Every summer there are several transfer deals that clubs end up regretting. Signing a player in the transfer market always carries some risk.
Players get injured, fall out of form, and sometimes just do not fit the team they come into.
Last summer was a very busy window, with so many deals completed there is destined to be some that clubs end up regretting. Five months later, here are five summer signings that Champions League clubs are already regretting:
Chelsea ST Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Price: 12m Euros
Chelsea signed Aubemeyang in an act of desperation at the end of the summer transfer window. They needed a striker, and Aubemeyang was the name they landed on. Aubemeyang had previously worked with then-manager Thomas Tuchel, so there was some logic in bringing him in to be a short-term fix at the striker position. However, Tuchel was sacked in September and was replaced by Graham Potter.
Aubemeyang does not have a clear fit in Potter’s system. In 17 appearances this season, Aubemeyang has just 3 total goals, and 1 assist. Chelsea’s struggles this season have been in large part due to their struggling forward line, as Chelsea have scored just 22 league goals so far this season. Aubemeyang was brought in to score much-needed goals for Chelsea, and he simply has not delivered.
Chelsea have already moved for four other attacking options since signing Aubemeyang in Christopher Nkunku, João Félix, Noni Madueke, and Mykhalo Mudryk. Aubemeyang was removed from Chelsea’s Champions League squad to make room for the new additions. This suggests that Aubemeyang is neither a short-term, nor long-term main stay in Chelsea’s forward line.
Unless something drastically changes and Aubemeyang helps Chelsea miraculously reach the top 4, this deal simply appears to have been a waste of money. If Chelsea could go back in time, they would surely not do this deal again.
Liverpool FW Cody Gakpo
Price: 42m Euros
Cody Gakpo signed for Liverpool in January after he shined at the World Cup. After being linked to Manchester United, it came as a surprise to many that Gakpo ended up in Liverpool.
Gakpo has had a slow start at Liverpool, scoring just 1 goal and providing no assists in his first 7 matches with the club. Gakpo is a very talented international player, so long term Liverpool will be confident in his ability to turn things around and become an important player at the club.
Liverpool is struggling massively this season as they currently find themselves in 9th place in the Premier League. Liverpool desperately needed a midfielder in January. They instead used their limited budget on signing Gakpo. While Gakpo is a great talent and not a bad signing in a vacuum, it is not what they needed at this time in this season.
Even long term, Liverpool have many forward options like Luis Diaz, Darwin Núñez, Mohammed Salah, and Diogo Jota, making it unclear how Gakpo will fit into the front-line long term. Although Gakpo is not a bad player by any means, his short-term impact and long-term fit at Liverpool are questionable. By the end of the season, Liverpool may regret not using that money to strengthen the midfield in January.
Chelsea LM Marc Cucurella
Price: 65.3m Euros
Chelsea spent 65.3 million Euros on the 24-year-old left back last summer. The Spaniard was linked to Manchester City, however, Chelsea swooped in and met Brighton’s price, something Manchester City was not willing to do. Cucurella was signed to replace the departing, Marcos Alonso. On the surface, the transfer seemed to make sense, as Cucurella was a young and promising talent coming in at a position of need.
However, just a few months into the deal there are already doubts about Cucurella’s long-term role at the club. In 24 total appearances this season, Cucurella has not impressed and his performances have not yet justified the large transfer fee. He has not been terrible going forward, but his defensive ability has often been questioned. After Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat against Manchester City, Jamie Carragher said that Cucurella looks as if he “doesn’t want to defend.” This is just one instance of Cucurella’s poor defending this season.
A defender’s first responsibility is to defend. Chelsea cannot be satisfied with the level of Cucurella’s performances, for the large fee that they paid. There is still time for Cucurella to come good and turn the view of this transfer around, but once Ben Chilwell is back, it will be interesting to see how often Cucurella starts. Regardless, this is not what Chelsea had in mind when spending such a large fee on the full-back.
Inter Milan FW Joaquín Correa
Price: 23.6m Euros
Joaquín Correa’s move to Inter Milan became official over the summer for a price of 23.6 million euros. Inter are often strapped for cash, so this fee is not an insignificant investment for them. Correa has always been viewed as a talented player, although that talent has not always translated into production on the pitch. Inter were hoping to help develop Correa into a more consistent player when they signed him permanently over the summer.
Correa has yet to find that consistency for Inter. He’s contributed 3 goals and 3 assists in 25 appearances this season. Inter have a lot of different options in attack, with Lautaro Martínez, Edin Džeko, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Romelu Lukaku all there.
There are some reports suggesting that Inter may be looking to move on from Correa this summer, given his consistency and fitness issues. Ultimately it will remain to be seen if Correa ends up being worth the money. So far, he has not been consistent enough to justify the fee, and with Inter’s depth in attack, this signing has been an unnecessary one thus far.
Chelsea CB Kalidou Koulibaly
Price: 38m Euros
To cap off our list is yet another Chelsea summer signing. Koulibaly was brought in from Napoli. The center back was coming off another very strong season in Serie A. At the time, he looked to be potentially one of the best center-backs in the Premier League, and a top addition to a Chelsea defense that just lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen that same summer. On paper, it looked like a solid move at the time.
Unfortunately, Koulibaly never quite settled in at Chelsea. Chelsea have struggled massively this season, and the shaky defense is a part of that. It’s not all down to Koulibaly, but he just has not been performing to the same standard that he was at Napoli.
Chelsea brought in Benoît Badiashile in the January transfer window, and now Koulibaly is the clear third-choice CB behind Badiashile and Thiago Silva.
Wesley Fofana is also slated to come back from injury soon, which could push Koulibaly even lower down the depth chart. Koulibaly is 31 and does not fit the youth-oriented transfer strategy that Chelsea have recently adopted. Given his age and that he has already been displaced from the staring XI, looking back it is a signing Chelsea did not need to make.
