The capture of Erling Haaland has sent pulses racing amongst Manchester City fans as the Premier League prepares to welcome the Norwegian hot-shot.
The champions have agreed a £51million deal to sign Haaland after triggering his release clause at Borussia Dortmund. The 21-year-old is expected to sign a five-year deal worth £375,000-a-week, matching Kevin De Bruyne as the club’s highest earner, in the coming days.
Haaland has taken the world by storm since moving to Dortmund in January 2020, scoring 85 goals in 88 appearances following his switch from Red Bull Salzburg. But there will be an inevitable increase in pressure on Haaland to match his form in Germany, or even surpass it, once he completes his transfer to the Etihad Stadium. And City fans will be hoping he can avoid the same path as some players have trodden, cracking under the scrutiny of their exorbitant price tags.
Mirror Football has taken a look at seven times clubs have stumped up big money only to be left disappointed.
Kepa Arrizabalaga — £71m to Chelsea
Chelsea knew they had to paid over the odds to replace Thibaut Courtois after the Belgian was sold to Real Madrid late in the 2018 summer transfer window. And while Kepa Arrizabalaga was one of their prime targets, Athletic Bilbao refused to budge on his £71m release clause.
It forced Blues director Marina Granvoskaia to act quickly and get the deal over the line, with Kepa signing a six-year deal. But the Spain International’s first season at Stamford Bridge was rocky due to a number of casual errors and the situation was exacerbated when he was dropped by Frank Lampard.
Eventually, Chelsea signed Edouard Mendy in October 2020 which all but ended Kepa’s run as number one choice. The 28-year-old has shown obvious improvements under Thomas Tuchel and was a stable reserve when Mendy was at the Africa Cup of Nations, but he is likely to move on this summer with Chelsea expected to take a huge loss from their initial investment.
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Nicolas Pepe — £72m to Arsenal
There is no clearer example of Arsenal ’s botched recruitment strategy than when they sealed the signing of Nicolas Pepe from Lille. Off the back of an impressive season where he scored 22 goals in Ligue 1, the Ivorian winger was wanted by several of Europe’s elite, including Napoli and Bayern Munich.
But Arsenal felt they had the financial power to steal in ahead and offered to meet Lille’s asking price, which was seen as a hands-off warning more than anything. The deal was constructed by several instalments, which means Arsenal are still paying the price for their costly mistake three years on.
Pepe has only shown flashes of brilliance during his time at the Emirates Stadium and under Mikel Arteta has largely been consigned to the bench. As Arsenal’s record signing, a return of 27 goals in 110 appearances has left a lot to be desired.
Romelu Lukaku — £75m to Manchester United
No one truly believed that Romelu Lukaku would fail to impress at Manchester United, and there is an argument that his scoring record proved he wasn’t a flop. But the £75m arrival was meant to take United back to the top of the Premier League — and when it didn’t, the Belgian was seen as the scapegoat.
Lukaku arrived from Everton off the back of a 25-goal season in the Premier League, proving he was one of the most clinical strikers around. United beat Chelsea to his signing in 2017 and working under Jose Mourinho appeared to be a match made in heaven.
But injuries and a loss of form saw Lukaku drop out of the starting XI. When Mourinho was sacked, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not see the striker as the man to lead his line and just two years after his switch to Old Trafford, he headed for the exit to join Inter Milan for a similar fee.
Eden Hazard — £88m to Real Madrid
Chelsea fans were devastated to see their star man Eden Hazard leave after seven years of magic at Stamford Bridge, but few could begrudge the Belgian the chance to play under his idol and for the team he supported as a boy. The Blues received a sizeable fee, rising to £130m when certain conditions were met, as Hazard moved on to his next chapter in Spain.
The winger was 28 at the time of signing and such a move hinged on him being able to pick up where he left off in west London. Instead, he turned up for pre-season reportedly overweight and struggled to acclimatise to his new surroundings, with a recurring ankle injury hampering his career at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid found a way to cope without Hazard and as his pace began to decline, so did his minutes on the pitch. Now 31, he has missed over half of the games played by Madrid in his three seasons at the club and has barely featured in Madrid’s run to the Champions League final or La Liga triumph, painting a sorry picture for an immensely talented player who may regret his decision to leave.
Romelu Lukaku — £97.5m to Chelsea
Lukaku left Inter Milan in August 2021 to join Chelsea in a club-record £97.5m deal as Thomas Tuchel looked to solve his striker problems. But if anything, the Belgian’s arrival has only added to them.
With just 14 goals in all competitions, Lukaku’s double against Wolves were his first Premier League strikes since December. He has often looked lost in the Blues’ setup and has been accused of not working hard enough by Tuchel to win back his place after being dropped for Kai Havertz. His ill-timed interview in December where he criticised Tuchel’s tactics and revealed his wish to return to Italy certainly has not helped.
The story is not over yet for Lukaku at Chelsea but there is a feeling time is running out for the striker to prove he can cut it in the Premier League. With Haaland’s arrival, perhaps it will spark some life into the 28-year-old to motivate him to outscore the Norwegian next season.
Antoine Griezmann — £107m to Barcelona
Quite simply, this transfer has been a disastrous move from the first minute and one filled with regret from all sides.
Barcelona over-estimated how much Griezmann would be able to contribute in a team dominated by Lionel Messi ’s influence and probably should have seen that coming, given the Frenchman was 29 when they signed him. Just 35 goals in 120 appearances followed before he returned to Atletico on a two-year loan.
The very fact that Barcelona were willing to let Griezmann return to Atletico Madrid with no fee attached says everything about the club’s irresponsible transfer strategy. His £200,000-a-week wages were burdening the club as they desperately tried to cut their wage bill last summer and Griezmann is trying to rebuild his career, albeit with some disapproval from unforgiving fans.
Philippe Coutinho — £142m to Barcelona
Once again, Barcelona find themselves on this list during a period of spending that can only be described as extraordinary. Liverpool haggled for the largest fee ever received by a British club and came out the other side looking better as a result.
While Barca signed Coutinho, it was clear from the outset that he would struggle to carry out his work with Messi in the side. He struggled with injuries and consistency, leaving Barca coaches Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien to leave him on the bench. Eventually, Coutinho became an impact sub and more an afterthought than a potential Messi replacement.
Barca offloaded him to Bayern Munich but the Brazilian failed to earn a permanent switch. Amid several attempts to flog him back to the Premier League, Aston Villa took the gamble and look set to seal a £20m move this summer — only highlighting the sheer financial naivety of the Catalan giants as they register a huge loss on the playmaker.
