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How much? The worst transfers in football history

Not all transfers work out. To say the least.

20/07/11 1,422 Views No Comments

How much? The worst transfers in football history
1 / 13

  • Steve Daley

    The one that started it all. Long before Manchester City had oil-rich Saudi patrons willing to splash exorbitant sums on mediocre players, they paid Wolves £1.4m for journeyman midfielder Steve Daley. After two hugely disappointing seasons at Maine Road, he was packed off to the NASL where he joined the Seattle Sounders for £300,000, just over 20 per cent of his original fee. When City fan Nick Leeson (Barings Bank) backed him as the worst waste of money in a Guardian top 10, Daley replied, "At least I got away with it, unlike that tw*t." Fair play Steve. (Peter Robinson/EMPICS Sport)

  • Andriy Shevchenko

    When Shevchenko joined Chelsea in 2006 for £30.8m, he was arguably the most coveted striker in Europe. Rumours persisted however, that he had been brought in due to his close ties with Roman Abramovich and against the manager's wishes. Just 47 appearances and 9 goals later, he was sent back to Dynamo Kiev via a loan spell at Milan. (Rebecca Naden/PA Archive/Press Association Images)

  • Eric Djemba Djemba

    Often the first name mentioned in arguments questioning Alex Ferguson's prowess in the transfer market, Djemba Djemba never made any real impact for United during his two seasons with the club. Spells at Villa and Burnley followed, with the midfielder also plying his trade in Qatar for a season before settling with Danish club Odense BK in 2008. (Mike Egerton/EMPICS Sport)

  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic

    The controversial Swede had scored 55 times in 88 appearances for Inter when Barcelona acquired his services in 2009. To do so however, they had to stump up £40m in cash plus Samuel Eto'o; a striker not shy of finding the back of the net. A good start by Ibrahimovic at the Camp Nou was soon overshadowed by off-pitch trouble and a fallout with the manager. Tension between Guardiola and Ibrahimovic seemed to affect the latter more as his form dipped, eventually resulting in him returning to Milan, this time to play for the Rossoneri. (Stephen Pond/EMPICS Sport)

  • Francis Jeffers

    A bright light at Everton and within the England Under 21 setup, Jeffers cost Arsene Wenger £8m in 2001. However, the 'fox in the box' was unable to repeat the form in an Arsenal Jersey. A meagre return of 4 goals in 20 appearances meant Franny was offloaded to Charlton for £2.6m in 2004 and would never reach the heights his youth had promised. (John Walton/EMPICS Sport)

  • Bosko Balaban

    John Gregory spent £6m bringing Bosko to Villa park in 2001. After two and a half years in which he didn't start a single league game, the Croatian striker was given a £1m pay-off when shown the door in 2004, declaring that "Villa is all bullshit". (Neal Simpson/EMPICS Sport)

  • Juan Sebastian Veron

    Another of Sir Alex's signings for the blooper reel, Veron moved to Old Trafford from Lazio in 2001 for £28.1m. Undoubtedly a talented footballer, he seemed to struggle with the pace of the English game, making it all the more strange when Chelsea took him off United's hands in 2003 for around £12m. (John Walton/EMPICS Sport)

  • Stephane Guivarc'h

    The French striker arrived at Newcastle in 1998 for £3.5m having somehow bagged a winners' medal with France at the World Cup, consistently starting ahead of Thierry Henry. Despite scoring on his debut against Liverpool, he was soon sent packing north to Rangers. The Glasgow club would later get their own back by offloading Jean Alain Boumsong in the other direction for a princely £8m. (Barry Coombs/EMPICS Sport)

  • Winston Bogarde

    The Gordon Gecko of Premiership football, Bogarde bled Chelsea dry for £40,000 a week over a four year period, clocking up just 9 appearances. He famously didn't even own a house in London, flying in for training in order to honour his contract to the letter. In his own words: "This world is about money, so when you are offered those millions you take them. Few people will ever earn so many. I am one of the few fortunates who do. I may be one of the worst buys in the history of the Premiership, but I don't care, I am the best Chelsea pickpocket in history." And all this before the club was owned by a Russian billionaire. (Steve Mitchell/EMPICS Sport)

  • Rafael Scheidt

    With a name like that, the poor lad never really had a chance. Brought to Celtic from Gremio for £4.8m in 1999, the Brazilian didn't take too kindly to the Scottish weather and was unsurprisingly ridiculed by opposing fans for his unfortunate name and apparent lack of ability. One Celtic coach is claimed to have said that he 'couldn't trap a bag of sand'. Amazingly though, he did manage to blag himself two full Brazilian caps. (David Rawcliffe/EMPICS Sport)

  • Marco Boogers

    Another unfortunately monikered entrant, Marco's spell at West-Ham was eventful and short-lived. Sent off for a shocking tackle on Gary Neville in only his second outing, the Dutchman disappeared, fuelling rumours that he was hiding out in a caravan in Holland. "I signed Boogers off a video," said then West Ham manager Harry Redknapp. "He was a good player but a nutter." Marco never played for West Ham again.(Tony Marshall/EMPICS Sport)

  • Johnathan Woodgate

    A club not necessarily known for caution in the transfer market, Real Madrid shelled out £13.4m to Newcastle in 2004 for the defender's services. Even by their standards, this turned out to be a waste of money. Plagued by injuries during his time at the Bernabeu, he made just 14 appearances over 3 seasons, managing to score an own goal and get sent off on his debut. (Paul White/AP/Press Association Images)

