English clubs broke then billion pound mark in transfer market this summer, but who overpaid for their wanted men?
CIES Football Observatory, a research group founded in Switzerland in 2005, has given their statistical opinion on the players who were the most overpriced in the summer transfer window, and the results make interesting reading.
Manchester United’s Eric Bailly in action with Hull City’s Abel Hernandez
Eric Bailly – Villarreal to Manchester United – £32 million
Jose Mourinho’s first summer signing as the new Manchester United manager was defender Eric Bailly from Spanish club Villarreal where the Ivorian impressed in his two seasons for the Yellow Submarine.
The defender was the highest English club signing, he was second overall to Gonzalo Higuain, who signed for Juventus from Napoli for £75 million.
According to the findings, United paid almost £20 million over his calculated value, but if you’re judging the defender on his performances so far it could be a neat piece of business from the Red Devils.
Yannick Bolasie – Crystal Palace to Everton – £30 million
Everton agreed a deal with Palace to capture Yannick Bolasie for a fee believed to be around £30 million – a sale that smashed the previous record transfer fee Palace had received for a player (just over £10 million for Wilfried Zaha in 2013).
Bolasie became a fans’ favourite at Selhurst Park with his pace, power and trickery on the ball with Tottenham reportedly interested in the winger in previous transfer windows as well as this year.
The Congo international spent four seasons with the Eagles making 134 appearances scoring 12 goals. Despite his creative and flamboyant playing style his inconsistency is a worry – at times the 27 year-old fails to deliver when his team need him most.
According to CIES Football Observatory, Bolasie’s true worth is just over £10 million, making him the fourth most over-priced signing of a summer.
Everton’s Yannick Bolasie in action with West Bromwich Albion’s Jonny Evans
David Luiz – Paris Saint-Germain to Chelsea – £30 million
A deadline day signing once again for David Luiz to Chelsea, it happened in 2011 and it happened once again with the club opting to buy back the centre back for £30 million from Paris Saint-Germain.
Probably the club’s marquee signing this summer along with N’Golo Kante, but his price tag has made the Brazilian the sixth most overpaid signing this window overall at just under £17 million
No doubt he possesses quality on the ball but his defending throughout his time in England and in the World Cup in 2014 once again showed his flaws. Although, having sold him to the French giants for £50 million they have certainly done good business in buying back someone who knows the league and club.
Real Madrid v Paris St Germain – UEFA Champions League Group Stage – Group A
Marcos Alonso – £24m
Another deadline day signing for Antonio Conte and Chelsea saw Spaniard Marcos Alonso join from Serie A side Fiorentina.
He didn’t set the world alight when he was at Sunderland and was also part of the Bolton Wanderers side that got relegated to the Championship.
He spent two seasons in Italy playing 55 games, starting 46 of those, and the CIES Football Observatory claims Chelsea paid more than double his valuation price.
Fiorentina’s Marcos Alonso celebrates after scoring against Napoli.
Granit Xhaka – Borussia Mochengladbach to Arsenal – £30 million
Arsene Wenger’s first summer signing was the Swiss international Granit Xhaka from German outfit Mochengladbach after he impressed in the Bundesliga.
The 23-year-old has shown glimpses of what he is capable of so far and many expect him to gradually play his way into the Arsenal side and stamp his mark in the holding midfield role despite strong competition from Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and possibly Jack Wilshere next term.
According to CIES Football Observatory, the Gunners paid nearly £9.5 million over the price they should’ve.
Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka
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