7 summer signings in 2015 that have not worked out this season

In the wake of Jose Mourinho’s axing by Chelsea, it has become painfully apparent in the football community that nothing is ever guaranteed in our beautiful sport. Such a sentiment is no more appropriate than when transfers are discussed.Following the London club’s placid romping to last season’s Premier League title, many an English club responded with a flurry of supposed ‘top buys’ while, across the continent, the story was no different. As a football fanatic, it can be easy to get lead astray when your side snaps up a famous face, but the more pessimistic side in me cannot help but stress the importance of waiting to see how the player adapts to a new outfit before you allow them to get hyped up.Whether it be by virtue of homesickness, the pressures of living up to a mammoth price tag or injury, there is a large percentage of new signings that fail to deliver what was expected of them. As we fast approach the half-way mark in most domestic seasons, let’s then take a look at the biggest summer signings that have flopped this season.

#1 Memphis Depay - Manchester United

It’s been a turbulent campaign for Manchester United so far and one where defensive grit has played priority ahead of cutting attacking dynamics. It is a strategy which has left Memphis Depay unable to make the impact his £25 million price tag warranted, not to mention the burden of living up to the no.7 shirt.

More than anything else, Depay’s inability to keep up with the Premier League’s pace has fuelled the most criticism. At a side like PSV Eindhoven in a league not renowned for its blistering intensity, the 21-year-old seldom had to worry about tracking back and his team often engulfed possession. Therefore the need to chip into the defensive part of United’s game has been an awful lot for him to handle.

His goal return has been slim (2 goals in 12 league games), while he has only managed to create seven chances in the Premier League this term. Despite his odd sparks of brilliance, this may be a transfer that happened too early in Depay’s career.

#2 Chancel Mbemba - Newcastle United

Following Newcastle’s desolate 2014/15 Premier League campaign, in which they conceded more goals (63) than the season they were relegated in 2009 (59), there was a burning desire for the Magpies to invest in their back-line ahead of this term. The solution? A then 20-year-old Congolese centre-back plying his trade in the Belgian top flight.

His transfer brought an air of skepticism with it at the time and his performances since have done little to win over the doubters. With WhoScored giving Chancel Mbemba an average rating of less than 7 so far this season, coupled with the fact Newcastle have the league’s joint-worst defence at present, it is growing more evident that the former-Anderlecht man is not ready to marshal a Premier League back-line.

The figures show he has made only 2.8 tackles on average per game, leading to the inescapable conclusion that, despite having improved to some extent of late, this deal was not a good fit and McClaren needs an experienced head at the heart of defence instead.

#3 Mateo Kovacic - Real Madrid

Mateo Kovacic’s stellar performances for Inter Milan in Serie A attracted interest from some of the continent’s finest outfits. But a bumper €32 million paid by Real Madrid meant his services would gravitate to the Spanish capital, where he has since, somewhat unsurprisingly, found game time hard to come by.

Having featured 11 times for the club so far, starting on only 3 occasions, the Croatian has failed to register a single goal or assist in the league this term. The emergence of Lucas Vazquez has been particularly damaging to Kovacic’s advances, while Toni Kroos and Casemiro have operated as the two main holding players, leaving little room for Kovacic to get involved.

The 21-year-old has created 0.5 chances per game and, given the world-class attacking midfielders and forwards Real have available, his role has been limited to a more defensive one. It is a role where he struggles to utilise his movement and speed where his lack of physical presence is exposed.

#4 Pedro - Chelsea

Former-Barcelona forward Pedro may have seen his Chelsea career kick-start in swashbuckling fashion after he scored on his debut against West Brom. But it would be his only goal for until he scored again against a struggling Sunderland. A meagre two assists so far this term also suggest he hasn’t slipped into the London club’s front-line as smoothly as initially predicted.

There were always doubts, when the 28-year-old put pen to paper, about where exactly he would fit into the Chelsea frame. Willian has done more than enough this season to secure the wide-right position while the Blues’ desperation to squeeze some quality out of Eden Hazard on the left has meant the Spaniard’s role has fluctuated.

Add this to the forward’s sprinkling of injuries and it is clear he has faced a fair few stumbling blocks this campaign, in cementing a first-team place. As a result, his confidence has been rattled and it seems difficult to envisage the Pedro-of-old making his mark at Stamford Bridge.

#5 Andrea Bertolacci - AC Milan

When the CEO of a football club voices worries regarding the price they paid for a player, there really is cause for concern. And this was exactly how Adriano Galliani reacted when AC Milan splashed out €20 million on midfielder Andrea Bertolacci from Genoa.

Yes, the Italian was coming off the back of a solid season with the Rossoblu, but he brought nothing to the Serie A outfit that they didn’t already possess. Since the 24-year-old arrived earlier this summer, he has managed just one goal and one assist and his quality on the ball remains mid-table standard – not ideal for a side vying for Champions League qualification.

His passing has been sluggish with an average pass completion rate of just 77.5% while his movement going forward installs a question mark above his acquisition. The likes of Giacomo Bonaventura and Riccardo Montolivo are far more reliant in possession. So why did Milan pursue an interest in the first place?

#6 Eder - Swansea City

Since their promotion to the Premier League, Welsh outfit Swansea have developed a reputation for assembling a solid unit on a shoestring budget, utilising the loan market and out-of-contract players to bolster their numbers especially. This is why, perhaps, the £5 million fee splashed out on Braga forward Eder last window raised so many eyebrows.

Not only was the price-tag somewhat eccentric, but many questioned how the Portuguese forward would fit into Swansea’s system. The 27-year-old has received little game time since, having made 10 of his 12 league appearances from the bench. Whenever he has featured, though, he has failed to notch a single goal or assist, while WhoScored awarded him a weak average match rating of 6.19.

Ultimately, he is far too immobile to suit Swansea’s fluid style of play and when the club required a forward with pace and agility to complement the big build of Bafetimbi Gomis, a player like Eder is far too similar in style, rendering his services redundant.

#7 Salomon Rondon - West Brom

Yes, it is still early days. But ever since the Venezuelan Rondon confirmed a deal to become West Bromwich Albion’s record signing for £12 million, he has failed to emulate his goalscoring heroics which he showcased at the likes of Malaga and his former Russian outfit.

In 15 Premier League appearances this term, 14 of them being starts, the 26-year-old has managed just three goals – not disastrous by any means, but he has certainly not lived up to the name of a player that would propel the Black Country side into European contention.

Having operated alongside the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Julio Baptista in years gone by, some may pin his lack of success down to the fact that he lacks a top-quality striking partner. Others would point the finger in the direction of his playing days in Russia and other inferior leagues meaning the intensity of the EPL has shocked him to a degree.