10 Underperforming Premier League Signings of the 2025

The new Premier League season began the way it always does, with a flood of optimism, fresh kits, new faces, and the familiar hum of uncertainty that only football can produce.

Across England, from the Etihad to Turf Moor, every fanbase convinced itself that this time, their club’s summer business had been shrewder, smarter, and braver than the rest. But seven weeks into the campaign, the glow has already faded for some.

A total of 155 senior transfers were completed before the window closed, injecting the league with another round of hype and heavy spending. Some of those names have hit the ground running, settling instantly into their new surroundings.

Others, though, have struggled. Be it the pressure of the price tag, the wrong tactical fit, or plain bad luck, a number of big-money arrivals already look like missteps.

These 10 players, each brought in with hope and expectation, have found the early months of the 2025–26 Premier League season far tougher than planned. Their stories are familiar: excitement in July, doubt by October, but they tell us plenty about the precarious business of recruitment in a league where patience runs thin.

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10. Armando Broja — Burnley

10. Armando Broja — Burnley

10 Underperforming Premier League Signings of the 2025–26 Season

When Burnley announced the £20 million signing of Armando Broja from Chelsea, there was a quiet optimism around Turf Moor. The 24-year-old forward had long been considered one of Cobham’s better academy graduates, the kind of player who, given a stretch of consistent fitness and confidence, could become a dependable Premier League striker.

Those two words, fitness and confidence, have haunted Broja’s career. His promise at Southampton during the 2021–22 season, when he scored nine goals across all competitions, remains the high point. Injuries and short, unsettled loans have followed, leaving his career in stop-start motion.

At Burnley, a player capable of turning half-chances into points. Instead, he has found himself relying on the same group that battled through last season’s relegation fight. Broja has managed just 45 minutes of league football, spread across three appearances from the bench.

The timing of his return to full fitness has been slow, and when he has played, he has looked rusty, short of rhythm, and hesitant in his movement.

There’s a strong case that Broja will still come good; he’s young enough, talented enough, and determined enough. But Burnley didn’t pay £20 million for potential; they paid for impact. And so far, there’s been none.

9. Florian Wirtz — Liverpool

Every major Liverpool signing comes with weight, but few have carried the pressure Florian Wirtz does. Signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £116 million, the German playmaker arrived with one of the most dazzling reputations in European football.

Creative, fearless, and often unplayable in the Bundesliga, Wirtz was expected to be Arne Slot’s centerpiece, a statement that Liverpool was rebuilding not just to compete, but to dominate again.

Instead, his early weeks have felt awkward. Wirtz has struggled to find his rhythm in Slot’s structure, often drifting through games without the spark that defined his Leverkusen performances. The Premier League’s pace has looked like a genuine adjustment, and though his technical quality is undeniable, he hasn’t yet imposed himself.

The conversation around him has turned cautious rather than critical.

Pundits, including Jamie Carragher, have suggested that Wirtz might benefit from a brief step back, time to train, to adjust, to breathe. The sense among those close to the club is that his talent is too vast for this to remain a long-term concern. When a club spends over £100 million on a player, the scrutiny begins instantly.

At Liverpool, mediocrity is magnified. For now, Wirtz looks like a player searching for comfort in a system that hasn’t yet found room for him to thrive.

8. Aaron Ramsdale — Newcastle United

Newcastle’s decision to sign Aaron Ramsdale on loan raised eyebrows, but not because the English goalkeeper lacks quality. Ramsdale’s reputation was bruised by his final months at Arsenal, when he lost the starting spot to David Raya, yet his shot-stopping ability and energy have always been well regarded.

The Magpies brought him in for around £4 million, plus full wage coverage, expecting him to compete seriously with Nick Pope. But competition is a fine line: it either sharpens both players or unsettles the dressing room.

Seven weeks in, Ramsdale remains firmly the backup. Pope has held his place, and Ramsdale has managed only a couple of appearances in cup competitions. There’s a visible frustration there, a goalkeeper who left London seeking redemption, only to find another bench waiting for him in the northeast.

