There is so much money spent on transfer fees in the modern game that players don’t get given time to adapt. It doesn’t matter if you’re young and moving to a new country, or trying to get over an injury. If you don’t hit the ground running then the knives will be out.
Ever known for being dramatic and gleefully trying to cut players down, Marca have produced an article that’s criticised the three main signings in La Liga from the Summer window.
The players in question are Eden Hazard, Antoine Griezmann and Joao Felix. They might not have had outstanding starts at their new clubs, but it’s a bit early to be writing them off at this stage.
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Particularly with Felix who is a teenager and moving to a new country, and Eden Hazard is also adapting to a new style and has had some injuries to get over.
The Belgian has only played in three competitive games so far, which is an incredibly small sample size to draw any conclusions from.
Felix has scored two goals and provided one assist in his eight games so far, but he’s also been praised for his work rate and effort in the team. Diego Simeone is known for liking his players to give everything and work for the team so Felix should be comfortable enough with his start.
The one player whose criticism might be fair is Griezmann. He has vast experience of playing in the league and with a title challenger so he was expected to slot into the Barca side and contribute instantly. He does have three goals in his eight appearances so far this season, but he hasn’t looked impressive.
Obviously more was expected from the trio but it’s still early in the season. It will be worth checking their stats over the whole season to see if they really have flopped or if they just needed a little bit of time to settle in.