5 summer signings who are yet to justify their price tag

AS Roma v Chelsea FC - UEFA Champions League
Danny Drinkwater is yet to make his presence known at Chelsea

The 2017 summer transfer window was the biggest and arguably, the best one to date. It was a record-breaking campaign with a figure in excess of £1.4 billion being spent by Premier League clubs; a 23% rise from the amount spent last summer.

This is the sixth summer transfer window in a row, where the record has been broken by Premier League teams. With the clubs' revenues growing constantly, there's no doubt, that figure will continue to be broken over the years to come.

Some of the expensive transfers are-- Romelu Lukaku switching from Merseyside to the red half of Manchester (fee of around £75 Million), Alvaro Morata leaving the sunny Spain for England (fee of around (£60 million) and French striker, Lacazette leaving Lyon for Arsenal (fee of around £53 million). Those are just a few examples of the deals that managed to accumulate the ludicrous amount of money spent this summer.

However, some players have found it hard to adapt to life at their new club, whereas some others are flying. This piece will be focusing on five players who haven't quite proved their worth as of yet.

Also read: 10 best signings of the summer transfer window


#5 Danny Drinkwater

Danny Drinkwater was the subject of a £35 million move from Leicester to Chelsea in September, but he has not had a brilliant start to his career in West London. A lot of people were surprised when Chelsea forked out such a price for the English midfielder, considering it is only £5 million less than the amount they sold Nemanja Matic for.

With N'Golo Kante and Tiémoué Bakayoko already fulfilling the defensive midfield roles, it was clear that Drinkwater was bought as a back-up; that's exactly what has happened thus far.

The 27-year-old suffered an early setback with an injury and only made his debut for the club in the Carabao Cup in late October. Drinkwater has managed just five Premier League games this term, with four of those off the bench.

You get the feeling that the injury and lack of game-time have been the main reasons for Drinkwater's slow start at Stamford Bridge. An injury always has the ability to knock a player's confidence.

Drinkwater's injury meant that Kante and Bakayoko have had plenty of opportunities to prove to Conte why they should be taking up the midfield roles. However, with a couple of poor performances from Bakayoko of late, Drinkwater will be looking to make a good impression when he gets a chance again.

#4 Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City)

Leicester City v Leeds United - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Iheanacho's move to Leicester hasn't really worked out

After announcing himself to the world in some style at Manchester City, Iheanacho swapped the Etihad for the King Power in August for a fee in the region of £25 million. At the time, it seemed like a brilliant deal for the 21-year-old.

However, the Nigerian forward has struggled to hit the ground running. This may be because Iheanahco is having a tough time to adapt to the atmosphere of his new club.

At Manchester City, he was playing with world-class players, which allowed him to register the goals and assists he did. With the likes of David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero on the pitch, the Nigerian forward was always likely to get on the score-sheet.

Big things were expected from the 2016 FIFA Golden Boy award nominee, but he is yet to deliver the goods for the Foxes. He has made nine Premier League appearances this campaign (seven from the bench) and has failed to register a single goal or assist.

We all know that if a player has a dry-spell, (especially at a new club) it can be even harder to re-find previous form. Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki have bagged 11 goals between them this term, making it even harder for Ihenahco to break into Leicester's starting XI.

However, he has showcased his talent on numerous occasions already so there's no doubt that it's just a matter of time for Iheanacho to make an impact.

#3 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Manchester City v Liverpool - Premier League
Chamberlain hasn't had the best of starts to his Liverpool career

The 24-year-old switched North London for Merseyside in August for a fee rumoured to be around the £35 million mark. Many fans were surprised when they saw the fee agreed by both clubs, due to the lack of game time he'd had for Arsenal prior to his move. This may be the reason for Chamberlain's disappointing start at Anfield.

Not being chosen by Wenger last season on a consistent basis and starting only a few games will have done damage to the midfielder's confidence. Unfortunately for the Ox, it will take him time to find his feet once again.

The Ox has only managed a combined 25 goals and assists in 143 Premier League appearances which doesn't sound great on his behalf.

The English international has made 15 league appearances for the Reds this term, yet 11 of those are from the bench. He has managed one goal and one assist, and when you have got the likes of Salah and Mane in fine form, Chamberlain will be looking on in envy. He will certainly need to improve those stats if he wants to prove himself worthy of the hefty price paid for him.

#2 Victor Lindelof

Swansea City v Manchester United - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Victor Lindelof is showing signs of coming to life

Having arrived in Manchester for a fee of around £30.75 million, great things were expected of the Swedish centre-half. The 23-year-old had to wait until mid-October to win his first Premier League appearance for United when he came on as a sub against Liverpool.

He has only made four appearances since-- another two off the bench. In his five appearances, he has failed to make a good impression, and if we are being quite honest, he has managed to do quite the opposite.

However, adapting to Premier League is difficult for any player, especially when come in from the Primeira Liga. The Portuguese league is completely different from the Premier League; as is every other league. I feel like United have to give Lindelof the benefit of the doubt, and give him time to adapt. Lindelof's incapability to adapt is most likely the main catalyst for his slow start at Old Trafford

Lindelof was slated enormously for one performance in particular; when he was brought on as a sub against Huddersfield Town. The Swedish international replaced an injured Phil Jones in the 23rd minute, with the score 1-0 to Huddersfield.

Having only been on the field a few minutes, Lindelof misjudged a through ball which led to Huddersfield doubling their lead; and ultimately, United losing the game. The game finished 2-1 and United's unbeaten start was over, for which many blamed Victor Lindelof. United have kept nine clean sheets this term and Lindelof has only played only one of those games. You could say that's a coincidence, however, many would disagree.

#1 Marco Arnautovic

Southampton v West Ham United - Premier League
Arnautovic's form has been abysmal

The Austrian international was Slaven Bilic's third signing of the summer, and initially, it seemed like a good bit of business. Well, that's until he started playing, of course. The forward has an impressive record for Stoke City, and the West Ham hierarchy were hoping for that fine form to continue for the Hammers.

However, that has not been the case at all. Arnautovic has made 10 Premier League appearances this term and started 8 times. In those ten games, he has failed to register a single goal or assist. But he does have a red card to show for himself. Well worth the £25 million, eh?

Considering Arnautovic is fully used to the Premier League, it is hard to put your finger on why he is under-performing. However, whilst West Ham are sitting in the relegation zone, it is hard for any player to find some kind of confidence.

It is clear that not a single West Ham player is standing out this season, and it may be just a squad under-performing, rather than just an individual slump from Arnautovic. Once West Ham start picking up results, we may see a vast improvement in the Austrian's performances.

With Joe Hart accumulating more assists than Arnautovic, it is clear that he needs to improve his statistics, as well as his disciplinary record. He still has two-thirds of the season to prove himself, but he will want to start soon or otherwise, his signing will soon start to seem like an awful piece of business.

Also read: 5 players who should switch clubs in January

Quick Links