Published: 02:00 BST, 30 April 2026 | Updated: 02:00 BST, 30 April 2026
No matter how rich the Premier League becomes, no matter how advanced the clubs' recruitment strategies are and highly-paid their scouts, every year there are a host of expensive flops.
'Winning the [transfer window](/sport/transfernews/index.html)' might sound nice on September 1 but when it comes to the final days of the season and we've seen these shiny new recruits for what they really are, clubs may not be so happy.
Here, we have picked out the 20 worst signings of the Premier League season - not just the least productive, but also the big-money deals that did not live up to expectations. In total, these 20 players cost their clubs £850MILLION - and have produced a combined total of 28 goals and 26 assists, or just over a goal and an assist per player.
But who was the worst of the bunch? We've ranked them from 20 to 1 - find out who comes out bottom of the pile, and have your say in the comments.
20\. DAN NDOYE (Nottingham Forest, £34m)
Nottingham Forest were supposed to kick on after getting into Europe and recruiting a Swiss international on a five-year deal was part of that plan.
Ndoye, who scored the only goal in the Coppa Italia final to win Bologna their first trophy in 50 years, started well enough with a goal and an assist in his first two games. Since then, he’s not managed another goal or assist in the Premier League in 22 appearances, and isn’t doing much to write home about in Europe.
Having fallen down the pecking order under Vitor Pereira, file this one under the ‘expected more’ category.
Dan Ndoye started well enough for Forest with a goal and an assist in his first two games. Since then, he’s not managed another goal or assist in the Premier League in 22 appearances
19\. BEN GANNON-DOAK (Bournemouth, £25m)
Bournemouth believed they had stolen a march on many rivals by snagging Gannon-Doak from Liverpool, who inserted a buy-back clause into the deal.
Truth be told, this has been a stressful and miserable campaign for the winger, who has never had the chance to get going due to a serious hamstring problem which kept him out for four months.
One start and a total of 68 minutes of Premier League football mean the 20-year-old has effectively lost a season. Bournemouth just hope their care and their patience pays off in 2026-27.
Ben Gannon-Doak, a £25m signing from Liverpool, loses his footing in training for Bournemouth where he has failed to make much impression this season
18\. TIJJANI REIJNDERS (Man City, £46.5m)
After last season’s Serie A Midfielder of the Year tore Wolves apart on the opening day, few would have anticipated that Reijnders would end up on this list – but here we are.
The Dutchman has fallen by the wayside the longer this season has gone on and with City expected to spend big on overhauling midfield this summer, not least on Elliot Anderson, it is hard to see where and how Reijnders becomes a mainstay under Pep Guardiola.
‘I said I wanted to kill him because of how good he played, that is what I said!’ Guardiola said of Reijnders after the FA Cup semi-final win over Southampton.
But with no league goal since January and a whole host of substitute appearances, this is an individual season that won’t live long in the memory.
Tijjani Reijnders has fallen by the wayside at City the longer this season has gone on
17\. ARMANDO BROJA (Burnley, £20m)
It is always a monumental ask for a newly-promoted team to stay in the Premier League. But Sunderland and Leeds are going to do it and while Burnley’s immediate relegation isn’t down to any one player, the displays of Broja have been mightily disappointing.
Where Sunderland could look to Brian Brobbey for key goals, and Leeds had Dominic Calvert-Lewin to call upon, Broja has done nothing all season long to inspire any confidence he can score goals at this level.
Burnley are a poor side but one Premier League goal all season suggests Broja needs to leave English football to get his career back on track. He doesn’t look at the level required to be a centre forward in the Premier League.
Burnley are a poor side but one Premier League goal all season suggests Armando Broja (right) needs to leave English football to get his career back on track
16\. TYLER DIBLING (Everton, £40m)
There was a time when Southampton slapped a £100m price tag on academy star Dibling in a bid to ward off suitors.
That dissuaded Manchester United but in the end he pitched up at Everton in a £40m deal that, so far at least, has not come anywhere close to looking like value for money.
Dibling, an England Under-21 international, is incredibly shy and homesickness was a driving force as to why he left Chelsea to re-join Southampton a few years back. One wonders if any of those same emotions have come back to the fore in this incredibly challenging campaign.
Everton’s most expensive signing of the summer, Dibling has turned out once in the past 10 games, coming on for a few minutes against Burnley.
Everton haven’t lost faith given Dibling is only 20 and the hope is that this chastening first season can benefit the player and the club in the long term. But on first impressions, this seems an awkward fit.
