terms these days."

He remains unconvinced by Manchester United's window overall. The club failed to land a left-back, with Lewis Hall at Newcastle United their primary target. Ben Chilwell joined Crystal Palace, but Morrison notes United probably wanted someone younger and hungrier in that role. He believes United's defensive line — across right-back, left-back, and centre-half — still needs significant reinforcement, and those weaknesses will prevent them from mounting a genuine title challenge.

Arsenal vs Chelsea: the first big test

With the window closed, attention turns to the pitch, and Morrison says the weekend's standout Premier League fixture is Arsenal against Chelsea — the first major examination of Mikel Arteta's side this season. He expects both attacks to cause problems for the opposing defence, making it a compelling watch. Morrison believes the match will reveal whether Chelsea are ready to push for the title against last season's champions.