The season is still young but these five big-money signings have not lived up to expectations so far. Everton, Brighton, Newcastle, and West Ham players feature.
Forget the Romelu Lukakus and the Alvaro Moratas, the transfer market’s eye-boggling explosion means there’s no shortage of big-money signings who are yet to live up to their lofty price-tags.
Gylfi Sigurdsson
Everton spent so long trying to convince Swansea City to part with their Icelandic playmaker that The Toffees eventually ran out of time to land the Romelu Lukaku replacement they were crying out for.
In that sense, the £45 million club-record signing’s (BBC) slow start to life on Merseyside is not all his own fault. Sigurdsson was at his best when working in tandem with a targetman a la Fernando Llorente or Wilfried Bony, while Everton’s lack of height means his famed set-piece prowess has been rather ineffectual so far.
Yet, after failing to make the grade at Tottenham Hotspur, a tally of no goals and no assists in six Premier League games for Everton will have the cynics wondering whether he can thrive in a bigger pond.
Sandro Ramirez
Everton spent around £140 million this summer in an attempt to shake up the Premier League’s established elite but only but only 1/28th of their staggering outlay was invested in Spanish striker Sandro Ramirez.
The 21-year-old fell through the cracks at Barcelona but a tally of 16 goals for Malaga in La Liga last season meant Everton looked to have pulled off a real coup when they triggered his £5.2 million release clause, per Bleacher Report.
So far, however, Sandro looks more Roberto Soldado than Sergio Aguero. A lack of composure, not to mention a lightweight build, have fans wondering already whether he can adapt to the rigours of the Premier League.
Marko Arnautovic
Jose Mourinho famously described Marko Arnautovic as ‘unmanageable’ during his trophy-laden spell at Inter Milan. Thanks to four excellent seasons with Stoke City, however, the Austrian has a rather more favourable reputation in England.
Though Slaven Bilic may have heard Mourinho’s words echo in his subconscious after Arnautovic stuck an elbow into the neck of Southampton defender Jack Stephens just two games after his £24.5 million club-record move to West Ham (The Mail). A straight red duly followed.
An exasperating display in the London derby defeat to Tottenham, where Arnautovic seemed to be almost sabotaging his own promising runs with dreadful end product, has fans wondering who, or what, they have signed.
Jacob Murphy
A born and bred Newcastle United fan, Jacob Murphy realised a childhood dream when he donned the black and white stripes this summer. At £12 million (Sky Sports), the former Norwich City winger was easily the most expensive signing of a frustrating transfer window on Tyneside.
However, he has also been the most disappointing. The 22-year-old has played just 71 minutes of top flight football so far and seemingly lost Rafael Benitez’s trust after an ineffectual performance away to Swansea City.
Reports that Benitez is looking for another left sider in January don’t bode well for Murphy’s long-term prospects.
Jose Izquierdo
Brighton boss Chris Hughton is confident that Colombian international Jose Izquierdo will get used to life on English shores. He’d better hope so, after The Seagulls smashed their transfer record by paying Club Brugge £13.5 million for the fleet footed attacker in the summer, as reported by The Argus.
Izquierdo didn’t give Brighton fans much reason for optimism in his long-awaited full debut against Arsenal on Saturday and, in reality, the South Coast club can’t afford to sit around twiddling their thumbs and waiting for the 25-year-old to shine.
With key creator Anthony Knockaert off form, Izquierdo needs to step up to the plate and fast.
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