Nicolas Pepe: Saint Nic Is Back

[Kav]

The only ones who bring up his transfer fee are his fans.

Lets not rewrite history that and make out that ESR and Ødegaard were crap, Ødegaard had a few weeks to settle and showed what he could do after that. And is showing it morseo this season.

Pepe consistently loses the ball or plays safe passes or gets a goal once every 3 matches or so after many many attempts to get in to the perfect position to take his shot.

You sound a bit hypocritical and add patronising to the list as well.

Are you implying the only way to be objective is to agree with your opinions...

He's been pretty awful with a very small amount of good performances since he arrived here. He is only threatening with the ball in very specific circumstances and very poor outside it... which you cannot afford in a team that wants champions league.

Since hes been dropped and his minutes given to other players they have come on leaps and bounds. He is probably amongst the most played players since Arteta arrived and he never seemed to go beyond the incomplete, one trick pony he arrived as, he has stagnated because he has a low ceiling... which becomes clear when you see the far younger players who are already far better than him.

You're the one who's rewriting history by attempting to make it appear that Pepe has been crap when he has been fairly above average performer during his tenure. His goals, assist and chance creation since being in the team far exceeds his team mates bar everyone who plays in his position except Saka who has played LB/LW/RCM/LCM/RW and who's had more appearances over the same time period.

You claim the others have come leaps and bounds above him yet Pepe has had more goals and assist than them all. He's been doing it from the bench more often than the other players in the team. Of his 69 appearances in the league only 43 have been starts over the three seasons. Contrast this with Saka for example who has played in 78 games during that same time and starting 67 of those games.

You claim he's been awful yet his goal involvement far exceeds most of the other players as well. It is obvious you are not actually watching him play but rather just hating on the player.

You believe the young players are better than him and I disagree, there are differences in style and approaches to games. Saka, ESR for example are academy players who have been groomed to fit into a certain manicured style of playing that is pervasive in european football. Pepe is a street footballer and his style is at odds with the football that most european fans have become accustomed to.

However with a manager who understands how to use him Pepe can become a lethal goal scoring winger, unfortunately, Arteta doesn't know how best to use Pepe. No fault of either of these men. Arteta has his philosophy and Pepe has his style of play, they dont work well together but thats how it goes sometimes.

What i have an issue with is people like you coming on here making it seem like he's a **** footballer when he isn't. Then again you are entitled to your opinion for the little that its worth.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

He just doesn't fit in the system or style of play Arteta wants to employ. I don't think there's anything deeper to it than that.

Put him in a different system that suits him, maybe in another league and he'll probably do fine.

We should never have bought him. Blame the disconnect between whatever Raul was up to and what Emery wanted.

He was a poor signing, not a poor player. That's how I'd sum his time up here.

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

You're the one who's rewriting history by attempting to make it appear that Pepe has been crap when he has been fairly above average performer during his tenure. His goals, assist and chance creation since being in the team far exceeds his team mates bar everyone who plays in his position except Saka who has played LB/LW/RCM/LCM/RW and who's had more appearances over the same time period.

You claim the others have come leaps and bounds above him yet Pepe has had more goals and assist than them all. He's been doing it from the bench more often than the other players in the team. Of his 69 appearances in the league only 43 have been starts over the three seasons. Contrast this with Saka for example who has played in 78 games during that same time and starting 67 of those games.

You claim he's been awful yet his goal involvement far exceeds most of the other players as well. It is obvious you are not actually watching him play but rather just hating on the player.

You believe the young players are better than him and I disagree, there are differences in style and approaches to games. Saka, ESR for example are academy players who have been groomed to fit into a certain manicured style of playing that is pervasive in european football. Pepe is a street footballer and his style is at odds with the football that most european fans have become accustomed to.

However with a manager who understands how to use him Pepe can become a lethal goal scoring winger, unfortunately, Arteta doesn't know how best to use Pepe. No fault of either of these men. Arteta has his philosophy and Pepe has his style of play, they dont work well together but thats how it goes sometimes.

