The summer transfer window is closed! And while it all felt a little chaotic at times this summer, there has been some huge moves, and a lot of money spent. In the 155 Premier League signings made this summer, some have stood out for good reasons and some for very bad reasons. With money being spent all over the place and a lot of internal moves between Premier League sides, we’ve picked out 5 of the worst transfers made this summer based on the money involved, the players, their reputations and their recent performances and the need of the teams involved and what they could have acquired instead.

Of course with this list nothing has yet been seen of most of these players at their new club, with only an appearance or two played out at time of writing and so we may well be proved right or wrong as things progress, but this is simply our gut feeling choices around these transfers. If you have any thoughts on our 5 selections, or have players of your own you think will be worse, then let us know over on our Instagram (@NextGoalWin), Bluesky (@NextGoalWinner) or our YouTube page (@NextGoalWinner).

Alejandro Garnacho – Aston Villa

A player with the world at his feet breaking through at Manchester United, but behaviour and attitude issues clearly became a problem with United keen to move the player on in their clear-out last summer, and Chelsea were the willing suitors thinking they could get the best of the winger, but they were an equally disorganised mess up the hierarchy chain and they quickly saw that the potential isn’t being met, however Aston Villa made a very odd move to bring him into their fold on loan with buy option. Personally, I cannot believe Chelsea could be making their money back on Garnacho next summer, and I cannot believe Aston Villa would think replacing their experienced heads in the likes of Watkins, Tielemans, Martinez and importantly Morgan Rogers would then look at Garnacho like a solution. Be warned Villa fans, you may see a glimpse of talent occasionally, but ask any United or Chelsea fans what to expect and you’ll see why this is a bad move.

Mykhailo Mudryk – Tottenham Hotspur

November 28th 2024 was the last competitive fixture that Mudryk featured in prior to his ban from the sport, but upon his return he’s featured in Chelsea’s pre-season, and while they made a decision to loan out the player, Tottenham simply lost their minds and agreed a loan for the season with a £75million option to buy. In theory Mudryk has the talent to become back to his top level, but even when available for Chelsea it was a rare occasion to see the player at his best, and Tottenham have just gone a little crazy in this window looking to add players that really don’t seem necessary. The only saving grace of this move could be the potential Mudryk still has, and also the player linking back up with former manager at Shakhtar in De Zerbi, but ultimately if Tottenham pay £75million for a player who hasn’t played in 2 years I think the sport has lost any sense.

Jordan Henderson – Chelsea

I am purely viewing this in context of a player based signing and given the close of Chelsea’s transfer window, but given how Chelsea continually splash the cash, the fact they are facing having Jordan Henderson as a needed first-team player gives Xabi Alonso a lot of pressure in his first season. While having no fee for this makes sense, I appreciate Alonso was trying to find a player with some experience and leadership in his new-look squad given the issues flagged in recent years, but failing to get Granit Xhaka through the door this feels more like a coach signing rather than a player, and I cannot imagine Henderson being part of any first team plans unless an injury crisis hits and Chelsea get stuck needing the 36 year old to feature.

Sandro Tonali – Tottenham Hotspur

I think Sandro Tonali is a good player, but a £100million move? That I can’t get my head around. I’ve seen a lot of mixed verdicts on Tonali from Newcastle fans who believe the player can have his moments, but a lot of them feel much less of a loss than they have with Guimaraes, and given the extra £25million between these transfers, it signifies that once again Tottenham have lost their way a bit this summer, going big but with a huge risk given the start to the season they’ve had, and with 2 defeats and 5 conceded in their opening 2 games, Tonali is yet to have any impact as Spurs simply have not got going as of yet.

Liam Delap – Nottingham Forest

This move should have been the one made for Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, and it’s quite likely that the player will be regretting his move to Chelsea given how the last year of his career felt like a stall. It’s surprising to think how many teams were in for Delap last summer, and the likes of Manchester United, Fulham and Everton were all being linked for him, while there was talk of him being the Harry Kane replacement in the coming years at England. However, 3 goals in 49 appearances for Chelsea alongside injury concerns and suddenly the player needs to have this move work out to get back to his best, but with Forest being an unpredictable place to play, the saving grace of Oliver Glasner might be something positive, but for now a huge question mark remains.