Southampton signed Moussa Djenepo for a reported £15m in the summer of 2019, with the exciting Malian winger having impressed for Standard Liege in the Belgian Pro League and earning his move to the Premier League.

Despite now being on the south coast for 196 weeks, Djenepo has only scored five goals and provided four assists from 86 outings, alarming considering the wily flanker plundered 11 goals and six assists in his final season in Belgium.

There are some who praise the 24-year-old for his elegance on the ball and dribbling prowess, but quite simply, the "quirky misfit" – as he was described by Jacob Tanswell – has not been effective on the south coast and has spent much of Southampton's relegation-threatened campaign on the sidelines, starting just six times in the top-flight this term, yet to score.

How much has Moussa Djenepo cost Southampton?

During his time at St. Mary's Stadium, Djenepo has indeed failed to ignite the fire that was expected upon his arrival, with former boss Ralph Hasenhuttl stating upon his arrival: "He is an exciting player, with tremendous pace and good finishing abilities, who we have watched closely for some time."

Reportedly boasting a wage of £65k-per-week, having renewed his contract with Saints last summer, it is estimated that the 29-cap ace could have cost his current outfit as much as £13m in costs since acquiring his signature.

Partner that with the transfer fee, and Southampton have parted with roughly £28m on a player that has yet to truly find his feet at the club, 196 weeks into his career in Hampshire.

With Djenepo contracted until 2025, Saints might hope to cash in on the player and recuperate some of the monetary loss that they have been beset with, but with Football Transfers valuing the player at only £5m at present, it appears unlikely that his recent exploits will command a fee anywhere close to what was previously paid for his name.

As per Sofascore, Djenepo has never managed to earn a seasonal average rating in the Premier League of higher than 6.7, having indeed floundered to a lowly 6.62 rating this term, taking just 0.3 shot and making only 0.5 key passes on each occasion.

Lamented for an "unbelievable" miss by Hasenhuttl, the lack of sustained threat in the offensive third has left Djenepo a peripheral figure on the south coast, and it doesn't look likely that he will earn a regular role from the start any time soon, having played just six minutes of league action in 2023.