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The 2019-20 season of the Premier League has been eventful, to say the least, and has had its fair share of drama and surprises. While Liverpool have been relentless in their pursuit of the league title, the race for the European spots and avoiding relegation has been exciting, as Wolves and Sheffield United look for a place in the UEFA Champions League and the likes of Watford, Aston Villa and Bournemouth amongst others look to avoid relegation to the Championship.
Liverpool opted to refrain from splashing the cash in the transfer market in the summer despite winning the UEFA Champions League for the sixth time in their history, a move which came as a shock to the footballing fraternity. On the other hand, Chelsea were slapped with a transfer ban and the Blues were unable to add to their squad beyond Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic, having already agreed a deal for the pair before being hit with the ban.
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The likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton spent the big bucks in the hope of climbing the Premier League standings and its safe to say that it's not gone as planned, as they've all struggled to reach their goals for the season thus far.
In this segment, we take a look at 5 players who made big money moves to Premier League clubs in the summer transfer window but have failed to produce the goods and live up to their price tags.
#5 Nicolas Pepe - Arsenal
Nicolas Pepe joined Arsenal for a staggering £72 million fee in the summer, as he arrived in England as one of the most sought-after attackers in world football at the time. While the Ivorian winger has improved under Mikel Arteta and shown signs of promise, it goes without saying that a player of his calibre should have done a lot better in the first half of the season, even more so considering the price tag and the weight of expectation on his shoulders.
While his tally of 6 goals and 8 assists do not make for bad reading, Pepe has only recently burst into life and his form has been awfully patchy, as he has failed to deliver the goods for the Gunners consistently.
It might be too soon to pass him off as a flop, but the 24-year-old will need to use his first season in England as a learning experience and become a key player for the club in the forthcoming season, as he aims to make a name for himself and vindicate the trust placed in him by the Gunners hierarchy.
#4 Sebastien Haller - West Ham United
Sebastien Haller, alongside Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic, was part of one of the most potent trios in world football last season, as he made a name for himself as a top-class attacker at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Having been courted by some of the biggest clubs in the world, the Frenchman joined West Ham for a fee believed to be in the region of £45 million, a mammoth number considering the stature of the club.
Since making the move to London, Haller started off well but has fizzled off after a run of good form, with his tally of 7 goals in 26 Premier League appearances not enough to keep the Hammers in the top half of the table.
David Moyes' side are in the thick of the relegation battle despite spending heavily in the summer and Haller's inability to score goals and perform consistently has been a problem for them, as they look to avoid dropping down to the Championship.
The 25-year-old's talent is unquestionable but he needs to put his head down and play his heart out for his side in the business end of the season if they are to secure their Premier League status beyond the summer.
#3 Joelinton - Newcastle United
The damning verdict is that Brazilian striker Joelinton has been by far one of the flops of the season and his tally of just one goal in 26 Premier League appearances for Newcastle United describes the sorry state of his tenure with the Tyneside club.
The 23-year-old, who was formerly on the books of Hoffenheim, made a name for himself as one of the most exciting frontmen in the Bundesliga under then-manager Julian Naglesmann, which earned him a whopping £45 million move to St James' Park.
Since arriving in England, nothing has gone as planned for the towering striker, who has failed to fill in for Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon, who alongside former manager Rafa Benitez moved on at the end of last season. Steve Bruce has since then taken charge and steadied the ship but the Magpies' lack of goals is a huge problem for him, as none of his strikers are potent enough in front of goal.
Joelinton has been one of the flops of the season and is sure to go down in the history books for all the wrong reasons. The Brazilian striker is running out of time to save his career in Tyneside and it remains likely that he will be shipped off at the end of the season, as Newcastle look to cut their loses and recoup whatever they can get for him.
#2 Tanguy Ndombele - Tottenham Hotspur
Having made a name for himself as one of the most unique midfield players in world football with his exploits for Lyon, Tanguy Ndombele secured a big-money move to Tottenham Hotspur, as the Lilywhites beat several top clubs across Europe to secure his signature.
While he scored on his Premier League debut and put in a Man of the Match performance against Aston Villa on opening day, it has all gone downhill for him since, as he has failed to adapt himself to the intensity of the English top flight.
Since Mauricio Pochettino's sacking, Jose Mourinho has taken charge and the French international has been out of favour under the Portuguese, as he is currently behind the likes of Harry Winks, Eric Dier, Moussa Sissoko and fellow new signing Giovani Lo Celso.
Ndombele's first season in England has not seen him realise his true potential, as he has been in and out of the team and largely struggled with injury problems. Despite making 18 Premier League appearances for Spurs, he has failed to convince the North London faithful of his abilities and has failed to recapture his form from his Lyon days, leading to questions being asked about his price tag.
The 23-year-old's talent is there for everyone to see and Mourinho is likely to be patient with the Frenchman, as he aims to recapture his best and become a key player for the Spurs in the future.
#1 Joao Cancelo - Manchester City
Pep Guardiola continued his heavy spending on full-backs in the summer, as he made Joao Cancelo the most expensive full-back in the history of the game. The Portuguese international, who was part of the deal involving Danilo to Juventus, arrived at Manchester City for £27 million plus the Brazilian, thereby taking the total cost of his transfer to £60 million.
While he came with a reputation of making decisive contributions on both ends of the pitch, Cancelo has barely played for Manchester City all season and has either been injured or warming the bench in his time in England.
Cancelo has featured just 10 times in the Premier League for the Cityzens and has largely been a bit-part player for Guardiola, as the likes of Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and even Oleksandr Zinchenko have been preferred to him for either of the full-back slots.
Not enough has been said about Cancelo's torrid time in England but the fact of the matter remains that Guardiola has splashed the cash on yet another full-back and failed to get the best out of him, as he continues to warm the bench at the Etihad Stadium.
