11 Worst Premier League Signings of 2024/25 [Ranked]
New signings are meant to become the beacon of hope at any football club. The optimism that a player will come in and have the same impact as Eric Cantona at Manchester United, or Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool. Unfortunately, that only happens to very few special names who have the ability to flip a club’s fortunes at the flick of a switch.
For the majority, they either do their job reasonably well or, worse, fail to live up to expectations at all. The Premier League was unsurprisingly busy with transfer activity over the summer, but not every player has settled in well. With that in mind, these 11 stars are the ones who will have to do the most looking in the mirror as they sit as the worst signings of the season so far.
Ranking Factors
Price tag
Performances in key statistics
Impact at new club
Pre-arrival expectations
11
Ben Brereton Diaz
Southampton
Ben Brereton Diaz is an interesting character, as a lot was made of him adding Diaz to his last name when he received a shock call-up to the Chilean national team. He has, however, proven he can have an impact in the top flight, as he previously scored six Premier League goals in 14 games as part of a woeful Sheffield United team. To have found the net that many times is truly impressive.
He has failed to meet those standards at Southampton though. After 19 games, he has more yellow cards than goals and his biggest achievement to date is goading Fabian Schar into getting sent off on his debut. He’s still yet to find the back of the net in a Saints shirt as we rapidly close in on the business end of the campaign.
10
Niclas Fullkrug
West Ham United
Achilles injury aside, Niclas Fullkrug’s transition from Champions League finalist to mid-table bench warmer is one the striker won’t be too proud of. In the summer, the target man was at the peak of his career. He was agonisingly close to grabbing a goal against Real Madrid at Wembley, was a handful the entire game and then received a call-up to the Euro 2024 Germany squad, with the tournament taking place in his home country.
In England, Fullkrug has been plagued by the same issue many other number nines have faced before him: the Michail Antonio curse. No matter who is bought in to replace him, it seems the Irons would always revert to their ever-reliable all-time top Premier League goalscorer. Hannover-born, the ex-Dortmund talisman has struck just once in 352 minutes of action for the east Londoners.
9
Ilkay Gundogan
Manchester City
A bonafide Manchester City legend thanks to the instrumental part he has played in their Premier League dominance over the years, fans were distraught after Ilkay Gundogan left in the summer of 2023 for sunny Barcelona. It didn’t take long for Gundogan to complete a sensational homecoming, as the summer after, he was back under Guardiola’s spell.
But this time around, things are much less fruitful with the central midfielder, who is typically remembered as a reliable presence in the middle of the park, not at the races without the talismanic Rodri by his side. The reigning champions have struggled in the Spaniard’s absence in general, but his partner in crime and five-time Premier League winner, Gundogan, has missed him most.
8
Matthijs de Ligt
Manchester United
Of the signings that came into Old Trafford under the supposedly revolutionary new football regime at Manchester United, none excited fans quite like Matthijs de Ligt. A world-class defender whose stats rivalled those of the top players in the league – this was a move that was bound to solve United’s defensive frailties.
The Dutchman was nothing short of a liability at the Theatre of Dreams in the infancy of his career with his current employers, with his positioning being slandered and rightfully so. One of De Ligt’s supposed strongest assets is his mental toughness, and he’s used that to great effect in recent weeks by proving what he is worth. Now, Ruben Amorim and his entourage just need a layer of consistency to get over what has been a rocky start to life in England.
7
Raheem Sterling
Arsenal (on loan)
Raheem Sterling’s loan move from Chelsea to Arsenal suited all parties: the latter were receiving a serial Premier League winner and the winger himself was, hopefully, enjoying some much-needed game time. It’s been a far from pretty start to life in north London, however, as Sterling, 30, has failed to pull up trees per se.
Given very little opportunity to shine by Mikel Arteta and his entourage, the left-winger – one of the greatest English attackers in football history – has chalked up a paltry 426 minutes of action across all competitions. In that time, one goal has been scored, and he’s also assisted teammates on two occasions. It’s not exactly the type of form that boosts your chances of an international remontada, is it?
6
Eddie Nketiah
Crystal Palace
A fresh start in a different part of London for Eddie Nketiah is yet to prove too fruitful. The former Gunner had plenty of admirers over the summer, but his £30 million move to Crystal Palace has yet to see anything noteworthy take place. So far, the young striker has scored just two goals, both in the Carabao Cup, and has failed to regularly lay claim to a starting berth.
