The late signings hoping to make a big impact in LaLiga

Headlines have been made this summer by how little spending there has been in LaLiga, with a number of clubs needing to sell key players to balance the books. However, deadline day did spark a flurry of late business, with Spanish clubs splashing out more than €100m on September 1st.

Including outgoings, 38 deals involving LaLiga clubs were completed on the final day of the window. Many sides made signings they hope could prove the difference between relegation and survival, while others were looking for that one player who might catapult them into European contention.

As league action returns this weekend following the international break, here are 10 of the most eye-catching deadline-day additions, who will be hoping to make an instant impact at their new clubs.

10 deadline-day signings to watch out for as LaLiga returns

Vladyslav Vanat (Girona)

Girona sit rock bottom after a miserable start to LaLiga 2025/26, but they’ve looked to a familiar market as they bid to turn their fortunes around. Their €15m signing of Vladyslav Vanat from Dynamo Kyiv represents the single biggest purchase this summer by a club who didn’t finish in last season’s top six.

Comparisons will instantly be drawn to his fellow Ukrainian striker Artem Dovbyk, who joined Girona in the summer of 2023 and won the Pichichi with 24 goals in what would turn out to be his only season at Montilivi. 

At 23, Vanat is three years younger than Dovbyk was at the start of the 2023/24 campaign. He’s also going into what is now a much inferior Girona team, but the forward did net 17 times in the Ukrainian Premier League last term.

Antony (Real Betis)

In the most expensive arrival at a non-Champions League club in Spain this summer, Antony returned to Seville to again join up with Real Betis on deadline day. That brought a long transfer saga to an end, as the Andalusians finally found a way to finance a deal they’d been chasing for several months.

Antony’s impact on loan at Betis last season was spectacular. The winger was an instant hit in green and white, with nine goals in 26 appearances, including some fantastic strikes, which helped fire Manuel Pellegrini’s team to a top-six finish, as well as the Conference League final.

If he can replicate that kind of form, Antony’s arrival will be a huge boost to a Betis side that has yet to score more than once in four outings this term.

Batista Mendy (Sevilla)

Despite the club’s best efforts, it’s difficult to dress Sevilla’s transfer window up as anything other than one that has weakened Matias Almeyda’s team. They’ve largely chased experienced players, who may at best prove useful short-term additions in a potential survival fight.

While he has only arrived on an initial loan from Trabzonspor, 25-year-old Batista Mendy doesn’t quite fit that mold, though. 

The Frenchman is a powerful defensive midfielder, also capable of playing in central defence where his height (191cm) is an asset. His versatility should make him a useful addition at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, and he ought to help solidify the spine of a Sevilla side that has been severely weakened by the departure of Loic Bade.

Hector Fort (Elche)

After an impressive start to the season, with Eder Sarabia’s possession-heavy approach yielding positive results, Elche’s hand in the transfer market was no doubt strengthened. They responded by conducting fresh business, including the eye-catching loan addition of Hector Fort from Barcelona.

The 19-year-old had been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, so the newly promoted side will view his capture as a major coup. He’ll still face a battle for a starting role at the Manuel Martinez Valero, with Alvaro Nuñez likely to keep him out of the team initially.

Fort will also most likely need to adapt to operating as a wing-back. However, the style of football could make it the perfect setting for the Barca youngster to develop his game.

Lucas Beltran (Valencia)

There was also a significant late loan arrival at Mestalla, with Valencia signing Lucas Beltran on a one-year deal. 

The Argentine forward adds a different dimension to Carlos Corberan’s attacking options. In the final third at least, Los Che now look in better shape than they have been for many years, with Hugo Duro, Dani Raba and Arnaut Danjuma also options.

Quite how those pieces all fit together may take some unravelling. Beltran started 21 games in each of the last two Serie A seasons with Fiorentina, chipping in with 17 goal contributions across that period. He was used as both a striker, and as an attacking midfielder during that period, and his best role may be operating just off one of the other forwards at Mestalla.

