Revisiting the 10 most expensive summer signings of 2022 one year on

The summer 2023 transfer window is now open and we have already seen several blockbuster deals go through and the same could be said of the 2022 window.

With an unprecedented amount of money sloshing about in the game right now, football clubs from around Europe certainly weren’t shy of splashing the cash this time last year.

We’ve turned back the clocks to the summer of 2022 and have checked out the top 10 most expensive deals and assessed how they have done since.

10. Richarlison

The Brazilian couldn’t catch a break last season. Last minute goal against Fulham? Ruled offside. A late equaliser against Bournemouth? Offside again. Worst of all was his late leveller against Liverpool to make it 3-3, only for Jurgen Klopp’s side to immediately restore their lead.

Overall, it’s been a miserable season for Richarlison following his £50million move from Everton. He’s definitely still got the talent, but last season was a year to forget.

9. Erling Haaland

This one was always going to be a hit, wasn’t it? After Manchester City triggered Haaland’s £51million release clause at Borussia Dortmund, the rest of Europe knew they were in trouble.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a record-breaking season which saw him score 52 goals in 53 games and win all sorts of accolades along the way, not to mention a treble too.

An absolutely brilliant deal for City in the end.

All 3️⃣6️⃣ of @ErlingHaaland's @premierleague goals! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/Cr3M3HZWjI

— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 22, 2023

8. Marc Cucurella

After fending off interest from Man City, hopes were high around Cucurella’s arrival at Chelsea. A deal worth £56million in the end, the less said about this one the better.

7. Matthijs de Ligt

The Dutch defender was tipped for stardom from a young age, especially after finishing 15th in the 2019 Ballon d’Or rankings. While his move to Juventus from Ajax had been solid, his career had started to stall and he was in search of a fresh challenge.

Bayern Munich then came in for the defender last summer and spent £57.5million to lure him to the Allianz Arena. After a slow start to life in Germany, the 23-year-old improved throughout the year and ended the season in a rich vein of form.

“He embodies the Bayern mentality. He’s a guarantee at the back, solid as a rock. You have the feeling that nobody gets past him. That’s exactly the mentality that we wanted. Matthijs is a great transfer,” said team president Herbert Hainer.

6. Alexander Isak

The Swedish forward had a stop-start beginning to his Newcastle United career as he picked up a thigh injury soon after signing. However, upon his return from injury it immediately became clear just how talented he is.

The 23-year-old only started in 17 league matches and still managed to hit double figures. Despite his early injury problems, the £60million Newcastle spent looks like a great investment.

“We’ve been very impressed with everything that he’s delivered to this point, not just technically on the pitch, but his character and how he’s handled certain situations. He’s been first class,” Eddie Howe told Sky Sports.

READ: 11 assists so good that nobody gives a sh*t about the goal: Isak, Gibbs-White, Messi…

5. Casemiro

The football cynics thought that Casemiro might have been coming to Manchester for one final payday, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Erik ten Hag has moulded his midfield around the £60million signing, who quickly became a fan favourite at Old Trafford. You can’t have many complaints over this deal.

4. Darwin Nunez

The master of chaos, we can’t get enough of him. There’s a certain charm to Nunez that just makes us root for him. He’s had his ups and downs, but we think there’s more to come from Liverpool’s £69million summer signing.

READ: 5 stats that suggest Darwin Nunez will explode for Liverpool in 2023-24

3. Aurelien Tchouameni

Replacing the legendary trio of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro was seen as an almost impossible task for Real Madrid, but they have somehow managed it with relative ease.

Plenty of top European clubs were in for Tchouameni last summer, but Real Madrid’s pull is unparalleled in European football. The Spanish giants splashed £69million on their biggest summer recruit and he hasn’t looked back since.

The 23-year-old showed his class on several occasions last season and is bound to be a regular for the next decade to come. The thought of a midfield trio of Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham already has us drooling.

2. Wesley Fofana

Fofana can’t really be held responsible for Chelsea’s disastrous 2022-23 campaign, considering he missed the majority of the season with a knee injury.

Chelsea will be looking to get more out of the 22-year-old next season after spending a whopping £70million on him in the first place. The jury is still out on this one.

1. Antony

A real opinion splitter so far. While plenty of United fans see the potential in Antony, others are yet to be convinced. The 23-year-old arrived at Old Trafford with plenty of hype after his £82million move from Ajax.

“He has looked frustrating at times but with someone like him, you just need to persist with him,” Gary Neville told to Sky Sports. “Obviously they have paid a lot of money, so they will.

“If he can gain consistency to his game and his decision-making in the final third can become a little bit more refined, he becomes a hell of a player.”

This Antony’s debut goal video is so satisfying to watch 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/FTKGvNBQ2U https://t.co/QDzIsfk5KI

— Marcel (@UTDMarcel) June 23, 2023

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