His crowning moment since his across-London switch, the centre forward did manage to score against his former employers recently. On the whole, the Eagles have not been the same impressive unit that Oliver Glasner turned them into immediately after his arrival last season, so it is not all Nketiah’s fault. That being said, the 25-year-old needs to start showing his worth as he can no longer rely on potential handing him opportunities.
5
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Chelsea
Fifty-five minutes of Premier League action for £30 million? It makes you wonder whether Chelsea really needed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Sure, the midfielder was a key part of Enzo Maresca’s midfield at Leicester City, so you can understand the appeal from the player and manager’s perspectives. But with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez ahead of him, two £100 million men are unlikely to be usurped.
The Englishman has been a positive feature in the Europa Conference League. However, it was hardly his dream to move to Stamford Bridge and play on Thursday nights and dead rubber League Cup fixtures against lesser-known opposition. Whether Maresca has plans to use the former Fox more often in the second half of the season remains to be seen – but it’s been the mother of all disasters thus far.
4
Kalvin Phillips
Ipswich Town
Kalvin Phillips during a pre-match warm-up at Ipswich Town
The man that Gareth Southgate couldn’t replace. This is interesting because, with his current form, Kieran McKenna is probably feeling a different way. Truth is, Kalvin Phillips has not been the same player since joining Manchester City, and he looks like a man devoid of any sort of self-belief or confidence.
His loan spell at West Ham last season was so disappointing that his biggest contribution to them came this season when he lost possession in advance to the Hammers scoring against Ipswich. It begs the very important question of whether fans at Portman Road will ever get to see the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ in full force. At the moment, it seems unlikely.
3
Federico Chiesa
Liverpool
Liverpool have long been hailed for their modest-yet-prosperous recruitment strategies. So when the club were able to tie lightning-quick Juventus winger Federico Chiesa down to a deal worth just £13m, the Italian was confidently touted to be the perfect Mohamed Salah understudy, while there was a genuine sentiment by Anfield regulars – who have become so used to transfer hits in recent years – that they could be in for a real treat as they watched the 27-year-old go through a career revival.
This intended masterstroke has fallen flat, though. After just 18 minutes of Premier League football by the midway stage of the campaign, Chiesa’s battered injury history has made an unwelcome return, and he’s been about as useful as a three-pin plug in Europe when it comes to giving his Egyptian teammate a rest. And to make matters worse, new reports claim the Genoa native is homesick, fed up with the British weather, and eager to leave in the January transfer window. It’s safe to say his views on Liverpool have shifted dramatically since calling it a dream move less than six months ago.
2
Joshua Zirkzee
Manchester United
Much like the aforementioned Liverpool man, Joshua Zirkzee’s Premier League career looks all but over before it ever really got going. A debut-winning goal at the Stretford End and then an impressive display against Southampton are the only two positives. The rest, he has come across as a player who is not working as hard as he should, shades of what Vincent Kompany once called him out for at Anderlecht.
This most recemtly resulted in the unsavoury scene of the Dutchman leaving the pitch within 30 minutes of United’s home match against Newcastle, met with a chorus of booing and jeering by his own supporters. Rather than taking a seat on the bench, the 23-year-old headed straight down the tunnel, visibly distraught. Old Trafford has seen many careers falter during what has shaped up to be their worst-ever start to a Premier League season, but no one appears more like a casualty of questionable recruitment than Zirkzee.
1
Joao Felix
Chelsea
What were Chelsea crying out for all summer? A striker. What did they absolutely not need? A player who best operates as a number 10 or on either flank. So when the obvious options of Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen were waiting to be snapped up, the Blues went down a route they had already tried previously and didn’t like.
There is no doubt Joao Felix has talent. There is also no doubt that Atletico Madrid was not the best place for him to showcase it. But Stamford Bridge is hardly any better. There is no chance of the Portuguese international unseating Cole Palmer, and the likes of Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho have been too good to drop. It makes you wonder why this move was ever sanctioned, especially when you consider the club happily parted ways with £46.3m to achieve it.
Statistics are courtesy of Transfermarkt – correct as of 03/01/25.