What i have an issue with is people like you coming on here making it seem like he's a **** footballer when he isn't. Then again you are entitled to your opinion for the little that its worth.

"groomed to fit into a certain manicured style of playing that is pervasive in european football" wtf are you on about
You mean the ability to dribble, take on players, shoot from any angle, look for incisive passes, close out space, pressing, ability on the ball... those things? The enjoyable things to watch in football. Next you'll be saying Messi is boring to watch because he learnt how to play in Barcelona Maybe Ronaldo's goals aren't as exciting because he grew up in Portugal

Pepe is the opposite of a "street footballer" he cannot adapt to any situation.

Pepe will only do well if he goes back to a league that doesnt defend well.

I feel like you have a thing against "European football" as you like to term it

 

[Kav]

"groomed to fit into a certain manicured style of playing that is pervasive in european football" wtf are you on about
You mean the ability to dribble, take on players, shoot from any angle, look for incisive passes, close out space, pressing, ability on the ball... those things? The enjoyable things to watch in football. Next you'll be saying Messi is boring to watch because he learnt how to play in Barcelona Maybe Ronaldo's goals aren't as exciting because he grew up in Portugal

Pepe is the opposite of a "street footballer" he cannot adapt to any situation.

Pepe will only do well if he goes back to a league that doesnt defend well.

I feel like you have a thing against "European football" as you like to term it

You're quite blind if you actually think that Saka and ESR or even Martinelli are elite dribblers because they are not. Elite dribblers are current players like Neymar, Saint Maximin, Fekir, Silva, Dybala. Messi in his Prime was elite, he's still very good too. Past players like Maradona, Socrates, Zico, Ronaldinho, Zidane, Del Pierro, Ariola, Figo, Rui Costa, Hagi, are examples of Elite Dribblers. If you don't know football don't start talking to me.

ESR and Martinelli are very good at attacking open spaces. Saka is excellent at a half turn but none of these are elite dribblers in my book. Our forwards/Wingers look useless against low blocks or compact defences. They can only make space by playing triangles. Whereas Neymar, ASM, Messi, Fekir for example will make their own space, beat their opponent and create opportunities for teammates. There are levels to this.

If you don't understand it, just admit it. There is no shame in it.

 

[dka1]

"groomed to fit into a certain manicured style of playing that is pervasive in european football" wtf are you on about
You mean the ability to dribble, take on players, shoot from any angle, look for incisive passes, close out space, pressing, ability on the ball... those things? The enjoyable things to watch in football. Next you'll be saying Messi is boring to watch because he learnt how to play in Barcelona Maybe Ronaldo's goals aren't as exciting because he grew up in Portugal

Pepe is the opposite of a "street footballer" he cannot adapt to any situation.

Pepe will only do well if he goes back to a league that doesnt defend well.

I feel like you have a thing against "European football" as you like to term it

Not a comment on what you're talking about but the overuse of smiley faces is really annoying and you're not funny either....jsyk.

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

You're quite blind if you actually think that Saka and ESR or even Martinelli are elite dribblers because they are not. Elite dribblers are current players like Messi, Neymar, Saint Maximin, Fekir, Silva.

ESR and Martinelli are very good at attacking open spaces. Saka is excellent at a half turn but none of these are elite dribblers in my book. Our forwards/Wingers look useless against low blocks or compact defences. They can only make space by playing triangles. Whereas Neymar, ASM, Messi, Fekir for example will make their own space, beat their opponent and create opportunities for teammates. There are levels to this.

If you don't understand it, just admit it. There is no shame in it.

See there you go trying to argue against something I didnt say, I didnt say they are "elite dirbblers", but they're extremely good at beating/dribbling past players with loads of potential to be better.

