Every Premier League Club's Most Talented Player Who Underperformed This Season (2019-2020)

The Premier League is a collection of some of the world’s most talented players. The Premier League is also notorious for being physically demanding. Some players fail to perform despite having talent, I analyze every Premier League clubs most talented player who underperformed this season. I look at their transfer fees, the expectations set for them and the comparisons to previous campaigns. I also attempt to figure out what went wrong and what the solution to the problem is.

Arsenal - Nicholas Pepe

After setting the world alight at Lille last season, Nicholas Pepe did all but that in his debut season in the Premier League. After an underwhelming season in 2018/19 in which Arsenal failed to qualify for the Champions League, the squad needed a refresh. Pepe, who had been on fire for Lille, was one of the world's hottest prospects. In 2018/19, 24 year-old, Pepe scored 22 goals (second-most in the league) and created 11 goals (most in the league) for his team. Lille ended the season in second place, on the way demolishing eventual champions PSG 5-1. Pepe was unsurprisingly included in the team of the season. Arsenal secured the winger for 72.9 million pounds. Arsenal was in the market for some creative spark. Pepe fit perfectly because he had created 70 chances the previous season. Pepe, however, was unable to replicate this form again. Pepe had 5 goals and 6 assists in 31 Premier League appearances. These are not numbers expected from a record-breaking transfer and marquee signing. It is clear that Pepe has world-beating talent. This season was horrific for Arsenal with them finishing 8th and failing to qualify for the Europa League. Is it too early to write Pepe off as a one-season wonder? Or is he truly unfit for the physicality of the English game?

Aston Villa - Wesley Moraes

Wesley was the marquee signing supposed to help Aston Villa score goals in the Premier League this season. Wesley was doing relatively well for himself prior to an injury midway through his debut campaign. Wesley suffered knee ligament damage that would have put him out of action to the original season. Wesley, who has one leg shorter than the other, was signed for the Belgian club Club Brugge for a price north of 20 million pounds. Wesley had struck for Club Brugge 32 times in 107 appearances, a rate of 0.299 goals per match. For Villa, his scoring rate has decreased to a rate of 0.238 goals per match. In his final season for Club Brugge Wesley hit 13 goals in 38 games, It is possible that his tally would have been closer to that of last season’s if he was able to make more than 21 appearances. Wesley scored 5 times last season, though this was decent form for a debut season in the Premier League, this is not form that is expected from a striker that costs 22 million pounds. Villa stayed up by the skin of their teeth, only confirming their safety on the final day of the season. If Wesley had stayed fit his goals could have fired them to a more stable position in the table. Though strong, tall and undoubtedly talented Wesley has endured a tough first campaign in the Premier League.

AFC Bournemouth - Ryan Fraser

A man who had been with Bournemouth from their time in League 1 and is currently a free agent after rejecting a new contract, Ryan Fraser was unable to live up to the standards he set for himself in 2018/19. The 2018-19 campaign was extremely productive for the flying Scotsman. Fraser recorded 7 goals and 14 assists in 38 league appearances, firmly putting himself on the radar of some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs. Arsenal was the club that seemed to have the most intense interest. However, Arsenal recognized that Fraser’s contract ran out at the end of the 2019-20 season and wanted to get him for free. Fraser admits that he was distracted by the Arsenal rumors in an interview with BBC Scotland where he says "Maybe it hasn't helped," "Subconsciously, you might think about it. I'm just trying to get on with my work. Every player says that.” Last season was evidence that he truly was distracted. Fraser has only netted once and recorded 4 assists while playing decreased 28 times, Even being told by manager Eddie Howe not to play for a relegation threatened Bournemouth side towards the end of his contract due to his lack of focus. It isn’t all bad for Fraser, Arsenal have maintained their interest in him, Tottenham and Newcastle have also entered the race for his signature. It is now up to the talented scot to prove that the numbers he put up in 2018/19 are something the can consistently match.

