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#3 Arthur Melo | Barcelona to Juventus | Swap Deal
This was probably one of the worst swap deals in the history of club football, where none of the parties involved will be pleased with the transfers. The first part was the transfer of Brazilian midfielder Arthur, from Barcelona to Juventus, in a deal that made little sense to the fans.
The 24-year old has made only 26 appearances for the club since his move in the summer transfer window, 9 of which have been from the bench. Arthur has the output of a solitary goal, with no assists to his name. Along with this, the 24-year old has created just one goal-scoring opportunity and makes 1.5 dribbles on average per 90 minutes, with 0.3 crosses completed.
Juventus' midfield is packed with the likes of Weston McKennie, Adrien Rabiot and Bentancur all showing signs of improvement. One would argue that Arthur was surplus to Juventus's needs and will find it hard to nail down a spot in the starting XI in a packed Juventus midfield.
#2 Miralem Pjanić | Juventus to Barcelona | Swap Deal
Taking the penultimate position on our list is the second part of a horrid swap deal - Pjanic to Barcelona. From the onset, it was a strange deal to make sense of. Barça parted ways with a 24-year old talented midfielder to sign a veteran who was already in his 30s.
This bit of transfer business was another example of Barcelona's failing administration under ex-Barca president, Josep Maria Bartomeu. For all his experience, Pjanic has found life hard at Camp Nou and has struggled to get regular playing time under his belt. Pjanic has only one goal and zero assists in 33 appearances for Barcelona, with 15 of them coming from the bench.
It is hard to understand Barcelona's reasoning behind the swap deal, but this is certainly not the result they were expecting.
#1 Donny van de Beek | Ajax to Manchester United | €39million
Our pole position goes to the curious case of Donny van de Beek, who came to English shores with a considerable reputation. The young Dutchman had a couple of magical seasons with Ajax, playing a crucial role in their fairytale run to the Champions League semifinals.
In 175 appearances for the Dutch champions, van de Beek notched up 41 goals and 34 assists, but it all dried up when he moved to Old Trafford. In 28 appearances for the club this season, the 23-year old has one each in the goals and assists column. However, it's not entirely been van de Beek's fault.
Manchester United acquired the supremely talented midfielder when they didn't need anyone in that position. The Red Devils have more than a handful of midfielders, with Paul Pogba, Fred, Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic, and Bruno Fernandes already in the squad. Van de Beek's preferred position is the No. 10 position, which is currently occupied by the Portuguese. The fact that United signed the Dutchman after the signing of Fernandes is what baffles us even more.
It is certainly a shame to see a young, talented midfielder waste some of his best years warming the bench. The massive influx of money in English football due to massive TV rights deals has led to a number of stellar signings but also to a few that make no sense whatsoever.
