Revamping Last Summer’s Major Moves: Which Clubs Scored A’s and Which Earned D’s?

For every forward who excels, there seems to be an equally underperforming counterpart. This is a fundamental truth of the market.

Between 1992 and 2021, only 54% of players purchased by Premier League teams for over 10 million euros started at least half of their games in the initial two seasons. Even raising the threshold to 20 million euros does not improve the situation much, as over 40% of these players fail to hit that 50% mark.

A recent report by The Times of London revealed that Premier League clubs made 370 signings during recent seasons. Out of these, only 47 players managed to participate in at least 50% of the league matches, with merely 25 playing 70%. Many of these signings involve younger players, financial maneuvers, and squad depth, yet it remains alarming. When 70% of available game time qualifies you as a “starter,” a staggering 25 new starters have been recognized by the 18 Premier League clubs over the past seasons, amounting to a total expenditure of 2.8 billion euros—not counting salaries.

Every summer, excitement leads us to believe this year’s new signings will elevate Arsenal to championship glory or transform West Ham into a serious Champions League contender. Meanwhile, Liverpool seems to win the league with lower transfer costs than anyone else in the Premier League.

As the transfer market reopens, clubs will spend billions on seemingly random bets. Let’s reflect on last summer’s 15 most significant signings and evaluate how they’ve fared since then.

Position: Forward
Year: 25
Percentage of matches played: 73.4%

This situation illustrates the complexities of soccer.

If you had to identify two of the closest managerial styles in European football, Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone would likely be at the top of the list. Guardiola’s teams aim to dominate through possession, while Simeone’s style is based on solid defensive play and counter-attacks. Interestingly, while Manchester City plays more slowly when in possession, Atletico consistently looks to attack at speed.

Transitioning from a forward role at City to one at Atletico significantly impacts performance. Alvarez saw some variation in his goal and assist contributions but concluded his first season with Atletico Madrid tied with his final tally at Manchester City, both contributing 17 non-penalty goals and assists. The metrics per 90 minutes remain similar as well.

This shows a solid striker’s adaptability to varied playing conditions.

Grade: B

Position: Forward
Year: 27
Percentage of matches played: 64.4%

Continuing the established trend, Solanke clocked in at 0.54 on the non-penalty expected goal + 90 minutes ratio for Tottenham. His previous season with Bournemouth reflected a similar 0.55.

Solanke’s actual goal contributions were diminished by a significant loss of playing time, from 17 non-penalty goals at Bournemouth down to significantly fewer goals in his time at Tottenham. His effective pressing granted him some leeway, allowing him to appear in about two-thirds of league fixtures.

Grade: C-

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Position: Center Back
Year: 19
Percentage of matches played: 34.1%

In contrast, United secured a young talent who garnered interest from several top clubs. This marks a shift in their approach. However, after investing significantly, they reflect on his limited playing time and his on-field contributions so far. He has the potential to excel, but his inaugural year was less than impressive.

Grade: C

Position: Winger
Year: 25
Percentage of matches played: 66.3%

On the positive side, he played frequently, outstripping appearances from one of his previous five Premier League seasons.

However, the negatives overshadow this; Neto was not effective overall. Last season with Wolves, he averaged a non-penalty expected goal + assist rate of 0.47 per 90, which dipped to 0.40 while at Chelsea, where he totaled four goals and six assists.

Had his signing been defended last summer, one might argue that stronger teammates could enhance his output. Contrary to expectations, he struggled without the space that Wolves often provided for counterattacking. Similar to Solanke, he benefited from sufficient playing time that spared him from a worse review.

Grade: C

Position: Midfielder
Year: 20
Percentage of matches played: 60.3%

PSG technically clinched the Ligue 1 title by early April, reducing league match relevance this season. However, Joan Neves logged 92% of available minutes while helping PSG secure their first Champions League title. As one of football’s most wanted midfielders in recent transfer periods, his fees have remained lower than Neto’s.

While the narrative of PSG being “smart” feels exaggerated, they have clearly improved from former times. Combined with robust financial backing, they fielded a team that dominated even elite Premier League sides, defeating AC Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final.

There are few midfielders globally I’d prefer over Neves — he still has four years until reaching his peak.

Grade: A+

Position: Midfielder
Year: 23
Percentage of matches played: 47.3%

Reflecting a common theme in transfers, the club record signing made just around half of the available minutes for his new team, due to injuries. Onana played slightly less than half the time as Villa advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals, featuring only 25.1% of the minutes.

Though still young, his start has not been promising.

