Premier League ranking: Clubs providing the most and least game time to their new signings during the 2023/24 season

The Premier League 23/24 season concluded on Sunday, with Manchester City crowned as champions for an unprecedented fourth time in a row. Arsenal, like in the previous campaign, finished in second position, with the gap to the top spot reduced from 5 to just 2 points. Kai Havertz and Declan Rice had key roles in Arsenal’s title push, replacing Gabriel Jesus and the departed Granit Xhaka as starters in Mikel Arteta’s prefered line-up. That inspired Sportingpedia to investigate which clubs have given the most playing time to their new signings during the previous Premier League season.

The numbers reveal that West Ham have used the trio of Mohammed Kudus, Edson Alvarez, and James Ward-Prowse for a total of 7,873 minutes – the most for any trio of new signings. On the other end of the spectrum are Everton and Bournemouth provided newly signed players with minimal game time. On an individual level, Manchester United’s Andre Onana was on the pitch every single minute of the 23/24 campaign, recording 3,420 playing minutes. In contrast, Chelsea’s Romeo Lavia featured for only 32 minutes before suffering a season-ending injury, similar to Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber, who spent just 71 minutes on the field before getting injured. Some players were bought in the summer and sent out on loan in January, but this report focuses on the numbers rather than the reasons behind them.

Methodology

First, we identified the three most expensive signings (summer and winter transfer windows) for each Premier League club. We decided to count only the top 3 transfers, because some teams have bought 6-7 or even more players, while Everton is the only Premier League side which began the 2023/24 season with only 2 new signings. Then, we collected each player’s game time in minutes from Transfermarkt and combined them to determine which clubs gave the most playing time to their new signings.

Key Takeaways:

• West Ham, Tottenham, Sheffield United and Fulham are the only teams who have used their top 3 new signings in over 7,000 Premier League minutes
• Everton and Bournemouth are the 2 clubs who provide the least game time to new signings
• 2 footballers from Arsenal, Brentford, and Sheffield United find place among the 10 most used new signings
• A couple of Chelsea and Bournemouth players are featured in the ranking for the new signings with the least game time
• Two goalkeepers – Andre Onana and Mark Flekken have received the most minutes among the individual players
• Declan Rice, Pedro Porro, and James Ward-Prowse are the only 3 outfield new signings who received more than 3,000 minutes of game time
• Romeo Lavia has been limited to only 32 minutes on the field in his first season with Chelsea – the least of any new signing

West Ham’s investment in Mohammed Kudus (€43 million), Edson Alvarez (€38 million), and James Ward-Prowse (€34.8 million) paid off significantly, as these players logged a combined 7,873 minutes, highlighting their key roles in the Hammers’ squad. Similarly, Tottenham saw substantial contributions from Brennan Johnson (€55 million), James Maddison (€46.3 million), and Pedro Porro (€40 million), who collectively played 7,579 minutes.

Sheffield United also made the most of their new signings, with Cameron Archer (€21.55 million), Gustavo Hamer (€17.3 million), and Vini Souza (€12.5 million) amassing a total of 7,432 minutes. Fulham’s new additions, Alex Iwobi (€25.7 million), Calvin Bassey (€22.5 million), and Timothy Castagne (€13 million), combined for 7,276 minutes on the field, proving their worth throughout the season.

In stark contrast, Everton and Bournemouth provided the least game time to their new signings. Everton’s Beto (€25 million) has been on the field for 939 minutes, and Chermiti (€12.5 million) spent just 192 minutes playing to combine for a total of 1,131. Bournemouth’s top acquisitions, Tyler Adams (€26.9 million), Hamed Traore (€25.62 million), and Alex Scott (€23 million), played a total of only 1,171 minutes but the lion’s share fell to Scott. Adams recorded only 118 minutes, while Traore was present for 44 minutes in the first half of the campaign before being sent out on loan in January.

Other players stood out for their extensive playtime. On an individual level, two goalkeepers were trusted with the most game time. Manchester United’s Andre Onana, acquired for €50.2 million, was on the field for every single minute of the season, totaling 3,420 minutes. Brentford’s Mark Flekken, costing €13 million, also had a significant presence with 3,285 minutes.

In terms of outfield players, Arsenal’s Declan Rice (€116.6 million), Tottenham’s Pedro Porro (€40 million), and West Ham’s James Ward-Prowse (€34.8 million) were the only new signings in the Premier League to surpass 3,000 minutes in their maiden season in a new club.

On the other end of the spectrum, Chelsea’s Romeo Lavia, bought for €62.1 million, played only 32 minutes before a season-ending injury. This was the least amount of game time for any new signing, a situation mirrored by Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber, who managed just 71 minutes due to injury.