Brighton and Hove Albion - Alireza Jahanbakhsh

The Premier League may have been a step too far for Jahanbakhsh. Though he may have won the goal of the month in January for that insane overhead kick, his other moments in a Brighton shirt have been less noteworthy. In his last season with AZ Alkmaar Jahanbakhsh averaged one involvement every appearance. For Brighton, Jahanbakhsh has 2 goals and no assists in 14 starts in the Premier League. Brighton signed Jahanbakhsh as a flair player for a club-record 17.1 million pounds. Without even considering the fact that the seagulls have struggled for goals this season, Jahanbakhsh does not even seem to get a look in. Brighton were relatively safe from relegation from last season, Jahanbakhsh played a very minor role in keeping the same. As Jahanbahkhsh is entering the prime of his career, he needs to start finding and level which would allow him to have consistent game time. Ajax have shown interest in him, this may be a good decision for the Iranian. The Eredivisie is a league that suits Jahanbakhsh’s performance levels. He has previously shown that he is capable of performing at the tempo. The move would suit both parties as Ajax are gonna lose Hakim Ziyech and Jahanbakhsh can get back to his best. If the move goes through, will this be a scenario parallel to the one experienced by Dusan Tadic? Will this Premier League Flop revive what was a once promising career?

Burnley - Matěj Vydra

Championship goal machines doesn't always translate to Premier League goal-getters. Dwight Gayle, Che Adams and David Nugent, (The list goes on) these are all examples of great Championship goal scorers that couldn’t replicate their form in the Premier League. Matěj Vydra is a Burnley player with no business at the top of the football pyramid. Vydra got his first chance in the Championship on loan with Watford, oftentimes he was unplayable scoring 20 goals in 41 appearances. West Bromwich Albion picked Vydra up on loan, this one was less successful. In the whole 2013/14 season, he managed just 3 goals in the Premier League. 16 goals in the 2015/16 Championship season proved that Vydra still had the goalscoring instincts. Vydra later spent 2 seasons with Watford in the Premier League and only registered a singular appearance. Vydra spent the 2018/19 season with promotion hopefuls Derby County and became the Championship’s top scorer with 21 goals. Vydra’s transfer to Burnley has brought with it 31 appearances and 3 goals. Vydra managed 2 goals in 19 games in 2019/20. Vydra is a lethal Championship striker and a Premier League flop. He’s currently playing for a coach that doesn’t embrace the attacking flair and thus a system that doesn’t fit him. Vydra may need to turn over a new leaf and join a new club in a less physically demanding league.

Chelsea - Kepa Arrizabalaga

“Expensive mistake,” those are 2 words that most fans would use to describe the transfer of Kepa. Over the last two seasons, Kepa has conceded 6 against Manchester City in 90 minutes and 4 against United in one game and refused to be substituted off in the Carabao cup final despite being asked by his coach, a game which they eventually lost. Kepa is the most expensive keeper in the world and a player Chelsea will be hoping to offload this summer. Kepa accumulated 8 clean sheets this season. This was less than than the likes of Kasper Schmeichel, Vincente Guaita and Matt Ryan. The biggest thing to note is his drop off from last season, Not only did he make fewer appearances but also reduced the amount of clean sheet from 14 to 8. Though undeniably talented, Kepa is error prone, inconsistent and raw. For the last 2 seasons, Chelsea have not had a solid shot stopper. This error has taught Chelsea not to throw around 70 million pounds without strong consideration. When Chelsea sold Courtois was off to the Bernabeu in 2018 Chelsea hastily threw 71.5 million pounds towards Athletic Bilbao for Kepa. Chelsea want to forget the ‘mare that Kepa has experienced. A Kepa plus cash swap deal for Jan Oblak is in the works. We may see Kepa in La Liga next season.