Grade: C-

Position: Midfielder
Year: 27
Percentage of matches played: 58.3%

Two primary reasons made this transfer unappealing last summer: Koopmeiners is in the peak of his career, and Gian Piero Gasperini’s system at Atalanta inflated player outputs.

Koopmeiners redefined the role of a midfielder as a genuine attacking force, not just a supporting player. While he accumulated 18 non-penalty goals and nine assists in his last two seasons at Atalanta, his initial season in Turin yielded only three goals and three assists with minimal contributions leading to scoring opportunities.

Despite being present on the field, with a 70.3% appearance rate in the Champions League, his performance was far from satisfactory.

Grade: C-

Position: Attacking Midfielder
Year: 27
Percentage of matches played: 35.4%

There really isn’t much else to add here. For teams bound by budgets, investing heavily in a mid-prime player who only participates about a third of the available time across La Liga and the Champions League is a misstep.

If the tone in the earlier paragraph didn’t clarify, the prior season that led to Barcelona’s triumph was not solely attributed to President Joan Laporta’s financial maneuvering. The underlying rationale for their success is illustrated in the statistic depicting La Liga’s top players creating tangible value for the team.

With stars like Pedri, 22, and Yamal, 17, the club demonstrates resilience through poorly executed financial decisions.

Grade: D

Position: Winger
Year: 23
Percentage of matches played: 76.3%

And we completed our review!

Finally, we explore players who featured in at least 70% of league matches.

Though he initially had a strong performance at Crystal Palace, questions about whether Olise could maintain his form arose upon moving to Bayern. Given his age at signing, the 53 million euro fee appeared justified.

Olise indeed proved his worth, and if he is up for transfer this summer, he could command double that fee. With Bayern’s aging wingers often injured, Olise filled an immediate need for the team.

Grade: A+

Joan Felix: 52 million euros from Atletico Madrid to Chelsea

Position: Winger
Year: 25
Percentage of matches played: 10.8%

He managed just 369 minutes in the Premier League before joining AC Milan on loan later that season. If Chelsea had solely acquired him, one must question the rationale behind this move.

Grade: F

Douglas Luiz: 51.5 million euros from Aston Villa to Juventus

Position: Midfielder
Year: 27
Percentage of matches played: 15.5%

At least he managed to play more often than Joan Felix!

Grade: D-

Position: Midfielder
Year: 29
Percentage of matches played: 22%

During Thomas Tuchel’s tenure in summer 2023, I viewed the signing as a miscalculation for Bayern.

For Fulham, Pargigna was active, accumulating defensive stats but lacking positional discipline and struggling to progress the ball under pressure. Such a player does not contribute to a dominant possession team like Bayern. Elite clubs can’t invest in players who fail to perform in possession, and the defensive impact of Pargigna seems overstated.

When the deal fell through two years ago, it seemed Bayern had dodged a bullet. With a managerial change to Vincent Kompany, perceived as one of the most innovative managers defensively, they still invested heavily in Pargigna regardless!

Now nearing 30 at the upcoming season’s start, this deal mirrors the mistakes made with Olise—just as poor.

Grade: D-

Position: Winger/Midfielder
Year: 19
Percentage of matches played: 56.5%

Unlike Neves, Doo played even less during the Champions League, participating in only 47.4% of the available minutes. Nevertheless, he scored a penalty against Liverpool, netted his first goal against Aston Villa, and earned the Man of the Match accolade in the Champions League Final.

While I have minor concerns about Doo’s overall gameplay, he’s undeniably young and talented. Given PSG’s aim to win the Champions League, the acquisition can be viewed positively, even though he could decide to retire unexpectedly.

Grade: A

Manuel Ugarte: 50 million euros from PSG to Manchester United

Position: Midfielder
Year: 24
Percentage of matches played: 52.2%

In the prime of his career and playing in a desirable position within the transfer market, Ugarte is among the best ball-winners in the Premier League. However, his contributions to United remain neutral when they are in possession, at best.

Assessing performance during a tumultuous season at United is challenging. The tactics under Ruben Amorim create a lack of clarity, but Ugarte’s transfer feels distinctly average. His playing time was about half, and he didn’t noticeably affect the team’s ability to secure victories.

Grade: C

Position: Forward
Year: 18
Percentage of matches played: 10.6%

While he has many fans and impressive senior-level stats for his limited time on the field, Endric currently seems outmatched. He resembles a young player competing against seasoned adults. While this could change, it’s hard to visualize a fully effective version of him, especially since much of his valuation hinges upon performance bonuses.

Grade: C