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Premier League 2021/22: The best and worst transfers of the season

Luiz Diaz (left) and Dejan Kulusevski are among the best signees of the 2021/22 season. Photo: DAZN
  • According to Stats Joe Sa, the Wolves keeper stopped 8.5 goals this season, while no there is no other keeper in the league who stopped more than three
  • Tottenham bought Bryan Gil from Sevilla at $27.5 m, and the player finished the season with 0 goals and one assist
  • Eriksen moved to Brentford in January and immediately established himself as one of the league’s best midfielders

We take a look at the best and the worst signings in the 2021/22 season

BEST SIGNINGS

Apart from Moussa Sissoko of Watford, Marc Guehi and Marc Cucurella were the only two outfield players signed last season who played at least 3,000 minutes Premier League.

It’s funny how many big-money signings don’t get much playing time, but Brighton and Crystal Palace got a lot of output out of two young defenders they will build around in the long run or sell for a profit.

Dejan Kulusevski- Juventus to Tottenham ($11 million loan fee)

Dejan Kulusevski. Photo: The Times

That loan payment has since been converted into a $48 million permanent deal triggered by Tottenham’s Champions League qualification. One of the main reasons they qualified for the Champions League?

The season finished with five goals and eight assists for the young attacker they signed in January. He’s the ideal third piece to compliment Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min.

Luis Diaz- Porto to Liverpool ($49.5 million)

Luis Diaz. Photo: MARCA

Maybe Liverpool will never have a chance at the treble without Diaz, nor will they had an opportunity of winning the Premier League with only 15 minutes remaining in the season.

The transfer fee paid for Diaz implies a fringe-type player for a successful club like Liverpool: somewhere between your 11th and 13th man.

Instead, the Colombian established himself quickly as a first-choice attacking player for one of the world’s top two teams.

His market value is already likely to be double what Liverpool acquired him, and the Liverpool player is on contract for five years.

 Christian Eriksen, Brentford (no transfer fee)

Cristian Sriksen . Photo: Skysports

It’s one possible option that Eriksen is just getting back into the game after almost dying on the pitch during the Euros last summer.

Eriksen moved to Brentford in January and immediately established himself as one of the league’s best midfielders.

In over 900 minutes of play, he scored once and assisted four times, and he was ranked in the 90th percentile among midfielders in almost every passing stat.

Let us not forget that Brentford had fallen into relegation risk after a promising start. However, with Eriksen on the lineup, they cruised to safety, with an average of two points per game.

Jose Sa- Olympiakos to Wolverhampton ($8.8 million)

Wolverhampton Wanderers keeper Jose Sa during the Premier League match between Leeds United Iin 2021. Photo:Getty Images

This looks even better when you take into account that they sold Rui Patricio, another Portuguese goalkeeper five years older, to Roma for $13 million.

According to Stats Perform’s goals-saved metric, Patricio permitted 2.3 goals more than the ordinary keeper last year with Wolves. Sa stopped 8.5 goals this season, while no other keeper in the league stopped more than three.

While some of the other top keepers tend not to be players who would leave their lines to prevent shots from occurring, David De Gea does not fit that category.

According to FBref, he was in the 87th percentile of Premier League keepers in crosses stopped (10.8 percent) and the 90th percentile in defensive actions outside the penalty area (1.1 per 90 minutes).

Wolves allowed nine fewer goals than last season while winning six more points. The main reason was their $9 million keepers.

While some of the other top keepers are not players who would leave their lines to prevent shots from being taken in David De Gea is not one of them.

WORST SIGNINGS

 5. Bryan Gil- Sevilla to Tottenham ($27.5M)

best and worst signings 2021/22 season

Bryan Gil. Photo: Eurosport

In the 2021/22 season, he played 2.7 per cent of the minutes for Spurs and 22 per cent for Valencia, a different club and different league.

The 21-year-old finished the season with 0 goals and one assist.

 Nikola Vlasic- CSKA Moscow to West Ham ($33M)

best and worst signings 2021/22 season

Nikola Vlasic. Photo: Getty Images

Everton paid $11.9 million for Vlasic in 2017. He played 16.8 percent of the league minutes before joining CSKA Moscow for the next three seasons.

West Ham signed the same Vlasic for $33 million in 2021. He played 16.4 percent of league minutes before.

Jadon Sancho – Borussia Dortmund to Man Untied ($93.5m)

best and worst signings 2021/22 season

Jadon Sancho. Photo: Getty Images

Were the Premier League’s big three summer transfers highly disappointing, weren’t they?.

The reasoning behind this deal was far more reliable than the others, as Man United’s Sancho produced goals and assists at a reasonable rate while still at Borussia Dortmund.

This is simply the standard rate for British players with that level of experience and pedigree.

Now, it’s difficult to judge any players because of Manchester United’s overriding abnormalities, especially Sancho, who has only recently arrived .

But in year one, he was essentially an average attacker (three goals and three assists). He only played 56 per cent of the league minutes.

Romelu Lukaku- From Intermillan to Chelsea ($124.3M)

Romelu Lukaku messages inter fans best and worst signings 2021/22 season

Romelu Lukaku. Photo: MARCA

This one is severe enough without even considering Lukaku’s performance. Chelsea once owned Lukaku before selling him to Everton in 2014 for $38.9 million, So, uh, only $90 million to bring him back seven years later.

They let Lukaku leave the club with all his prime, generating value for a handful of other clubs before paying the seventh-highest buyout clause ever to bring the player back after his top form had ended.

Lukaku scored eight goals and had no assists in the Premier League after scoring 18 and 11 respectively in Serie A.

He only played 46% of the matches in the Premier League minutes, and most of Chelsea’s best play occurred when he was not on the field.

Tuchel has usually preferred a more patient, slow build-up approach that trades quantity for quality, whereas Lukaku has primarily thrived in the open field.

The move’s process, positional fit, and outcomes have been disastrous.

 

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