There is always an element of a gamble whenever a club signs a new player, and with two-thirds of the season gone, we now have enough data to judge who has performed this season and who hasn’t. Below is a list of Premier League signings who have failed woefully to deliver for their new clubs.
Jordon Ibe (Bournemouth)
The Cherries spent a reported 15 million, a club record fee to bring Jordon Ibe from Liverpool to the Vitality stadium. The 21-year-old winger has made 20 appearances in the Premier League this season but is yet to notch a goal or an assist. Many lifelong fans of the Cherries expected a lot more from their highly heralded, record signing.
Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea)
Chelsea signed Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi in the summer, with many rivals clubs envious that the Londoners had signed a forward with impressive goal scoring numbers. Counted amongst the surprise Premier League signings, Batshuayi has however failed to make much of an impact at the club, making 16 league appearances for the club, all of them from the bench, and contributing only one goal.
Nolito (Manchester City)
Spanish International Nolito made the switch from Celta Vigo to Manchester City, expecting to thrive under Pep Guardiola. The forward started brightly enough with a brace in his second league game for the club, but things have gone downhill for the former Celta man.
He has scored only 4 goals in the league this season, the last of which came in December in the 4-2 defeat at Leicester. He has lost his position in the side to Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling and might be shipped back to Spain this summer.
Claudio Bravo (Manchester City)
When Pep Guardiola chose to trade national hero Joe Hart for the Chilean Claudio Bravo, there was bound to be a lot of scrutiny for the South American goalkeeper. The supposed ball playing goalie has looked uncomfortable with the ball at his feet this season, with high-profile mistakes in games against Manchester United, Barcelona, Leicester City and Burnley. He was recently relegated to the bench for poor form, replaced by the less fancied Willy Caballero.
Alvaro Negredo (Middlesbrough)
Alvaro Negredo, a scorer of 112 goals in 264 La Liga appearances, was brought on loan to Middlesbrough from Sevilla hoping that his goals will guide them to safety. The Spanish striker has however only managed 6 goals in 26 appearances as Middlesbrough flirt dangerously with relegation. Boro are the lowest scoring team in the league this season, with a meagre return of 20 goals from 28 games.
Wilfried Bony (Stoke City)
Manchester City flop Wilfried Bony continues to show that his successful stint at Swansea was a fluke, with another series of disappointing appearances in the colours of Stoke City. The Ivorian International has managed just 10 league appearances this season, scoring twice. He joins a long list of underwhelming Stoke City strikers, with the likes of Peter Crouch, Mare Biram Diouf, Jonathan Walters and Saido Berahino also struggling for goals.
Papy Djilobodji (Sunderland)
One of David Moyes’ first moves as manager of Sunderland, was to sanction the purchase of Papy Djilobodji from Chelsea. The decision has been counted towards Premier League signings that should not have happened as the Senegalese defender continues to perform well below par. In the 18 league games Djilobodji has played for Sunderland, the club has kept only 3 clean sheets. The defender lacks composure, positioning and the ability to read the game, leaving his goalkeeper exposed time and time again.
Borja Baston (Swansea)
Swansea’s record signing Borja Baston is arguably the worst value for money signing in Swansea’s history. Regularly guilty of missing gilt-edged chances and going missing in games, the former Atletico Madrid striker has found it very tough in the English top flight.
In 15 appearances this season, the Spanish striker has found the back of the net just once and is now firmly in the shadow of compatriot Fernando Llorente at the club.
Vincent Janssen (Tottenham Hotspur)
Spurs signed last season’s Eredivisie top scorer Vincent Janssen from AZ Alkmaar, expecting him to provide competition for the red-hot Harry Kane. Nine months later, the Dutch striker is heavily in contention for flop of the season.
His ability to find the back of the net in England is limited to converting penalties against lower league opposition with goals against Gillingham and Wycombe Wanderers. His only league goal of the season was also a penalty against Leicester City. The Dutch striker is so out of place; it won’t be a surprise if Tottenham were to find him surplus to requirements in the summer.