Tottenham’s Goal Poacher, Man City’s Flop Signings, And More – 5 Worst Premier League Players This Season

Halfway through the Premier League, the fans have been taken through a roller coaster ride. There has been no shortage of excitement, there has been no lack of exhilaration. Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United, the big clubs all occupy the top 6 positions and the race for the title is just getting started.

Burnley, in their return to the league, have held their own so far while Bournemouth too have been a side to watch out for. It has been a story as usual for Sunderland who are stuck at the other end of the table along with Hull City, Swansea City and Crystal Palace as they look to save their season.

While there have been some excellent individual displays throughout the league, there have been quite a number of players who have struggled to live up to the billing and have flattered to deceive. Here we take a look at five of the worst performers of the league so far:

Claudio Bravo

The signing of Bravo by Pep Guardiola in his first season in charge at Manchester City was surrounded by a lot of negative press, given the unceremonious ousting of fan-favourite and former No.1 Joe Hart.

However, Guardiola stuck with his guns, but it has proved to be a poor move from the Catalan. Bravo has been extremely shaky at the back for the Citizens and has been their worst performer of the season so far. Unable to deal with aerial balls, lacking the necessary strength and command in his six-yard box, Bravo’s season has been tumultuous at best. His decision making has also been a huge question mark for Guardiola and City.

Having managed to keep only 4 clean sheets for his team, Bravo has been more of a susceptibility at the back rather than an asset.

John Stones

Stones was one of the most sought-after players in the summer of 2016 with Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City all chasing him. However, Guardiola won the race and the former Evertonian moved to the Etihad for a whopping £40 million.

Having made the move, Stones has struggled to replicate his best form for City that saw him emerge as one of the brightest young talents in the country. He has been caught in possession plenty of times this term and his willingness to carry the ball out of defences has put him and his team in hot waters at times.

His inconsistent displays have resulted in Guardiola dropping him on quite a few occasions throughout the first half of the season and most certainly, Stones has struggled to live up to the expectations having made the big money move.

Jamie Vardy

The Premier League medal winner from the last term, Jamie Vardy has had to endure an extremely season so far. After enjoying a stellar season last term, where he scored 24 goals and played a starring role in Leicester City’s title winning campaign, Vardy has cut somewhat of a forlorn figure this term.

His ineffectiveness in front of goal has been one of the reasons for the Foxes’ poor run this season. Vardy has managed to score just 5 times in his 17 league appearances this season and has assisted 2 more goals, and has been nowhere near his devastating best that saw him tear apart defences in the season before.

Vardy’s waning form has been a problem for Claudio Ranieri and he will be hoping that his star striker finds his lethal touch soon.

Vincent Janssen

The Dutchman arrived at the White Hart Lane in the summer for a fee of £18.5 million, with great expectations, having finished the last season as the top scorer with AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie.

However, his career has failed to take off with Tottenham. Janssen has struggled to adapt to the pace and the physical nature of the Premier League big time and has been the poorest performer for Spurs this term. Having taken the pitch 15 times in the English top-flight, Janssen has just a goal and an assist to show for, against his name.

When a team pays the big bucks to bring a player in, much more is expected from him and Janssen has struggled to meet those expectations for Mauricio Pochettino this season.

Simone Zaza

Another summer signing to feature on our list, Simone Zaza’s loan spell at West Ham United was nothing short of a disaster.

Having brought in from Juventus for a temporary spell, the Italian cut a frustrated figure at the London Olympic Stadium as he struggled to get used to the rigours of the English football. His displays were insipid, he was utterly short on confidence and it was clearly visible on the pitch. In his 9 games in the Premier League, Zaza failed to score a single goal or register a single assist against his name.

After what was an utterly disappointing campaign, Zaza is all set to cut short his stay in London and return to Juventus in January.