Burnley, Leeds United and Everton are vying to avoid relegation from the Premier League after a few poor transfers, but which side made the worst deals in the summer of 2021?
The Clarets secured the arrivals of five players under Sean Dyche as they bid to move back up the table. They had finished last season just 17th in the table, but held an 11-point gap to the drop as Fulham, West Brom and Sheffield United returned to the Championship.
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Leeds and Everton, on the other hand, finished in ninth and 10th-place respectively under Marcelo Bielsa and Carlo Ancelotti. Yet both have plummeted down the table, seeing the Whites sack Bielsa and Blues fire Rafa Benitez after he took over at Goodison Park in June.
Benitez did have some hits from his dives in the discount bin last summer in Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend. Dyche, too, enjoyed success in Maxwel Cornet’s move from Lyon, while Bielsa benefitted from Dan James with the Wales winger proving a versatile threat.
Everton forced Benitez to shop for bargains as they wrestled with Financial Fair Play issues and spent just £1.6m. All of those funds went on paying Bayer Leverkusen for Gray, while Townsend, Asmir Begovic, Salomon Rondon and Andy Lonergan arrived in free transfers.
Bielsa and Dyche did not face similar issues as Benitez, but their heirs in Jesse Marsch and Mike Jackson (caretaker) are still cleaning the mess left behind like Frank Lampard. So, as the season nears its climax, who was the worst transfer from Burnley, Leeds and Everton?
Salomon Rondon worst Everton summer transfer as striker fails to fill vital need
Rondon has had big shoes to fill at Everton this term with Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffering a raft of injuries. But the Venezuelan has failed to get a toe into the England international’s boots, with Rondon only able to offer one Premier League goal over 18 appearances so far.
He has also only started eight of his outings and failed to earn Lampard’s backing since the Toffees sacked Benitez. Rondon has only played 54 minutes across five outings without his strong advocate at the helm. Lampard has also left him an unused substitute seven times.
Even as Lampard opened his tenure with Everton with five defeats in seven games Rondon could play in, the forward remained on the bench in six bar four minutes against Leeds. Yet in that run, the Toffees only scored five goals, and three of them came against the Whites.
What Lampard could have got from playing Rondon is far from certain, as well. His displays under Benitez drew criticism from Michael Ball, who described his centre-forward play as ‘woeful’ in the Blues’ defeat to Brentford in November having not stuck to his main duties.
If Everton do suffer relegation, not having an adequate backup to Calvert-Lewin will be a prime reason behind their drop. Even more so with Calvert-Lewin struggling to find form since returning from his injury, having not scored since August when he hit three in three.
Leeds will need to reinvest at left-back as Junior Firpo flopped after transfer
Leeds backed Bielsa in the summer market with a £13m transfer for Junior Firpo to replace Ezgjan Alioski at left-back. But the Whites may need to reinvest in the position again in the summer of 2022 as the former Barcelona defender has been far from a success in England.
The 25-year-old has been a regular part at Elland Road with 20 Premier League outings to date, starting 16. But Firpo has failed to impress in-between his injury problems, with Tim Sherwood dubbing his performance against Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash as ‘terrible’.
Cash was the latest top-flight talent to run rings around the Dominican Republic defender who looked anything but a defender. Wingers and full-backs alike have seen Firpo as the way they can punish Leeds, and Whites chiefs will be ruing his deal as their worst transfer.
Burnley’s big summer transfer in Nathan Collins only shines after Ben Mee’s injury
Burnley paid Stoke £12m to make Nathan Collins their first transfer of the summer market last year. But the 21-year-old is yet to live up to his price tag at Turf Moor, with the centre-half only making 15 Premier League appearances and spending 17 as an unused substitute.
Collins additionally only made six of his top-flight appearances in claret-and-blue by March 2022. He has since gained a regular presence in the Clarets backline, but only as Ben Mee suffered a hairline fracture of the fibula from which the Burnley captain is yet to return.
Caretaker manager Jackson will hope Collins’ consistent run in the side can see him grow into partnering James Tarkowski. But the one-cap Ireland international is still producing shaky performances featuring occasional errors they can ill-afford with four still to play.
Aaron Lennon’s second Burnley chance is proving to be one of their worst transfers
Dyche took Aaron Lennon back to Turf Moor in August after previously playing for Burnley between 2018 and 2020. The winger had spent the in-between year at Kayserispor, who had also only avoided relegation from the Turkish Super Lig last season by one single point.
Lennon had rarely offered a goal threat from the wings during his first stay in Lancashire or with Kayserispor. He failed to score a single goal and assisted just five over 36 games in all competitions in Turkey, and has only taken his Clarets haul to three and four in 83 games.
The 35-year-old has not created a single successful attempt on goal since returning to the Premier League. He has also only found the net twice in 24 appearances, despite having chances across starting 16 times and playing the full 90 minutes on nine occasions so far.
Honorary mentions for unseen backups Andy Lonergan and Wayne Hennessey
Honorary mentions also go to Everton and Burnley for signing Andy Lonergan and Wayne Hennessey in the summer 2021 transfer window. The Toffees and Clarets acquired both to add depth at goalkeeper, but neither has enjoyed much more than a seat on the bench.
Lonergan, 38, has also only made the bench in 10 of Everton’s 33 top-flight games and just three since Lampard’s appointment. Hennessey, meanwhile, has enjoyed some game time with three outings for Burnley – including twice in the league, but has conceded six goals.
Yet neither goalkeeper joined expecting to be the first-choice, so cannot be a club’s worst transfer, but Rondon, Firpo, Lennon and Collins joined Everton, Leeds and Burnley in the summer looking to hold key roles at Goodison Park, Elland Road and Turf Moor this term.
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