Tuesday 9 August 2016 16:15, UK
Manchester United may have broken the world transfer record to bring Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford but history shows that splashing the cash on a big money signing isn't always a guarantee for immediate league success.
A glance back at the last eleven record-breaking fees shows that on just one occasion was the new arrival able to help steer his new club to a league title.
Will Pogba be able to buck the trend and lead Mourinho's men back to the top of the Premier League? We look at previous record-breaking arrivals and the impact they made...
Bale played an important role in Real Madrid's Champions League and Copa del Rey successes in his first season at the Bernabeu, but he was unable to make the difference in La Liga. Madrid finished the season in third place on 87 points, three points behind title winners Atletico Madrid and behind Barcelona on their head-to-head record.
Ronaldo hit the ground running in his first season at Real Madrid with 26 goals in 29 La Liga appearances but ended the season trophyless. Madrid were pipped to the league title by Barcelona and were dumped out of the Champions League Round of 16 by Lyon, while on a personal level Ronaldo also lost out to Messi in the Ballon D'Or and Pichichi that year.
Arriving in Madrid a couple of weeks before Ronaldo, Kaka only briefly held the world record for a transfer fee in pounds sterling but his eight goals and six assists helped Real to a mammoth haul of 96 points in his debut season, only to fall short of rivals Barcelona by three points.
Although Zidane's debut season will forever be remembered for his sensational volleyed winner against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League final, Madrid could only muster a third-place finish in La Liga that year. Real ended with 66 points, two behind Deportivo La Coruna in second, and nine points behind champions Valencia.
The exception to the rule. Figo's controversial move from Barcelona signalled the beginning of the Galactico era at Real Madrid and immediately paid dividends with a first league triumph in four years. The Portuguese winger scored nine goals as Madrid romped to the La Liga title with 80 points, seven points clear of runners-up Deportivo La Coruna.
Crespo followed on from his prolific form at Parma with 26 goals in his first season for Lazio but was unable to help the Biancocelesti defend their Serie A title. Cross-city rivals Roma won their first Scudetto since 1982/83, with Juventus finishing second and Lazio ending the season back in third on 69 points.
The powerful Italian striker was brought to the San Siro as Inter Milan looked to bounce back from an eighth place finish the year before. Injuries disrupted his first season but Vieri still managed a respectable 13 goals in 20 games as Inter climbed to a fourth-place finish.
Denilson's move to Betis provides one of the more cautionary tales of the inflated expectations associated with record transfer fees. The mercurial Brazilian winger failed to impress at the Benito Villamarin, managing two goals from 35 appearances in his debut season, as Betis slumped to a mid-table 11th place finish, before being relegated the next season.
Ronaldo
Barcelona to Inter Milan - £19.5m
Inter Milan's 1997/98 league finish: 2nd
Ronaldo quickly adapted to life in Italy and hit 25 goals in his first season at Inter Milan, only bettered by Oliver Bierhoff's 27 for Udinese. Nevertheless, Inter were unable to translate this into a Scudetto win, finishing second and five points behind Juventus, but did claim silverware after beating Lazio 3-0 in the Uefa Cup final with Ronaldo on the scoresheet.
Shearer joined Newcastle fresh off the back of a prolific spell at Blackburn Rovers with the aim of guiding his boyhood club to an elusive Premier League victory. Shearer netted 25 goals in 31 appearances but it wasn't enough as Keegan's men fell short once again, losing out to Manchester United for a second consecutive season.
Despite Ronaldo's phenomenal form in his one and only season at the Nou Camp, Barcelona's 90 points were not enough to win La Liga as they finished two shy of champions Real Madrid. Ronaldo scored 34 times in 37 league appearances and made up for the league disappointment by firing them to victory in the Cup Winners' Cup and Supercopa.
