Summer Transfers Who May Wish Their Moves Hadn't Happened
Players who made transfers in summer 2014 have had a good amount of time to bed into their new surroundings, but for some, things aren't going well.
Which leads us to question, who might be wishing that their move had never happened?
Over the following slides, we look at a selection of European-based names who are yet to settle, perform or impress at their new clubs. Of course, we don't know that they are unhappy, but we're willing to speculate, based on how their seasons have kicked off.
All transfer fees and player stats come from Transfermarkt, unless otherwise indicated.
Anyone you would add to the list? Let us know below.
Brown Ideye
1 of 10
In July, Brown Ideye became West Bromwich Albion's club-record signing, when he swapped Dynamo Kiev for the Baggies, to the tune of €10 million/£9 million.
"Brown is a quality striker and I'm looking forward to working with him," said head coach Alan Irvine, per BBC Sport.
The Nigeria international has not slipped seamlessly into life in England's top flight, with just three Premier League outings out of a potential 10 so far. In only one of those games did Ideye complete 90 minutes, and in his side's last fixture, against Leicester City, he did not even make it onto the bench.
There's big pressure on the player to perform, considering his high price tag, but maybe West Brom's outlay will still pay off.
However, the club are already said to be "exasperated" with the 26-year-old, according to John Percy in The Telegraph, and Irvine has even admitted that he'd never seen Ideye play in the flesh before making him their most expensive signing of all time, as reported by Brendan McLoughlin in the Mirror.
If things don't improve, both club and player may be wishing they had not put pen to paper on this particular deal.
Nemanja Vidic
2 of 10
Life in Serie A has not started well for Nemanja Vidic .
Hailed as a "great signing" by Inter Milan sporting director Piero Ausilio on talkSPORT, Vidic has struggled on several occasions since arriving in Italy.
On his debut, the central defender gave away a penalty and received a red card, in two separate incidents. Suspended for his second game, his side ran out with a 7-0 victory against Sassuolo, before winning only one of their next five fixtures with him in the side.
Against Cagliari, on September 28, Vidic was again at fault when he conceded another penalty against the (then) bottom-of-the-table team, who won 4-1.
Of course, it's not all bad for the former Manchester United man, who has been part of an Inter setup that has kept three clean sheets when he has been involved and has a WhoScored.com pass completion rate of 86 percent in Serie A.
However, after being an undisputed great for United in the Premier League, perhaps a part of him wishes he was still at Old Trafford.
Filipe Luis
3 of 10
Playing 49 games across domestic and European competition, Filipe Luis was utilized on all fronts by Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone last season.
Following his €20 million/£17.6 million move to Chelsea, Luis' first-team chances have proved slightly harder to come by, with Cesar Azpilicueta ahead of the 29-year-old in the Blues' pecking order.
In fact, the Brazilian had registered just seven minutes of top-flight football under Jose Mourinho this season, until Azpilicueta received a red card against Crystal Palace on October 18. Since then, the Brazilian has played every minute of Chelsea's last two league fixtures.
As reported by Simon Johnson in the London Evening Standard, Luis insists that he is happy to fight for his place, "When you work with Mourinho, you have to know that the group, the collective is above the individual. I don't think about myself right now."
A player who is used to playing week-in, week-out—it will be interesting to see if Luis' Chelsea career progresses or stalls in the months ahead.
Alessio Cerci
4 of 10
Last season, Alessio Cerci enjoyed one of his best campaigns as a footballer—notching a career-high 13 goals and 12 assists in Serie A.
Playing under manager Giampiero Ventura at Torino, it was the Italian's second year at a club that seemed to get the best out of him, something that his previous employers—including Roma and Fiorentina—had not managed.
When Atletico Madrid came calling over the summer, Cerci bade farewell to Turin, signing for the La Liga side for €15 million/£13.2 million. Along with Mario Mandzukic, the Italian was brought in to patch up the Diego Costa-shaped hole in attack.
It remains to be seen if it was a good move for both player and club, and Cerci could well regret leaving the team at which he enjoyed such personal success last term.
This time last season, the 27-year-old had scored six goals and registered one assist in his first six games in Serie A. He has scored in the Champions League this term, in Atleti's 5-0 win against Malmo on October 22, yet in La Liga, Cerci has played just 82 minutes of football, has not found the back of the net and has received one red card, against Valencia.
The jury is still out, but we think Cerci will wish he stayed with Ventura's side.
Rio Ferdinand
5 of 10
Rio Ferdinand might like to turn the clock back to the start of the season, or he may want to forget that he ever moved to Queens Park Rangers, we can't be sure.
What we can be sure of is the fact that the former West Ham, Leeds United and Manchester United man has had a truly terrible start to the season.
The 35-year-old joined QPR on a free transfer after being released by United, and it is to be the last move of his career, as reported by The Independent's Matt McGeehan.