Crystal Palace - Max Meyer

Max Meyer looked like an inspired signing when he walked through the doors at Selhurst Park on a free transfer. Meyer looked like he could excite eagles fans adding some versatility to the eagles midfield and pairing with Wilfred Zaha. In last season at Schalke, Meyer regained possession in the midfield third, 96 times, the second most in the Bundesliga that season. Meyer was a solid idea, it just hasn't worked out. The German youth international has fallen out of favor under Roy Hodgson. He made six starts in a below average Crystal Palace campaign. His appearances have reduced from the 2018/19 season. Palace have 3 out and out central midfielders, we see that both McArthur and McCarthy have made significantly more appearances. To Meyer’s 6 starts, McArthur and McCarthy have 37 and 16 respectively. Meyer has only made 3 contributions (1 goals, 2 assists) in 21 starts across 2 seasons. Meyer is entering his prime, he needs to be starting more often and getting consistent gametime to progress effectively. In order to revive his career, Meyer may need a loan to a less physical and competitive league. Meyer has not justified his 125,000 pound weekly wages It's tough to comprehend how Meyer has fallen so far. He is far from the days of partnering Goretzka in a dangerous Schalke midfield and being linked to Bayern Munchin.

Everton - Moise Kean

Moise Kean shot into the limelight midway through the 2018-19 Serie A Campaign scoring 5 goals in 13 games for Juventus and quickly establishing him as one of the world’s most exciting prospects. At the tender age of 20 years, old Keane was already starting for one of the world’s biggest clubs, commonly next to the likes of Ronaldo, Bonucci and Manzukic. In fact, he was so good that Caliguri fans felt the need to subject him to racist abuse. In the summer of 2019 many of the biggest clubs were looking to add Kean to their squads. Everton worked quickly to secure his signature. In retrospect, Everton was a terrible choice. Kean needed a team that didn’t rely on him for goals while keeping the attention on himself. At the time that Kean signed Everton did not have a reliable source of goals. Luckily Calvert-Lewin was able to relieve Kean of that responsibility. Keane managed just 2 goals and 2 assists in 29 appearances last season. His season has been nothing of a disaster. Who can forget the time when he was subbed off by Duncan Ferguson after just a 18 minute showing against Manchester United. Not the progression either the youngster or Everton were looking for. Moise Keane needs to use the summer to rest up and get a preseason under his belt.

Leicester City - Demarai Gray

Leicester City had an astonishing season, even looking likely to qualify for the Champions League for most of it. It’s difficult to choose a talent flop for this season. Demari Gray is my choice because they're simply no one else to go for. Vardy won the golden boot, Maddison was a creative spark, Tielemans dictated the play, Ndidi is a bulldozer, Evans and Soyuncu are a great partnership and Piererra and Chilwell are defensively solid flying full backs. You may be wondering why I didn’t go for Tielemans since he had a massive dropoff in form since the restart. The reason being that rest of the Leicester team had the same dropoff and that the first half of his season was so outstanding. Demarai Gray has not been having good seasons for a couple of seasons now. Demarai Gray Is no longer a prospect at 24 years old (Is he the next Jesse Lingard?) he should be starting week in week out and getting ready to enter his prime. This season isn’t just a one off either, in the 3 seasons prior, Gray had a combined 99 appearances and 8 goals. Gray has been at Leicester since their title winning season. This season has been even worse for Gray as he has been reduced to the role of impact (less) sub make 18 of his 21 appearances off the bench. I’m not sure if we can put this down to lack of talent, experience or work ethic. Gray may need a loan to the Championship, to a promotion hopeful, in order to regain some confidence and form. The biggest question is whether any team would take him.

Liverpool - Naby Keita

Kieta is high energy, feisty and aggressive. Kieta is great at dictating the play in transition. Schalke’s Sporting Director even admitted that “he does effectively play two positions at the same time.” During his time at RB Leipzig, Keita proved that he could play both the role of the “creator” and “destroyer” flawlessly. Keita is a versatile player who was responsible for playing the box-to-box role for his former club. At the time of his transfer to Merseyside, he looked like he could fill the gap in Liverpool's lineup. If all of these skills translated to the Premier League, I wouldn’t be writing about him now. Keita has struggled to perform in red. In the Premier League last season, Kieta has made 9 starts and contributed 2 goals and 3 assist. Output like this is not expected from a midfielder costing 52.75 million pounds. Kieta was swept to the side as liverpool's surged to the title. There are undoubtedly less talented players in the Liverpool engine room. Keita has not performed at the same intensity since joining the Liverpool project. Keita is raw, talented and has temporarily plateaued. Kieta may need a loan to prove why Liverpool signed him in the first place.

