Florian Wirtz one of eight worse signings than Benjamin Sesko this summer

There’s always major scrutiny on Manchester United and their players – and the perception of their signing of Benjamin Sesko proves it.

In a recent survey of agents by The Athletic, Sesko was the most popular vote for the worst signing of the summer (in terms of the deal itself, rather than his performances so far).

The general consensus is that United overpaid for Sesko, a habit they’ve fallen into too many times recently. They needed a proven striker and have once again gambled on potential.

But the counter-argument would be that Sesko was being chased by other clubs too and is highly rated. United did need a new striker and he will be their regular starter for the foreseeable future.

So, which other transfers in the Premier League could be seen as worse deals than United’s £73.7m signing of Sesko?

Of course, these are still early days and this isn’t to say all of these players will be flops – indeed, we’re judging this on the actual deals rather than any form or lack thereof so far – but at face value, they are deals that have raised questions.

James Trafford

The runner-up to Sesko in The Athletic‘s poll, Trafford’s return to Manchester City from Burnley was quickly scrutinised in the wake of later transfer business.

City went on to buy Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain to be their first-choice goalkeeper, ruining Trafford’s chances of claiming the role himself.

While Pep Guardiola has insisted he gives his goalkeepers their fair share of opportunities, Trafford might not be getting what he thought he was signing up for.

That’s more of a him problem than a City problem, when you consider how good Donnarumma is, but the fact remains that the club still spent a significant amount of money for someone who has already become a backup.

GO FURTHER: 12 major Premier League selection headaches created by summer transfers

Facundo Buonanotte

Chelsea’s addition of Buonanotte from Brighton may only be a loan, but some of the conversation around it has raised questions.

When Brighton confirmed the move, their head coach Fabian Hurzeler said: “This is a great opportunity for Facundo to play regular Premier League and Champions League football this season and further his development.”

Buonanotte himself added: “Of course, I’ll get the opportunity to play in the Champions League for the first time, which will be a great challenge. I’m really looking forward to this season and hopefully I can help the club to achieve its goals.”

When Chelsea released their initial squad list for the Champions League, Buonanotte wasn’t even in it.

He has since been added into the squad because of Dario Essugo being injured, but it wasn’t a great look to start his spell at Stamford Bridge and the idea that he’ll be playing regularly seems misguided.

Mads Hermansen

The transfer window hadn’t even closed by the time West Ham’s decision to sign Hermansen was being scrutinised, with some calls for them to find a better new keeper already.

Hermansen was relegated with Leicester City last season, having one of the lowest save percentages out of regular goalkeepers in the league.

But after missing out on John Victor, West Ham swooped for Hermansen at a cost of £20m.

Hermansen has recently lost his place as West Ham’s starting goalkeeper.

Florian Wirtz

When Liverpool broke their transfer record for the first of two times this summer to sign Wirtz, the reaction was largely of enthusiasm and anticipation.

But after failing with a few opening bids, the obvious caveat was that they had been forced into paying a high (nine-figure) fee for the attacking midfielder, even if it wasn’t as high as Bayer Leverkusen wanted.

The other major question mark was how Wirtz would fit into the team and what it would mean for Dominik Szoboszlai in the attacking midfield role.

They wanted more goals and assists from the position, but so far, Wirtz has taken time to get going in a Liverpool shirt. Arne Slot will need to work out how best to use him to take the pressure off.

Mateus Fernandes

If the argument against Sesko was that Man Utd overpaid for him, the same could be directed towards West Ham for their purchase of Fernandes.

Despite suffering relegation with Southampton last season and not yet having an international cap at senior level for Portugal to his name, Fernandes cost West Ham more than £40m, one of the biggest fees in their history.

In fairness, Fernandes appeals because of his potential, but only time will tell if West Ham have overcommitted.

Liam Delap

Chelsea won the race for Delap after he suffered relegation with Ipswich Town, making him available for a fixed (and palateable) price.

Like some have argued with Sesko and United, Chelsea needed a proven no.9 if they wanted an upgrade up front. Unlike Sesko, Delap didn’t make his move with a wealth of European experience behind him.

Currently injured, Delap won’t be able to prove himself for a while and will have to contend with fellow summer signing Joao Pedro, who has made a decent start at Stamford Bridge.

Yoane Wissa

Newcastle were previously in the running for Sesko, but in their quest to sign two strikers to replace Alexander Isak, ended up with Wissa and Nick Woltemade.

Woltemade has made a decent first impression, whereas Wissa will have to wait to make an impact because of injury.

While he enjoyed a good season in the Premier League with Brentford last time out, Newcastle have faced accusations of overpaying (the same goes for Woltemade too, with selling clubs knowing full well how much they’d have to reinvest with the Isak money).

And having since turned 29, Newcastle might not get much resale value out of Wissa either.

Harvey Elliott

Would you rather sit on a bench for Liverpool or sit on a bench for Aston Villa?

Elliott left Liverpool late in the summer in search of more gametime with Villa, who have taken him on loan with an obligation to buy, reportedly once he makes 10 appearances.

But the attacking midfielder hasn’t earned Unai Emery’s full trust yet and starts have been hard to come by.

Why did Villa take Elliott – and commit to a future permanent deal – if they weren’t entirely convinced he was going to hit the ground running?

Perhaps he will find his feet soon, but just like fellow deadline-day signing Jadon Sancho, there are more questions than answers at the moment.

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