Noticeably slow, lacking athleticism and with one win in his first seven games under Harry Redknapp, Ferdinand has been a shadow of the defender he used to be. An experienced, decorated veteran, yes, but his best days are behind him.
Ferdinand was not involved in recent ties against Liverpool and Aston Villa and missed out on facing Chelsea due to the first of a three-match ban, handed to him by the Football Association for comments he made on Twitter, as seen on BBC Sport.
So far, it's been a campaign to forget. Ferdinand may be ruing the day he decided to go to Loftus Road.
Dejan Lovren
6 of 10
After an excellent season with Southampton—his first, and last with the club—Dejan Lovren signed for Liverpool for €25.3 million/£20 million in summer 2014.
He joined fellow former team-mates Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana at Anfield, in a transfer window in which the Saints saw many of their senior players heading for the exits.
Southampton was the club that breathed new life into Lovren's career—the player going from making just 18 Ligue 1 appearances in his final season with Lyon, to 31 games the following term in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old did not endear himself to Saints fans when he criticized their lack of ambition during the off-season, proclaiming "my head is already at Liverpool," when speaking with Sportske Novosti (h/t Simeon Gholam in the Daily Mail).
Lovren has not been an instant hit on Merseyside, where the Reds have been struggling for cohesion in defence and sit eight points behind Southampton, who are flying high in second place.
Ronald Koeman's side, with just five goals conceded in 10 games, currently have the best defensive record in the top flight.
Did the Croatian make the right choice...?
Keylor Navas
7 of 10
An undisputed star of the 2014 World Cup, Keylor Navas has rarely been seen in action since signing for Real Madrid.
With club captain Iker Casillas preferred as No. 1 by Carlo Ancelotti, the Costa Rican goalkeeper has had just one outing in La Liga this term, against Elche in a 5-1 Madrid win at the Bernabeu.
Last season's La Liga Goalkeeper of the Year with Levante, Navas was described by the Daily Mail's Pete Jenson as "the world's most wanted goalkeeper" in June, amid reported interest from Liverpool, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid.
Navas is playing with some of the world's best players and will be earning a handsome wage, but as the 27-year-old continues to adjust to life on the bench, perhaps he'll secretly wish that he'd gone elsewhere.
Mario Balotelli
8 of 10
When Mario Balotelli left AC Milan over the summer, it was clear that his time at San Siro was up.
Upon leaving, club owner Silvio Berlusconi demonstrated just how welcome the striker was, by stating how glad he felt to see the "rotten apple" go, in La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t ESPNFC.com).
The Italian joined Liverpool in the club's bid to replace the irreplaceable—Luis Suarez. Without finding the back of the net in the Premier League in his time at Anfield so far, he has become a pantomime villain, blamed for all the Reds' ills, despite their obvious frailties in many areas of the pitch.
If things don't improve and the 24-year-old continues to be singled out for blame for Liverpool's less-than-impressive form, it's fair to assume that Balotelli may regret his move to Merseyside.
Michel Vorm
9 of 10
Ten fixtures gone in the 2014/15 Premier League season and it's nigh on impossible to find a picture of Michel Vorm wearing a Tottenham Hotspur kit.
That gives you some indication about why he may have future regrets about moving to White Hart Lane.
In fact, the former Swansea goalkeeper—who made 32 appearances in all competitions last season—has played just 180 minutes of football this term, in the League Cup against Nottingham Forest and Brighton, respectively.
It was a strange move when it was announced back in July, with Vorm's decision to join Spurs coming on the back of news that France No. 1 Hugo Lloris had just penned a new five-year deal with the club and backup keeper Brad Friedel had also extended his contract by one year, as seen on BBC Sport.
Perhaps he will get a chance to play in the top flight this season but, if he remains on the bench, Vorm may wish he had opted to go elsewhere.
Jan Oblak
10 of 10
When Jan Oblak signed for Atletico Madrid in July, he became La Liga's most expensive keeper of all time at €16 million/£14.8 million.
During the same month, Diego Simeone's side also signed Miguel Angel Moya from Getafe for €3 million/£2.64 million.
Before joining Atleti, Oblak had enjoyed a highly successful season with Benfica where, when he stepped into the injured Artur Moraes' shoes (or gloves), he kept a clean sheet in 13 of his 16 Primeira Liga games, conceding a total of just five goals.
He also kept a clean sheet against Juventus in the Europa League and played in the final, against Sevilla, where Benfica where finally eliminated on penalties after the game finished 0-0 in normal time.
A winner of the Portuguese league and cup and voted the Primeira Liga's best goalkeeper of 2013/14, his absence from Simeone's side this season has come as a surprise.
Just a month after signing, the 21-year-old was reportedly being "offered back to Benfica," as seen in Marca (h/t Football Espana).
With just one outing all season, against Olympiakos in the Champions League, Oblak must be wondering why he left the Estadio da Luz.
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