Last summer, Premier League clubs spent a total of £1.4bn on bringing in new players. It is a staggering total which is the result of the money which is now been provided for English football's elite and because the rewards are increasing considerably by the year. Whether an arrival can be deemed a success or not depends on many factors, such as the amount of appearances which have been made, goals have been scored or whether a youngster has been given sufficient time in the first team. However, there are a number of deals which have proven to be a waste of everyone's time.
In the modern-day betting market, bookies are going for offers and deals which will attract your attention and that is exactly what Tottenham Hotspur did when securing the signing of Fernando Llorente from Swansea City for an alleged fee of just £12.1m. Despite the player being 32, Spurs supporters were overjoyed with bringing in a player who had netted 15 goals for struggling Swansea City during the previous campaign and because they had got one over London rivals Chelsea, who had also been interested. However, Llorente has acted as second fiddle all season, even when Harry Kane has spent time on the sidelines. The Spaniard has made just one start and 15 substitute appearances in the Premier League - totalling 227 minutes of football - with his one goal coming at the home of his former club. Expect Llorente to return to Athletic Bilbao ahead of next season.
© SilverHub
A few eyebrows were raised when Chelsea shelled out £35m to sign Danny Drinkwater on a five-year contract from Leicester City. The Blues are against handing long-term deals to anyone over 30 so to give Drinkwater - then 27 years of age - the chance to commit his future to Stamford Bridge on a lucrative deal appeared bizarre. The central midfielder endured a tough start to life in West London with time being spent on the sidelines, leaving the England international to play catch-up in a competitive area of the pitch, but even when fit, Drinkwater has barely been given an opportunity. Just five starts have been provided for the ex-Premier League winner and reports have suggested that clubs are weighing up bids ahead of the summer.
Everton were another team who were not afraid to spend a lot of money on a central midfielder ahead of the start of the season. After being provided with a war chest by new Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri, one of Ronald Koeman's first acts was to pay £24m to bring in Davy Klaassen from Ajax. There were high hopes that the Netherlands international would add a creative spark in midfield but it has not worked out. Klaassen has not made a top-flight start since September and although Sam Allardyce granted the player a cameo outing against Southampton last week, do not expect it to become a permanent recall. Everton will be looking to offload Klaassen during the summer - whether that be on a loan-to-buy arrangement or on a permanent deal - but the Merseyside outfit will have to accept that they are not going to recoup much of the transfer fee that they spent less than 12 months ago.
© Offside
Nahki Wells has spent the majority of his career playing in the EFL but despite helping Huddersfield Town to promotion last season, there was no certainty that the Bermudan forward would remain with the Terriers. Instead, Burnley opted to pay £5m on deadline day and although it felt a bit like a panic buy, logic suggested that it was a deal which felt right for both parties. However, Wells was injured upon his arrival at Turf Moor and after Chris Wood and Sam Vokes played their part in a strong start to the campaign from the Clarets, Wells was effectively left being the forgotten man. The 27-year-old has played just 36 minutes of Premier League football this season, which have come across eight substitute outings. Expect Wells to play a part in the Europa League qualifying rounds but should a Championship club come calling before the end of the next transfer window, Wells may look to gain regular football elsewhere.
There will always be some signings which will leave you scratching your head and that was the case when Huddersfield moved for Abdelhamid Sabiri with the youngster having only played nine games above the third tier of German football. David Wagner probably sees Sabiri as one for the future and the chance to bring in a player for approximately £1m felt like a chance too good to turn down but as it stands, the Moroccan has failed to make the most of his opportunity in England. Maybe it is more a case of Wagner holding Sabiri back, but the 21-year-old has played just 30 minutes of Premier League football since November, with his most recent outings in the first team being restricted to the FA Cup.
