Five big-money summer signings who have yet to score

Carlo Garganese

29 Oct 2023 20:22 GMT
3 min read

The summer of 2023 was another record-breaking window when it came to massive transfer fees.

The Premier League yet again smashed spending record after spending record, but around Europe there were over 20 deals that cost more than €50 million in transfer fees.

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Some of these players have immediately hit the ground running, while others have had much slower starts.

Of course, it is attackers and offensive players who usually command the highest transfer fees in modern football.

They are often judged by the number of goals they contribute but in 2023-24 there are some big-money signings who have yet to find the net for their new clubs.

Mason Mount cost Man Utd €64.2m after his relationship and contract talks broke down at Chelsea.

So far Mount has struggled, often occupying the same positions as Bruno Fernandes. He has yet to score for his new club, while he is also without a Premier League assist.

Staying in the Premier League, Chelsea have made a string of fairly unsuccessful signings since Todd Boehly bought the club just over a year ago.

Christopher Nkunku will surely be a success, but he has yet to play an official game for his new team since his €60m move from Leipzig. A knee injury will keep him out until December.

Brennan Johnson grabbed his first Tottenham Hotspur assist in their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in late October, but the Welshman has not scored for his new team yet.

The forward joined Ange Postecoglou's side for €55m from Nottingham Forest this summer.

Former Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele has also a disappointing start to the season at his new club.

The Frenchman left Barca for PSG, who activated his €50m release clause. But the outside attacker has no goals in his first 12 matches, earning just two assists. He has even been linked with a January exit to the Premier League.

© ProShots - Ousmane Dembele has struggled at PSG so far

Finally, Atalanta’s record signing El Bilal Toure has had a miserable start to life in Italy. He was signed for €28m as a replacement for Rasmus Hojlund, who joined Man Utd for €75m.

However, Toure suffered a serious injury in pre-season and is likely to be out until 2024.