Five big signings of today who could be the flops of tomorrow.
Less than a year after his huge move from Real Madrid to Manchester United, Angel Di Maria is closing in on a move to Paris Saint-Germain after a disappointing season at Old Trafford, so which big signings of this year will end up being flops to be offloaded next year?
1) Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United)
An exciting signing from Bayern Munich this summer, Bastian Schweinsteiger is a big name but also a player who could be past his best after some injury struggles last season and a dip in form that saw him fall out of favour with Pep Guardiola and move for relatively cheap. Although the German international should be a top class addition if he reaches his best form, it’s hard to know how he’ll adapt to the Premier League at this stage of his career and it’s easy to imagine him ending up being a flop.
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2) Christian Benteke (Liverpool)
One of the best strikers in the Premier League during his time with Aston Villa, Christian Benteke now has a big price tag to live up to after moving to Liverpool this summer. The Belgian international is undoubtedly a top talent, but it could be questioned whether or not he really fits the Reds’ style of play perfectly, and if he’s ‘big club’ material.
3) Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Arguably a little overrated already, Raheem Sterling now has the pressure of a £49m price tag to live up to after his big move to Manchester City this summer. The England international has time to improve and develop his talent, but fans will be impatient after that kind of transfer fee and hype surrounding the deal.
4) Memphis Depay (Manchester United)
Regarded as one of Europe’s top young players at PSV, Memphis Depay could become the latest to struggle after moving to a bigger club after joining Manchester United. The Netherlands winger has never played in a league as competitive as this one and could definitely go down the route of Di Maria and never find his best form in England.
5) Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)
Liverpool have had their fair share of transfer market cock-ups, and it could be that Brazilian starlet Roberto Firmino won’t quite live up to his £29m price tag, as well as adjusting to the pressure of playing in a new league after his move from the Bundesliga.