Liverpool are widely acclaimed to have ‘won’ the 2025 summer transfer window, even before the expected arrivals of Alexander Isak and Marc Guehi. But has that been a good omen for other Premier League clubs in the past?
With transfers almost an offshoot of the entire football industry by now, more is read into the activity of Premier League clubs than ever before.
But overexcitable Liverpool fans may want to remind themselves of a cautionary tale or two; football remains, for now, a sport played on grass rather than paper…
2016: Manchester United
Jose Mourinho wouldn’t have joined United in 2016 without promises of heavy spending and the club obliged with several high-profile new arrivals.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free was inspired business, but Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for a combined £50million failed to set the world alight.
But it was the £89million return of Paul Pogba that captured the headlines.
Much like United in 2016-17, Pogba flattered to deceive and would continue to do so until leaving on a free six years later.
Even so, Mourinho compensated for finishing sixth by winning both the League Cup and Europa League. Perhaps the good times were back…
2017: Manchester United
Twelve months later, United invested heavily once more and still fell short of expectations.
Romelu Lukaku scored plenty, but not enough to justify his £75million fee, while Nemanja Matic began his gentle decline on a fat United wage.
Expected to challenge for the title, Mourinho’s team finished 18 points behind Manchester City and slumped out of the Champions League last 16 to Sevilla.
The manager would be sacked by the following Christmas, complaining about under-investment. Hah.
2018: Liverpool
A triumph of moving early and moving decisively for Liverpool in 2018.
Alisson and Fabinho became integral parts of Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League and Champions League-winning team over the next two seasons.
If we’re being picky, Naby Keita promised much, but delivered little in five injury-hit years at Anfield.
But Xherdan Shaqiri was a canny bit of low-risk, high-reward opportunism at £13million. Perhaps the omens seven years later are promising for Liverpool?
2019: Everton
Back in their silly money era, Everton spent big on the likes of Moise Kean, Fabian Delph, Andre Gomes and Alex Iwobi in 2019 to widespread approval.
In time-honoured fashion, the Toffees sacked Marco Silva in December after falling into the relegation zone.
In less time-honoured fashion, Carlo Ancelotti was his replacement at Goodison Park. It still feels like a misprint on Ancelotti’s glittering CV.
2020: Chelsea
After steering Chelsea into the Champions League despite a transfer ban, Frank Lampard was let off the leash in 2020.
Over £200million was spent on the likes of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell and Edouard Mendy as the Blues aimed high.
But Lampard struggled to integrate his new talent, especially Werner and Havertz, and was sacked in January 2021 with Chelsea eighth in the league.
Thomas Tuchel arrived and steered the squad to fourth by season’s end. Oh, and he won the Champions League with Havertz scoring the winner in the final.
2021: Manchester United
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer added Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho to his United squad that finished second in 2020-21 and everything seemed to be nicely falling into place.
Until Cristiano Ronaldo sensationally rejoined at the end of August.
Fans celebrated swiping Ronaldo from under Manchester City’s noses, but his arrival fatally unbalanced Solskjaer’s counter-attacking tactics.
Ronaldo scored 18 goals in the league, but United slumped to a miserable sixth in a campaign marked with several humbling defeats.
Solskjaer was sacked in November, following a 4-1 hammering at Watford, and interim replacement Ralf Rangnick declared ‘open-heart surgery’ was required on United’s squad.
Three years later, the operation has been a resounding failure.
QUIZ: Can you name every player Ralf Rangnick used as Man Utd manager?
2022: Southampton
Forget Manchester City signing Erling Haaland; esteemed journalists were declaring Southampton as the winners of the 2022 summer window.
After winning one of their last 12 games of 2021-22, Ralph Hasenhuttl was backed with several young and promising signings as part of a squad overhaul.
But the Saints continued to struggle. Hasenhuttl was gone by November, Nathan Jones tanked their fortunes further, and Southampton finished rock bottom with 25 points.
Meanwhile, Haaland’s goals fired City to the treble. Sometimes the obvious answer is the right answer.
2023: Manchester City
Lessons were learnt 12 months later as everybody skirted around Chelsea’s vastly accumulating bonfire to anoint City as the transfer window ‘real quiz’ winners.
Josko Gvaridol was an expensive, but surprisingly prolific, defensive signing and Jeremy Doku flirted with greatness on the wing.
But Guardiola’s best work was keeping the bulk of his treble-winners together for one more league title before it all fell apart spectacularly in the autumn of 2024.
2024: West Ham United
Having rid themselves of David Moyes, West Ham spent north of £150million on new signings to mark the start of the glorious Julen Lopetegui era
Niclas Fullkrug, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Maximilian Kilman, Crysensio Summerville, Guido Rodriguez, Carlos Soler and Jean-Clair Todibo were all meant to be huge upgrades on the Hammers squad.
But Lopetegui was sacked by early January following several lame performances, leaving West Ham flirting with a relegation battle.
Twelve months on, Graham Potter is still picking over the wreckage with a reduced budget. A total mess.
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