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It's not always that a footballer hits the ground running after signing for a new club. More often than not, there's usually a period of time that a player takes to adapt to his new team, and sometimes fails to do so completely.
Nowadays, with transfer fees continuously increasing, players are pressured to start producing performances to justify their massive pricetags even sooner than expected. This sometimes takes a toll on the player, and he ends up not being able to play up to his expected abilities.
This list will rank the top five players who are yet to live up to their pricetags following big-money moves to their respective clubs. This is not to say that they won't eventually come good, but the players are being judged on the performances that they have put in for their clubs till now. So without further ado, here are the
Top 5 footballers who have struggled after big-money transfers
#5 Nicolas Pepe (Arsenal) - €79 million
Nicolas Pepe joined Arsenal from Lille back in 2019 for a reported fee of €79 million, following a sensational season for the French club. The deal broke Arsenal's transfer record by a huge margin, with many expecting the Ivorian to be a huge hit at the club.
Pepe has had a slow start to life at the club, showing glimpses of his quality on a few occasions, but never being able to consistently perform at a high level. He ended his first season at the club with 8 goals and 10 assists, however, it was obvious that he was getting better as the season went by.
Pepe showed further improvement during the 2020-21 campaign, finishing as the club's second-highest scorer in the season, bagging 16 goals and 5 assists across all competitions.
Even though he has shown continuous improvement, the Ivorian is yet to justify his massive pricetag. Arsenal fans will be hoping to see him take it to the next level during the 2021-22 campaign.
#4 Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid) - €126 million
Joao Felix joined Atletico Madrid from Benfica for a staggering €126 million back in 2019, following a breakout season for the Portuguese club. The young attacker was seen as the 'next big thing' coming out of Portugal, winning the 2019 Golden Boy award.
However, Felix has found life in La Liga difficult since his move and has failed to replicate any of the form he showed at Benfica. The Portuguese forward is yet to hit double figures in any of his league campaigns for Atletico Madrid so far, and saw limited playing-time under Diego Simeone last season.
However, at only 21-years old, Felix still has a long career ahead of him and could realize his massive potential in the near future.
#3 Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona) - €135 million
Philippe Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool as one of the best midfielders in the world for a reported initial fee of €122 million plus add-ons, believed to currently amount to €135 million. However, the Brazilian has completely failed to justify the huge transfer fee that the Catalan club paid for him back in 2018.
Coutinho has struggled with injuries and loss of form at the club which has seen him fall down the pecking order of all his previous managers. The Brazilian spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Bayern Munich, impressing in his spell at the Bavarian outfit.
However, things have just not worked out for the midfielder at Barcelona and he is now being deemed surplus to requirements by manager Ronald Koeman. It would benefit all the parties involved if Coutinho leaves the club in the near future, given that he is still technically in the prime of his career at the age of 29.
#2 Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona) - €135 million
Ousmane Dembele's tenure at Barcelona has been ravaged by injuries which have not allowed him to reach his potential at the club. One of the world's most exciting players on his day, the Frenchman has just failed to string together a consistent run of games for the club due to his constant injury troubles.
Dembele joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for a reported fee of €105 million plus €40 million in add-ons. Since then, he has only managed 118 appearances for the Catalan club. Ronald Koeman, however, seems to be a huge fan of the Frenchman, and has made him an integral part of his attack.
Dembele's inconsistency in form has stemmed from the fact that he cannot play a string of games without getting injured. Barcelona will hope that the Frenchman can stay out of injury trouble for the rest of the 2021-22 season.
#1 Eden Hazard (Real Madrid) - €146 million
When Eden Hazard left Chelsea in 2019, he was touted as one of the best players in the world. Real Madrid brought in the Belgian (for a reported fee of €100 million which could rise to €146 million) with a view of him being Cristiano Ronaldo's replacement at the club.
However, none of that has gone to plan for Los Blancos as Hazard has barely played since joining the club. The Belgian has been consistently injured during his Real Madrid tenure and has only made 46 appearances for the club since joining back in 2019.
This has led to many fans calling for the club to cut their losses and get rid of the winger. However, new manager Carlo Ancelotti seemingly trusts Hazard and has started him in two of Real Madrid's three games so far this season.
