Revealed: Is this Chelsea flop really the worst Premier League striker of all time…
Which Premier League striker was a big money flop? Who came with a reputation they didn’t deserve? And who was so bad that it made you never want to go and watch football ever again? All this and more in the ten worst Premier League strikers EVER, as determined by the Daily Mail:
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10) Ade Akinbiyi (Norwich City, Leicester City and Sheffield United)
The Hackney-born striker failed to score in 15 Premier League appearances for Norwich City between 1993 and 1994, but a reasonable record in the lower divisions encouraged Leicester City to spend a club record £5.5m to bring him from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2000. Just 11 goals in 58 Premier League games saw him transferred to Crystal Palace in 2002.
9) Jo (Manchester City and Everton)
This man was one of Brazil’s striking options during their ill-fated home World Cup this year – that surely says it all doesn’t it. Having arrived in Manchester in July 2008 for a hefty £19m from CSKA Moscow, 21-year-old Jo was expected to be the next big thing. He managed six goals during his time in the Premier League, five of which came while on loan at Everton.
8) Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea)
Undoubtedly one of the best strikers of the last two decades – except during his time in the Premier League. Shevchenko is arguably the flop of all flops and his £30.8m transfer to Stamford Bridge was a disaster from start to finish. He scored just nine Premier League goals in 48 games between 2006 and 2009, but thankfully Fernando Torres has ensured this one has been all but forgotten.
7) Stephane Guivarc’h (Newcastle United)
The Frenchman’s time in the North East was fleeting and quite frankly abysmal. Kenny Dalglish signed the forward for £3.5m from Auxerre in the summer of 1998 after Guivarc’h had played a part in France’s victorious World Cup campaign on home soil. He was sold to Rangers for £3.5m in November 1998, just months after arriving on Tyneside, and having scored once in four games.
6) Tomas Brolin (Leeds United and Crystal Palace)
Leeds United manager Howard Wilkinson parted with a hefty £4.5m to sign him from Parma in 1995, but just four goals arrived in 20 Premier League games as Brolin continuously self-destructed during his time at Elland Road – reportedly ballooning in weight due to his fondness for a good feed. He also failed to score in 13 games for Palace in 1998.
5) Afonso Alves (Middlesbrough)
Signed for £15m in January 2008 after scoring 48 goals in 48 games for Heerenveen, he was billed as Boro’s great saviour who would fire them to safety. However, the move turned into a disaster. A memorable brace in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United did bring his first goals for the club, but that proved to the highlight of an abysmal 18 months in the North East.
4) Jason Lee (Nottingham Forest)
Lee is remembered for one thing, and one thing only. The infamous chant: ‘He’s got a pineapple – on his head’ (to the tune of ‘He’s got the whole world in His hands’). A mere 14 goals arrived in 76 games during his three years in Nottingham – and at every single Premier League ground he visited he was berated with the aforementioned chant about the obscure-shaped fruit-like barnet on his head.
3) Marco Boogers (West Ham United)
The Dutch forward arrived at West Ham United for £1m in July 1995 after Harry Redknapp was recommended the Sparta Rotterdam striker. He was promptly red carded on his second appearance, after a high challenge on Man United’s Gary Neville. The press hounded Boogers, believing he had been hired to deliberately injure Neville, and he was eventually ditched after four games.
2) Andreas Cornelius (Cardiff City)
An impressive 18 goals had arrived in just 34 league games during his breakthrough season at FC Copenhagen at the age of 19 and this convinced Cardiff City boss Malky Mackay to take a punt on him. Having arrived in Wales’ capital in June 2013 for a club-record fee of £8m, he managed just eight league appearances before returning to his former club in January (for half the price).
1) Bosko Balaban (Aston Villa)
The Croatian arrived at Villa for £6m from Dinamo Zagreb in 2001. Earning £20,000 a week, the striker was seen as the answer to Villa’s goalscoring problems and was deemed the ‘future’ of the club. The Croat played in just eight Premier League games – and all of them were as a substitute. His contract was cancelled in December 2003 without him scoring a goal.
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