Its weird how you seem to be saying that Saka and Martinelli cant take players on and can only play in triangles when theyre dribbling past players nearly every match and creating opportunities are you sure you watch Arsenal. Cant comment on fekir but Im shocked you do. ASM is as bad as Gervinho, dribbling with no plan

Did you just read reddit soccer play fifa and give yourself a big pat on the back for being so intelligent.

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

Not a comment on what you're talking about but the overuse of smiley faces is really annoying and you're not funny either....jsyk.

Im not trying to be funny, you being condescending and offering opinions not asked for is really annoying and not funny... jsyk

 

[Kav]

See there you go trying to argue against something I didnt say, I didnt say they are "elite dirbblers", they're extremely good at beating players with loads of potential to be better.

Its weird how you seem to be saying that Saka and Martinelli cant take players on and can only play in triangles when theyre dribbling past players nearly every match and creating opportunities are you sure you watch Arsenal. Cant comment on fekir but Im shocked you do. ASM is as bad as Gervinho, dribbling with no plan

Did you just read reddit soccer play fifa and give yourself a big pat on the back for being so intelligent.

Your comprehension skill is very poor and i see the disconnect. At no point did I say they can't take on players and can only play in triangles.

You claim ASM is bad because he dribbles without a plan, you clearly don't watch him play enough that says all i need to know. He actually plays very good passes to his teammates who unfortunately are no where near his level.

I used to watch a lot of Ligue un football which is why i can tell you that there were some great young talents there who embodied the street football style, Dembele, Ikone, Pepe, Fekir, ASM were all tearing up that league a few years ago. You honestly should just refrain from speaking anymore about this topic. Let us Move on.

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

Your comprehension skill is very poor and i see the disconnect. At no point did I say they can't take on players and can only play in triangles. It is obvious that you lack the basic skills for us to have this discourse, especially if you are arriving at conclusions not stated.

You claim ASM is bad because he dribbles without a plan, you clearly don't watch him play enough that says all i need to know. Stop talking now, you're only going to say something more silly than before.

I used to watch a lot of Ligue un football which is why i can tell you that there were some great young talents there who embodied the street football style, Dembele, Ikone, Pepe, Fekir, ASM were all tearing up that league a few years ago. You honestly should just refrain from speaking anymore about this topic. Let us Move on.

Pepe is a fairly one dimensional footballer and you can drag up players playing in the farmers league all you want and try to change the subject and stitch some sentences together like you're trying to make up the wordcount in a poor attempt at a dissertation all you want but it wont change that fact.

Amazing how all these players were "tearing it up" but cant do sweet fk all in the premiership... its almost as if they have to play at a higher level and cant do anything... imagine that Yeah ASM definitelyhas a plan, ask any newcastle fan they think his dribbling is only a facet to his game and not almost everything he does

Fkin "discourse" and "arriving at conclusions" whats next "wherewithal", "reticent" and "marmalade"

 

[Kav]

Pepe is a fairly one dimensional footballer and you can drag up players playing in the farmers league all you want and try to change the subject and stitch some sentences together like you're trying to make up the wordcount in a poor attempt at a dissertation all you want but it wont change that fact.

Amazing how all these players were "tearing it up" but cant do sweet fk all in the premiership... its almost as if they have to play at a higher level and cant do anything... imagine that Yeah ASM definitelyhas a plan, ask any newcastle fan they think his dribbling is only a facet to his game and not almost everything he does

Fkin "discourse" and "arriving at conclusions" whats next "wherewithal", "reticent" and "marmalade"

Go sit down, drink some tea or coffee you're having a breakdown, it doesn't look good.

Try again in the morning.

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

Go sit down, drink some tea or coffee you're having a breakdown, it doesn't look good.

Try again in the morning.

Thats it, no first year arts/humanities degree sentences to write? Did you run out of all your "cleverly" put together sentences already. Pepe has been a disaster for the club and thats ignoring his transfer fee.

