The Premier League’s five worst summer signings so far

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 13 Oct 2023 14:57 BST
• 4 min read

The summer window has come and gone. It’s been closed for a little over five weeks now, with new arrivals trying to make their mark on their new clubs.

It’s still early days but it’s been a long enough time for us to get those assessments in over who has been among the worst transfers over the course of the summer.

We have gone through some of the Premier League’s latest additions and listed five of the biggest flops so far.

For compiling this list, we have taken into account their performances, their value for money, and if their cost would’ve been spent better elsewhere.

Here are our top five worst signings of the summer.

READ: The latest Premier League injuries

Your Tielemans - Free transfer

Youri Tielemans joined Aston Villa on a free transfer amid speculation that the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool were keen on him. The deal was seen as something of a coup for the Midlands club, who obtained the Belgian as a free agent following his time at Leicester City. This was a shrewd signing, given Tielemans’ Premier League experience and wonderful technical ability.

But the move, which was supposed to be foolproof, has turned out disastrously so far. There are reports that the midfielder is deeply unhappy playing under Unai Emery, wanting more game-time, while there are serious question marks over his lack of effort on the pitch. It seems Tielemans’ time at Villa Park is over before it even has

began.

Mason Mount - €64.2M

Mason Mount has not had a terrible start to life at Man Utd. His displays have been solid, at times looking like one of the brightest sparks on the pitch, but he is included in this list because of the hefty €64.2million Man Utd paid for him, as well as the fact he’s played in a position his current side simply didn’t need to bolster when you take their other problems into account.

Mount, who has just one assist to his name, has been played in a multitude of positions since arriving, with his latest showing, against Brentford, being on the wing - it’s almost like Erik ten Hag himself is at a loss at where to position the England international. Why was he bought at all?

Harvey Barnes - €44.5M

Harvey Barnes’ inclusion here may seem harsh for a man who’s just broken his toe, but the trouble we’re having is why he was brought to Newcastle in the first place. The club set up in a 4-3-3 formation - with Anthony Gordon, Joelinton, Elliott Anderson, and even Alexander Isak all capable of playing on the left wing when needed.

Newcastle should’ve pushed for a right-winger, with just Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy occupying that side at present, especially as they are having to contend in the Champions League this season, too.

Andre Onana - €43.3M

Andre Onana is having a woeful time in goal for Man Utd. Having signed from Inter over the summer, the idea was that the keeper was going to succeed where David de Gea failed - distribution. And while the passing range from the Man Utd goal has gotten marginally better, the actual saving has not.

Deep down Onana is a superb goalkeeper, but his mistakes have, quite plainly, cost Man Utd points, both domestically and in the Champions League. All eyes will be on Onana in the coming games - and Man Utd will hope that it’s just a matter of confidence.

Kai Havertz - €70M

Kai Havertz is another signing that mystified a lot of supporters when he joined Arsenal. Word at the time was that Mikel Arteta saw him very much as a versatile player who could play across the front, but mostly in midfield. Havertz was seen as a replacement for Granit Xhaka in the No.8 role after the Swiss midfielder moved to Bayer Leverkusen.

But the German's form has stuttered so far this term- with his only goal in seven games coming from the spot against Bournemouth before finally getting his maiden assist against Manchester City in the following league game. It is, of course, still early days, but so far Havertz has continued with the same displays that led to frustration during his time at Chelsea.