The new season is now properly under way, managers have done the bulk of their preparation, made their new signings and decided on those all important starting line-ups.
This summer, Premier League sides have been very active, spending well over £500million so far, and there is still over two weeks left before the window closes.
There have been some remarkable signings, with some of the best talent in Europe, including Xherdan Shaqiri, Andre Ayew and Bastian Schweinsteiger all moving to England to test themselves in the best league in the world.
However, not all the transfer business has been impressive. A number of clubs have made some poor acquisitions, and barring a miracle, will no doubt be regretting their decisions come May.
Here are five of the worst moves in this summer’s window…
Radamel Falcao – Chelsea – Striker
The Colombian striker has joined Chelsea on a season long loan deal, with Jose Mourinho feeling that he is the man to bring the striker back to his best after his awful loan spell at Man United last term.
Falcao has struggled for any kind of form since his serious anterior cruciate ligament injury back in 2014.
With serious doubts over the reoccurring hamstring problem Diego Costa has suffered with, Chelsea need a top striker to be able to step in and fill the void when the Spaniard is unavailable, and there are concerns about whether the Colombian is capable of matching the Spanish striker’s goal tally.
Of course, the 29-year-old could turn out to be a superstar and regain the clinical form he had in his earlier career, but the deal offers way to much of a risky investment, with his massive wages and recent goalscoring record.
Younes Kaboul – Sunderland – Defender
Sunderland have been battling with relegation for several seasons now. Without Costel Pantilimon in goal they would have certainly gone down by now.
Their defence is poor. Dick Advocaat tried to strengthen it, but has made one shocking decision by signing Kaboul, and an even worse one paying around £5million for him.
The player has been on a rapid decline in recent years, spending the majority of his time off the pitch due to injury or poor form.
The Frenchman was captain for a while at Spurs but even then he couldn’t get into the first team.
He has become slow, sloppy and clumsy on the ball, which is a major liability to his team mates. If Sunderland want to stay up they need to find an alternative, and fast.
Watching his debut in the loss against Leicester only proves just how bad he has ended up.
Connor Wickham – Crystal Palace – Striker
Wickham is one of those players that seems like he has been around for years but in fact is only 22, and he’s has just joined Crystal Palace in a £9million deal.
It is a lot of money for a player that has never come close to showing signs of his early promise.
At Ipswich he looked a future star and was destined for the big time, but after an £8million move to Sunderland, he never managed to expand on those impressive performances.
Despite playing as one of an attacking trio, he has a poor goalscoring record, only managing 11 goals in 80 appearances for the Black Cats.
The move makes even less sense considering Palace have also signed Patrick Bamford this summer. The Chelsea youngster is a much more talented player and is likely to be ahead of Wickham in the pecking order at Selhurst Park.
James McClean – West Bromwich Albion – Midfielder
The Irish winger has joined West Brom in a deal worth £1.5million this summer. Although the deal may be cheap, it is a poor acquisition for Tony Pulis’ side.
McClean has never performed at a good enough level to be considered Premier League quality. He had one good season at Sunderland when he first joined and has been on the decline ever since.
He often goes missing in matches and has developed a rather poor disciplinary record over his career, picking up unnecessary yellow cards on a regular basis.
The 26-year-old is developing a bad reputation in football. He was booed by a number of his own club’s fans during his debut for his refusal to acknowledge an England flag during the side’s pre-season tour of America.
The negatives certainly outweigh the positives in this move and it won’t take long for the Baggies to regretting this move.
Raheem Sterling – Manchester City – Midfielder
Sterling has joined Manchester City from Liverpool for £49 million, which currently remains the most expensive signing of the summer so far.
Sterling is a talented youngster with the potential to be one of the best footballers in the world, but to pay that amount of money for someone’s ‘potential’ ability is crazy.
During his time at Anfield, the England international arguably only had one real impressive season and, not surprisingly, that was when the world class talent Luis Suarez was in the side.
The 20-year-old is far from the finished article; his passing, crossing and most importantly his shooting need a lot of work if he is to come close to justifying his price tag.
When you consider the likes of Eden Hazard, David Silva, Juan Mata and Alexis Sanchez all cost less, and are better footballers, then it shows how poor the move is.
