The 10 worst transfers of the season in Europe

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 24 Apr 2025 10:15 CDT
• 6 min read

Analysis

The 2024-25 season is almost over and several summer signings have been pivotal to their team’s success this campaign.

However, a number of transfers simply haven’t worked out and many players can rightfully be described as major flops.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 10 worst transfers of the season in Europe.

READ MORE: The 10 best transfers of the season in Europe

Joao Felix - €52m (Atletico Madrid to Chelsea)

Chelsea wanted to sign Samu Aghehowa in exchange for Conor Gallagher last summer, but they were ultimately forced to bring Joao Felix back to the club on a permanent deal instead.

The presence of Cole Palmer forced Felix to play a back-up role at Stamford Bridge and he racked up just 363 minutes of Premier League action before joining AC Milan on loan during the January transfer window.

His spell at San Siro has gone disastrously and Chelsea will likely be required to sell Felix for a major loss this summer.

READ MORE: The five best Premier League transfers of the season

Douglas Luiz - €51.5m (Aston Villa to Juventus)

Douglas Luiz established himself as one of Europe’s best midfielders during a stellar 2023-24 campaign at Aston Villa, which earned him a big-money move to Italian giants Juventus.

However, the Brazilian has looked a shadow of his former self since joining the Serie A side and he is widely expected to leave the club after just one year.

Luiz has only started three league games all season and he has turned into yet another expensive flop for Juventus.

Joao Palhinha - €51m (Fulham to Bayern Munich)

Bayern Munich failed to sign Joao Palhinha on Deadline Day in 2023 and they were forced to wait another season before landing him for €51m this summer.

As a result, big things were expected from the Portugal international following his arrival at the Allianz Arena, but he hasn’t quite lived up to the hype due to form and fitness issues.

Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic are the preferred midfield pairing, and reports have indicated that Bayern are already eager to sell Palhinha after just one season at the club.

Joshua Zirkzee - €42.5m (Bologna to Man Utd)

Joshua Zirkzee enjoyed a splendid 2023-24 campaign at Bologna and his form with the Serie A side led to significant transfer interest from multiple top European clubs, including Arsenal.

However, Manchester United won the race for his signature after agreeing a €42.5m deal for the Netherlands international.

Zirkzee scored a late winner on his Premier League debut against Fulham, but he has severely struggled to adapt to the intensity of English football ever since and he has been widely tipped to return to Italy this year.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - €35.4m (Leicester to Chelsea)

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in 44 Championship games last season as Leicester City secured promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Following Enzo Maresca’s appointment at Chelsea, he decided to bring Dewsbury-Hall with him to Stamford Bridge and the Englishman was expected to play a prominent role in west London.

However, Dewsbury-Hall has barely featured in the Premier League and he has mostly been restricted to appearances in cup competitions. He could well leave Chelsea this summer if Andrey Santos returns from his loan spell at Strasbourg and is integrated into the first-team set-up.

Davide Frattesi - €31.4m (Sassuolo to Inter Milan)

Davide Frattesi has played over 40 times for Inter Milan this season, but he has frequently been used as a substitute and he appears unlikely to ever become a starter under Simone Inzaghi.

At €31.4m, Frattesi is Inter’s most expensive signing since Nicolo Barella and Achraf Hakimi in 2021, yet he has been a squad player at best.

The Italy international is expected to leave San Siro this summer and his spell at Inter is set to end with a whimper.

Eddie Nketiah - €29.7m (Arsenal to Crystal Palace)

Eddie Nketiah showed promise after breaking into the Arsenal senior side, but it was clear that he needed game time to realise his immense potential.

He had hoped that a move to Crystal Palace for just shy of €30m last summer would help him kickstart his career, but things have gone disastrously at Selhurst Park.

Jean-Philippe Mateta has been one of the Premier League’s best strikers this campaign and Nketiah has therefore been forced to sit on the sidelines, with his first league goal not coming until late February.

Elye Wahi - €27m (Lens to Marseille) and €26m (Marseille to Eintracht Frankfurt)

Elye Wahi is technically on this list due to two failed transfers. He first joined Marseille for €27m from RC Lens in August, before completing a €26m move to Eintracht Frankfurt in January.

During his time at Marseille, Wahi scored just three goals in 14 appearances for the club and he racked up just 595 minutes of action before being sold to Eintracht Frankfurt.

In Germany, Wahi has fared even worse. He is firmly behind Hugo Ekitike in the pecking order and he is yet to score his first goal for the club.

Current ETV

Elye Wahi

F (C)

E. Frankfurt

Elye Wahi

F (C)

E. Frankfurt

€26.6M

ETV Range

€24M - €29.3M

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Oliver Skipp - €23.5m (Tottenham to Leicester)

Leicester’s relegation back to the Championship has been officially confirmed and their transfer business last summer is at least partly to blame for that fact.

The majority of their summer arrivals have fared poorly, including Oliver Skipp, who joined the club for a whopping €23.5m from Tottenham Hotspur - the eighth highest transfer fee in Leicester’s history.

Skipp has barely featured since the appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy and he has been an unused substitute on more occasions than his number of Premier League starts.

Fabio Carvalho - €23.4m (Liverpool to Brentford)

Fabio Carvalho has also been a transfer disaster and he rounds out this list following his move from Liverpool to Brentford last year.

Carvalho was tipped to become one of Europe’s best attacking midfielders following his breakthrough at Fulham, but he struggled for game time at Liverpool and things haven’t improved at Brentford.

He has only started three Premier League games this season and Brentford’s usually-reliable transfer recruitment team appear to have got one wrong.