Everton’s most expensive signing of the summer, Tyler Dibling has turned out once in the past 10 games, coming on for a few minutes against Burnley
15\. FER LOPEZ (Wolves, £19m)
It went viral in recent days that Wolves once had Vitinha, now a Ballon d’Or contender at Paris Saint-Germain, on their books, alongside other star midfielders like Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho.
Wolves believed they had struck gold again with a £19m move for Celta Vigo attacking midfielder Fer Lopez, only to discover that despite signing a five-year deal, he wasn’t at the required level. Lopez was loaned back to Celta Vigo less than six months after leaving them.
At 21, he’s young and given Vitinha struggled at Molineux, this doesn’t have to define his career. There was a lot of excitement about Lopez's arrival at Wolves but it didn’t take long - just two Premier League starts - to extinguish all of it. Expect him to be sold as they re-tool for the Championship this summer.
There was a lot of excitement around Fer Lopez's arrival at Wolves but it didn’t take long - just two Premier League starts - to extinguish all of it
14\. FLORIAN WIRTZ (Liverpool, £116m)
So much more was expected of Wirtz, whom Liverpool hoped would come in and be the jewel in their crown.
Arne Slot desperately wanted the Bayer Leverkusen man as he began the process of adding some more stardust to the Premier League champions, and he joined for a then-club record £116m. Astronomical levels of money, that only a truly elite player could justify. Watching Wirtz at close quarters, he has had moments of real quality - just nowhere near enough to come close to warranting that eye-watering fee in his first season.
The 22-year-old started incredibly slowly, managing zero goals and one assist through his first 15 Premier League games. As the season winds down, he is looking at an improved, though still modest, five league goals and three assists.
Wirtz is young and has shown signs of how good he can be. He may yet be a league-leading talent next season - but there will remain pressure to offer some return on Liverpool’s gargantuan investment.
The 22-year-old Florian Wirtz started incredibly slowly at Liverpool, managing zero goals and one assist through his first 15 Premier League games
13\. BRENNAN JOHNSON (Crystal Palace, £35m)
Johnson is one of Crystal Palace’s most expensive signings in their history but, week on week, fans are increasingly asking exactly what they are meant to have got for £35m.
The Welshman was picked up by Palace in January as they looked for an injection of talent into an attack that had lost its way. Oliver Glasner has said all the right things, calling Johnson ‘incredible’ and urging the 24-year-old to ‘relax’ and not stress about poor performances.
But zero goals across 20 appearances for Palace in all competitions just about sums up a deal that has shown little to no return on the investment so far. Johnson is a confidence player that is woefully shy of it right now.
Zero goals across 20 Palace appearances for Brennan Johnson just about sums up a deal that has shown little to no return on the £35m investment so far
12\. NICK WOLTEMADE (Newcastle, £69m)
Another player who swapped the Bundesliga for the Premier League last summer and has found life in England very tough.
Woltemade arrived as Newcastle’s record signing, so much was expected. After all, he was being touted as a long-term successor to Harry Kane with Bayern Munich interested before Newcastle swooped in to get him from Stuttgart.
The issue here is that Newcastle don’t seem to know how best to use their 6ft 6in striker, utilising him as a No 9, a No 10 and even in midfield as a No 8. It all seems a bit random in the hope of stumbling on to a formula that works.
Woltemade started well, scoring four goals in his first five Premier League games, but he’s managed just one goal in all competitions in 2026. He’s gone massively off the boil, not helped by how Eddie Howe is using him.
Just 31 shots on goal across 30 league appearances for a striker joining in a club record deal. Nowhere near good enough… but not the worst move Newcastle made last summer.
Nick Woltemade started well, scoring four goals in his first five Premier League games for Newcastle, but he’s managed just one goal in all competitions in 2026
11\. LUCAS PERRI (Leeds, £15.6m)
The Brazilian arrived from Lyon on a four-year deal with most Leeds United fans rejoicing that the days of Illan Meslier between the sticks were over. They had found their new No 1.
But despite starting the campaign as No1, Daniel Farke axed Perri midway through the season in favour of Karl Darlow and Perri has had to play second fiddle ever since, making do with cup games in 2026.
He managed 16 fairly unimpressive appearances in the Premier League before Farke decided if Leeds were to stay up it wouldn’t be with Perri in goal. Pretty damning and ominous for his long-term prospects less than a year into that four-year deal.
