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5. Marouane Chamakh (Crystal Palace)
He signed for Crystal Palace at the start of the season amidst hopes that he would be a crucial figure for the Eagles in their survival bid after a less than impressive term at Arsenal. However, Chamakh has failed to live up to expectations and managed to score only 4 times in 23 appearances. Little wonder that Palace have struggled to score goals, and they find themselves just outside the relegation zone with the fewest goals scored. He also has won only 46% of headed duels for a player who had a reputation for being good in the air.
4. Christian Benteke (Aston Villa)
There were high hopes from the Belgian striker coming into this season following a 19 goal haul in the Premier League last season. A lot of big Premier League clubs were interested in him, but he decided to stay at Villa after extending his contract. However, after scoring 4 goals in the first 4 games, he went on a run of 11 games without finding the back of the net, and he looks unlikely to match the haul from last season. His passing has also been really shoddy, having found the mark with only 59% of his passes.
3. Antonio Valencia (Manchester United)
Valencia has been a disappointment this season for United, and the Red Devils have suffered for that reason. His quality of service has been really poor and he has been found defensively. For an attacking winger who likes to take on defenders, he has created far too few chances, having created only 18 chances in 20 appearances, highlighting the lack of creativity that has been plaguing United’s performances this season. With the signing of Mata, he can expect his played time to be limited to substitute appearances.
2. Roberto Soldado (Tottenham)
The Spaniard moved to Tottenham in the summer with a big reputation having led the line expertly at Valencia, and many observers felt that the £26m transfer fee was justified for a player of his talent. However, his performance so far this season has left those very observers scratching their heads as to what went wrong. Out of the five goals he has managed to score in the Premier League, only one has come from open play, the others coming from the spot, and his profligacy in front of goal (his chance conversion rate excluding penalties this season is less than 3%) has resulted in Adebayor moving above him in the pecking order.
1. Erik Lamela (Tottenham)
The Argentine attacker arrived in London in the summer with a huge reputation developed from putting in sublime performance on a consistent basis in the Serie A. The £30m club record signing was supposed to be the replacement for Gareth Bale, but he hardly ever got to grips with the playing style of the Premier League. 9 appearances and 1 assist later, he was quietly shipped out to his former club Roma on loan in January, and may not return next season at all, proving to be the biggest flop since Liverpool signed Andy Carroll for £36m in January 2011.
