Every summer is an opportunity for a club to recruit new players and strengthen their team. Some managers know exactly what players they need to improve their current squad. But transfers are not always down to the manager alone.
In certain clubs, there are committees that are formed to decide which player should be bought or sold. But despite all the discussion and analysis that is carried out before splashing the cash sometimes, the move never works out.
We saw some signings who inspired their teams, and others who were pretty much a huge disappointment in 2015/16
Here are the 5 worst signings of the season:
5) Aymen Abdennour – Valencia
Aymen Abdennour came to Valencia with a big reputation. The defender was part of a Monaco team that conceded the least number of goals in the Champions League group stage in the 2014/15 season.
That same Monaco side conceded just 26 goals in Ligue 1 that season which was the least, a record better than Lyon and PSG. Abdennour earned a move to Valencia last summer hoping to strengthen their defence.
But the Spanish side have had a shocking season. Normally a top 6 side, Valencia only managed a modest 12th, which is catastrophic for a club of their status. In an attempt to revive their campaign they hired Gary Neville midway through the season but the manager failed to inspire the team and eventually got the sack
Abdennour and the rest of the defence conceded 48 goals and ended up with a goal difference of -2. According to Squawka.com, Abdennour made 3 defensive errors and only received a performance score of 286 in his 22 La Liga appearances.
4) Luiz Adriano – AC Milan
AC Milan’s poor performances in recent seasons didn’t really take a turn for the better in 2015/16. The Italian giants, who were once a superpower in Europe are now struggling to finish in the Champions League places in the Italian league.
A lot of their problems have stemmed from a lack of goals as well as a leaky defence. Milan finished 7th this year and fell 10 points behind their City rivals Inter Milan. Colombian striker Carlos Bacca did decently but another striker they purchased Luiz Adriano has been woeful.
The striker was purchased from Shakhtar Donetsk after a fine goalscoring season. He belted in 77 goals in 162 appearances but after his move to Milan, he has managed only 4 in 25 matches, not a return Milan were expecting.
Things are so bad at the club that owner Silvio Berlusconi has threatened to stop paying his players if they don’t start performing. It looks like Adriano will be heading towards the exit door this summer but might have to settle for a mid-table club.
3) Ivan Cavaleiro – Monaco
Ivan Cavaleiro first stepped into the limelight with Benfica as a 20-year-old. He was promoted from the B team after impressing the coach and even played in Champions League matches.
Next, he played for Deportivo in Spain as he went on loan from his parent club. The winger scored 3 times in 34 appearances and helped the club avoid relegation on the head to head record.
His performances earned him a €15 million move to Monaco in 2015 last year. A lot was expected of the now 22-year-old but he did not quite deliver this campaign. He only made 12 appearances all campaign scoring only once.
The player was brought in as a replacement for Anthony Martial and hence commanded the huge transfer fee but he hasn’t lived up to the billing. Martial , the player who he replaced, seems to have exceeded all expectations at Manchester United despite the £36 million the Red Devils shelled out for him.
2) Park Jo Hoo – Borussia Dortmund
Asian players in German football has become a trend in recent years primarily due to the success of several of them. Players like Heung-Min Son, Shinji Kagawa, and Makoto Hasebe have all made a name for themselves in the country.
But the name Park Joo Ho doesn’t sound very familiar does it? Believe it or not ,he plays for the second-best team in Germany, Borussia Dortmund. The South Korean was bought by the club from Mainz.
Ho had a good start to his career scoring a last minute winner against Krasnodar in the UEFA Europa league. But that was it for his season. Since then he has only played 4 times in the entire campaign warming the bench for most of the year.
A star-studded Dortmund side has a lot of competition for places and in the end, Ho just did not fit the bill. It won’t be a surprise if they offload him this summer.
1) Memphis Depay – Manchester United
The number 7 shirt at Manchester United has not found a proper suitor ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club in 2009. Antonio Valencia and Angel Di Maria tried to take on that mantle but could not meet the expectations of the fans.
So when Memphis Depay arrived from PSV Eindhoven for €34 million, after becoming top scorer in the Eredivisie there was a lot of hope, that they had finally found the rightful heir to the throne.
But Depay has probably been the worst of the No 7s in recent history. His first season with the Red Devils has been a spectacular failure. His performances have been so underwhelming that Van Gaal has been forced to play youth players ahead of the winger.
In his 29 league appearances, Depay scored just twice. That is a severe drop in form for the player, and he seems to have just not adapted to the English game. It is still unclear if United will give him another season but there is no doubt he will have to improve.