Alemão (Rayo Vallecano)

It took until deadline day, but Rayo Vallecano finally signed a striker, which has been a problem position for the Madrid club for a number of years. They agreed a €4.5m fee with Mexican outfit Pachuca for the services of Alemão.

The 27-year-old has played in Spain before, although only in the Segunda Division for Real Oviedo. He scored 19 goals in 73 appearances across a two-year stint in Asturias.

That’s not the kind of record that immediately suggests he’s set to make a big impact in the top flight, but at this point, Rayo fans will be happy just to have a fresh option up front. He’ll likely compete with Sergio Camello and Jorge de Frutos for a starting role, and the Brazilian should see plenty of action in the Conference League.

Carlos Soler (Real Sociedad)

Another of the slow starters in LaLiga 2025/26, Real Sociedad needed to do something to brighten the mood in Donostia. They closed out the window by signing midfielders Carlos Soler and Yangel Herrera.

With Herrera currently injured, Soler will be the first to see action, and this is a move that could help the 28-year-old resurrect a career that has stagnated. In truth, little has gone right since he left Valencia in 2022, with his involvement limited at PSG, while the Spaniard made little impact in the Premier League at West Ham last term.

It’s perhaps not a huge surprise that Soler struggled to get minutes in Paris, while his game never felt like the perfect fit for the more physically demanding English top flight.

He’s a proven performer in Spain though. His goal threat from midfield could prove a real asset to a low-scoring Real Sociedad side, with Soler netting 11 times in each of his final two full seasons in LaLiga with Los Che.

Nico Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid)

Atletico Madrid conducted most of their business early on, with Alex Baena, Thiago Almada, David Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri and Johnny Cardoso all onboard in time to start their opening game of the season at Espanyol. However, with Los Rojiblancos making their worst-ever start under Diego Simeone, they’ve dived into the market once again.

27-year-old Nico Gonzalez has completed a one-year loan deal from Juventus. He’s expected to primarily provide competition for compatriot Giuliano Simeone on the right flank, although he may also be used in other attacking roles.

Following impressive spells at Stuttgart and Fiorentina, which included a 12-goal 2023/24 Serie A season, the Argentina international struggled to make a big impression at Juventus last term. 

He only completed a €28m permanent transfer to the Turin club earlier this summer, but this deal also involves an option-to-buy clause, which could become an obligation if certain conditions are met.

Georges Mikautadze (Villarreal)

It was another very busy window at the Estadi de la Ceramica. Villarreal recouped more than €100m by selling the likes of Baena, Thierno Barry and Yeremy Pino. However, their net profit was finally just €6m, as a result of a spending spree that included the club-record signing of Georges Mikautadze.

The Georgian was a €31m addition from Lyon. He joins an attack that was already firing, and still has the likes of Ayoze Perez and Gerard Moreno to return to fitness. Therefore, Marcelino now has a very strong offensive unit to select from, as his side gears up for Champions League football.

Mikautadze netted 17 times for Les Gones last season, and also boasts an impressive international strike-rate of 21 goals in 39 appearances for his country.

Karl Etta Eyong (Levante)

In one of the more surprising deals as the window shut in Spain, Karl Etta Eyong left Villarreal to join Levante in a €3m transfer. While Mikautadze’s arrival at the Ceramica clearly contributed to that, the 21-year-old had looked impressive for the Yellow Submarine, scoring or assisting in each of their opening three matches.

Villarreal’s loss should be Levante’s gain. The newly promoted club have looked short on quality in the final third, and they needed to do business with no points on the board so far.

While he remains a raw talent, Etta Eyong should be ready to go straight into the Levante starting lineup. That sets him apart from a number of the other late additions in Spain, many of whom will need time to build up their match fitness having barely featured for their previous clubs.

Levante also completed a late deal for experienced goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, who should also aid Julian Calero’s bid to keep the Valencia club up, following their successful Segunda Division campaign.