Newcastle’s ambition is admirable, paying high wages for a reserve goalkeeper rarely looks smart in hindsight. Unless Pope suffers an injury or a dramatic loss of form, Ramsdale’s season could drift.

The irony is that he’s too good to be a backup and not consistent enough, right now, to dislodge a settled first-choice keeper.

It’s a problem both player and club will have to solve quickly, or this move will go down as another costly half-measure.

7. Kevin Danso — Tottenham Hotspur

Kevin Danso’s permanent move to Tottenham felt like a sensible bit of squad building. He had impressed in flashes during his loan spell, showing composure and strength at the back, enough to convince the club to spend £21 million to keep him.

On paper, it made sense, reliable cover for Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, both of whom play with an intensity that risks injury.

Danso’s season has yet to take off. With just 18 league minutes to his name and only one start in the Champions League against Bodo/Glimt, his influence has been peripheral. That European appearance didn’t strengthen his case either; his performance was described by some in the press as hesitant and error-prone.

For a squad that often feels one injury away from defensive chaos, Spurs’ decision to invest that much in a player who isn’t trusted yet is puzzling. It’s not entirely his fault; Romero and Van de Ven have been excellent, and £21 million is a high price for a third-choice defender.

Danso may still play a key role later in the season when rotation and injuries hit, but as of now, he’s part of a growing pattern at Spurs: signings who cost plenty and contribute little.

6. Jadon Sancho — Aston Villa

Jadon Sancho’s career has become a story of almosts, almost rediscovering his Dortmund form at Manchester United, almost finding his rhythm at Chelsea, almost turning a corner in preseason. When Aston Villa swooped in on deadline day to bring him on loan, it felt like one last attempt to reignite a once-brilliant career.

The logic was understandable. Villa, under Unai Emery, wanted width and creativity, especially with a packed schedule that includes European football. But the move has not worked. Sancho has started just once, a League Cup tie that came and went without much trace of his influence.

What’s more concerning is how passive he has looked. The spark that once defined his game, the drive to take on defenders, to change the tempo, has faded. Emery’s system demands intensity off the ball, and Sancho hasn’t matched that level. Villa is reportedly covering most of his Manchester United wages, making this an expensive luxury for a player on the periphery.

It’s too soon to say this is the end of the road, but it’s hard not to feel the sense of déjà vu. Another club, another chance, another quiet start.

5. Oleksandr Zinchenko — Nottingham Forest

If Nottingham Forest’s summer felt chaotic, that’s because it was. The club sacked Nuno Espirito Santo, hired Ange Postecoglou, and scrambled to strengthen the squad in the final days of the window. Oleksandr Zinchenko’s loan arrival from Arsenal was meant to be a stabilizing move, an experienced, technically sound full-back who could bring calm and structure.

Instead, it has only highlighted Forest’s tactical confusion. Postecoglou’s high defensive line leaves no room for hesitation, and Zinchenko’s defensive frailties have been exposed. He remains elegant on the ball, but positionally, he’s been caught out too often. His poor showing in the Europa League against Real Betis, where he was repeatedly targeted, underlined the mismatch.

Zinchenko’s strengths are clear: control, intelligence, vision but at Forest, those qualities exist in a system that amplifies his weaknesses. He is not the pressing, physically dominant full-back Postecoglou favors, and his discomfort has been visible.

For Forest, it’s a costly lesson in the importance of tactical fit. For Zinchenko, it’s a reminder that reputation means little if the system doesn’t suit you.

4. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens — Chelsea

Chelsea’s transfer policy remains a riddle, a blend of long-term vision and short-term chaos. When the club spent £52 million on Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, the idea was clear enough: sign one of England’s most exciting young wingers and let him grow alongside a youthful core.

Chelsea’s environment has rarely been patient, and Gittens has found himself under pressure almost immediately. With Mykhailo Mudryk suspended and Jadon Sancho gone, the opportunity was there for him to seize. Instead, his performances have been raw, his decision-making inconsistent.

Through his first five league appearances, he has neither scored nor assisted. The flashes of brilliance from his Dortmund days, the quick feet, the fearless acceleration, have been there in moments, but fleetingly.

