With gamers like Romelu Lukaku actively making an attempt to rectify their careers this season after lower than beneficial strikes, the workforce right here at Sportslens determined to take a seat down and check out the worst transfers in soccer historical past.
The Worst Transfers in Soccer Historical past
10. Jonathan Woodgate – Newcastle to Actual Madrid
Kicking issues off with what stays one in all Actual Madrid’s more unusual acquisitions in Jonathan Woodgate.
Earlier than he had even took to the pitch for Los Blancos, the Englishman arrived with a considerable damage that saved him on the sidelines for over a 12 months. As soon as hailed as “most likely the perfect centre-half I ever performed with” by Gary Pace, it appeared Madrid have been ready to spend simply over £13m on the then-24-year-old, regardless of carrying an damage.
Nonetheless, he took to the sector 17 months after his arrival in a match in opposition to Bilbao, and nothing may put together the Madrid trustworthy for the calamity that unfolded. Woodgate discovered the web with a surprising diving header – solely it got here on the fallacious finish – leaving goalkeeper Iker Casillas fully dumbfounded.
To make issues worse, he was then dismissed after 66 minutes, finishing one of many worst debuts ever seen to at the present time. As you possibly can think about, his Madrid profession by no means took off and was subsequently loaned to Middlesbrough with simply 14 appearances to his title.
9. Gaizka Mendieta – Valencia to Lazio
At a time when Valencia have been one in all Europe’s elite and a pressure to be reckoned with underneath supervisor Rafa Benitez, Gaizka Mednieta was on the coronary heart of their success.
To supply a little bit of context, the Spaniard was probably the most sought-after midfielders in world soccer having been named Greatest Midfielder in Europe by UEFA two years on the trot. To everybody’s shock, free-spending Lazio made him the sixth costliest signing of all-time, in what seemed to be an enormous assertion of intent within the Roman’s hunt for the Scudetto.
All through the season, Mendieta ghosted in essential moments. At his good greatest in Spain, he scored between 10 and 20 targets per season, and offered as many assists. In Rome, a stark distinction; 31 video games performed in all competitions, no targets scored, three assists.
He returned to Spain with Barcelona after only one season Italy.
8. Andriy Shevchenko – AC Milan to Chelsea
Undoubtedly one of many best marksman of his technology, Andriy Shevchenko arrived at Chelsea with a lot promise; twice winner of the Capocannoniere award for high scorer in Serie A, the Ukrainian was the entire striker; quick, highly effective and lethal in entrance of aim.
After Roman Abramovich had unsuccessfully tried to deliver him in twice earlier than, the Russian lastly received his man after a £30m bid was accepted, signalling an influence shift from Italy to England within the course of.
Nonetheless, an ageing, burnt-out Shevchenko who had performed over 600 occasions already in his profession, struggled with the tempo and depth of the Premier League, discovering the web simply 9 occasions earlier than retracing his steps to Milan.
7. Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal to Manchester United
Subsequent we have now Alexis Sanchez, whose burning want to depart Arsenal was finally the reason for his steep downfall.
The Chilean appeared destined for a transfer to United’s neighbours Metropolis, with the prevailing consensus now that he would have thrived in a extra bold and forward-thinking setting. Nonetheless, the Purple Devils managed to amass arguably the league’s hottest property in a weird swap deal, which noticed the Gunners obtain Henrikh Mkhitaryan in return (additionally one of many worst transfers in soccer).
All through a irritating interval, he scored three Premier League targets in 32 appearances earlier than being loaned out to Inter the place he now resides. A gargantuan £500k-per-week contract appeared to weigh heavy with the media and the United trustworthy continuously questioning his dedication.
6. Romelu Lukaku – Inter Milan to Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku’s homecoming was removed from the dream transfer it was pegged to be.
The Belgian loved a fruitful stint at Inter Milan, scoring 64 targets in 95 video games incomes him an enormous £100m transfer again to Stamford Bridge – a full-circle second maybe, to a workforce he perceived as having unfinished enterprise with.
Quick-forward to now, he finds himself again in Italy, on mortgage at Roma, after a closely scrutinised season in England the place he scored simply eight Premier League targets, and bemoaned at how a lot he missed enjoying in Italy.