 

[Kav]

You’re hyperbolic criticisms not only lack merit they are quite poorly stated. You must not know what a disaster is. By all accounts you don’t know the definition of the word.

For your benefit I am am going to refrain from discussing matters beyond your comprehension. That is how kind I am.

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

You’re hyperbolic criticisms not only lack merit they are quite poorly stated. You must not know what a disaster is. By all accounts you don’t know the definition of the word.

For your benefit I am am going to refrain from discussing matters beyond your comprehension. That is how kind I am.

Did you just spend 20 minutes of an Arsenal match coming up with a comment that makes you look like a pretentious tw*t

For someone who is so fkin pedantic it is "you are" not "you're" nobody cares but if you're going to come off as a pretentious ass who is articulate - you do need to know the difference.

You know someone is a bit stupid, and shaken when they start trying to sound smart and cant even reply to the comment. A simpler word is always better than a more complicated one, you think you're coming off as precise and articulate when you're doing the opposite.

 

[Kav]

Idiot. You said he was a disaster. That is the dumbest comment you have made. You also said the other youngsters have outperformed Pepe. Yet Pepe has more goal contribution and chance creation than all of them.

Since Pepe is a disaster now do you reconcile him being more productive than the ones you claimed are doing better than him. You can not. So sit down, shut your mouth and leave the discussion to adults you nincompoop.

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

Idiot. You said he was a disaster. That is the dumbest comment you have made. You also said the other youngsters have outperformed Pepe. Yet Pepe has more goal contribution and chance creation than all of them.

Since Pepe is a disaster now do you reconcile him being more productive than the ones you claimed are doing better than him. You can not. So sit down, shut your mouth and leave the discussion to adults you nincompoop.

You've lost it, think you might want to have a sitdown there lad

Pepe bad dont cry pls

 

[Kav]

Since you have no retort to the points I have raised you will be ignored from henceforth since you bring nothing of substance to this discussion other than your full display of stupidity.

You may Carry on with your idiocy on display. Dumb ****!

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

Since you have no retort to the points I have raised you will be ignored from henceforth since you bring nothing of substance to this discussion other than your full display of stupidity.

You may Carry on with your idiocy on display. Dumb ****!

Deep breaths keep harping on about a player who can only play against part timers and farmers

 

[HaffBR]

70 million this punk.

 

[Macho]

Spoiler: The Premier League record signings that are proving a problem

As the most expensive player in the history of Tottenham Hotspur trudged off the pitch, he might have been forgiven for thinking this was not how it was supposed to work out.

Tanguy Ndombele cost £55 million, earns £200,000 every week and has managed only 10 90-minute appearances in the Premier League since signing from Lyon two and a half years ago. His latest ordeal was the low point and, for Sp**s, it was close to being attached to one of their more humiliating results in living memory

Morecambe, the 21st-placed team in League One, were threatening to dump Antonio Conte’s side out of the FA Cup, leading 1-0 past the midway point of the second half. And there were boos for Ndombele when the substitute’s board went up and the France international sulkily left the pitch, with the slowest of walks, avoiding eye contact with Conte and heading straight down the tunnel.

It felt like the endgame, the moment when it became clear there might not be any way back for Ndombele and the confirmation that, when he does go, he will almost certainly be remembered more for the wrong reasons than the right ones.

Then again, let’s not just focus on Ndombele when he is far from being the only record transfer in England’s top division who appears to have been weighed down, to varying degrees, by their price tag.

Jack Grealish, the most expensive footballer in the country, admitted recently that he had found it harder than he had originally anticipated when he joined Manchester City from Aston Villa last summer.

“I obviously thought going to City, the best club in England, the best players, I’m going to get 20 or 30 goal involvements. But it hasn’t been the case at all. I’ve actually struggled with my goals and assists. The price tag on my head, as soon as you don’t get them, people start talking and doubting you.”

