Most expensive signings rated as Arsenal flop departs in cut-price deal
Nicolas Pepe has agreed a move to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor from Arsenal - just four years since becoming the Gunners' record signing for £72million.
The 28-year-old arrived from Lille in 2019 after impressing in Ligue 1. However, it is safe to say he has not lived up to expectations following his big-money switch. Pepe scored 27 times in 112 appearances during his time at the Gunners and he has now left on a permanent deal for around £3m.
But Pepe is not the only record signing to have flopped in the Premier League or across Europe. Several players have become the most expensive recruit and not gone on to achieve what was expected, such as Phillippe Coutinho at Barcelona and Eden Hazard when he was at Real Madrid.
So, with that in mind, Mirror Football have taken a look at the record arrivals from the top-10 most valuable football clubs in the world - and a glance at the previous most expensive signings, too.
Real Madrid - Eden Hazard from Chelsea - £98.5m
It is safe to say Eden Hazard's record breaking move to Real Madrid from Chelsea did not go to plan. Hazard signed a five-year contract worth £400,000 per-week at the Santiago Bernabau in 2019 and became Real's most expensive arrival ahead of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Hazard made just 16 La Liga appearances in his first campaign at the club, having missed a large chunk through injury and fitness-related concerns. Hazard's Real career continued to disappoint and his departure was confirmed at the end of last season by mutual content, after scoring seven times in 76 matches.
Despite Hazard's frustrating four-year spell, Real have had a good success rate from record arrivals, however. Ronaldo's £80m move from Man Utd in 2009 helped turn them into a dominant force in world football while Bale also impressed during his time in Madrid.
Eden Hazard's four-year stint at Real Madrid ended in July (Getty Images)Man Utd - Paul Pogba from Juventus - £89m
In 2016, Pogba returned to the Red Devils in a record-breaking £89m move from Juventus - four years after leaving United for free. The Frenchman helped Jose Mourinho's side win the Carabao Cup and Europa League in his debut season.
Pogba recorded his most prolific campaign at United in 2018/19, as he notched 16 times and grabbed 11 assists in 47 matches. He finished as the Red Devils' top scorer and was named in the PFA Team of the Year in the process.
But Pogba's United career began to unravel when he hinted that his time at the club was coming to an end in June 2019, admitting: "it could be a good time to have a new challenge somewhere else." Pogba ended his United career in 2022, having made just 20 league appearances in his final season.
The Red Devils' previous record signing also did not live up to expectations. Angel di Maria spent one season at United after signing from Real Madrid for £59.7m before going on to join Paris Saint-Germain having scored just four times in 32 games.
Paul Pogba left Manchester United for the second time in 2022 (Getty Images)Barcelona - Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool - £142m
Another transfer that did not work out was Philippe Coutinho's £142m move to Barcelona from Liverpool in January 2018. The Brazilian had established himself as one of the best creative midfielders in the world, with Barca paying a record transfer fee for Coutinho after losing Neymar to PSG six months earlier.
Coutinho never really got going at Camp Nou and received hefty criticism for his performances from the Barcelona fans during his first full season. Despite that, Coutinho still ended up winning his second La Liga title, having scored 11 times in 54 appearances in all competitions.
Having then spent a season on loan and winning the Champions League at Bayern Munich, Coutinho returned to Barcelona but he was not able to cement a place in the XI under Ronald Koeman. Coutinho departed for Aston Villa on loan in January 2022, before making the permanent switch to Villa Park that summer.
Philippe Coutinho disappointed at Barcelona (Getty Images)Liverpool - Virgil van Dijk from Southampton - £75m
The first record signing on this list that has proven to be a success. Virgil van Dijk transformed Liverpool into a dominant force after his big-money move from Southampton, with the defender helping the Reds to the Champions League final within his first six months.
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Liverpool ended up winning Europe's elite competition in 2019, a year before the Reds lifted their first ever Premier League title. Van Dijk completed the set with the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in 2022, and although his performances dipped last season, he will go down as one of Liverpool's greatest defenders.
Christian Benteke and Andy Carroll - who both disappointed during their time at Anfield - list as Liverpool's next two most expensive arrivals. Before that, Fernando Torres was Liverpool's record signing and he shone, scoring 91 times in 244 matches for the Reds.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk (Getty Images)Manchester City - Jack Grealish from Aston Villa - £100m
Having arrived from Aston Villa for a then British record transfer fee of £100m in 2021, Grealish struggled in his debut season at the Etihad. He was outstanding in his second campaign though as City ended up winning the treble.
Although Grealish came away with just five goals and 11 assists in 50 matches, he was a key cog in Pep Guardiola's system as City won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. The 27-year-old will be looking to return to form following the international break after missing the win over Fulham due to injury.
Jack Grealish joined Manchester City for £100m in 2021 (Getty Images)Bayern Munich - Harry Kane from Tottenham - £86.4m
Harry Kane is less than a month into his career at Bayern Munich and many believe Thomas Tuchel's side actually got a bargain in Kane, who scored 30 Premier League goals last season.
During his short time at Bayern, Kane has three goals and one assist in three Bundesliga appearances. Lucas Hernandez, Corentin Tolisso and Javi Martinez rank as Bayern's three previous record transfers.
Paris Saint-Germain - Neymar from Barcelona - £190m
Although Neymar failed to deliver the Champions League to PSG, his impact in the French capital will never be forgotten. After ending his first season with 28 goals in 30 matches, Neymar was awarded the Ligue 1 Player of the Year. He continued to shine, notching double figures in each of his six years in France.
However there are certainly doubts over whether he lived up to his world record £190m price tag. He never played more than 30 games in a single season at Parc des Princes and ended his spell in the summer after scoring 118 times in 171 appearances, joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.
Chelsea - Moises Caicedo from Brighton - £115m
Moises Caicedo became the most expensive player in Premier League history last month when he arrived at Stamford Bridge from Brighton in a deal worth £115m. He has made a stuttering start to life at Chelsea, however, after giving away a penalty against West Ham and making an error leading to the losing goal at home to Nottingham Forest.
The Ecuador international replaced Enzo Fernandez as Chelsea's record arrival after the latter joined the Blues from Benfica for £106m in January. Fernandez has undoubtedly improved Chelsea's midfield, but he has not done enough yet to justify his transfer fee, having failed to score in 22 Premier League appearances.
Moises Caicedo joined Chelsea for £115m last month (Getty Images)Tottenham - Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon - £55m
Somehow, Tanguy Ndombele is still at Tottenham - four years since joining in a club record deal of around £55m from Lyon. Following a string of poor performances in his first season, Mourinho openly criticised the midfielder and his perceived unprofessionalism.
He has been unable to find his best form at Spurs and was subsequently sent on his third loan spell in two years with Galatasaray last month. In total, Ndombele has made just 91 appearances for Tottenham, scoring 10 times. Tottenham's previous record recruit before that was Davinson Sanchez.
Arsenal - Declan Rice from West Ham - £105m
Arsenal's most expensive signing of all-time joined in July when Declan Rice swapped east London for north London with the Gunners. The 24-year-old scored the second goal for Mikel Arteta's side in their 3-1 win over Man Utd on Sunday and he has made a fine start to life at the Emirates.
Rice will be hoping his Arsenal career does not pan out the same way as Pepe, meanwhile.
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