10 dumbest signings of the summer

For every great signing one club makes, another is making an equally bad decision. Here are the 10 dumbest signings of the summer.

Clubs around the world spend billions in the transfer market every summer on hundreds of players. Therefore, there are bound to be at least a few moves that simply don’t make any sense. For every £11 million Thierry Henry transfer there’s a Gervinho for the same price.

Sometimes, they simply don’t fit the system or the talent doesn’t translate. Occasionally other players in the squad won’t mesh with the new guy. The manager might use him in the wrong way. Maybe the manager didn’t want him in the first place. In any scenario, a highly-rated player bought for a large sum of money who flames out quickly or tremendously fails can have lasting impacts on even the biggest of clubs.

Signings can be dumb for any number of reasons as well. The price was too high, the player not good enough or the financial implications too massive. Sometimes, all the above relate to a transfer. Here are the 10 dumbest signings of the summer.

Paulinho – Barcelona

Let’s get the large, juggling-averse elephant in the room out of the way first, shall we? The player who was voted the club’s “worst player ever” by Tottenham fans after his disastrous two season spell in London is now in Barcelona. The kicker? His transfer fee was £36 million, more than double his previous high set of £17 million in 2013.

Barcelona are in the midst of a tumultuous period in their history. Their previous most expensive player, Neymar, famously left the club to go to Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the summer. Lionel Messi still hasn’t signed a new deal despite reports saying he did, and has threatened to leave if signings aren’t made and changes don’t happen. The club has lost out on high-profile names like Philippe Coutinho and Marco Verratti recently, players that, given the right amount of money, teams would be willing to sell under normal circumstances.

These circumstances are no longer normal. Barcelona have turned their attention on younger potential like Ousmane Dembele or surplus to requirements in Angel Di Maria. Both are exceptional talents in their own ways, but are clearly a step down from the likes of Neymar.

Before the Dembele signing, Paulinho was their most expensive transfer of the summer. In other words, the failed Tottenham signing four years ago who only got the move to Barcelona from his play in the Chinese Super League was their “big” move after Neymar’s departure.

Barcelona did need help in the defensive midfield spot. Paulinho was playing well in the Chinese Super League. But he’s 29 years old, has only proven himself against lower league competition and cost £36M. Could this be exactly what Barcelona need? It’s possible, but so are the chances of Mark Zuckerberg giving me one billion dollars after asking for it on Twitter.