Grealish missed City’s FA Cup win at Swindon Town. He was an unused substitute in three of their previous four assignments and lost his place over Christmas because Pep Guardiola found out his £100 million signing had been out on a bender. It has been a tough introductory season for Grealish in Manchester, even if it does end with a Premier League winner’s medal.

There is also a growing pattern if we consider, just for starters, the London clubs who are trying to keep up with Guardiola’s team.

At Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe has shown only sporadic glimpses of the talent that persuaded the club to sign him from Lille for £72 million.

Pepe has scored 15 league goals since moving from Lille in 2019 (Photo: Getty Images)
For Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku has just had to issue a public apology after an unauthorised interview, only five months after signing from Inter Milan, in which he revealed he was not fully satisfied at Stamford Bridge. At least Lukaku can be relied upon to score a few goals — but it has not exactly been the happy story that Chelsea might have expected after spending a club-record £97.5 million on the player.

As for West Ham, perhaps you remember Sebastien Haller, but probably not as a regular scorer. Haller scored the Premier League’s Goal of the Month with his bicycle kick against Crystal Palace in December 2020. There wasn’t a great deal else, however, to justify his £45 million fee before he was sold to Ajax for a £20 million loss. To rub it in, Haller has been superb for Ajax, scoring 33 times in 48 games.

The list goes further, too. Rodrigo, Leeds United’s record signing, cost £27 million but has had only a moderate return, with nine goals, since his move from Valencia 18 months ago.

Then, of course, there is the puzzle of Paul Pogba and his role at Manchester United as a player who polarises opinion like no other.

One senior figure at Old Trafford confided recently that he had a theory that the speed of the Premier League did not always suit Pogba, hence why the midfielder had looked more accomplished in Serie A with Juventus and often excelled for France in international tournaments.

Now there is the growing possibility that a player United lost to Juventus for nothing, then bought back for £89 million, will leave on another free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season. Pogba is already free to start negotiating with overseas clubs and, from a United standpoint, who can really say he has been value for money?

It is a recurring theme that affects more than half the clubs in the Premier League. Indeed, there is only Liverpool, with Virgil van Dijk, among the top eight clubs who can have no issues with their record signing.

The trickier part is understanding why. But what it tells us, more than anything, is that for all the meticulous scouting, all the research and near-forensic analysis from teams of recruitment experts, this is sport and not even the most prepared football clubs always get it right.

“We have data available these days to analyse every potential signing, the amount of ground they cover every game, their passing range, the speed they run, their sprints, their stamina, and every other possible piece of performance analysis,” one recruitment specialist tells The Athletic. “But there has never been any data to analyse how those players will cope, mentally, with the responsibility of being a record transfer, with all the extra scrutiny it brings, and the raised expectations.”

Andy Cole can remember being “scared, definitely scared” after leaving Newcastle for Manchester United in 1995, in a £7 million fee deal that smashed the British transfer record. “A transfer fee of such monumental, telephone number proportions was really beyond my comprehension. And, yes, it did bother me. A lot. That record fee was a very heavy burden.”

Emile Heskey also recalls the pressures of his £11 million move from Leicester City to Liverpool in 2000. “Eventually, it seeps into your mind and you do start to question yourself. If you are reminded about it every time you are interviewed, it’s eventually going to get into your head.”

The other issue is that modern-day football is an increasingly impatient business and, unlike maybe 10 to 15 years ago, there are rarely allowances for an expensive signing to require time settling into new surroundings.

Jack Grealish hasn’t shone quite as brightly as many expected so far at Man City (Photo: Getty)
Grealish might have made a slow start but, as Guardiola has pointed out, there is still plenty of time to flourish. And it is the same for Emiliano Buendia, the player Villa signed for a club-record £33 million fee to replace him.

In Ndombele’s case, however, he is on his fourth manager at Tottenham Hotspur (or fifth if Ryan Mason’s caretaker spell is included) and, in almost all that time, there have been misgivings about his form and, occasionally, attitude.

