Ranking the 6 most disappointing high-profile signings of the 2021-22 season
The 2021 summer transfer window was rich in activity. Some of the biggest stars in the world of football, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, switched clubs last summer. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, several clubs were open to selling players in order to balance their books.
There were also an unusually large number of loan moves that were agreed between various clubs last summer. However, there was a sense that many of these deals were a little haphazard and ill-advised. Those fears have come true in the case of many players as well.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the six most disappointing high-profile signings of the 2021-22 season.
#6 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Cristiano Ronaldo stole the limelight last summer when he agreed to join his former club Manchester United from Juventus amid huge fanfare. The Red Devils shelled out €15 million to sign the Portuguese international. The signing was widely tipped to make the Red Devils a Premier League title contender.
Ronaldo did turn in a handful of match-winning performances in the Champions League group stage for Manchester United. However, his involvement came at the cost of the Red Devils' style of play. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's mobile front three had done a pretty good job in the past two seasons.
But with Ronaldo's arrival, they had to adopt a different game plan altogether. Cavani had fared well for United in the 2020-21 season but the 37-year-old has pushed the Uruguayan international out of the starting lineup.
To make matters worse, Ronaldo has looked like a shadow of his former self since the turn of the year. He has scored just one goal in his last 10 appearances for the club. He could leave the club in the summer if United fail to qualify for the Champions League.
He upended Solskjaer's work by forcing him to adopt new tactics, which eventually led to the system breaking down and the manager being sacked.
Anthony Martial had to be shipped out on loan to Sevilla owing to a lack of opportunities as well. Despite scoring 15 goals and providing three assists in 30 appearances across all competitions, his signing has simply not been worth the collateral damage.
#5 Jack Grealish (Manchester City)
Jack Grealish established himself as one of the most creative attackers in the Premier League during his stay at Aston Villa. He was expected to cop a move to a bigger club last summer but Manchester City never really seemed like a good fit.
Grealish thrived at Villa, where the system was built around him. At Manchester City, he walked into a side packed with world-class players. There isn't much room for trial and error in a Pep Guardiola team and Grealish soon found that out.
Having scored just four goals and provided three assists in 27 appearances across all competitions, it is clear that he hasn't lived up to his Premier League record-breaking €117.5 million price tag.
#4 Georginio Wijnaldum (Paris Saint-Germain)
Georginio Wijnaldum had a reputation at Liverpool as a tireless worker who gave it his all every time he was called upon. The Dutchman left the Merseysiders as a free agent in the summer and joined Paris Saint-Germain.
He was expected to improve PSG's midfield but Wijnaldum has been a major disappointment. The 31-year-old has struggled to settle down in Ligue 1 and has been a passenger in far too many games.
Pochettino has had to rely on him extensively owing to multiple injury issues within the squad. But Wijnaldum has yet to deliver anything of note and could leave the club after just one season. He has made 29 appearances across all competitions this term but has started in only 18 of them.
🤷♂️Gini Wijnaldum touched the ball 28 times tonight!!! In midfield. For PSG. With 60% of the ball. In case your wonder about the other midfielders: Verratti 138 touches, Danilo 66! 😳🤷♂️
#3 Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)
It's about time we called a spade a spade. Lionel Messi was still one of the best players in the world in the 2020-21 season. Last term, he scored 38 goals and provided 14 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona.
You can't fault PSG for thinking that he'd be the missing piece of the puzzle that could propel them to Champions League glory. However, Messi has looked a shadow of his former self at his new club.
Don't get us wrong, Messi is still a very good footballer but the tendency to become a passenger when things aren't going his way is currently at an all-time high. He turned in two very forgettable performances across the two legs of PSG's Round of 16 tie against Real Madrid which they eventually lost.
The Argentine missed a crucial penalty in the first leg.
Messi has scored seven goals and provided 11 assists in 25 appearances for the Parisians this season. Kylian Mbappe's incredible form has helped PSG paper over the cracks so far. But it's safe to say now that their 2021 summer transfer window hasn't exactly been all that it was puffed up to be.
#2 Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Having been crowned European champions last summer, Chelsea were expected to invest heavily in the transfer window. Since Timo Werner has the shooting ability of a five-year-old with a watergun, they were scouring the market for a top striker.
Former Chelsea player Romelu Lukaku had just played a starring role in Inter Milan's Serie A triumph. Inter Milan needed to balance their books and had to offload a few of their top players. Lukaku decided he was going to take the opportunity to return to the Premier League.
Chelsea shelled out a club-record €113 million to sign the Belgian international from Inter Milan. Lukaku started off well but his initial form fizzled out and then he went and did the unthinkable. In an interview with Sky Sports towards the end of December, he undermined Chelsea and talked about his heart still being in Milan.
He has since been trying to win back the Stamford Bridge faithful but has been largely unsuccessful at it. The 28-year-old has scored just 11 goals and provided two assists in 31 appearances across all competitions for the Blues so far.
He has not been the solution they were looking for and has in fact only added to their problems.
#1 Sergio Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain)
When it was revealed that Sergio Ramos was leaving Real Madrid in the summer, fans were eager to find out where he was headed. Then came the news of a potential Lionel Messi - Sergio Ramos union at PSG and excitement reached a fever pitch.
The unfortunate thing about that though is that it was perhaps the high point of the said union because Sergio Ramos has started just two games in Ligue 1 for PSG all season. He has to be the biggest disappointment among all the high-profile signings from last summer due to the sheer lack of involvement.
Ramos has made a mere five appearances across all competitions and is currently sidelined with a calf injury. As far as signing high-profile veterans go, it is difficult to think of one that could have worked out worse than Sergio Ramos at PSG.
#PSG
PSG director Leonardo tells L'Equipé on Sergio Ramos: "When we signed him, Ramos was physically fine. Unfortunately, what we wanted didn't happen. But wait - season is not over". 🇪🇸 #PSG
"The day we say he can no longer play, it will be clear to everyone. That's not the case". https://t.co/dLSR1wtpoY