EPL : 5 New Signings Who Could Turn Up as Flops for Their New Clubs

With the transfer window all but over, the clubs are now settling down and getting prepared for the challenges of the new season. This was one of the busiest transfer windows in quite a long time, as every club brought in new players while letting go off the older ones, in a bid to bolster or revamp their squads.

There have been several articles on the best transfer deals during this window or regarding the best bargains of every club. Hence, in this article we will take a look into the players who could prove a flop for their new clubs in the new season.

Peter Crouch

The lanky England international made a move to the Brittania Stadium from White Hart Lane in a big money deal to get more playing time.

The former Liverpool star, who rose to fame at Anfield, saw himself falling down the pecking order at Spurs' over the past season. So when Stoke arrived with the promise of regular playing time, Crouchinho agreed readily. The deal meant Crouch would get enough chances to prove his worth and claim a spot in the England starting line-up.

For the Potters, a player of Crouch's quality at £10 million meant a good bargain. Tony Pulis' squad had been lacking in quality upfront and Crouch would be a welcome addition. Moreover, his tall height could be well exploited by the usually tall and burly Potters.

But their new deal could turn into a poor bargain, as the 6'7" striker has been a shadow of his previous self. Over the past season he has looked blunt in front of the goal and has also lacked creativity. Moreover, his lean figure has it's disadvantages and every team in the Premier League has found out a method to control Crouch.

So the Potters' much celebrated bargain deal could well turn into a poor signing, and in the process hamper their chances in the league.

Andre Santos

One of Wenger's many deadline day deals to bolster his squad was the signing of Fenerbache's Brazilian defender, Andre Santos, for £6.2million. His signing was done with the intention of bolstering the Gunners' extremely shaky defense.

The left-back is a versatile player who can play easily in a variety of roles and loves to go forward more often. But the Brazilian's main weakness is his defense, something he is expected to do in a better way. His weak defensive abilities, combined with a lapse of concentration will trouble him against the Premier League players.

His affinity to move forward in any opportunity also catches him out of position, a number of times creating trouble for the defense. With Wenger bringing him on-board to answer his defensive troubles, the Brazilian might only add to Wenger's woes with his occasional errors and lack of defensive quality.

If those are not improved upon, this might become a flop for the Gunners', similar to the lines of Koscielny and Squillaci.

David De Gea

The Red Devils' replacement for the legendary Van der Sar has had a shaky start to his Premier League career.

David de Gea, who has been hailed by Sir Alex as the ideal replacement to the Dutchman, has seen himself make frequent errors at the start of the new season. His blunders might not have cost his team any points, but if similar errors continue it might affect United's title chances.

The young Spaniard looks very nervous in the air and in confronting low balls, which is sure to give him and United a lot of headaches over the new season. Though the United fans and manager unequivocally support their £18 million young goalie and expect him to shine, it might very well turn into a Almunia kind of crisis.

Owen Hargreaves

The arrival of Owen Hargreaves at Eastlands was the most shocking transfer of this summer window.

The extremely talented English midfielder, who saw most of his glorious career cut short by season-long injuries, agreed to a pay-as-you play contract with the big spending City on deadline day. Though the deal was welcomed with shock and awe, City reasoned that a player of Hargreaves' quality would prove to be a great back-up plan for Mancini's squad.

But the most asked question was whether Hargreaves could stay fit to even be eligible to play. Given the 30-year-old's history of injury over most of his playing career, it will be interesting to see whether Mancini can keep his new acquisition from the injury table.

The way it has turned out over the years, Hargreaves has been plagued by injury worries which also has taken a toll on his style of play. Hence, even if City are able to field him it is very unlikely that the former Bayern Munich man will be able to deliver on par with his previous displays.

More likely than becoming a hit, Hargreaves has every chance to turn out as one of City's flop signings this summer. But even if he flopped Mancini would be glad, as he will not have lost anything.

Nicklas Bendtner

Arsenal fans must have been the happiest when their self-blowing trumpet striker Nicklas Bendtner made a loan move to Sunderland. They received further good news when the Dane swore to never again wear an Arsenal jersey.

The over-rated striker never really lived up to his reputation and spent most of his time on the Arsenal bench. He was perhaps the worst signing ever by Wenger.

The arrival of Gervinho this summer meant lesser playing time for the loud mouthed forward. He readily agreed for a move to Sunderland, which guaranteed him more playing time. With Gyan leaving on loan to UAE, Bendtner would get every opportunity to prove his worth to Wenger.

But his debut performance for Steve Bruce's side was very quiet and he lacked any sharpness in front of goal. He failed to impress anyone with his lackluster performance and Steve Bruce might be ruing his decision to send Gyan on a season-long loan deal. Bendtner could very well turn out as the reason for Sunderland's relegation this year.