Maybe it would have been different had Mauricio Pochettino stayed longer in the job. Jose Mourinho publicly criticised the player. Mason left him out of the EFL Cup final. Ndombele wanted to leave last summer and that made Nuno Espirito Santo reluctant to select him. Conte has also had reservations and bringing the player back into the team for a cup tie against Morecambe does not necessarily feel like a vote of confidence.

“We have to know very well that if we perform well, the fans are happy,” Conte said of the fans’ boos for Ndombele. “If you don’t perform well, the fans are not happy. This is football.”

At the other end of the scale, Van Dijk’s performances for Liverpool have fully justified his £75 million fee. Nobody at Leicester will ever question Youri Tielemans’ £40 million acquisition. Crystal Palace’s supporters are mostly supportive of Christian Benteke, their £27 million striker, despite his shortage of goals.

Joelinton has often been cast as a £40 million flop for a Newcastle United side that has won one league fixture all season and was knocked out of the FA Cup by Cambridge United of League One. He has, however, played more in keeping recently with his price tag.

Maybe we should also cut Fabio Silva a bit of slack, even though the £35 million striker has managed only 43 minutes for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league this season. Silva is only 19, with time on his side, and there was a standing ovation for the teenager when he was substituted in their FA Cup win against Sheffield United.

It is not just Van Dijk then. Danny Ings played with distinction for Southampton, for a club-record £20 million, before joining Villa last summer. Adam Webster cost Brighton the same and has also made a positive impact. Ismaila Sarr was expensive for Watford, at £40 million, but capable on his good days of troubling the most accomplished defences. Kristoffer Ajer looks a fine signing for Brentford at £13.5 million and Chris Wood has scored frequently enough for Burnley to justify the £15 million outlay.

Don’t forget, though, that Burnley also spent the same on Ben Gibson from Middlesbrough. In two years, Gibson made one start for Burnley in the Premier League before being moved out to Norwich City, then in the Championship.

There are also plenty of Championship clubs — Sheffield United (Rhian Brewster), Stoke City (Giannelli Imbula), Nottingham Forest (Joao Carvalho), Huddersfield Town (Terence Kongolo) and a few others — who might have wanted more from their record transfers.

It is a strangely common issue. Pre-Lukaku, the names of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Kai Havertz could also, at times, have been added to the list, having cost Chelsea a combined £143 million.

Ndombele’s substitution at 1-0 down against Morecambe was followed, within five minutes, by Harry Winks equalising for Sp**s. Lucas Moura and Harry Kane completed the recovery and, for £55 million, Ndombele had a lot to think about once he reached the dressing room.

Absolutely sh*t article btw

Posted because I put the Grealish portion in the Auba thread but kind of a reminder that it's not every day you get what you pay for in the Premier League.

Pepe only got 2 lines, I would have liked for them to go into why he's flopped (poor scouting, disconnect between executive level and football staff, Saka's emergence).

Missed opportunity to go deeper into why big money signings rarely work out, the psychology and factors behind it, stuff like that.

 

[UpTheGunnerz]

Spoiler: The Premier League record signings that are proving a problem

As the most expensive player in the history of Tottenham Hotspur trudged off the pitch, he might have been forgiven for thinking this was not how it was supposed to work out.

Tanguy Ndombele cost £55 million, earns £200,000 every week and has managed only 10 90-minute appearances in the Premier League since signing from Lyon two and a half years ago. His latest ordeal was the low point and, for Sp**s, it was close to being attached to one of their more humiliating results in living memory

Morecambe, the 21st-placed team in League One, were threatening to dump Antonio Conte’s side out of the FA Cup, leading 1-0 past the midway point of the second half. And there were boos for Ndombele when the substitute’s board went up and the France international sulkily left the pitch, with the slowest of walks, avoiding eye contact with Conte and heading straight down the tunnel.

