"Andy Robertson arrived at Liverpool from Hull City and spent the first few months of the 2017-18 season sitting on the bench while Alberto Moreno ran up and down the left flank. A year later, midfielder Fabinho was signed early in the summer but didn't play a single minute in the Premier League until Oct. 20. Come May 2019, they were both starting in Liverpool's Champions League final win over Tottenham. And, the following season, both were stalwarts for the eventual Premier League champions."
"As Liverpool won that league title, Manchester City struggled to find a replacement for their do-everything defensive midfielder, Fernandinho. They had signed Rodri from Atlético Madrid, but he didn't seem up to the task of both progressing the ball aggressively and chopping down every opposition counter attack. And who could blame him? Reactive Atlético and proactive City were at opposite points on the tactical spectrum. Four years later, Rodri has won the Ballon d'Or, the Champions League, and four Premier League titles."
"If you'd judged any of these transfers based on their first six matches, you would've missed out on arguably the best left back in Premier League history, a stalwart holding midfielder for one of the best teams the league has ever seen, and a guy who was literally voted as the best player on the planet last year."
Many high-profile signings do not make immediate impacts and can spend months adapting before becoming starters. Andy Robertson and Fabinho both waited extended periods before becoming key contributors to Liverpool's Champions League and Premier League triumphs. Rodri initially struggled to reconcile Atlético's reactive approach with Manchester City's proactive demands but later evolved into a Ballon d'Or winner and multiple-title midfielder. Tactical differences and adaptation time explain delayed breakthroughs. Evaluating transfers solely on early-season results risks misjudging long-term value. Expectations should be adjusted modestly as early evidence accumulates, avoiding premature labels of success or failure.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]