Lucas Perri managed 16 appearances in the Premier League before boss Daniel Farke decided if Leeds were to stay up it wouldn’t be with the Brazilian in goal
10\. LIAM DELAP (Chelsea, £30m)
Speak to people around Manchester United and they will concede they were 99 per cent of the way to sealing a deal for Liam Delap last summer, only for them to lose the Europa League final, miss out on Champions League football and the striker to end up at Chelsea.
At 23, Delap has a decade of his career ahead of him but he’s at a club where patience isn’t a currency they deal in and he simply hasn’t made any sort of positive impression on the pitch.
Delap has five years left to run on his deal and having seen this situation hampered by injury - he was sidelined for two months early in the season - there are those that believe he needs time.
One Premier League goal doesn’t buy that time and with Joao Pedro ahead of him in the pecking order, Nicolas Jackson set to return from Bayern Munich in the summer and Emmanuel Emegha arriving from Strasbourg, Delap looks to have failed his audition to stick around.
At 23, Liam Delap has a decade of his career ahead of him but he’s at a club where patience isn’t a currency
9\. XAVI SIMONS (Tottenham, £52m)
With Tottenham Hotspur staring the prospect of relegation to the Championship in the face, it's only fair that there are multiple Spurs players on this list.
Simons isn’t the worst of those but at £52million, there is no escaping the fact his influence in the Premier League has been minimal.
The Dutchman, who picked up a devastating ACL injury at Wolves last time out to rule him out for the World Cup and beyond, has appeared 28 times in the Premier League, managing two goals and five assists.
Tottenham look worse without him - they win fewer games and scorer fewer goals when he doesn’t start - but they are 18th and a big-money signing that has the talent to be a driving force in a successful team hasn’t managed it.
Were they to go down, it is plausible that Simons never plays for the club again.
Xavi Simons, who picked up a devastating ACL injury at Wolves, has appeared 28 times in the Premier League for Spurs, managing two goals and five assists
8\. JAMIE GITTENS (Chelsea, £48.5m)
The first Chelsea winger to make this list. Not an area where those in recruitment at Stamford Bridge cover themselves in glory.
There is no way to really sugarcoat how things have worked out so far for Gittens since he pitched up from Borussia Dortmund. Dismal.
Despite it being a world where transfer fees have become enormous for even mid-level players, so much more was expected of Gittens, under contract until 2032, for an outlay in the region of £50m.
Just six goal involvements in all competitions this season - three of those came in the same night against Wolves in the Carabao Cup - and a troublesome hamstring injury has seen the England Under-21 winger become an afterthought at a club where they constantly discard old toys for shiny new ones.
Those injury problems and limited opportunities to impress as a result mean that he not the worst deal of last summer. But time is rapidly running out for him to prove he is someone Chelsea need to persist with for the (no doubt turbulent) years to come.
Despite it being a world where transfer fees have become enormous for even mid-level players, so much more was expected of Gittens for an outlay in the region of £50m
7\. CONOR GALLAGHER (Tottenham, £35m)
His mid-season move from Atletico Madrid was supposed to be a spark that would light up a rapidly darkening season at Spurs.
Gallagher is on a big salary and isn’t backing it up on the pitch with his performances, much to the ire of Tottenham supporters. There have been positive signs in recent games under Roberto De Zerbi and Gallagher may yet salvage a career at Spurs that would come to an abrupt end with relegation.
But for the most part, many who watch Spurs are asking, what is it that Gallagher is actually doing well? Most of the time the answer is not very much at all.
Conor Gallagher is on a big salary at Spurs and isn’t backing it up on the pitch with his performances, much to the ire of supporters
6\. JHON ARIAS (Wolves, £15m)
When Wolves swooped for Colombian international Arias, who was described by a former Brazil manager as ‘one of the best players in South America’, excitement was unsurprisingly off the charts.
But just 26 games into a four-year deal he left the club permanently to return to Brazil with Palmeiras.
While they made a profit, selling for a fee just north of £20m, this seven-month experiment underscored Wolves’ convoluted transfer approach, and is a nod to why they will be playing Championship football next season.
Just 26 games into a four-year deal, Jhon Arias left Wolves permanently to return to Brazil with Palmeiras
5\. ALEJANDRO GARNACHO (Chelsea, £40m)
Escaping Ruben Amorim’s ‘bomb squad’ at Manchester United to wind up at Chelsea, it’s been a disastrous campaign for Garnacho.
So much so that there is already chatter that Chelsea are open to offers and clubs back in his homeland of Argentina may try and grab him on loan.
