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It is always exciting to watch which player a club would sign when the transfer window opens and later observe how the season has panned out for the player. For some players such as Lucas Torreira and Raul Jimenez, their first season in the Premier League has gone exceptionally well.
However, things are not always rosy for all the players in their first season with the club. Some have struggled for game time, others could not contribute much while playing and a few of players even hae to witness their club get relegated.
Including those who joined the Premier League from the winter transfer window, here is a look at 10 worst signings of the season. They have failed to deliver sufficiently for their clubs and fans aren't happy with them either.
#10 Sergio Rico
The 25-year-old joined Fulham on loan from Sevilla this season. However, the goalkeeper certainly did not impress for his side as they were relegated after finishing 19th in the Premier League.
Sergio Rico kept just five clean sheets in the Premier League throughout the season and conceded 56 goals in 29 games. Because of the huge number of goals conceded, Fulham have the second worst goal difference in the league. In addition, Rico also committed 3 errors which led to goal.
The Spanish was from Sevilla youth academy and he kept 58 clean sheets in 170 appearances for the senior side. He even won two Europa League trophies with the LaLiga club, but with Fulham, it has absolutely been a different story.
Although Rico indicated his interest to continue playing in the Premier League next season, it is expected that he would return to his parent club following Fulham's relegation.
Also see : EPL Transfer News, La Liga Transfer News
#9 Stephan Lichtsteiner
The Swiss captain is expected to leave Arsenal this season as his one year deal comes to an end. Stephan Lichtsteiner joined the Gunners for free after his contract with Juventus ended in 2018. When Unai Emery signed him, it was thought that he would showcase some of his leadership abilities in the team. Unfortunately, that did not happen.
When Hector Bellerin was ruled out after a season-ending knee injury, the mananger preferred Ainsley Maitland-Niles to playing the veteran right-back. Since Emery enjoys playing with wing-backs, Lichtsteiner hardly fits into the system that the manager is envisioning to build. As a result, his appearances for the club have been severely limited.
In his 14 appearances for the club in the Premier League, the Swiss has a cross accuracy of just three percent and made one error leading to goal. His presence provided no competition for the position of the right-back and Maitland-Niles easily performed way better than he did.
#8 Caglar Soyuncu
A lot was expected of the Turkish defender, however Caglar Soyuncu failed to live up to the hype. The Leicester City player started his season with a torn muscle fibre which ruled him out for a couple of games.
After his recovery, Soyuncu barely played. He was frequently not in squad and things did not change when Brendan Rodgers took over as the new manager. In all, the centre-back made only six appearances in the Premier League and played 371 minutes.
His contribution hardly justified the transfer fee of £19 million that the Foxes had spent on him. When he was at Freiburg, he often made it into the starting eleven and performed on a consistent basis. At that point in time, Arsenal were also rumoured to be keen to sign the 22-year-old.
However, after a season, his fortunes have changed. He struggled to break into the starting eleven or even make the bench. Surely, he ought to be one of the most disappointing signings.
#7 Terence Kongolo
Terence Kongolo signed for Huddersfield Town on a four-year deal from Monaco. Previously, the defender was already playing on loan for the English club and eventually, the Terriers decided to buy him on a permanent deal.
Unfortunately, this time around, he could not help Huddersfield avoid relegation. In his 32 Premier League appearances, Kongolo netted one own goal and committed one error leading to goal. At the back, he only kept a total of three clean sheets for his side. His side's poor defensive record ultimately cost them their hopes of surviving in the domestic league.
During his loan, where he played 13 times, he kept two clean sheets and had a cross accuracy of 20%. This season, his cross accuracy dropped significantly to just a low of 14%. Huddersfield certainly could have used the money to invest in a better defender than Kongolo and the 25-year-old probably got to be one of the worst performers in the league.
#6 Rachid Ghezzal
Similar to Soyuncu, Rachid Ghezzal is another flop at Leicester. The former Monaco player had a great start for the Foxes after scoring on his first appearance for the club. However, since then, the winger had hardly contributed.
Ghezzal made 23 appearances in all competitions, but the stunning fact was that he provided no assists for his team-mates at all. Surely a winger's duty is to provide for his team-mates and help out in the attack, but that did not work out well.
