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.