5. Arthur & Miralem Pjanic Barcelona Swap with Juventus
Sneaking within the high 5 we have now a double entry, as we start our countdown of a few of Barcelona’s weird behaviour within the switch window.
After it was revealed former Blaugrana president Josep Bartomeu was responsible of corruption and fraud, this mind-boggling swap deal makes whole sense.
In an change that noticed a supremely proficient Arthur who had been likened to Xavi, simply 22 on the time, swapped for an ageing Miralem Pjanic, it appeared to sign the start of the top for Barcelona.
The Blaugrana additionally paid £59.4m for Pjanic who made simply 19 appearances earlier than being loaned out to Besiktas a 12 months later.
4. Danny Drinkwater – Leicester to Chelsea
Clocking in at quantity 4, we have now Danny Drinkwater, whose £35m transfer to Chelsea again in 2017 raised everybody’s eyebrows.
Off the again of miraculously profitable the Premier League title with Leicester, during which he was one in all their stand-out performers, Drinkwater made the swap to West London.
Undoubtedly a weird acquisition the place he was surplus to necessities earlier than he even arrived, he made simply 12 league appearances and located himself largely unused by Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri.
A string of mortgage strikes to Burnley and Aston Villa, in addition to some off-field incidents together with a drink driving cost and a nightclub battle, has seen one of many steepest profession drop-offs in latest reminiscence.
He’s now a free agent.
3. Philippe Coutinho – Liverpool to Barcelona
Considered one of two Barcelona signings that make up our high three, Philippe Coutinho’s transfer to Barcelona appeared to be a match made in heaven.
The mercurial Brazilian started life in Catalonia in typical style, registering a formidable 9 targets and 7 assists in 22 appearances within the 2017/18 season.
Nonetheless, he predictably failed to suit into Ernesto Valverde’s pragmatic system that relied closely on the brilliance of Lionel Messi. He was introduced in as an Andres Iniesta substitute, and he doesn’t fairly match that profile. He isn’t a central midfielder, however they didn’t want him within the entrance three both; that they had each Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on the time.
Brazil supervisor Tite additionally revealed he’s “painfully shy”, which as you possibly can think about in a Barcelona dressing room brimming with elite names, would begin to weight heavy.
He was loaned out to Bayern Munich within the 2019/20 season after a number of makes an attempt to dump him, and at a monumental price rising as excessive as £140m with add-ons, it might definitely be classed as one of many worst transfers in soccer.
2. Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid to Barcelona
Whereas Antoine Griezmann was definitely a greater servant to Barcelona than Philippe Coutinho, the Frenchman by no means fairly redeemed the astronomical price ticket he arrived with.
It appeared to be a signing spearheaded by, you guessed it, Barcelona’s former President Josep Bartomeu. With a number of Barcelona mangers unsure the place to play him, and gamers within the dressing room reportedly firmly in opposition to the switch, it will appear the £110m funding was nothing greater than a industrial ardour undertaking.
As time would inform, this switch nearly definitely contributed to the dire financial scenario the membership now discover themselves in.
35 targets in 102 appearances definitely doesn’t warrant one of many heftiest value tags ever seen, and it’s important to query whether or not this switch affected the membership’s incapability to maintain maintain of the best participant of all time, Lionel Messi. Whereas in a roundabout way Griezmann’s fault, the suggestion is the repercussions of this switch have despatched ripples nonetheless being felt right now.
1. Eden Hazard – Chelsea to Actual Madrid
And so, we arrive at what we consider to be the worst switch in soccer historical past..
After Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit at Los Blancos, Florentino Perez was keen to usher in long-term goal Eden Hazard who appeared set to usher in a brand new interval of success on the Bernabeu.
Whereas they’ve certainly gone on to do exceptionally effectively in Hazard’s presence – together with two La Liga titles, a Champions League triumph and a Copa Del Rey final season – the Belgian featured sporadically since his arrival after a string of considerable accidents. He managed simply 76 appearances since making the swap in the summertime of 2019.
A stat that actually hits residence as to how disastrous this switch has been is he suffered extra accidents than he scored targets.
It definitely didn’t assist that the now-32-year-old arrived for the preliminary pre-season seven kilos chubby.
After failing to come back to an settlement with a brand new membership in the summertime of 2023 after his £400,000-a-week cope with Madrid ran out, he introduced his early retirement from soccer.