Manchester City - Leroy Sane

Sane’s time in Manchester has finally come to an end with his transfer to Bayern Munchin. Over that period he has won the Premier League title twice, the FA cup, 3 League cups and 2 Community Shields. Sane has not failed to impress during his time with the Citizens. In 2017/18 he contributed to 10 goals and assists 15 assists in 27 starts and 32 games. Despite what he had contributed, Sane began to see his role in the team reduced to impact sub in 2018/19. He only made 21 starts and came off the bench 10 times. Guardiola seemed to prefer other wingers, often playing Bernardo Silva, Sterling or Mahrez as opposed to Sane. Sane began to grow frustrated and look for a transfer away from the Etihad. Many clubs began to scout the talented wideman. Bayern Munich made their interests apparent to the world and began intense interest in the German international. It seemed like Sane was in an ideal position. However, It would all come crashing down in the Community shield against Liverpool at the beginning of last season, Sane suffered serious knee ligament damage. This injury would restrict sane to 1 appearances all season. For the 2 seasons prior, Sane had managed 45 contributions in 63 appearances. Sane also had to wait all season, unsure about whether his transfer to Bayern Munchin was going to go through. It's a shame that Sane’s final season was so forgettable. Hopefully Sane can turn over a new leaf because he has a bright future ahead of him if he doesn't lose any of the pace, close control and killer instinct.

Manchester United - Paul Pogba

Pre-Bruno Fernandes United were shaky, inconsistent and a shadow of their former selves. Paul Pogba was been the exact same way. Last season, Pogba made 16 league appearances and made 1 goal and 3 assists. He has also been unproductive compared to his 2018/19. Last season he scored 13 goals and assisted 9 times. He was also the Red Devil’s chief creator amassing 9 assists and creating 7 other big chances. Coming back to this past season, Pogba had only made 13 starts and provided 1 goal and 3 assists. Pogba has struggled this season. A major reason for this was his endless responsibilities for how Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team functioned. Prior to Fernandes’s transfer, Pogba was in a deep role, responsible for transitioning play from defense to attack as well as creating goal scoring opportunities, fitting the role of a deep-lying playmaker. By no means is this a terrible season or proven that Pogba has passed his best. Since Fernades’ arrival Pogba has been more free, because Fernandes’ creative and goalscoring output is enough to brighten up the players around him. Pogba needs to be played in the right areas in order to be effective. he is a midfielder that can do a little of everything. United look like they can head into the new campaign with confidence because they have a team littered with quality.

Newcastle United - Joelinton

This signing alone must have to make Mike Ashley reconsider investing in transfers.The Magpies had a solid season under Steve Bruce. A 13th place finish with a number of standout players like Saint-Maximin, Martin Dubravka and Isaac Hayden. One player that stood out for all the wrong reasons, Joelinton is a 40 million Pound mistake. He scored once against Tottenham and again against Sheffield United, playing in every league game in the process. Last season Joelinton looked like a prospect that could go on and do great things, Last season Joelinton has looked sloppy, slow and unfit. Joelinton doesn’t fit Newcastle’s play style, Newcastle soaked up the pressure and look for a finisher that could score on the counter. Joelinton seems to be the type of player to provide link up play and score from a build up. Salamon Rondon must be sorely missed by the fans as Newcastle didn't really have a consistent goal scorer when the Brazilian is one the pitch. Jonjo Shelvy is Newcastle's top scorer with 6 goals this season. We have seen glimpses of Joelinton’s talent like from Matty Longstaff’s goal against United, Joelinton shielded Maguire from the ball and provided an assist, a great showing of his link up play. Joelinton is not a natural goal scorer and lacks that lethal instinct that has worked so well for Newcastle's number 9s in the past. If Newcastle want Joelinton to succeed they need to build a team around him, A team that has a striker who he can play behind. Joelinton is a talent stuck in the wrong system.

