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Galatasaray's heavy 4-0 away defeat to Trabzonspor has renewed scrutiny of the limited impact made by the club's five summer signings, who are set to cost more than €78 million ($89.53 million) in transfer and loan fees, while the team's poor record without Victor Osimhen has also come back into focus.
Rafael Leao, Aleksey Batrakov, Deniz Gul, Lesley Ugochukwu and El Chadaille Bitshiabu were brought in during the summer transfer window, but the group has so far produced only one assist between them.
Galatasaray paid AC Milan €38 million for Leao, who has played 230 minutes across four matches without registering a goal or assist.
Batrakov, signed from Lokomotiv Moscow for €25 million, has also played 230 minutes across five appearances and provided the only assist recorded by the five newcomers so far.
Deniz Gul, who arrived from Porto for €10 million, has featured for 155 minutes in four matches without contributing a goal or assist.
Ugochukwu joined on loan from Burnley for a €3.52 million fee and has yet to register a scoring contribution. His deal also includes a €26 million purchase option.
Bitshiabu, meanwhile, arrived on loan from Leipzig for €2 million but has yet to feature in an official match. His agreement includes a non-mandatory €28 million purchase option.
The combined transfer and loan fees for the five players amount to €78.52 million, excluding the purchase options attached to Ugochukwu and Bitshiabu.
The defeat at Trabzonspor has also highlighted Galatasaray's results when Osimhen has been unavailable.
Since the Nigerian striker joined the club, Galatasaray have failed to win the six European matches and three derby games cited in which he did not play, recording two draws and seven defeats.
In Europe, Galatasaray drew 2-2 with both Rigas and Malmo, while losing 4-1 to AZ Alkmaar, 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt, 2-1 to Union St and 3-1 to Sporting.
The club also suffered 2-1 and 4-0 defeats against Trabzonspor and lost 2-0 to Fenerbahce in the other matches included in the nine-game run.
The Nigerian Football Federation has also announced that Osimhen will miss Nigeria's matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, while Lemina and Sallai will also be unavailable for their respective national teams because of injuries.
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