Five expensive signings that only spent one season at football clubs

Following recent news that Romelu Lukaku will return to Inter Milan this summer, we took a closer look at five expensive signings who spent only 12 months at their club.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – £59 million from Inter Milan to Barcelona (2009)

In the summer of 2009, Zlatan Ibrahimovic made the switch from Inter Milan to the Camp Nou. Star Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o and midfielder Alexander Hleb went the other way, while Barca paid the Italian side an additional £59 million.

The Swede demonstrated his goalscoring at the Spanish club and won four trophies, including the La Liga title.

But things quickly started to turn sour between Ibrahimovic and manager Pep Guardiola. He believed the Spaniard was prioritising Lionel Messi’s request to play through the middle of the attack. Ibra wanted to play through the centre.

Ibra famously confronted Guardiola, saying, “you haven’t got any balls!”

After just one season at Barcelona, the Swedish icon joined AC Milan on loan in 2010.

Angel di Maria- £59.7 million from Real Madrid to Manchester United (2014)

Following his Man of the Match performance in the 2014 Champions League final, Angel di Maria moved to Manchester United for a fee of £59.7 million. At the time, this fee was a British transfer record.

The Argentine started his Man United career well. The midfielder assisted some crucial goals and scored some impressive ones – his audacious chip against Leicester springs to mind.

However, things went south for Di Maria at Man United. The midfielder suffered a burglary in February 2015. The Argentine said he and his family no longer felt safe in the city.

On the football pitch, Di Maria’s form began to dip, and he suffered a series of niggling injuries. The midfielder joined Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2015 for £44.3 million. He’s set for another move this summer.

Malcom- 41 million euros from Bordeaux to Barcelona (2018)

Another Barcelona signing, Brazilian forward Malcom’s short career at the Camp Nou was underwhelming. The Brazilian moved to the Spanish side for 41 million euros after impressing for Bordeaux.

A host of clubs were after his signature, and Roma even thought they had signed the Brazilian. Fans waited at the airport in Italy for the winger to arrive, but he opted for Barcelona instead.

While Barca won the La Liga title, Malcom only scored four goals in 24 appearances. He was often a substitute and saw his minutes limited.

He scored against Inter Milan in the Champions League and Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, but there were few highlights in Malcom’s single season at the Camp Nou. The Brazilian departed for Russian side Zenit in the summer of 2018 for a fee in the region of 40 million euros.

Carlos Tevez – Undisclosed fee from Corinthians to West Ham (2006)

West Ham paid an undisclosed fee for Carlos Tevez. Tevez signed for West Ham from Corinthians on 31 August 2006 following his refusal to play for the Brazilian club.

The Argentine was vital for the Hammers that season, scoring the winning goal in their final-day win at Man United. This goal kept West Ham up, and Sheffield United were relegated as a result.

Tevez moved to Man United that summer on a two-year loan deal.

In the years following Tevez’s transfer to West Ham, investigations were carried out. They found that the striker was partially owned by a business company. This is not allowed. The Premier League fined the Hammers a record £5.5 million, and the London club paid Sheffield United £20 million in compensation for their relegation.

Romelu Lukaku- £97.5 million from Inter Milan to Chelsea (2021)

Romelu Lukaku signed for Chelsea in August 2021, having just won the Serie A with Inter Milan.

He last played for the Blues in 2014 and had previously played for Everton and Man United.

Lukaku scored on his return debut against Arsenal. He fitted into Chelsea’s team well initially, but his form soon tapered.

But after Lukaku conducted a controversial interview in December, his Chelsea future became uncertain. The Belgian criticised how he was used at Chelsea and praised how Inter Milan played to his strengths.

Chelsea did not like this. He fell out of favour with Thomas Tuchel, and despite issuing an apology, the interview left a bitter taste.

Lukaku saw more minutes near the end of the season, but he could not rediscover his goalscoring touch.

Lukaku will return to Inter on loan this summer. He will hope to rediscover his form back in Italy after a disappointing season with the Blues.

Featured image credit: Getty