Have Premier League's Most Expensive Signings Been Successful?

Two months agone Liverpool's immense summertime transportation walk looked for illustration it had made nan Premier League title a formality.

Arne Slot's broadside were 5 points clear astatine nan apical of nan array aft only 5 games, having strengthened their squad pinch £415m worthy of talent.

Florian Wirtz was signed from Bayer Leverkusen for an first £100m, rising to a imaginable £116m. Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak joined connected deadline time for a caller grounds transportation interest of £125m, which could beryllium £130m pinch add-ons.

Nothing could spell wrong, could it?

Both signings person struggled and Liverpool's shape has nosedived, leaving them 12th successful nan league.

Wirtz has nary goals aliases assists successful 11 Premier League outings. Isak has yet to people a extremity and has 1 assist.

It is measurement excessively early to constitute disconnected 2 of nan astir costly Premier League signings of each time.

After all, Thierry Henry scored only 2 goals successful his first 17 appearances for Arsenal. By nan extremity of that play he had netted 17 times successful nan Premier League, 26 successful each competitions and went connected to beryllium 1 of nan league's greatest-ever players.

But curiously, erstwhile you look down nan database of nan Premier League's biggest incomings, location are not excessively galore 'huge' successes.

How do you judge this? I've looked astatine each woody and fixed my verdict comparative to their ain achievements and that of their clubs. Fees shown are without add-ons.

Of people this is very subjective and you are free to disagree (or agree) successful nan comments below!

These 2 Chelsea players are grouped together because they were some signed successful 2023, 7 months apart, and their occurrence is intrinsically linked.

Fernandez arrived first from Benfica successful nan wintertime window, caller from winning nan World Cup pinch Argentina and taking nan Fifa Young Player award.

Caicedo followed successful nan summertime from Brighton, conscionable erstwhile it seemed nan Ecuador world was bound for Liverpool.

Two years connected and they person won nan Conference League and nan Club World Cup. However, aft a sixth-placed decorativeness successful 2023-24 and coming 4th past season, could you really opportunity Chelsea person excelled?

There is nary doubting some players are existent assets and they are 2 of nan first names connected nan squad sheet, pinch Caicedo playing each 38 Premier League games past season.

There is plentifulness of clip nan duo to triumph awesome honours pinch Chelsea (count nan Club World Cup if you wish), and they are nan closest challengers to Arsenal for nan title this season.

Verdict: Promising. Chelsea person spent a batch of money connected their squad successful caller seasons but request much silverware, and a title bid, to show for it.

Could you really mobility a subordinate who has won 3 Premier League titles, nan Champions League, nan FA Cup, nan Uefa Super Cup and nan Club World Cup?

Grealish did commencement each of City's cup wins successful 2023, but astatine nary shape did he negociate to reproduce nan benignant of accordant shape he showed astatine Aston Villa.

In 2021-22 it was six goals and 4 assists successful each competitions for City. In 2022-23 it was 5 goals and 11 assists. Compare that to his past 2 seasons astatine Villa combined, erstwhile he scored 17 goals and group up 20 more.

In nan summertime of 2023, City signed Jeremy Doku from Rennes successful a clear awesome that Pep Guardiola wasn't satisfied pinch Grealish.

Across nan adjacent 2 seasons, Grealish only made 20 Premier League appearances successful each, pinch a full of 4 goals and 2 assists. The penning was connected nan wall and he was loaned retired to Everton for this season.

Verdict: This is controversial, but tin a subordinate who costs £100m and was efficaciously discarded aft 2 seasons beryllium genuinely considered a success? It would beryllium harsh to telephone Grealish a nonaccomplishment because he won almost each location is to triumph astatine City. But astatine nan aforesaid clip he did not footwear connected from his electrical Villa form. Perhaps it is location successful nan middle.

If Grealish has nan medals but not nan kudos, past nan other tin beryllium said of Rice.

Rice was a very bully midfielder astatine West Ham, but he has now proven himself to beryllium world people and earned a estimation arsenic a set-piece master too.

The 26-year-old is simply a definite starter for England astatine nan World Cup adjacent year, and Arsenal look acold little effective without him.

But successful position of this discussion, nan only honour Rice has picked up astatine Arsenal is nan Community Shield successful his very first appearance.

Verdict: To beryllium determined. Arsenal person been turned into genuine title contenders by signing value players for illustration Rice. But until Arsenal triumph silverware nan outlay won't beryllium afloat justified. With nan Gunners six points clear astatine nan apical of nan table, possibly that will alteration this season.

The first of 2 entries for Lukaku, and it is nan move that was expected to make him Chelsea's main striker astatine nan 2nd effort (he was besides connected their books 2011-2014).

Chelsea signed Lukaku successful 2021 from Inter Milan, wherever he had scored 64 goals successful 95 games successful each competitions, won nan Scudetto and was nan Serie A Footballer of nan Year.

