The Premier League is now into his second half, summer signings should be to acclimatise to the demands of top-flight English football and starting XIs have truly started to take shape.
More than £1billion was spent during the course of the English summer transfer window, with all but just one Premier League club bolstering their armoury – some more significantly than others.
And already, a number of the league’s new recruits have adjusted swimmingly to their new environments; the likes of James Maddison, Jorginho and Richarlison have hit the ground running in emphatic fashion.
But there are still some newcomers yet to hit the headlines – or even the pitch in some cases – and truly showcase their worth as well as justifying the prices tags that perceptibly loom over their heads.
So, with all that considered, who are the summer signings that we have already forgotten about?
Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Signed from: AZ Alkmaar
Fee: £17m
League minutes played: 438
Signed for a club-record fee from the Cheeseheads, Jahanbakhsh arrived in East Sussex with massive expectations resting on his shoulders, having scored 21 goals and provided 12 assists in the Eredivisie last term. The Persian has played just 10 times (6 coming off the bench) and has yet to score or assist a goal. Jahanbakhsh is showing that signing a prolific striker from the Eredivisie these days is much more likely to gift you a Vincent Janssen than a Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Ben Gibson (Burnley)
Signed from: Middlesbrough
Fee: £15m
League minutes played: 63
Two years ago, Gibson was touted for international stardom during his Premier League maiden campaign with boyhood club ‘Boro, but having suffered relegation, his career somewhat nosedived. Burnley picked him up in the summer looking to hone his defensive craft and accelerate his progress in Lancashire. Unfortunately, Gibson has managed just over an hour of football, and was sent off in the club’s 3-1 defeat to Olympiacos in the Europa League qualifiers.
Rob Green (Chelsea)
Signed from: Huddersfield Town
Fee: Free
League minutes played: 0
Though the initial transfer turned heads at the thought of Rob Green joining Chelsea when Thibaut Courtois’ future was first in doubt, the arrival of Kepa Arrizabalaga has resigned the former England number one to the training pitch. With Willy Caballero second choice and young Marcin Bulka preferred as his back up, Green is yet to appear even on the subs bench this season.
Adama Diakhaby (Huddersfield Town)
Signed from: Monaco
Fee: £8m
League minutes played: 232
When you sign a player from Monaco, especially a young player by Diakhaby, you expect a certain level of quality and production. Unfortunately for Huddersfield, Diakhaby hasn’t managed to produce anything like they would have wanted. He’s started just twice and failed to register a single goal or assist.
Ramadan Sobhi (Huddersfield Town)
Signed from: Stoke City
Fee: £6m
League minutes played: 76
One of the most bizarre aspects of this season is the unexpected ascent of Stoke City players; two have gone from having relegation etched on their CVs in May, to featuring in the Champions League for two of Europe’s great aristocrats a few months later. Xherdan Shaqiri and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting have joined Liverpool and PSG respectively. Meanwhile Ramadan Sobhi joined Huddersfield and if you forgot about that don’t worry because he’s already moved on, loaning him out to Al Ahly.
Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester City)
Signed from: SC Freiburg
Fee: £20m
League minutes played: 282
Soyuncu was reportedly the subject of fervent interest from Arsenal and Atletico Madrid during the summer, but the Foxes fended off stiff competition to secure his signature and looked to have pulled off a real coup by recruiting the defensive starlet. Despite this, the Turkey international has barely featured, with Claude Puel citing the centre-back’s lack of English as a factor for his absence on the pitch as it is difficult for him to communicate with his team-mates.
Leander Dendoncker (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Signed from: Anderlecht
Fee: Season-long loan
League minutes played: 167
Signed on an initial season-long loan, Dendoncker will reportedly make a permanent move to the Molineux next summer. With Nuno Espirito Santo having already established a dynamic central midfield consisting of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, it is unlikely the Belgian will supplant either two. Dendoncker is a versatile player, but that hasn’t helped him break into a Wolves side that has four possible positions for him to play in. Oh dear.
André-Frank Zambo-Anguissa (Fulham)
Signed from: Marseille
Fee: £30m
League minutes played: 640
The man with the unforgettable double double-barrelled name has unfortunately been quite forgettable as a player. Signed to add a sense of control and solidity to Fulham’s midfield next to Jean-Michael Seri, on the few occasions that he has played he’s been as utterly underwhelming as everyone else not named Mitrovic at Craven Cottage this season, so much so that he’s barely featured. 11 games and less than 700 minutes this far into a season for a player that cost £30m is so poor.
Mohamed Elyounoussi (Southampton)
Signed from: Basel
Fee: £16m
League minutes played: 642
Elyounoussi has the incredible distinction of being forgettable in a team that was white (and red) hot garbage for much of the season before Ralph Hasenhuttl showed up. The Saints may be improving but that isn’t enough to drag Elyounoussi back into relevance. 0 goals and 0 assists in 14 games for a winger is a poor, poor showing.
Lucas Perez (West Ham)
Signed from: Arsenal
Fee: £4m
League minutes played: 372
It’s hard to imagine a player being more unforgettable than Lucas Perez was at Arsenal, but the Spaniard has commendably managed to top himself by disappearing into the chaos at The London Stadium. He’s actually scored two goals (both in a 3-1 home win vs. Cardiff) but absolutely no one remembers them or him, which is a shame because he should really fit the Premier League quite nicely – and should definitely be able to, on paper at least, help West Ham with their striker problem. Alas…
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