Norwich City - Max Aarons

Remember all the hype surrounding Max Aarons, the teenage right back. Well, Norwich City had the worst defense in the league. They conceded 75 goals in 38 matches and lost a total of 27 times. Moreover, Aarons has lost some of that attacking threat. In the Championship, last season, he recorded 6 assists. In his first season in the Premier League Aarons got 1 assist. Many fans called for Aarons to be included into the England setup after a stellar Championship season. Whether fans are still thinking that is clear, after the canaries performance in the Premier League. 5 clean sheets? That’s embarrassing (granted Aarons has taken part in all of them.) I remember when Aarons was being lauded as England’s next big defensive hope. Now it's fair to say that he is nowhere near the Three Lions setup. England has the finest selection right backs. Aarons is still young and has a career ahead of him. Aarons may have been more effective if he had a better team surrounding him. Now that Aarons is going back to playing in the Championship again. We can only hope that he can regain some confidence, form and flair and get another shot at the dizzy heights of the Premier League.

Sheffield United - Ravel Morrison

It's another hard choice for Sheffield United. No one expected the blades to perform so well, they were knocking on the door of european competitions all season. Most of the squad overperformed, Henderson, Fleck and Stevens were some of the best players outside of the big six. The blades had the 4th best defense in the league, for a large majority of the seasons they held 2nd least conceded goals. One area that the Blades lacked was goal scoring threat and midfield creativity. They ranked 16th for goals scored in the campaign. I had my pick of 4 players for this list, Ollie Mcburnie is a forward who has out performed his previous seasons in the Premier League, no one ever expected Lys mousset to do so well back in his Bournemouth years, David Mcgoldrick is a lower league journeyman. Who could forget about Ravel Morrison, the former Ostersunds star who was once touted for greatness by Sir Alex Ferguson. Fergie called him the “best he had ever seen.” Morrison’s talent is there, it has been there since he was an academy player. The results have not, it clearly has not worked out for Morrison at Bramall Lane this season. Since his free summer transfer in 2019 Morrison only featured in 12 minutes of Premier League action last season. He was just there to warm the bench. Morrison’s career has been far from the heights that it was meant to hit. This man was meant to be playing in Champions League finals and hoovering up trophies, not sitting on the bench for bottom half Premier League clubs and starring in Sweden. He is now 27 and needs to be playing more, you never know, he may win the Ballon D’or. After all, Sir Alex Ferguson thought he was more talented than Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney. We have definitely learnt that talent doesn't always come to fruition and that neither Chris Wilder or Sir Alex Ferguson are always right.

Southampton - Che Adams

Adams exploded into life in the 2018/19 Championship season scoring 22 goals in 46 games. At his young age, he had played an absurd amount of gametime at a decently high level. Adams had netted so many times for Birmingham City. In the summer he moved to the Saints for 15 million pounds and signed a five year deal. This season is the polar opposite of the 2018/19 form. 10 goals would make this season a stellar season for Adams. However, 4 goals and 2 assists wasn’t enough to justify his price tag and hype. Hasenhüttl dropped Adams to the bench multiple times. Adams made 18 of his 30 league appearances off the bench. It’s hard to comprehend why Adams had such a notable drop off in form this past season. It’s obvious that the Premier League is world apart from the Championship and that he is young, but, Hasenhüttl has plunged him straight into the deep end. Adams should have moved to a Championship promotion hopeful or to one of the top teams in the league. Rumours showed that Manchester United were interested in him. If he had taken up that opportunity he would be playing in the Champions League next season.

