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The COVID-19 pandemic wrecked the finances of football clubs the world over, with clubs from the Premier League being no exception.
Unsurprisingly, Premier League clubs were a bit frugal during the 2020 summer transfer window, unlike in other seasons. Nevertheless, the likes of Everton, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Leeds United spent big and snapped up quite a few big-name players to bolster their rosters.
Top five Premier League summer transfers that have not worked out so far
As is usually the case, not all new signings hit the ground running; something that is especially true in the case of the Premier League due to its overly physical and competitive nature of play compared to other top leagues in the continent.
On that note, let us have a look at five such new Premier League arrivals who have underwhelmed so far this season:
#5 Edinson Cavani (Manchester United)
Edinson Cavani was one of the big-name arrivals in the Premier League this summer, after carving out his reputation as one of the sport's top marksmen.
However, the 33-year-old Uruguayan striker, who arrived from Paris St. Germain on a free transfer, has not got going for Manchester United. Cavani has scored just once in three Premier League appearances for the Red Devils this season.
Of course, in his defense, it can be said that the striker hadn't played a competitive game since March, as the Ligue 1 season was suspended due to COVID-19. Cavani was not in the PSG squad when the Champions League resumed in August.
Lockdown rules in the UK and the striker's fitness issues also meant that Cavani did not appear for Manchester United till late October, when he came on as a late substitute in the club's goalless Premier League draw with Chelsea.
Cavani opened his Premier League account by scoring in the 3-1 win at Everton, but he has not been his usual prolific self.
It is early days for Cavani in the Premier League, and he could indeed turn out to be 'lethal' if he gets more top-flight action under his belt, as observed by former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov:
"We already knew he had plenty of passion, otherwise he wouldn't have such a fantastic goal-scoring record. I want the big Uruguayan to score more for United, after getting his first against Everton a couple of weeks ago, but to do that he needs to play more minutes. At 33, he's in great shape and, with young guys around him, he could be lethal for United."
#4 Rhian Brewster (Sheffield United)
20-year-old Rhian Brewster arrived at Sheffield United in the summer after struggling for game-time at Liverpool, where he came up through the ranks to play for the first team.
Brewster impressed in England's victorious campaign in the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 and scored 10 goals in the Championship last season while on loan at Swansea City. But he could not break into Jurgen Klopp's first team.
Sheffield United broke their club transfer record to land the young centre-forward, but Brewster has not managed to open his account in four Premier League games for his new club.
After a fine Premier League campaign last season, Sheffield are rock bottom in the competition this season and desperately need their young striker to fire.
#3 Fabio Silva (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Wolverhampton Wanders broke their club transfer record to land precocious Portugal youth striker Fabio Silva from Porto this summer. The 18-year-old prodigy, who arrived at the Premier League club on a reported €40 million transfer, had a fine campaign with Porto last season.
Wolves' chairman Jeff Chi, while praising the young striker's attributes, opined that he could immediately improve Nuno Espirito Santo's team when he said:
“Our head coach’s requirement for quality is very high, but he thinks Fabio is an important signing who will help the team immediately this season. The timing of this deal is similar to the timing of when we bought Rúben Neves; we’ve waited for the right time to get a high-quality player at the right price.”
However, Silva has not yet managed to open his account after playing four Premier League games this season.
Wolves are not fretting over the young striker just yet, but would like Silva to break his duck and help the club to qualify for Europe next season.
#2 Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds United)
Another club-record signing that has failed to get going in the Premier League this season is Rodrigo Moreno.
The 29-year-old Spanish striker arrived at big-spending Leeds United in the summer on a club-record transfer fee reported to be in the region of £27 million, but is yet to hit his stride at Elland Road.
Moreno has scored just once in six Premier League appearances for the newly-promoted side this season, after scoring 59 times during his six-season stint at Valencia.
The striker himself seems unconcerned about his slow start to life in the Premier League and said that he doesn't feel the added pressure of his price tag:
"When I arrived in Valencia, I was at the time the most expensive. Of course it’s not extra pressure, it’s something natural, something that is part of my professional life. I just want to work hard, feel comfortable and show my football and have a great performance.”
The form of Moreno, who provided an assist in Spain's stunning 6-0 win over Germany in the Nations League, could be key in sustaining Leeds United's promising start in the 2020-21 Premier League season.
#1 Donny Van de Beek (Manchester United)
Donny Van de Beek may be a surprising name to round off this list, as the 23-year-old made a goal-scoring debut for Manchester United against Crystal Palace in the opening day of the Premier League season.
However, the former Ajax midfielder, who was Manchester United's most expensive signing this summer, hasn't yet started for the club in the Premier League. He has made four more substitute appearances in the competition but hasn't managed to add to his tally.
Nevertheless, Van de Beek is apparently still in the plans of Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who recently said about the player:
“Donny is going to play a big, big part this year. When players come into a new team, a new league, they always need time to adapt. When Donny has played, he's played really well. It says a lot about our depth of quality in the squad that we don't have to use him every game.”
