Ever wondered who were the worst players to grace the Premier League. The ones with the massive transfer fees who failed to live up to their reputations? Find out now.
You know what it’s like. Your team shells out mega-bucks for the latest hot shot and you spend all pre-season dreaming of the thousands of goals your new star striker is going to score, those goal-saving tackles your fantastic new centre-half is going to make and all those mazy dribbles your midfield maestro is going to flummox defenders with. Then the season starts and he makes his transfer fee look like a complete joke. But who are the worst offenders? And is it possible to make up a whole team of transfer nightmares?
Goalkeeper
1. Massimo Taibi –Venezia to Manchester United, £4.5m, August 1999
United thought they had found Peter Schmeichel’s replacement when they splashed out £4.5 million for keeper Taibi. A mere 4 appearances and 11 goals conceded later (including a five-nil defeat to Chelsea) they decided that actually they hadn’t and his Old Trafford career was over.
Defence
2. Winston Bogarde – Barcelona to Chelsea August 2000
With 11 appearances in 4 years, the statistics speak for themselves. Although reportedly signed on a free his exorbitant wages ensured he was a costly buy who chose to sit out his four-year contract despite being informed there was no place in the side for him at Chelsea. All that sitting around obviously made a big impression on Bogarde who retired from football in 2005.
3. Khalid Boulahrouz – SV Hamburg to Chelsea, £7m, August 2006
Another Chelsea defender but this one at least made it onto the pitch now and again. Unfortunately for Chelsea that appeared to be the problem. His performances were so poor that manager Jose Mourinho ended up preferring midfielder Michael Essien as a centre-back than Boulahrouz. His lowest moment was undoubtedly conceding a penalty, and subsequently being sent off, against Arsenal in a match that handed the title to Manchester United.
4. William Prunier –Bordeaux to Manchester United, free 1995
Prunier arrived at Manchester United from Bordeaux and after a decent debut all was looking well. However his next match was nothing short of disastrous as United conceded four goals against Spurs. That was his last match in a United shirt as Prunier, perhaps wisely, decided that United and the Premier League just weren’t for him.
5. Jean-Alain Boumsong - Rangers to Newcastle United, £8m, January 2005
Just one in a long list of error-prone defenders to play at St James' Park in recent years. Lining up with Titus Bramble in defence meant that a clean sheet rarely looked likely for the Magpies. Only slightly more amazing than the fact that Newcastle spent £8 million on Boumsong in the first place is the fact that they managed to ship him off, to Juventus, all of places.
Midfield
6. Tomas Brolin – Parma to Leeds for £4.5m
Recent history doesn’t reflect well on Leeds and neither does the signing of Brolin. A big fee at the time for what turned out to be a big signing. The only problem was that it was his waistband that was continually swelling, rather than the back of the net.
7. Steve Marlet - Lyon to Fulham, £11.5m, August 2001
Marlet fell out with manager Chris Coleman when asked to play out of position, hence his appearance here in midfield. Fulham’s record signing is still the one that causes Fulham’s fans the most pain. 11 goals in 54 appearances tells part of the story and spending almost two years on loan at Marseille while Fulham paid his wages tells the rest. Eventually put out of his misery when Fulham cancelled his contract and the whole of Craven Cottage breathed a huge sigh of relief.
8. Juan Sebastian Veron - Lazio to Manchester United, £28.1m, July 2001
Despite the fact that Veron actually picked up a Championship medal with United it was plain to see that the Argentine and English football were not a match made in heaven. The fact that United managed to recoup some of their loss by selling him to Chelsea for £15m in 2003 is almost as baffling as the fact he initially cost them over £28 million. At Chelsea he simply managed to reinforce the fact that English football just wasn’t for him.
Strikers
9. Andriy Shevchenko – AC Milan to Chelsea, £30.8m, May 2006
Although Roman Abrahmovich’s pockets may be endless £30.8m is a lot of money to spend on a 30-year old striker as he was when he signed. In his first season he managed 5 goals in 37 appearances and in his second he is struggling to even find a place in the team. Looks a shadow of the player who thrilled the football world with AC Milan. Not really the return you expect from almost £31m really now is it Roman?
10. Francis Jeffers, Everton to Arsenal, £8m, June 2001
Arsene Wenger bought Jeffers for £8m which just goes to show that despite what Gooners think, Arsene doesn’t always know. Four goals in 22 appearances reveals he wasn’t quite the ‘fox in the box’ the Gunners were looking for. Still, his international record for England is flawless, one cap and one goal.
11. Adrian Mutu, Parma to Chelsea, £15.8m, August 2003
As disastrous buys go, Mutu’s transfer certainly takes some beating. He got off to a flyer at Stamford Bridge but the goals quickly dried up and the problems began. Eventually tested positive for cocaine and was sacked in 2004.