Tottenham - Tanguy Ndombele

Ndombele’s time with Lyon was the very pinnacle of midfield versatility. Between Ligue 1 midfielders that made 20 or more appearances, he not only managed 7 assists (joint 2nd), 57.7 passes per game (5th most) and 1.4 key passes per game (7th most) without taking set pieces but also 1.9 nine tackles per game and only allowing someone to dribble pass him once per game (top five in League 1 in general). Furthermore, only Téji Savanier managed more dribbles per game than him (same guidelines.) ( Credits: Football Made Simple) Ndombele floated around helping Fekir and Depay in attack and Tousart in breaking down the opposition play. Lyon are a possession based team, they averaged over 55% possession in the 2018/19 campaign. Ndombele proved that he was good with the ball at his feet and has great game knowledge without the ball. In the summer of 2019, Ndombele had every team in world football to pick from. Spurs managed to agree terms with both player and club to get the deal across the line. Ndombele signed for Tottenham in a deal worth 55.45 million pounds plus up to 8.97 million pounds in possible add-ons. 2 goals and 2 assists in the league is a pathetic out for a club record signing. Ndombele did not feature much under Mourinho much this proceeding season, he has struggled with multiple injuries and been unable to impress when on the field. He is definitely the most talented player in the Tottenham “engine room.” Mourinho’s spurs team has been good on paper but have often looked overly-defensive, predictable and simple, struggling offensively against big teams. Eric Dier has been an option that Mourinho has turned to often. I am not really sure how he is still a lilywhite. Ndombele could play Dier’s defensive while helping Winks transition the play. He may need an uninterrupted full season in order to truly explode into life.

West Ham United - Felipe Anderson

West Ham United were embroiled in a relegation battle for a majority of the season. Though still unspectacular, a drop off from 10th in 2018/19 to 16th in the table in 2019/20 is significant. For this list I looked towards defenders like Issa Diop because the Hammers conceded the fifth most goals in the league this season or attackers like Sebatien Haller and Pablo Fornals. Haller gave the world a false idea, In his best season in Frankfurt his stats were helped by Luka Jovic, A significant portion of his career goals have come in the Eredivisie, the man is no longer young, he is in his prime at 26 years old. Unsurprisingly, he is yet to be capped by France. Pablo Fornals hasn't been as influential as many Hammers fans would have hoped, though, if he can increase on his 2 goals and 5 assists by 1 or 2 respectively, he would become one of West Ham’s key men. In addition, This is the sort of output we should come to expect from him. Felipe Anderson is the player I'm going for, the brazilian has not lived up to the standards set by himself in 2018/19. In his debut season in the Premier League Anderson looked like someone who could change games with his pace and energy. He scored 9 goals and recorded 4 assists helping West Ham to a respectable 10th place finish. The 2019/20 season saw the whole Hammers team perform worse, Anderson was no different. His goals dropped from 9 to 1 and he failed to push on and register more assists than last season. Anderson was once one of the most exciting players outside of the big six, It’s hard to see what the Hammers can do to help him improve. They already have some solid attacking players in Haller, Fornals and Yarmolenko. Next season Anderson has to prove that he is worth the 40+ million pounds in transfer fee and 140,000 pound weekly wages that West Ham have invested in him

Wolves - Morgan Gibbs-White

The Wolves’ “engine room” is one of the most lethal in the Premier League. The combination of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves is crucial to Wolves’ playstyle. Wolves had Europa League games as well as their league games, Moutinho and Neves both played in every match in the league season due to a lack of depth throughout the whole squad. There were 12 players in the squad who played more than league 25 games and a further 6 that played took part in every one. Morgan Gibbs-White has been lauded as Wolves’ biggest talent for several seasons now. Gibbs-White is 20 now, he doesn’t need to be starting every week but he should not be limited to 1 start especially with the lack of choice that is available to Nuno Espírito Santo. Gibbs-White did not make any direct contributions last campaign. The youngster definitely needs to get more game time in order to put his career back on a good track. Who can forget when Gibbs-White was caught breaching lockdown to attend a party with Love Island stars. It is fair to say that he has left his career in a deep ditch 2 years on from that 2017 under 17 world cup win in India. A drop off from 26 league appearances last season is pretty substantial for someone in his position. Gibbs-White still has a decently promising career ahead of him if he can dislodge the ageing Joao Moutinho and prove his worth