The offseason transfer window has shut for many leagues around the world, and Africa's players were part of many of the biggest deals, with the likes of Manchester City shoring up their roster with the continent's stars.
That said, for every superb signing, there were a couple of head scratchers too.
Our favourite African moves
Ayyoub Bouaddi
This could be the defining African deal of the window. City's enormous investment - they paid an initial £81.3m to make the 18-year-old the youngest teenager in the world game - demonstrates how highly that rate him.
His intelligence, technical ability, maturity and experience in French and European football should ensure he's a long-term success, even if the prospect of replacing Rodri in City's midfield is daunting.
There's pressure with the fee, and uncertainty in adaptation, but Bouaddi is a genuinely special talent.
Omar Marmoush
Going the other way from City, Marmoush at Spurs looks like a tantalising rehabilitation project. He never truly sustained his breathtaking Bundesliga form into the Premier League at City, but did Pep Guardiola's side truly give the Egypt international the context in which he can thrive?
Marmoush needs transitional football, the possibility to attack space, and a flexibility between central and left-sided positions; if Roberto De Zerbi can recreate such an environment, the 27-year-old could rediscover his Eintracht Frankfurt form.
Christ Inao Oulaï
Could rival Bouaddi as the pre-eminent young African midfielder in the world today, the 20-year-old's ascent has been remarkable.
There's substance here too, with Inao Oulai demonstrating his technical prowess, confidence under pressures and maturity in defensive scenarios for the Ivory Coast at the World Cup.
Fiorentina are taking a significant gamble, but the wonderkid has an incredibly high ceiling.
Ismael Saibari
This one was concluded during the FIFA World Cup, with the Morocco international swapping PSV Eindhoven for Bayern Munich in a €50m move.
He looks to be a superb fit; savvy, aggressive, technically adroit, and with the versatility to occupy several positions.
Two assists on his Bayern debut - during a 29-minute cameo against Stuttgart - certainly bodes well, and his interplay with Harry Kane should emerge as one of the key features of the German champions' attack.
Mamadou Sangare
He already looks like a gem at Brentford, having netted against Tottenham on his debut while also being influential in the Bees' magnificent attacking performance.
Primarily recruited for his defensive contribution, he's anything but a one-dimensional destroyer, and could be primed for a move to one of Europe's genuine giants in 12 months' time.
Nobel Mendy
Another Senegal international on the move this window, and another who's quickly established himself in the Prem.
Hull need defenders capable of surviving the athletic and mental demands of a likely relegation battle, and the 22-year-old has looked very comfortable so far.
A goal on his debut - the historic victory over Manchester United - certainly helped!
Raphael Onyedika
One of the bargains of this list, at just €9m, Onyedika finally makes the move to one of Europe's big five leagues by departing Club Brugge for Eintracht Frankfurt.
The fee looks outstanding, at 25, the midfielder has room to grow, while he already has considerable experience - winning the Belgian title, UEFA Champions League, AFCON semifinalist - as he arrives in the Bundesliga. A no-brainer at the price point.
Nicolas Jackson
This one could go either way, with Jackson's finishing again likely to come in for some scrutiny with new side Aston Villa.
However, focusing too much on his missed chances misses the rest of his contribution, and expect him to continue stretching defences, pressing relentlessly, and creating chances for his teammates.
Reuniting with Emery could help him rediscover his Villarreal form, although after parting with a club-record £65m fee, Villa will still expect a weighty goal return from the 25-year-old.
Which African transfers have us worried?
Ibrahim Mbaye
He joins Jackson at Villa Park, with Emergy clearly excited to be working with the precocious teenager. Mbaye clearly has an upside, and there's talent there, but £47m is an enormous price for a player who has achieved precious little in the game so far.
Mbaye made his competitive PSG debut in August 2024, but despite being given 24 appearances last term, did not have a clear route to an established first-team spot under Luis Enrique in the French capital.
He had a hand in just five goals last term, having never demonstrated consistent output in his career to date, and Villa are punting on projection and potential, rather than anything close to a finished product.
He may enjoy a few fine moments in the Prem, and weigh in with some goals and assists, but whether he'll produce enough to justify his starting spot for a side competing in the UCL, and with ambitions to return to European competition via their top flight finish is another story altogether.
Caleb Yirenkyi
His arrival at Coventry City raises a different kind of concern. Unlike Mbaye, Yirenkyi's trajectory appears more assured, with the 20-year-old named the Danish top flight's Young Player of the Year last season, while also making the Superliga's Team of the Season.
He's destined for great things, but will he achieve them with the Sky Blues? Moving straight from Nordsjaelland to the Prem is a massive leap, not least for one so young, while Yirenkyi is also joining a newly promoted side expected to be battling against the drop all season, while being on the losing side in most matches.
It's an unforgiving introduction, and whether this season will be good for his development, and whether the Ghana international - with his qualities - can actually help Coventry stave off relegation remains to be seen.
Sidiki Cherif
Another young African player arriving at Coventry, Cherif joins Frank Lampard's side for a weighty £20m in something of a perplexing deal.
There's raw talent there, but Cherif has only shown glimpses of a threat to date in his career - he's scored eight senior league goals in 57 appearances in his career so far - and he may not get the stability, opportunity and forgiving environment he needs at this stage of his career in the East Midlands.
A combination of the fee, the destination and the stage of the player's development make for a concerning combination. Will this be a case of wrong club, wrong timing, wrong value?
Zadok Yohanna
A similar category to Cherif and Mbaye, there's certainly talent there, but Brighton appear to have paid a premium for promise, rather than proven quality.
Yohanna, who only left Nigeria's Ikoh Allah Academy for Swedish side AIK in June 2025, only had 13 senior league games under his belt before making his Brighton debut against Villa on August 23, and is being expected again to make another gigantic step up.
Hopefully we're wrong, and Yohanna proves to be another immense talent unearthed by Brighton, but the Prem is unlikely to be the best context for him to develop his talents at this stage.
We aren't convinced the gamble is worth it at this stage.