In his debut season in the Premier League, the Algerian international had shooting accuracy of 26%. In all, he attempted just 19 shots. The £12 million signing admitted that his first season at the club had been a difficult one and it appears that Rodgers might be keen to replace him.
The former Monaco player provided four assists in his 26 Ligue 1 appearances just before he joined Leicester. In the season before, he played for Lyon and laid seven assists. His performances have been dipping and currently, his future with the club is in doubt.
#5 Alireza Jahanbakhsh
Last season, Jahanbakhsh was the top scorer in the Eredivise with 21 goals. This season, it has been a 180 degrees change of fortune for him. The Iranian international made just 19 appearances in Premier League and contributed zero goals.
This statistic got to be the worst for a winger who is supposed to help in the attack. Fortunately for him, his side survived the relegation battle. However, given his low quality performances, Brighton and Hove Albion might be tempted to sell him.
The 25-year-old admitted that he expected more from himself, especially after his great season in the Dutch league which earnt him his move to the Premier League. At the same time, Jahanbakhsh also suffered an injury which resulted in him missing three months of action during the busiest time of the league. That hamstring injury probably affected his season overall.
Ultimately, it is always important for a player to deliver. For one who has failed to do so, it is clear that this signing is possibly a bad signing for the club.
#4 Max Meyer
The German international forced his way out of Schalke 04 and before he joined Crystal Palace, he was linked to a couple of big name clubs around the world. Most clubs were detered by the high wages that he demanded, but eventually, the London-based club signed him on a three year deal.
In his first season with the Eagles, Meyer made 29 appearances in the Premier League. During that time, he scored once and assisted thrice. Once a key player for Schalke, Meyer had a high of 1.1 dribbles per game in the 2015/16 season and made 1.8 key passes in the 2016/17 season. In Premier League, the statistics have dropped to 0.8 key passes and 0.4 dribbles.
The 23-year-old has been a stark contrast to his former self in the Bundesliga and surely Roy Hogdson would be pondering whether he has made the right choice to invest in him.
#3 Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time during his time with Leicester City. When he was at Leicester, he was the team's star player and always at the heart of all the attack. His partnership with Jamie Vardy was also one of the best in the Premier League.
Since he joined Manchester City, he won even more trophies. This season, the Cityzens won a domestic treble and surely, Mahrez would be happy. However, he is getting all these awards thanks to his team-mates.
In reality, Mahrez often started from the bench and was introduced as a substitute. Out of his 27 appearances in Premier League, 13 came from the bench. With the excellence of other attacking midfielders namely Raheem Sterling and Bernando Silva, Mahrez can be considered surplus to the team.
He might be one of the best with the Foxes, but with the Citizyens, there are others who prove to be much more influential than him.
#2 Fred
In a poor season for Manchester United, their new signing, Fred has been poor too. The Brazilian had previously won 10 trophies with Shakhtar Donetsk. When he joined United, fans surely must have hoped that he would bring some trophy luck to the team.
The midfielder made 17 appearances in the Premier League and scored once. He struggled to make a difference in the midfield and attack. Perhaps, it will take some time for him to adjust to the demands of the Premier League, but there have been debutants who performed far better than him.
At one point in time, Fred was named the worst signing of the Red Devils. Former United legend Roy Keane had also slammed the midfielder's performance for the team this season. His first season with the club certainly did not go well and United will be playing in the Europa League next season after finishing 6th in the Premier League.
Now that the season has ended, Fred must step up his performance and consistency in the next or else, he could be cashed in.
Also see : EPL Transfer News, Manchester Transfer News
#1 Gonzalo Higuain
Gonzalo Higuain reunited with Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea in January. The loanee from Juventus struggled while on loan at AC Milan earlier in the season. His move to Chelsea did not work out particularly well either.
In his 14 league appearances for the Blues, he netted five times and for more than a month from the match against Wolves onwards, he experienced a goal drought. The Italian striker was once prolific during his time at Napoli with Sarri. At Napoli, Higuain scored 92 times in 147 appearances.
Higuain was purchased to replace outgoing Alvaro Morata who had been a disappointment for the Blues. The striker struggled to score on a weekly basis and Higuain was no better. The Italian is expected to return to Juventus, but he still has a match to play for Chelsea in the Europa League final against Arsenal.
