Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
January always represents a mass of transfer activity for a number of different reasons, be it a club chasing for the title or looking to get those extra new players in that are needed to beat the drop. Sometimes though extra expenditure is needed because of poor purchases during the previous summer.
With an influx of new summer signings not everyone is guaranteed to be a success, it might be that a player who has made the step up from a lower division has not made the grade or it could be that a new signing from abroad is struggling to adapt to life in the Premier League, add to the mix some managerial changes along the way and a new signing can very quickly fall out of favour with the new man in charge.
So with that in mind let’s now take a look 5 summer signings which have failed to make a mark so far this season.
Michy Batshuyai
Perhaps this is through no real fault of his own but with the price tag that Michy Batshuyai came with when signed by league leaders Chelsea there was understandably a lot of expectation when the Belgian international moved to West London. A transfer fee of £33m is undoubtedly going to bring not only those expectations but also excitements as to what a new signing can deliver.
And that has ultimately been the problem he has not delivered although there is the obvious caveat that he is yet to be given a real opportunity, but almost begs the question as to why. The 23 year old has made 13 Premier League appearances which have warranted just a solitary goal but none of those have been in the way of a place in the starting eleven.
With all the recent furore regarding Diego Costa and whether or not he is injured, it speaks volumes that even then Batshuyai cannot get a place up front when it comes to league action. It seems as if Batshuyai will have to make do with sparring cup outings especially with Antonio Conte’s unwillingness to change his lineup with the form his side are in. So one of the most expensive signings of the Summer is one of the most expensive benchwarmers with questions already being asked about his long term future at Stamford Bridge.
Borja Baston
He was Swansea’s record signing in the Summer and it almost epitomises how bad their season has been so far, as Borja Baston has failed to show anything like how a Premier League forward should play. A summer signing from Atletico Madrid for £15.5m, Borja’s contribution to the side has been that of just a solitary goal,
For a club who are struggling to avoid the drop then it’s not a particularly good return of investment. You could in fairness say that Borja has had a very disrupted season what with the South Wales club now being led by their third manager of the season. But regardless of who is in charge there is no arguing that the performances of Borja have not been up to scratch.
Perhaps the warning lights should have been noticed when he started the season injured and did not make his debut until September. Since then the only time he has found the net was in Bob Bradley’s first game in charge when they lost 3-2 away at Arsenal. Neither him or his compatriot Fernando Llorente have really impressed this season, although Llorente has found the net on more occasions. Perhaps the wider questions need to be asked about Swansea’s transfer policy over the course of last Summer, one which has really let them down over the past few months.
Lys Mousset
You could be forgiven for asking who this next player on the list actually is. As after a £7m move from French side Le Havre, Lys Mousset has only graced the Premier League twice this season with a grand total of just 23 on pitch minutes to his name. For a club to spend £7m on a player and feature in such a small way perhaps suggest that top flight clubs have more money than they know what to do with.
The 20 year old’s Bournemouth career has been mainly the preserve of the cup competition with his first and only start for the club coming in their embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Millwall in the 3rd Round of the F.A. Cup. With Callum Wilson and Benik Afobe ahead of him in the pecking order many will ask when Mousset will be given his chance to shine at The Vitality Stadium.
But with Mousset already voicing his frustrations at a lack of game time then his spell on the South Coast may not be a particularly long one. Last month Mousset said “Frankly, I feel like I’m a spectator. I can’t stay like this. I always dreamed of being in England, but not in these conditions.” so it seems if Mousset is to get some game time it may well end up being elsewhere.
Hal Robson-Kanu
During last Summer you could argue that Robson-Kanu was the hottest free agent after his performances for Wales during Euro 2016, he will be remembered for his goal against Belgium in the Quarter Finals of the European Championships on their way to a historic 3-1 victory. It was at that point that Robson-Kanu had well and truly put himself in the shop window.
Therefore many would have questioned what with a supposed large number of clubs chasing after the former Reading players signature as to why the Welsh international ended up signing for West Brom. Since his move to The Hawthorns it’s almost as if his incredible performances in France last Summer were a lifetime ago.
Robson-Kanu has been afforded just 1 Premier League start out of the 16 top flight appearances he has made and that has earned The Baggies just 1 goal this season. People say that international football is a completely side of the game and players can fit the environment better than the one that we see week in, week out and it’s almost if Robson-Kanu is the perfect example of that.
Mathieu Flamini
Our final player in the list is one that made a short move across London in the Summer as he swapped The Emirates for Selhurst Park, that man is Mathieu Flamini. Bought to the club on a free transfer by previous boss Alan Pardew, Flamini has failed to make an impact with his new employers as the find themselves precariously near the relegation zone.
Flamini has only managed to make 6 Premier League appearances this season with only 3 of them in the starting eleven. Bought for his wealth of experience the club have been unable to utilise it fully with the former A.C Milan midfielder not making his first start of the season until December 14th when Palace lost 2-1 to Manchester United in one of Pardew’s last games in charge of the club.
With Sam Allardyce now in charge you would imagine that he will be looking to bring in some additional faces to the squad this month especially as he is yet to win since being in the Selhurst Park hotseat and with Flamini’s best days seemingly now behind him you do have to wonder how much of a role he will play in Palace’s bid for survival.