Surely Lukaku would beryllium a success? He did people 4 goals successful his first 4 games, but his effect very quickly waned and aft nan move of nan twelvemonth he netted only 3 Premier League goals from a full of 15 goals successful 44 matches crossed each competitions.

After 1 season, he was gone again.

Verdict: Failure. Lukaku won nan Club World Cup successful February 2022 but that's scant return for specified a immense outlay. He returned to Inter connected indebtedness aft conscionable 1 play and yet near Chelsea permanently successful 2024, joining Napoli for conscionable £30m wherever he would again triumph nan Italian title.

All told, this is considered 1 of nan worst pieces of transportation business.

Pogba had near Manchester United for Juventus arsenic a free supplier successful 2012, and 4 years later they spent £89m to bring him backmost to Old Trafford.

Pogba did enactment astatine United for six years successful his 2nd spell, but he was expected to rejuvenate nan squad and location was small grounds of this.

A return of 39 goals successful 226 games isn't terrible, but only successful nan 2018-19 play -where he scored 13 successful nan Premier League and was named successful nan PFA Team of nan Year - did he ever unrecorded up to his value tag.

Verdict: Failure. United only won nan Europa League and nan EFL Cup during his 2nd spell, pinch little glimpses of his quality. At nan extremity of his statement successful 2022 he went backmost to Juve connected a free.

Signed by Erik 10 Hag from Ajax successful 2022 arsenic portion of his rebuild of nan squad, Antony was expected to bring gait and productivity to nan attack.

The Brazilian had scored 24 goals and provided 22 assists successful 2 seasons for nan Dutch club. But astatine Old Trafford he looked a wholly different player, devoid of confidence.

Antony scored only 5 Premier League goals and provided 3 assists successful 2 and a half seasons earlier he was loaned to Real Betis, a move which past became permanent.

That he has excelled astatine Betis, pinch 15 goals and 7 assists successful 38 games crossed each competitions, makes his shape astatine Old Trafford each nan much mystifying.

Verdict: Failure. Antony did triumph nan FA Cup (although he was an unused substitute successful nan last triumph complete Manchester City) and EFL Cup, but his performances did not travel adjacent to nan immense value tag.

Maguire became, and still is, nan astir costly defender successful nan world erstwhile he moved from Leicester City successful 2019.

But his sanction is synonymous pinch a continued play of diminution astatine Old Trafford and he only has 1 EFL Cup badge (he missed nan FA Cup last triumph done injury) to show for it.

Under Ten Hag he was stripped of nan captaincy and came adjacent to a cut-price move to West Ham successful 2023. And since nan 2021-22 season, he has not started much than half nan club's Premier League games successful immoderate campaign.

Verdict: Failure. For nan world's astir costly defender to triumph truthful little, ne'er make nan PFA Team of nan Year and play comparatively fewer games successful his six seasons intends nan woody does not travel adjacent to a success.

Signed successful 2023 from RB Leipzig, Gvardiol became nan second-most costly defender of each clip down Maguire.

The Croatia world won nan Uefa Super Cup, nan Club World Cup and nan Premier League successful his first play astatine Manchester City.

Despite City suffering a mediocre play successful 2024-25, Gvardiol was named nan club's Player of nan Season.

Verdict: The jury's out. Gvardiol had a bully commencement astatine nan Etihad, and he is only 23 truthful has nan champion years of his profession up of him. His versatility and composure are an asset, but astatine nan infinitesimal nan transportation interest looks excessive.

Manchester United thought they were solving their goalscoring problems successful 2017 erstwhile they signed Lukaku from Everton, wherever he had netted 87 goals successful 166 games.

But for illustration each United subordinate connected this list, it was a lawsuit of overpaying to small tangible return.

Lukaku's numbers are not really terrible. He scored 16 Premier League goals successful his first season, and 27 goals successful each competitions - 1 of only 11 players to break nan 25-goal obstruction since 1992-93.

What started promisingly soon drifted off, pinch 26% of his goals - aliases 11 retired of 42 - being scored successful nan first 2 months of his Old Trafford career. The club's tactical attack did not help, pinch Ole Gunnar Solskjaer astatine times playing him retired connected nan wing.

Verdict: Failure, though pinch a caveat arsenic United did recoup £68.1m erstwhile he near for Inter Milan successful 2019. Despite nan first goals, Manchester United won thing successful his 2 years.

We person had to to get to nan bottommost of nan database to find nan only subordinate who tin beryllium considered to person genuinely lived up to his value tag.

Signed from Southampton successful 2018, Van Dijk has earned a estimation arsenic 1 of nan world's very champion defenders - pinch nan trophies to footwear - complete an extended period.

The cardinal defender has made 336 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 30 goals, and has been named successful nan PFA Team of nan Year 5 times. He was besides PFA Player of nan Season successful his first twelvemonth astatine Anfield.

With 1 Champions League, 2 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup, 2 EFL Cups, nan Uefa Super Cup and nan Club World Cup to his name, he's won nan level of silverware you'd expect for a subordinate successful this value range.

Verdict: Total success.