It felt like the endgame, the moment when it became clear there might not be any way back for Ndombele and the confirmation that, when he does go, he will almost certainly be remembered more for the wrong reasons than the right ones.

Then again, let’s not just focus on Ndombele when he is far from being the only record transfer in England’s top division who appears to have been weighed down, to varying degrees, by their price tag.

Jack Grealish, the most expensive footballer in the country, admitted recently that he had found it harder than he had originally anticipated when he joined Manchester City from Aston Villa last summer.

“I obviously thought going to City, the best club in England, the best players, I’m going to get 20 or 30 goal involvements. But it hasn’t been the case at all. I’ve actually struggled with my goals and assists. The price tag on my head, as soon as you don’t get them, people start talking and doubting you.”

Grealish missed City’s FA Cup win at Swindon Town. He was an unused substitute in three of their previous four assignments and lost his place over Christmas because Pep Guardiola found out his £100 million signing had been out on a bender. It has been a tough introductory season for Grealish in Manchester, even if it does end with a Premier League winner’s medal.

There is also a growing pattern if we consider, just for starters, the London clubs who are trying to keep up with Guardiola’s team.

At Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe has shown only sporadic glimpses of the talent that persuaded the club to sign him from Lille for £72 million.

Pepe has scored 15 league goals since moving from Lille in 2019 (Photo: Getty Images)
For Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku has just had to issue a public apology after an unauthorised interview, only five months after signing from Inter Milan, in which he revealed he was not fully satisfied at Stamford Bridge. At least Lukaku can be relied upon to score a few goals — but it has not exactly been the happy story that Chelsea might have expected after spending a club-record £97.5 million on the player.

As for West Ham, perhaps you remember Sebastien Haller, but probably not as a regular scorer. Haller scored the Premier League’s Goal of the Month with his bicycle kick against Crystal Palace in December 2020. There wasn’t a great deal else, however, to justify his £45 million fee before he was sold to Ajax for a £20 million loss. To rub it in, Haller has been superb for Ajax, scoring 33 times in 48 games.

The list goes further, too. Rodrigo, Leeds United’s record signing, cost £27 million but has had only a moderate return, with nine goals, since his move from Valencia 18 months ago.

Then, of course, there is the puzzle of Paul Pogba and his role at Manchester United as a player who polarises opinion like no other.

One senior figure at Old Trafford confided recently that he had a theory that the speed of the Premier League did not always suit Pogba, hence why the midfielder had looked more accomplished in Serie A with Juventus and often excelled for France in international tournaments.

Now there is the growing possibility that a player United lost to Juventus for nothing, then bought back for £89 million, will leave on another free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season. Pogba is already free to start negotiating with overseas clubs and, from a United standpoint, who can really say he has been value for money?

It is a recurring theme that affects more than half the clubs in the Premier League. Indeed, there is only Liverpool, with Virgil van Dijk, among the top eight clubs who can have no issues with their record signing.

The trickier part is understanding why. But what it tells us, more than anything, is that for all the meticulous scouting, all the research and near-forensic analysis from teams of recruitment experts, this is sport and not even the most prepared football clubs always get it right.

“We have data available these days to analyse every potential signing, the amount of ground they cover every game, their passing range, the speed they run, their sprints, their stamina, and every other possible piece of performance analysis,” one recruitment specialist tells The Athletic. “But there has never been any data to analyse how those players will cope, mentally, with the responsibility of being a record transfer, with all the extra scrutiny it brings, and the raised expectations.”

Andy Cole can remember being “scared, definitely scared” after leaving Newcastle for Manchester United in 1995, in a £7 million fee deal that smashed the British transfer record. “A transfer fee of such monumental, telephone number proportions was really beyond my comprehension. And, yes, it did bother me. A lot. That record fee was a very heavy burden.”

Emile Heskey also recalls the pressures of his £11 million move from Leicester City to Liverpool in 2000. “Eventually, it seeps into your mind and you do start to question yourself. If you are reminded about it every time you are interviewed, it’s eventually going to get into your head.”

