With more money flowing into the Premier League coffers than ever before, scarcity has given way to a surplus of wealth at the top of the English game, and a loosening of the purse strings at clubs that can find extra funds from TV revenue.
That has enabled teams to go out and spend lavishly on big names to bring in the players they need. It has also made mistakes in the transfer market less costly. No longer is the pressure always on to make sure a deal is right. More cash means more punts and signings seemingly made for the sake of it.
Below are the most pointless moves made in the Premier League during the 2016/17 season.
Alvaro Arbeloa
Moved from: Unattached
Moved to: West Ham
Starts (sub appearances): 1 (2)
A free transfer from Real Madrid to add experience to the squad and an option to play at right-back – a problem position for Slaven Bilic’s side all season. However, the Spaniard made just one start in the league and came off the bench twice.
Patrick Bamford
Moved from: Chelsea
Moved to: Burnley, Middlesbrough
Starts (sub appearances): 0 (6), 2 (6)
After struggling to make much of an impact on loan with Burnley, Bamford returned to Chelsea only to be sold on a permanent basis to Middlesbrough, with whom he was named as Championship player of the season in 2016. He soon fell out with manager Aitor Karanka and failed to help the Premier League’s most feeble attack survive relegation.
Borja Baston
Moved from: Atletico Madrid
Moved to: Swansea City
Starts (sub appearances): 4 (14)
A summer signing for the Swans that never clicked. Baston arrived from Spain with a reputation for pulling defences out of shape with his intelligence and work rate, but he failed to show his quality in South Wales or get a run in the team to prove himself.
Viktor Fischer
Moved from: Ajax
Moved to: Middlesbrough
Starts (sub appearances): 6 (7)
Once regarded as one of the most exciting talents in European football, Fischer signed for Boro in the summer of 2016 and soon found himself drifting ever further away from a spot in the first team under Karanka. The overly cautious Spaniard didn’t seem to trust the Dane who remained on the fringes of the squad.
Brendan Galloway
Moved from: Everton
Moved to: West Bromwich Albion
Starts (sub appearances): 3 (0)
Following a breakthrough season at Everton, the Toffees loaned out the young defender to get more minutes under Tony Pulis at the Hawthorns, yet he only made three league appearances before being recalled in April 2017 while still remaining registered to the Baggies. A waste of a season for all involved.
Luis Hernandez
Moved from: Sporting Gijon
Moved to: Leicester City
Starts (sub appearances): 3 (1)
Flush with the prestige and prize money of securing their shock Premier League title win in 2016, the Foxes splashed on a number of new signings, mainly in attack. Hernandez was one of the few defensively-minded arrivals and was expected to see plenty of action at centre-back given the age of Wes Morgan and Robert Huth. Instead he featured only four times in the league before returning to Spain with Malaga in January.
Bartosz Kapustka
Moved from: Cracovia
Moved to: Leicester City
Starts (sub appearances): 0 (0)
Still to make his first team debut for Leicester, the Polish midfielder arrived amid great fanfare in the summer after impressing for his country as one of the young stars of Euro 2016. Amid rumours of confusion over why he was purchased, he sank without a trace as the Foxes struggled put on a respectable defence of their title.
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou
Moved from: Marseille
Moved to: Tottenham Hotspur
Starts (sub appearances): 0 (8)
A young and fast French winger who supposed to be the signing that Clinton N’Jie could never be for Spurs, Nkoudou failed to win a chance to start a Premier League game under Mauricio Pochettino and his future at the club remains uncertain with other wide players linked to replace him.
Nolito
Moved from: Celta Vigo
Moved to: Manchester City
Starts (sub appearances): 9 (10)
It all started so well for Nolito in Manchester – two goals and an assist in his first three games for City. However, it all went down hill mid-way through the season as Pep Guardiola looked to other options and the Manchester climate brought down the morale of the Spaniard and his family.
Lucas Perez
Moved from: Deportivo la Coruna
Moved to: Arsenal
Starts (sub appearances): 2 (9)
A summer signing to add depth to Arsenal’s attacker, Perez has been marginalised by Arsene Wenger who only ever saw the striker as a back-up option. With his first-choice strikers largely staying fit and in-form, the Spaniard never got a look in and could leave after only a year in London.
Loic Remy
Moved from: Chelsea
Moved to: Crystal Palace
Starts (sub appearances): 1 (4)
Injury ruined Remy’s chances of making a fresh start at Crystal Palace but given his fitness record, the Eagles knew what they were getting themselves in for, and the Frenchman was unavailable for the vast majority of a season of serious struggle at Selhurst Park.
Gokhan Tore
Moved from: Besiktas
Moved to: West Ham
Starts (sub appearances): 3 (2)
The Turkish winger played under Bilic at Besiktas and the Croatian sent for his former charge to join him at West Ham. He was one of many to suffer from injuries but even when he did play the Irons fans were left wondering what all the fuss was about.
Molla Wague
Moved from: Granada
Moved to: Leicester City
Starts (sub appearances): 0 (0)
A January loan signing from Granada to replace Hernandez at centre-back, Wague suffered an injury on his debut in the FA Cup against Millwall to rule him out for the rest of the season. Bad luck but still a pointless signing.
Marc Wilson
Moved from: Stoke City, Bournemouth
Moved to: Bournemouth, West Bromwich Albion
Starts (sub appearances): 3 (1), 0 (0)
The Republic of Ireland international was left go to Bournemouth in the summer after criticising Mark Hughes and his ability to train defenders but failed to make an appearance before moving on again to join his former manger Tony Pulis at West Bromwich Albion, where he played four games before the end of the season.
Simone Zaza
Moved from: Juventus
Moved to:
Starts (sub appearances): 5 (3)
A favourite of Antonio Conte during his time as manager of the Italian national team, Zaza is now a name to inspire laughter in some parts of east London. His short-lived loan spell with West Ham was a major disappointment as he failed to score or create an assist in eight Premier League appearances.
There was a happy ending for the former Sassuolo striker, however. A move to Valencia in Spain saw him to rediscover his form and score six goals and bag an assist in 20 games in La Liga.
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