Chelsea’s fans can see the potential, but they’ve seen this story before: high fee, high expectations, slow adaptation. Gittens may eventually grow into the player the club believes he is, but for now, he looks like a project caught in the spotlight.

The Premier League is an unforgiving place to learn, especially at a club where every week feels like a referendum on progress.

3. Mads Hermansen — West Ham United

West Ham United believed they had solved their goalkeeping issue when they paid £20 million for Mads Hermansen. His performances for Leicester City had been one of the few bright spots in their relegation season, and at 25, he was seen as a ready-made long-term replacement for Lukasz Fabianski.

Things unraveled quickly. Hermansen started the season as number one, and within a month, he was dropped. Eleven goals conceded in his first four matches told the story, but the low points came through individual errors, a fumbled cross against Chelsea, and a misplaced pass that led directly to a goal at Crystal Palace.

Confidence evaporated, and David Moyes, desperate for stability, turned back to Alphonse Areola. For Hermansen, it was a brutal reality check. He’s talented, but the Premier League demands not just ability but composure.

It’s harsh to label him a failure so early, yet West Ham didn’t spend £20 million for a backup. Unless he can fight his way back into the team, this deal may already go down as another misjudged experiment in the club’s recent transfer history.

2. Jean-Clair Todibo — West Ham United

Todibo’s transfer saga has been long and costly for West Ham. Initially brought in on loan from Nice during the previous campaign, the club made the deal permanent for £36.3 million in the summer, convinced they had a future defensive leader.

Instead, Todibo’s form collapsed. His early-season performances were full of errors, most notably in the 5–1 loss to Chelsea, when his defending was described by Jamie Redknapp as “scandalous” on Sky Sports. That night seemed to break whatever trust remained between player and manager.

When Graham Potter was sacked, there was brief speculation that Nuno Espirito Santo might give him a clean slate. It never happened. Todibo hasn’t started a league game since.

The issue isn’t talent, it rarely is. Todibo has all the tools: pace, strength, composure. What he lacks, at least right now, is confidence and discipline. In a back line already short on organization, he became a liability.

At £36 million, that’s an expensive liability to carry. West Ham have backed themselves into a corner — too much invested to walk away, not enough trust to play him.

1. James Trafford — Manchester City

There’s no greater spotlight in English football than Manchester City, and for James Trafford, that light has been blinding. Signed from Burnley for £27 million, the young goalkeeper returned to his boyhood club with the intention of competing for the starting role. Pep Guardiola even hinted early in preseason that he wanted to rotate Trafford and Gianluigi Donnarumma to manage workloads.

That idea lasted two games.

Trafford’s early performances were shaky, a fumbled cross here, a slow reaction there, small mistakes that, in Guardiola’s system, can’t be tolerated. By the third week, Donnarumma was back in goal full time, and Trafford’s role was reduced to cup appearances.

For a 22-year-old goalkeeper, development depends on rhythm. Sitting on the bench behind one of the world’s best goalkeepers doesn’t offer that. For City, it’s a luxury signing that has quickly become dead weight.

The transfer hasn’t helped either party. Trafford’s confidence has dipped, and City are left with a costly backup who isn’t developing or contributing meaningfully. In a squad where every role matters, it’s an odd misstep from a club that rarely makes them.

And so, he sits at the top of this list, not because he lacks potential, but because both club and player have gained nothing from this reunion.

The bigger picture

The early months of any Premier League season are full of contradictions. Some signings bloom instantly, others take time, and a few never quite fit. Every year produces its share of misjudgments, and the 2025–26 season is already offering several reminders that talent, price, and performance rarely align perfectly.

Football’s margins are thin, and context matters. A manager’s trust, a club’s system, a bit of luck with injuries — these factors can turn a signing from success to struggle in weeks. What ties these ten players together is the same story every supporter recognizes: the gap between what was promised and what has been delivered.

By Christmas, half of them could have turned their fortunes around. The Premier League has a way of writing redemption arcs as quickly as it writes disappointments.

But as it stands, these are the transfers that haven’t lived up to their billing, at least not yet — reminders that in football’s most unforgiving league, reputation means nothing until you prove it on the pitch.