Under contract until 2032 as part of BlueCo’s approach to hoarding young talent, the future looks ominous for a 21-year-old forward that has managed just one Premier League goal this season.
Unlike Gittens, Garnacho has had ample opportunities to impress and simply hasn’t taken them.
A lot is made about his character - a lot of that is grossly exaggerated - but purely judging by his production on the pitch, both club and player may be wise to cut their losses this summer.
Under contract until 2032 as part of BlueCo’s approach to hoarding young talent, the future looks ominous for 21-year-old forward Alejandro Garnacho
4\. ALEXANDER ISAK (Liverpool, £125m)
Signed for a British record transfer fee, this was the end of a long-running saga that saw Liverpool acquire what they believe to be one of the world’s best strikers.
The fact it has taken him 236 days since joining to score his first Premier League goal at Anfield perhaps tells a story of what a frustrating campaign it’s been. He’s been beset with injury all season long, not helped by his hold-out at Newcastle that essentially ruined his pre-season.
This dream move has proven to be something of a nightmare thus far and when Isak has turned out for Liverpool, he has more often than not looked a shadow of the player he did while ripping up the league at Newcastle.
But there is a feeling on Merseyside that Isak, who signed a six-year deal, will explode next season with Hugo Ekitike (injured) and Mohamed Salah (leaving) out of the picture and the need for him to be the main man.
Get him fit and he’s too talented to fail but the story so far has been a horror, rather than a fairytale.
Alexander Isak has been beset by injuries in his debut season at Liverpool
3\. HARVEY ELLIOTT (Aston Villa, loan)
From a player point of view, this deal has turned into an outrage. There is no one that should feel more let down and cheated than Elliott.
Fresh from playing a starring role for England Under 21s as they won the European Championship in Slovakia, Elliott left Liverpool on loan to join Aston Villa, who would trigger an obligation to buy if he played 10 games this season.
But Unai Emery didn’t want him, and said as much, and he is not for changing his mind with Elliott playing a grand total of four times in the Premier League, totalling 110 minutes.
Emery doesn’t want him and Slot didn’t seem to fancy him too much either. Elliott deserves a heck of a lot better than this.
Fresh from playing a starring role for England Under 21s as they won the Euros, Harvey Elliott left Liverpool to join Aston Villa on loan. But Unai Emery didn’t want him and said as much
2\. JAMES McATEE (Nottingham Forest, £30m)
Speaking of England Under 21s stars that won the Euros, McAtee was captain of that side in Slovakia and there was genuine excitement that he could really kick on, freed from the shackles of a peripheral role at Manchester City.
McAtee is immensely talented, few would deny that, but his signing was an awkward fit for a Forest side that already have Morgan Gibbs-White as their preferred No 10.
McAtee has worked under four managers this season and hasn’t been able to impress any of them, getting just one league start – and that was back in September against Sunderland.
An abject display in the FA Cup away to Wrexham, where he was hooked at half-time by Sean Dyche, best encapsulated what a failure this season has been for a genuinely talented midfielder.
He doesn’t suit Forest and Forest doesn’t suit him. Both need clean breaks come the summer transfer window because right now it’s hard for everyone to watch.
James McAtee is immensely talented but his signing was an awkward fit for a Forest side that already have Morgan Gibbs-White as their preferred No 10
1\. YOANE WISSA (Newcastle, £55m)
And so to No 1…
Newcastle’s awful summer of recruitment contributed multiple spots in this list, and Anthony Elanga is perhaps fortunate to have avoided the top 20, but there was never any chance of Wissa missing out.
Now, less than a year on from signing for £55m, the indicators are that Newcastle could well be open to offers for a player that has managed just three goals in black and white. Coming into the season injured didn’t help but Howe has done little to coax much out of the 29-year-old since he has been fit, starting him just once across the past 16 games.
Wissa, who missed a sitter against Arsenal at the weekend that would have earned his side a point, was meant to be the banker, the Premier League proven player that could hit the ground running in case Woltemade needed more time to adapt. Instead he has become a player Howe doesn’t look to have a great deal of faith in.
Newcastle are approaching a summer where a lot needs to change and if they need to take a loss on Wissa, who is understandably eager to fight for his place and turn things around, they appear comfortable to do so.
It’s been a monumental failure this one, there’s no other way to describe it.
Less than a year on from signing for £55m, the indicators are that Newcastle could be open to offers for Yoane Wissa, who has managed just three goals in black and white