Borussia Dortmund are generally not big spenders but last summer, the club made an exorbitant outlay of almost €100 million as they sought to strengthen their squad with new talents.
The most expensive acquisition was Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland, costing about €30.6 million, while Yan Couto and Carney Chukwuemeka came for €20 million each.
Fabio Silva was roped in as the backup striker from Wolverhampton Wanderers for €22.5 million while Dortmund also triggered Daniel Svensson's release clause of €6.5 million.
Aaron Anselmino was also signed on loan from Chelsea.
With the 2025-26 season now behind us, let's rate each of these signings and determine if they were worth their salt.
Jobe Bellingham
Dortmund's biggest signing of the summer hardly raised pulses at the Signal Iduna Park. For one, he had never played in a top-flight before; all four professional years of his career until then had come in the EFL Championship.
But given his brother Jude Bellingham's meteoric rise at the club, there were hopes that Jobe too could follow into his footsteps. But, it's now clear that the 20-year-old is still rough around the edges and Dortmund would need some more time before getting the best out of him.
Rating: 6/10
Fabio Silva
Eyebrows were raised when BVB spent over €20 million on just a backup striker, but his tally of 10 goals in LaLiga with Las Palmas was decent enough for the BVB to come calling for his services and play him as second-fiddle to Serhou Guirassy.
However, almost a year on from the transfer, Dortmund won't happy to see he struck only thrice from 39 matches. Sure, he had his moments where the Portuguese became a nice foil for Guirassy, creating space for him to run into, but when tasked with leading the side, the former Wolves hitman desperately came up short.
Rating: 4/10
Daniel Svensson
Originally signed on loan in January 2025, Svensson's impressive displays convinced the BVB to sign him permanently and the Swede ended up proving to be a bargain. His electric pace and buccaneering runs spiced things up on the left flank.
In 45 games, he struck four times and made two assists, but lacked consistency. Svensson often times struggled to get forward and express himself completely though given his young age - he's only 24 - the BVB can expect to see him develop further.
Rating: 6.5/10
Carney Chukwuemeka
This move seemed more like a roll of the dice. Carney Chukwuemeka's loan spell last season wasn't exactly the best but the BVB still went ahead with this signing, hoping that he'd assume a bigger role under Kovac's wings.
The result? A mixed bag. Some flashy displays here and there but ultimately not the world-class prospect many were hoping Chukwuemeka would be. But his talent is undeniable. Now set for the World Cup with Austria, the Dortmund faithful is eager to see if his international breakthrough can spur him on.
Rating: 6/10
Yan Couto
Another disappointing return from a relatively hefty investment, Yan Couto struggled for first-team opportunities. But it's not entirely his fault either. Julian Ryerson just happened to have his career-best season after laying 18 assists in all competitions, making him an indispensable figure on the right side of their wings.
As a result, Couto was made to witness much of the action from the bench. In the second half of the season, the Brazilian played only 324 minutes of football in the Bundesliga. With Ryerson likely to continue as the preferred option on the right-back, Couto now faces an anxious decision: whether to stay on and fight for his place or seek regular gametime elsewhere.
Rating: 5/10
Aaron Anselmino
The promising Argentine's loan move looked like a wise piece of business from Dortmund, but Anselmino spent much of the first half of last season on the sidelines with recurring injuries. A goal in their 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in November was the only saving grace.
Chelsea recalled him in January only to be sent to Ligue 1 side Strasbourg for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. But injuries continued to wreak havoc on his time on the field as the youngster made just one top-flight appearance.
Rating: 2/10
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