Worst signings in the Premier League, with Liverpool and Arsenal flops included…
Top quality players come at a premier nowadays, but massive transfer fees don’t always guarantee success. Sometimes opening the cheque book pays off, with players like Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney taking the Premier League by storm after big money moves.
Occasionally managers get things horribly, horribly wrong, however, and these mistakes can prove extremely costly.
Mario Balotelli is looking like a contender after a woeful start to his Liverpool career, but which players have truly failed following Premier League moves?
Here are the 18 worst signings in Premier League history:
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18) Mario Balotelli – Inter Milan to Manchester City
The goalscoring record of the £22.5m man was not the worst, but his attitude and the problems he caused at the club made him a poor signing for the Premier League champions.
17) Bebe – Vitoria de Guimaraes to Manchester United
Famous for being signed by Sir Alex Ferguson without the Scot ever having seen him play, Bebe has made just two appearances for Manchester United since joining in 2010.
16) Roberto Soldado – Valencia to Tottenham
The Spaniard’s record in La Liga was fantastic, which prompted Tottenham to splash a massive £26m on him.
He has failed to reproduce the prolific form he showed in Spain, and the majority of his goals for Spurs so far have been from the spot.
15) Stewart Downing – Aston Villa to Liverpool
Although currently showing his quality at West Ham, Stewart Downing was never worth the £20m that Liverpool paid for him.
He was a victim of his price tag in many ways, with far too much expected of the unfortunately mediocre England man.
14) Eric Djemba-Djemba – Nantes to Manchester United
Although not a pricey acquisition, Djemba-Djemba was arguably one of the worst players ever signed by Sir Alex Ferguson.
He struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League, and made very few appearances during his two years at the club before being offloaded to Aston Villa.
13) David Bentley – Blackburn Rovers to Tottenham
Bentley showed huge potential as a youngster, so it’s understandable that Tottenham were willing to splash £15m on him.
He never lived up to his price tag however, and turned out to be a colossal waste of funds.
12) Mario Balotelli (again) – AC Milan to Liverpool
Although it may be too early to tell for the controversial Italian, his second spell in the Premier League has started even worse than his first.
His £16m move was touted as a bargain by many, but the former Manchester City star has failed to find the net in the Premier League for the Reds.
11) Francis Jeffers – Everton to Arsenal
Thought to be the next big thing, Arsenal signed the young Englishman for £10m in 2001. Injuries hampered his career at Highbury, however, and, after scoring just four goals for the Gunners, he was loaned back to Everton in 2003.
10) Robinho – Real Madrid to Manchester City
After his £32m move from the Santiago Bernabeu, Robinho looked capable of taking the Premier League by storm. He was dogged by injury, however, and, after scoring just a single goal in his second season at the club, he was sold to AC Milan.
9) Anderson – Porto to Manchester United
The Brazilian was set to be the next big thing when he moved to Manchester United for £20m in 2007.
He has been a total flop since joining, however, and, despite making 105 appearances for the club, he has never looked to be of the required quality to play for United.
8) Robbie Keane – Tottenham to Liverpool
Keane’s time at Liverpool is something of a mystery, with one of the most prolific forwards in the Premier League failing miserably at the Merseyside club.
He signed for over £20m, but his return of five goals in 16 appearances saw him sent straight back to Tottenham after less than one season.
7) Masimmo Taibi – Venezia to Manchester United
Not a hugely expensive signing, but Taibi was certainly an unmitigated disaster for Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United.
A number of catastrophic mistakes saw him released at the end of his first season after just a handful of appearances.
6) Alberto Aquilani – Roma to Liverpool
The £20m signing made just 18 appearances for the club after joining in the summer, and never really found his feet in the top flight of English football.
5) Jan Sebastian Veron – Lazio to Manchester United
With Manchester United breaking records to bring the £28m Argentine to the Premier League, Veron failed to adapt to the pace of the Premier League and left after just two seasons.
4) Adrian Mutu – Parma to Chelsea
Despite starting his Chelsea career fantastically, Mutu quickly faded into obscurity following his close-to-£16m move to the Premier League. He was unloaded after just 27 games, having scored eight goals.
3) Andriy Shevchenko – AC Milan to Chelsea
After joining Chelsea for a huge fee in 2006, the Ukranian failed to adapt to the Premier League, scoring just nine goals in his three years at the club.
2) Fernando Torres – Liverpool to Chelsea
The Spaniard is arguably one of the biggest flops in Premier League history, but to Chelsea’s credit they weren’t to know that the prolific striker would implode as soon as he made the £50m switch to Stamford Bridge.
1) Andy Carroll – Newcastle to Liverpool
Moving for a club record £35m, Andy Carroll to Liverpool was definitely one of the most bizarre signings in Premier League history.
His goalscoring record at Newcastle wasn’t exactly exceptional, and certainly didn’t justify such a huge fee. With his record at the Merseyside club significantly worse, he was quickly dumped by the club and is now at West Ham.