In a summer marked by austerity, the Premier League was the championship that least warned of the economic ravages of the pandemic. Six of the ten most powerful operations had the British Isles as their final destination, with Chelsea of Havertz, Werner, Chilwell and company as the main protagonist. Yes indeed, money does not always guarantee happiness or, in this case, sports success. Sometimes a bad bet can even lead to dismissal. Lampard proved it by failing to assemble such a figure and Chris Wilder, recently dismissed at the head of Sheffield United, has been the victim of his bet on Rhian Brewster, 26 million euros to Liverpool through. The Mirror has been in charge of compiling what they consider the worst signings of the season in the Premier with, of course, Brewster and Chelsea among those present …
Havertz (21), Chelsea, € 80 million
The most expensive signing of the summer. Kai Havertz arrived at Stamford Bridge as the icing on the cake of Chelsea's titanic project after marveling at Bayer Leverkusen. However, the German has verified in his flesh that the Premier is not the Bundesliga and he is still looking for his place. Not finding a fit was one of the reasons that accelerated Frank Lampard's goodbye, but Tuchel, although green shoots have been seen in recent games, has not managed to squeeze all the talent that the 21-year-old attacker has inside. Sharing position with a Mason Mount erected as a star in the constellation does not help, having scored only one goal in 21 Premier matches either.
Nélson Semedo (27), Wolverhampton, 30 million
Semedo arrived in Wolverhampton with a complicated task, replace a Matt Doherty who had been capital for Nuno. At Barcelona he gave equal parts lime and sand, shining much more in attack than in defense. History that is repeating itself in the wolves. Despite being indisputable, the starter in 25 of the 29 days played, his performances are not convincing on the islands. At Mirror they consider his landing to coincide with the team's defensive downturn and describe his signing as “disappointing.” As for offensive numbers, a facet in which he feels most comfortable, he has not managed to become a statistical dagger and only accumulates an assist throughout the course. More was expected of him at Molineux Stadium.
Matt Doherty (28), Tottenham, 16.8 million
The man Semedo has failed to make forget. The Irish international became one of the best right-backs in the Premier and that made Tottenham go after him. Nevertheless, in London it has lost its shine. With Nuno he was the right lane, while Mou uses a line of four, giving less offensive freedom to his wings. It has cooled Doherty to the point of losing the title to Aurier in many points of the season. In fact, he has only started 11 league games, playing a total of 14. He has left his comfort zone and, for the moment, he has not managed to handle the situation.
Willian (32), Arsenal, free
Willian's case is different, since his signing was at zero cost. At first it seemed like a fantastic addition that would bring his experience in competition to a team always marked by youth. However, to convince him, Arsenal made him one of the highest paid players in the Premier and I bet her is not going as expected. Although he has managed to add seven assists, he has not yet managed to see the goal and his performances have earned much more criticism than praise.. Far from the level that made him one of the saints and hallmarks of Chelsea in the last decade.
Rhian Brewster (20), Sheffield United, € 26 million
The gamble that cost Wilder his job. A good season on loan at the Swansea Championship (10 goals in 20 games), in addition to the potential that has always accompanied him (he was the top scorer at the U-17 World Cup in 2017) made Sheffield throw the house out the window. 26 million that Liverpool entered for a player who had barely played four games under Klopp. The Blades They are on their way to relegation after their fantastic previous season, Wilder said goodbye and eyes fell on the drought of a Brewster who arrived as a star signing and has not managed to see a goal in the 22 games he has played …
Donny van de Beek (23), Manchester United, 39 million
When everyone was betting on Jadon Sancho as the man of the summer, Van de Beek arrived. The Dutch midfielder had long since broken his shell at Ajax and the Eredivisie was too small for him. He was close to Real Madrid, but it was finally United who took the cat into the water. Months later, one goal and one assist in 26 games and two starts in the Premier. The reason? Beyond performance, he shares a position with Bruno Fernandes. Soslkjaer has tried to make Donny and Bruno coexist, but the performance has not convinced the Norwegian and the victim has been the newcomerThe Portuguese has become one of the stars of the competition and the most dangerous attacking midfielder on the continent.
Nathan Aké (26), Manchester City, 45 million
Case similar to the previous one, with Rùben Dias, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte acting as Bruno Fernandes. The Dutch central arrived to cover the defensive hole of the City coming from Bournemouth, but shortly after, a Dias would land that has emerged as the leader of the best defense of the championship. This, together with Aké's physical problems and the Stones' football renaissance, have left a player for whom 45 million was paid in the summer with hardly a place. in Guardiola's scheme. 9 games and 665 minutes his cover letter so far.
Fábio Silva (18), Wolverhampton, 40 million
Porto's wonder boy came as the most expensive signing in Wolverhampton history when he had barely put his head out in Portugal. The problem came when Raúl Jiménez was injured in November. This caused the label of promise was changed to that of necessity and the 40 million paid began to weigh on the shoulders of a Fábio Silva that did not come to be an immediate solution. So far he has achieved four goals in 27 games, numbers far from those expected due to the investment made, but understandable if we take into account the accumulated experience …
Kostas Tsimikas (24), Liverpool, 13 million
Nobody expected the Greek international to remove Robertson's position on the left side, but it did serve as a replacement for guarantees. Nevertheless, 225 minutes is the playing time that Tsimikas accumulates this course and his performance has not convinced Jürgen Klopp to give more rest to one of the players with the highest load of matches in recent years. In the Premier he has only played five minutes.