How have the biggest summer signings performed this season?

Whilst everybody has been wowed so far by what Erling Haaland has achieved in a Manchester City shirt – he has already found the net 23 times in 17 appearances, including 4 hat-tricks – he does not rank among the biggest summer signings in terms of what was paid for him (although his reputed wages are another thing altogether).

As for spending, it’s not surprising that Premier League clubs are at the top of the list, since many clubs in the rest of Europe are having trouble making ends meet.

So far, it has to be said that the performances of some of the big-money signings has been mixed, although in some cases, the players involved have been unfortunate.

Alexander Isak, for example, who joined Newcastle United from Real Sociedad for a fee of £59 million, had played barely a handful of games for his new club, before he was side-lined with a thigh injury, picked up on international duty with Sweden. He is hoping to return during the World Cup break.

Wesley Fofana has had more than his fair share of injuries in his short career, and he missed almost an entire season with Leicester after breaking his leg during a pre-season friendly.

However, Chelsea were still persuaded to pay £70 million for him in the summer, but, to date, have seen little return on their investment.

He has made just four appearances so far, for his new club, before a knee injury ruled him out of action. That also ended any faint hopes that he may have entertained of making France’s World Cup squad.

Two men who will be heading to Qatar after being named in Brazil’s World Cup squad, were both big-money summer signings for Manchester United.

The Premier League club paid Ajax £82 million for winger Antony, and he rewarded them by becoming the first Manchester United player to score in his first three consecutive Premier League games.

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They also spent £60 million to bring experienced midfielder Casemiro to Old Trafford from Real Madrid. Manager Erik ten Hag bedded him in slowly, and he started his first United games on the bench, before slotting into the team.

When Manchester City met Liverpool in the Community Shield pre-season, it was not Haaland who grabbed the headlines, but Liverpool’s big acquisition from Benfica, Darwin Nuñez.

However, despite scoring in the opening league game of the season, he then picked up a needless red card against Crystal Palace, and that seemed to set him back for a while, not helped by joining a Jurgen Klopp side that appears to be in transition. There are signs, though, that he is starting to find his feet at Anfield.

Aurélien Tchouaméni, midfielder, moved from Monaco to Real Madrid for a fee of £68 million. This was the biggest transfer outside of the Premier League. As Real Madrid look to replace their ageing midfield, he has already made 17 appearances for his new club and has been named to France’s World Cup squad. With injuries to key players like N’Golo Kanté and Paul Pogba, he will probably feature in their starting line-up for their first match against Australia.