While buyer’s remorse is common amongst Premier League clubs, seller’s remorse can be just as maddening for fans.
We’re only a few months into the new campaign and the closing of the transfer window but there are already some obvious questions of “why did they sell him?” and, in some cases, “why did they sell him for so little?”
Here’s six summer sales that already look like miscalculations.
Omari Hutchinson – Nottingham Forest
Forest spent big money on Hutchinson last year but 12 months on he’s not even at the club.
Despite making 17 Premier League starts, Hutchinson wanted more game time and Forest felt they could not make good with that request.
They loaned him to Milan with a reported option to buy and while he has had to wait for opportunities in Italy, he impressed against Salzburg in the Europa League midweek, hinting he could be in line for more regular game time with Milan.
Forest are reasonably well covered in Hutchinson’s natural position on the right flank but the more he impresses in Italy, the more they will wonder if they made the wrong choice.
Will Lankshear – Tottenham Hotspur
If there’s one thing Spurs need right now, it’s goals. Which makes it all the more strange they opted to sell Lankshear in the summer.
The striker came through the Spurs academy and after two loan spells in the Championship, Spurs opted to sell him to Middlesbrough for a £10m fee that could rise to £20m.
But in a world where Liam Delap goes for double that, Lankshear was surely worth a lot more and his performances for the Riverside club already suggest they got a bargain.
He’s the top scorer in the Championship with nine in 11 league games and while that kind of proficiency may not directly translate to the Premier League, he would have surely been better than relying on Dominic Solanke or spending £59m on Omar Marmoush.
Sasa Lukic, Issa Diop, Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson – Fulham
In isolation, you could explain all of these transfers but the fact they came in the same window alongside the manager moving on has meant disaster for Fulham.
They were powerless to stop Harry Wilson, who ran down his contract, while Jimenez also left after his deal expired. But selling experienced players Lukic and Diop – to a relegation rival, no less – looks like a serious miscalculation.
Both those players have played starring roles for an Ipswich side currently 10th while Fulham decided to replace the pair with largely untested young gambles.
The result has left them bottom of the table and facing the prospect of relegation, with Alvaro Arbeloa under pressure.
James Trafford – Manchester City
Donnarumma’s performance against PSG did not help allay fears he has become a bit shaky as a keeper.
While he was never great with his feet, the selling point of Donnarumma was supposed to be that he was an incredible shot-stopper, but he made an error that directly led to a goal in the Champions League.
If that trend continues into the Premier League, what do City do then? Their two back-ups are a pair of 34-year-olds and even if they did make a quick profit on Trafford, the decision to sell him could be one they come to regret.
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Luka Vuskovic – Tottenham Hotspur
It feels both equal parts very Brighton and very Tottenham that Vuskovic is doing very well.
After Spurs took Jan Paul van Hecke, Brighton were in the market for a new centre-back and opted for 19-year-old Vuskovic, who had never played for the north London side.
Vuskovic cost Brighton £46m, which was £5m short of his transfer valuation at the time, but his value has risen dramatically after a great start to the season.
He’s played in every Premier League game this season, scoring once, and Fabian Hurzeler has already suggested he could be one of the league’s best defenders.
Meanwhile, Van Hecke has contributed to a Tottenham defence which has conceded four more goals than Brighton.
Gabriel Martinelli – Arsenal
When you receive a club-record fee for a player, it’s hard to say no but the departure of both Trossard and Martinelli in the same window has made Arsenal look weak on the left flank.
The first choice is Christos Tzolis but he has had a slow start to his Premier League career and an injury on the international break means Mikel Arteta is now having to put square pegs into round holes.
Noni Madueke looked ineffective on his preferred right and so unsurprisingly did not look great on the left, while Eberechi Eze appears to have fallen out of favour.
Martinelli’s performance level had fallen in the last few years and £55m is £55m but it has left Arsenal looking weak on that side.