Everyone gets excited when their club splashes out on a big transfer, but not every big deal goes to plan. Sometimes a player will come in ...
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Everyone gets excited when their club splashes out on a big transfer, but not every big deal goes to plan. Sometimes a player will come in and transform things, but all too often they fail to live up to expectations.
With club record transfers now more common than ever - 13 Premier League teams smashed their record in 2016 alone, with two more this January - splashing the cash doesn't always return results.Sportsmail has taken a look at every Premier League team's record purchase, and ranked them...
10. Hull City – Ryan Mason (£10m, 2016)
A fringe player at Tottenham, but an England international, Mason looked a good signing when he joined Hull last summer - particularly given how depleted their squad was when he signed.
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His form, like Hull's, has been up and down, but he had been an important player until the sickening head injury he suffered against Chelsea, and is unlikely to play again this season. If Hull remain in the top flight, he will still be a crucial part of their squad next year.
9. Crystal Palace – Christian Benteke (£32m, 2016)
Brilliant at Aston Villa, but misfit at Liverpool, Benteke ought to have been perfect for Crystal Palace, and they paid a huge transfer fee for him - more than twice their previous record outlay.
It's not all been plain sailing, and only one league goal in 2017 is a worrying drop off, but Benteke is on course to become the club's top Premier League scorer in a season since Andy Johnson in 2005. He was signed to bring goals, and he is, more or less, delivering on that count.
8. Burnley – Robbie Brady (£13m, 2017)
Robbie Brady may not be the best player to sign if you're in a relegation battle - he has seen his club fall from Premier League to Championship in both of the last two seasons, first with Hull and then Norwich.
But Burnley, in 10th, were practically safe when he signed. They are now 13th, with four points from six games since Brady joined. He scored a stunning free kick to earn one of those points against Chelsea, but has not yet reached the heights of performance he was putting in for Norwich.
7. Manchester United – Paul Pogba (£89m, 2016)
Right, bear with me. I know he's not been brilliant, or at least, not as brilliant as you might hope given the exorbitant transfer fee, but that doesn't mean he's been bad. Pogba is not yet proving value for money, but he is contributing on the pitch, and, given his age, will only get better.
Four goals and three assists from midfield is a decent tally in a wholly dysfunctional Manchester United side, his relationship with Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been impressive, and if United were to sell him today, they'd probably get back the whole of their outlay.
6. Tottenham – Erik Lamela (£30m, 2013)
A strange one this. Terrible in his first season, when he looked like a complete flop. Then the Argentine improved drastically, to the extent that last season he was one of Spurs' leading players as they fought for the title.
Now, though, he's almost entirely disappeared, what was thought to be a minor hip problem ruling him out since October. If he gets back on the pitch, he will once again be a key player. If not, Spurs can still enjoy the two good seasons he did have.
5. West Ham – Andre Ayew (£21m, 2016)
Given he was free to Swansea in 2015, £21m seems like crazy money to spend on the same player just a year later. But Ayew is a classy forward, and had proven his quality in the Premier League, so while the deal was not quite risk-free, it made sense.
And while the Ghanaian didn't have a great first six months - hampered by injury and then absence - his three goals in four games since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations prove that he can, and will, be a very astute signing.
4. Arsenal – Mesut Ozil (£42m, 2013)
When Ozil signed for Arsenal they hadn't won a major trophy in eight seasons. In his first two seasons, they had won two. Ozil lifted the Gunners to a different level, dictating their attacking play and becoming an assist machine.
There are lots of criticisms to be made of the German, many of them fair. But Arsenal are a shadow of themselves without him, and when he plays well, they play well. If he leaves this summer, after four years, those four seasons will represent excellent value for money.
3. Southampton – Manolo Gabbiadini (£17m, 2017)
I know, I know, it's very early days, but Gabbiadini looks the real deal. The Italian striker has six goals in his first five Saints games, and could have had another one were it not for a linesman's errant flag in the League Cup final.
It is a mark of how quickly he has settled that his recent injury caused real worry for Southampton, and if he keeps up the same form on his return he will quickly become a highly-coveted striker around the league.
2. West Brom – Nacer Chadli (£13m, 2016)
West Brom have been the understated heroes of this Premier League season, quietly cruising towards a top-half finish and producing some superb performances. And Chadli has been a big part of that.
Unheralded at Tottenham, he has contributed goals and assists for Tony Pulis, as well as upping his work rate and earning a return to the Belgian national team with his impressive performances. In the modern marketplace, he looks a snip at £13m.
1. Manchester City – Kevin de Bruyne (£55m, 2015)
It is a mark of De Bruyne's undoubted quality that, despite a massive price-tag, almost no-one would question that he was worth it. The Belgian has it all, a superb range of passing, a brilliant eye for spotting a team-mate, and even a decent goal return.
When he arrived he looked magnificent, and despite a serious knee injury last year he has bounced back to his best. If City are to grow into a major force under Pep Guardiola, he will surely be at the centre of the side. - Daily Mail
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