  • Fernando Torres

    El Nino's £50m move to Chelsea in January made him the most expensive player in British history, but also placed a huge weight of expectation on the young Spaniard's shoulders. Following an incredible scoring record at Liverpool, Torres has failed to settle at Stamford Bridge and looks perhaps a yard short of the pace that once terrified defences. He scored only once in 14 appearances since January. Still only 27 however, he may yet regain his form and justify his huge fee. (Rebecca Naden/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
  • The one that started it all. Long before Manchester City had oil-rich Saudi patrons willing to splash exorbitant sums on mediocre players, they paid Wolves £1.4m for journeyman midfielder Steve Daley. After two hugely disappointing seasons at Maine Road, he was packed off to the NASL where he joined the Seattle Sounders for £300,000, just over 20 per cent of his original fee. When City fan Nick Leeson (Barings Bank) backed him as the worst waste of money in a Guardian top 10, Daley replied,
  • When Shevchenko joined Chelsea in 2006 for £30.8m, he was arguably the most coveted striker in Europe. Rumours persisted however, that he had been brought in due to his close ties with Roman Abramovich and against the manager's wishes. Just 47 appearances and 9 goals later, he was sent back to Dynamo Kiev via a loan spell at Milan. (Rebecca Naden/PA Archive/Press Association Images)
  • Often the first name mentioned in arguments questioning Alex Ferguson's prowess in the transfer market, Djemba Djemba never made any real impact for United during his two seasons with the club. Spells at Villa and Burnley followed, with the midfielder also plying his trade in Qatar for a season before settling with Danish club Odense BK in 2008. (Mike Egerton/EMPICS Sport)
  • The controversial Swede had scored 55 times in 88 appearances for Inter when Barcelona acquired his services in 2009. To do so however, they had to stump up £40m in cash plus Samuel Eto'o; a striker not shy of finding the back of the net. A good start by Ibrahimovic at the Camp Nou was soon overshadowed by off-pitch trouble and a fallout with the manager. Tension between Guardiola and Ibrahimovic seemed to affect the latter more as his form dipped, eventually resulting in him returning to Milan, this time to play for the Rossoneri. (Stephen Pond/EMPICS Sport)
  • A bright light at Everton and within the England Under 21 setup, Jeffers cost Arsene Wenger £8m in 2001. However, the 'fox in the box' was unable to repeat the form in an Arsenal Jersey. A meagre return of 4 goals in 20 appearances meant Franny was offloaded to Charlton for £2.6m in 2004 and would never reach the heights his youth had promised. (John Walton/EMPICS Sport)
  • John Gregory spent £6m bringing Bosko to Villa park in 2001. After two and a half years in which he didn't start a single league game, the Croatian striker was given a £1m pay-off when shown the door in 2004, declaring that
  • Another of Sir Alex's signings for the blooper reel, Veron moved to Old Trafford from Lazio in 2001 for £28.1m. Undoubtedly a talented footballer, he seemed to struggle with the pace of the English game, making it all the more strange when Chelsea took him off United's hands in 2003 for around £12m. (John Walton/EMPICS Sport)
  • The French striker arrived at Newcastle in 1998 for £3.5m having somehow bagged a winners' medal with France at the World Cup, consistently starting ahead of Thierry Henry. Despite scoring on his debut against Liverpool, he was soon sent packing north to Rangers. The Glasgow club would later get their own back by offloading Jean Alain Boumsong in the other direction for a princely £8m. (Barry Coombs/EMPICS Sport)
  • The Gordon Gecko of Premiership football, Bogarde bled Chelsea dry for £40,000 a week over a four year period, clocking up just 9 appearances. He famously didn't even own a house in London, flying in for training in order to honour his contract to the letter. In his own words:
  • With a name like that, the poor lad never really had a chance. Brought to Celtic from Gremio for £4.8m in 1999, the Brazilian didn't take too kindly to the Scottish weather and was unsurprisingly ridiculed by opposing fans for his unfortunate name and apparent lack of ability. One Celtic coach is claimed to have said that he 'couldn't trap a bag of sand'. Amazingly though, he did manage to blag himself two full Brazilian caps. (David Rawcliffe/EMPICS Sport)
  • Another unfortunately monikered entrant, Marco's spell at West-Ham was eventful and short-lived. Sent off for a shocking tackle on Gary Neville in only his second outing, the Dutchman disappeared, fuelling rumours that he was hiding out in a caravan in Holland.
  • A club not necessarily known for caution in the transfer market, Real Madrid shelled out £13.4m to Newcastle in 2004 for the defender's services. Even by their standards, this turned out to be a waste of money. Plagued by injuries during his time at the Bernabeu, he made just 14 appearances over 3 seasons, managing to score an own goal and get sent off on his debut. (Paul White/AP/Press Association Images)
  • El Nino's £50m move to Chelsea in January made him the most expensive player in British history, but also placed a huge weight of expectation on the young Spaniard's shoulders. Following an incredible scoring record at Liverpool, Torres has failed to settle at Stamford Bridge and looks perhaps a yard short of the pace that once terrified defences. He scored only once in 14 appearances since January. Still only 27 however, he may yet regain his form and justify his huge fee. (Rebecca Naden/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

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