The other issue is that modern-day football is an increasingly impatient business and, unlike maybe 10 to 15 years ago, there are rarely allowances for an expensive signing to require time settling into new surroundings.

Jack Grealish hasn’t shone quite as brightly as many expected so far at Man City (Photo: Getty)
Grealish might have made a slow start but, as Guardiola has pointed out, there is still plenty of time to flourish. And it is the same for Emiliano Buendia, the player Villa signed for a club-record £33 million fee to replace him.

In Ndombele’s case, however, he is on his fourth manager at Tottenham Hotspur (or fifth if Ryan Mason’s caretaker spell is included) and, in almost all that time, there have been misgivings about his form and, occasionally, attitude.

Maybe it would have been different had Mauricio Pochettino stayed longer in the job. Jose Mourinho publicly criticised the player. Mason left him out of the EFL Cup final. Ndombele wanted to leave last summer and that made Nuno Espirito Santo reluctant to select him. Conte has also had reservations and bringing the player back into the team for a cup tie against Morecambe does not necessarily feel like a vote of confidence.

“We have to know very well that if we perform well, the fans are happy,” Conte said of the fans’ boos for Ndombele. “If you don’t perform well, the fans are not happy. This is football.”

At the other end of the scale, Van Dijk’s performances for Liverpool have fully justified his £75 million fee. Nobody at Leicester will ever question Youri Tielemans’ £40 million acquisition. Crystal Palace’s supporters are mostly supportive of Christian Benteke, their £27 million striker, despite his shortage of goals.

Joelinton has often been cast as a £40 million flop for a Newcastle United side that has won one league fixture all season and was knocked out of the FA Cup by Cambridge United of League One. He has, however, played more in keeping recently with his price tag.

Maybe we should also cut Fabio Silva a bit of slack, even though the £35 million striker has managed only 43 minutes for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league this season. Silva is only 19, with time on his side, and there was a standing ovation for the teenager when he was substituted in their FA Cup win against Sheffield United.

It is not just Van Dijk then. Danny Ings played with distinction for Southampton, for a club-record £20 million, before joining Villa last summer. Adam Webster cost Brighton the same and has also made a positive impact. Ismaila Sarr was expensive for Watford, at £40 million, but capable on his good days of troubling the most accomplished defences. Kristoffer Ajer looks a fine signing for Brentford at £13.5 million and Chris Wood has scored frequently enough for Burnley to justify the £15 million outlay.

Don’t forget, though, that Burnley also spent the same on Ben Gibson from Middlesbrough. In two years, Gibson made one start for Burnley in the Premier League before being moved out to Norwich City, then in the Championship.

There are also plenty of Championship clubs — Sheffield United (Rhian Brewster), Stoke City (Giannelli Imbula), Nottingham Forest (Joao Carvalho), Huddersfield Town (Terence Kongolo) and a few others — who might have wanted more from their record transfers.

It is a strangely common issue. Pre-Lukaku, the names of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Kai Havertz could also, at times, have been added to the list, having cost Chelsea a combined £143 million.

Ndombele’s substitution at 1-0 down against Morecambe was followed, within five minutes, by Harry Winks equalising for Sp**s. Lucas Moura and Harry Kane completed the recovery and, for £55 million, Ndombele had a lot to think about once he reached the dressing room.

Absolutely sh*t article btw

Posted because I put the Grealish portion in the Auba thread but kind of a reminder that it's not every day you get what you pay for in the Premier League.

Pepe only got 2 lines, I would have liked for them to go into why he's flopped (poor scouting, disconnect between executive level and football staff, Saka's emergence).

Missed opportunity to go deeper into why big money signings rarely work out, the psychology and factors behind it, stuff like that.

The kind of article you write when your one hour to deadline and are out of ideas. Honestly, the athletic are a disgrace