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This winter transfer window has seen some big transfers getting completed like Alvaro Morata to Atletico, Gonzalo Higuain to Chelsea, Krzysztof Piatek to Milan, Leandro Paredes to PSG and so on.
While we will have to wait for some time to determine whether these signings were successful or not, it has been five months since the summer transfer window concluded and we can judge whether the summer transfers have lived up to the expectations or not.
The following five players are the ones who have disappointed the most so far this season:
#5 Aleksandr Golovin (Monaco)
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder, who was great last season for CSKA Moscow and helped Russia in their run to the quarter-final of the World Cup 2018, was linked with various European giants like Chelsea, United and Monaco.
In the end, it was Monaco who won the signature of the talented youngster for €30 million euros. He was expected to fill the void left by Bernardo Silva and as of now, it's safe to say that he has been nowhere near what Bernardo was to the team.
The side who broke the monopoly of PSG by winning the Ligue 1 two years ago sit at 19th position in the league and have been knocked out of the Champions League as well. Naturally, Golovin has also suffered because of his team's poor form as he has no goals and just one assist to his name in the league and is not even a starter. He has definitely been one of the most disappointing signings of the summers.
Nevertheless, he is a talented young player and with Jardim back at the club, expect Golovin to perform better.
#4 Malcom Oliveira (Barcelona)
In one of the most controversial transfers of the summer, the Catalan giants hijacked Roma's deal and signed the talented Malcom from Bordeaux for €41 million. From the very beginning, it was going to be very difficult to get a lot of playing time with the attacking riches that the Camp Nou outfit already has and Dembele's resurgence hasn't helped his case either.
The former Bordeaux man has only started six games in all competitions and has two goals to his name. While he has been promising whenever given chances, Valverde has been reluctant to give him a lot of playing time which leaves the Brazilian without many chances to show his talent.
Although he is just 21 years old, he needs more playing time in order to develop as a player. With the busy second half of the season coming up and injuries to Dembele and Rafinha, Malcom is expected to been given more opportunities and he may revive his Barcelona career.
#3 Radja Nainggolan (Inter)
The Belgian powerhouse, who led Roma to the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, reunited with his former boss, Luciano Spaletti, in a much-anticipated move to Inter for a reported €38 million.
Although he started the season with some good performances, an injury changed the scenario. After returning from the injury, he hasn't been the same player and has struggled to make it into the first team. He is 30 years old now and with age not on his side, he has to quickly return to his best and help his side to do the best they can in the Serie A.
#2 Fred (Manchester United)
In the summer transfer window, the Red Devils beat their arch-rivals, Manchester City, to sign the 25-year-old Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk for a whopping €59 million. The Brazilian was expected to complete the midfield trio with Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic but he has been disappointing so far and has found it difficult to settle in the competitive Premier League.
Till now, he has started just 11 games in all competitions and hasn't been able to challenge either of Matic or Ander Herrera for a place in the starting line-up. He has struggled to break into the first team under both Jose Mourinho and the new manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
He is, however, starting to get more opportunities under Solskjaer and his talent is unquestionable so one can expect him to become more prominent for Manchester United in the busy second half of the season.
#1 Thomas Lemar (Atletico)
In the summer transfer window, Atletico Madrid broke their transfer record to sign the French World Cup winner, Thomas Lemar, for a hefty €70 million. Much was expected from him as he was very influential in his last two seasons at Monaco where he won the Ligue 1 once and even reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. He, however, has been massively disappointing for Los Rojiblancos.
He has been involved in most of the games in all competitions and is a sure starter but has not impressed at all and has just three goals and two assists from 27 appearances. One can't question the 23-year-old's talent but with him getting numerous chances to prove himself, he ought to be doing better. With the more challenging second half of the season coming up, the Atletico fans hope that Lemar gives better performances.
