Matheus Nunes – Manchester City (£53m)
Pep Guardiola gave Matheus Nunes a billing as “one of the world’s best players” after his £53m ($66m) move to Manchester City from Wolves, which felt like a stretch at the time, and put unnecessary pressure on the Portuguese midfielder’s shoulders. Inevitably, Nunes hasn’t lived up to that statement, starting only seven Premier League games, with five of those coming against bottom-six clubs.
Nunes hasn’t looked out of place on the rare occasions he has featured for City – he remains a masterful ball=carrier who can operate in the tightest of areas – but he gives up possession more often than City’s first-choice technicians such as Bernardo Silva, mainly because he often goes for the risky passes instead of taking the simple option.
Sofyan Amrabat – Manchester United (loan)
Most casual fans were introduced to Sofyan Amrabat at the 2022 World Cup, where he carried an unfancied Morocco side all the way through to the semi-finals and went viral for a lung-busting recovery run and tackle on Kylian Mbappe. United supporters thusly hoped that Amrabat would be the answer to their long-standing defensive midfield woes after his loan move from Fiorentina, but have not seen him expend even close to the same level of energy for Erik ten Hag’s team.
Amrabat has actually been a liability defensively as he’s been constantly caught out of position, while he’s also been one of United’s most careless players on the ball. It certainly hasn’t helped that the 27-year-old has been asked to play in a number of different roles amid a build-up of injuries to key personnel, but he doesn’t seem to have the engine for full 90 minute games anymore, or indeed the enthusiasm.
Andre Onana – Manchester United (£48m)
United desperately needed an upgrade on David de Gea, who had been in major decline for a good four years before the expiration of his contract at Old Trafford last June, and Andre Onana appeared to be the ideal man for the job after helping Inter reach the 2023 Champions League final. Ten Hag had previously worked with Onana at Ajax, too, and United were praised for signing a ‘keeper known for his ability to play out from the back in their bid to cut the gap to Manchester City and Arsenal after an encouraging third-place Premier League finish.
But Onana hasn’t looked like a £48m ($60m) goalkeeper in his first season at Old Trafford. In fact, many supporters would welcome De Gea back with open arms after watching the Cameroon international flap at crosses, let simple shots slip through his gloves and stay rooted to his goalline when the United defence is bypassed time and time again.
Moises Caicedo – Chelsea (£115m)
Chelsea smashed the British transfer record to lure Moises Caicedo away from Brighton, seeing off competition from Liverpool, who refused to match their staggering £115 million ($147m) bid. The Ecuadorian was sensational in his two years at the Amex Stadium, and was the main reason the Seagulls punched so high above their weight, but that kind of money is not usually invested in defensive midfielders.
The Blues needed Caicedo to be a real game-changer right from the off, and he crumbled under the weight of expectation. He always led the way for tackles and interceptions at Brighton, but wasn’t breaking up the play nearly as effectively for Chelsea, and seemed to be lacking the composure that had been a staple of his game.
Sandro Tonali – Newcastle (£60m)
Sandro Tonali became the most-expensive signing in Newcastle’s history when he completed his £60m ($75m) move from AC Milan last summer, but it didn’t feel like they had overpaid. Tonali cemented a standing among the finest playmakers in Italy during his time at San Siro and was exactly the kind of statement buy the Magpies needed after qualifying for the Champions League.
Or at least he would have been, had Newcastle done their proper due diligence. Tonali scored in a spectacular debut showing against Aston Villa and settled into life on Tyneside quickly, only to be hit with a 10-month suspension in October for breaching gambling rules during his time at Milan.
The whole saga has been embarrassing for Newcastle, who blew most of their summer budget on a player that had been struggling with a gambling addiction. He will be allowed to play for the club again from August, but the damage has already been done, as a lack of cohesion in midfield led to the Magpies missing out on silverware once again while losing their place in the Champions League.
