David Luiz moved from Chelsea to Paris Saint Germain this summer…
England manager Roy Hodgson recently launched a surprise attack on Paris Saint Germain chiefs, over their big-money summer signing of Chelsea defender David Luiz.
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Hodgson reportedly referred to the move as ‘crazy’, after meeting PSG president and owner Nasser Al Khelaifi, along with manager Laurent Blanc during the summer.
But that goes us thinking, where does Luiz rank on the list of craziest transfers of all time? CaughtOffside counts down the top ten:
10) Park Chu Young (AS Monaco to Arsenal)
When a club gazumps another team to buy a player with a late bid, it ought to be assumed that the player will be worth it. Park Chu Young was due to complete a medical at Lille OSC in summer 2011 before he heard of interest from Arsenal, and left his hotel room to head to London. He is emphatically one of the worst signings Arsene Wenger has ever made – and undoubtedly the strangest.
9) John Obi Mikel (FK Lyn to Chelsea)
By all accounts, in April 2005 John Obi Mikel was to be a Manchester United player. The Red Devils confirmed the deal on their website, and it was expected that Mikel would move from Norwegian club FK Lyn at the end of the 2004-2005 season. However, it emerged that he had also travelled to London to discuss terms with Chelsea. United accepted the controversial move, but only after being paid £12 million for a player who never played a match for them.
8) David Luiz (Chelsea to Paris Saint Germain)
The Brazilian defender was a decent player for Chelsea, and has been exceptional at times for his national team. But Hodgson had a point when he referred to the £50m fee as ‘crazy’. His weaknesses were demonstrated just weeks after the move, when his country were thrashed 7-0 by Germany in the World Cup semi-final, with Luiz’s performance the catalyst of the disaster.
7) Andy Carroll (Newcastle United to Liverpool)
When Andy Carroll moved to Liverpool for £35 million in January 2011, some fans attempted to justify the extraordinary outlay by explaining that Carroll effectively cost -£15m and was more like a gift, because Chelsea paid £50m for Fernando Torres and that was the real waste of money. Unfortunately, neither player was to prove a success, and the Anfield club were caught out for making a last minute panic buy.
6) Marouane Fellaini (Everton to Manchester United)
Last summer Manchester United were desperate to tempt both Fellaini and his Everton teammate Leighton Baines to Old Trafford. As the transfer window wound towards its conclusion, new United boss David Moyes had still failed to secure any new signings. In the ultimate move of desperation, he and United gave into Everton’s demands and paid £27.5m for the midfielder, who has been a resounding flop ever since.
5) Julien Faubert (West Ham United to Real Madrid – loan)
Julien Faubert was a disappointment at West Ham United, with most of his performances somewhere between average and dreadful. Naturally, such form resulted in Real Madrid bringing him in on loan… Faubert was barely selected at the Bernabeu, with his spell in the Spanish capital most notable for the Frenchman missing training because he thought he had the day off, and falling asleep on the bench during a match against Villarreal.
4) Bojan Krkic (Barcelona to Stoke City)
Keeping with the Spanish theme, hands up if – three months ago – you expected Bojan to be a Stoke City player this season. The former Catalan star was once expected to reach the dizzying heights of a Lionel Messi, but his career instead failed to continue its remarkable start, and the striker instead ended up moving to the Potteries after a series of uninspiring loan deals.
3) Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez (Corinthians to West Ham United – loan)
Tevez and Mascherano were surprisingly signed by Alan Pardew’s West Ham United in summer 2006, despite being linked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe. People questioned where West Ham got the money to sign them and why the players chose to move to Upton Park, but things only got stranger. West Ham immediately went on a losing spree upon the Argentine pair’s arrival. Neither Mascherano or Tevez could get into the team – although the latter did save the Hammers from relegation with a series of emphatic performances late in the season.
2) Bebe (Vitoria Guimaraes to Manchester United)
Portuguese forward Bebe grew up in a homeless shelter near Lisbon, but showed promise as a footballer and was signed by Vitoria de Guimaraes on a free transfer in July 2010. In August 2010, Manchester United spent €9 million (approximately £7.4m at the time) to activate his minimum fee release clause and bring him to Old Trafford – despite manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitting that he’d never seen him before.
1) Ali Dia (unattached to Southampton)
Ali Dia was signed by then Southampton manager Graeme Souness in November 1996 after receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be George Weah, who said that Dia was his cousin. Dia came on as a substitute in one match against Leeds United before being replaced himself just 21 minutes later. That was the last time he played professionally in England.
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