In brief
Jadon Sancho of Manchester United, who failed to create an impression at Old Trafford, is one of the worst Premier League failures.
Sancho is not the only Manchester United acquisition to struggle in the Premier League; Bebe, Antony, and Kleberson are also having trouble.
The Premier League’s top failures include six Chelsea players, including Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku, both of whom fell short of expectations.
English football fans have seen the good, the poor, and the downright ugly, just like in any other league. Over the years, a number of players have cast doubt on the notion that professional football is typically played at a level that is above the capabilities of the average individual.
The Premier League has seen many failures, whether it was due to a lack of adaptability to the fast-paced English game or a decline in performance following a club change. They frequently arrive with much hoopla, but either they don’t get off to a good start or something goes wrong off the pitch, leaving fans wondering why they made the move in the first place.
The 30 English top-flight additions that ended to being huge failures are listed below. The following elements have been taken into account in order to get these conclusions.
Factors that rank
whole price.
quantity of appearances.
Contributions to goals, especially for forwards.
The effect they had on the pitch.
How successfully they’ve performed elsewhere.
30Roque Junior
Joined Leeds in 2013
When Roque Junior arrived a year later, Leeds United supporters were positive they were getting a top-tier centre-back to their roster. Roque was a member of the Brazil 2002 World Cup squad. The credentials were there, as they had also recently won the Champions League the season before.
That proved to be a mistake. After just seven appearances, he was sent back to Italy in December after being signed on loan in August. Although he did score twice in those games, his defensive play was lacking, and the team was fortunate not to spend more on Junior considering their financial circumstances at the time.
Cost of Roque Junior to Leeds
Cost of signing
£1.7 million
Looks
7.
The price per appearance
£242,857
29Radamel Falcao
Joined Manchester United in 2014
A loan player needs to do something to be deemed a failure. Furthermore, it wasn’t really Radamel Falcao’s fault. He wasn’t a celebrity who had issues off the pitch or a negative attitude. It was obvious that he was passionate about fighting for the shirt. Simply put, he wasn’t the player Manchester United had anticipated receiving.
The Colombian was still remembered as one of the game’s most effective strikers, scoring four goals and destroying Chelsea. However, by the time Louis van Gaal signed him on a deadline day in 2014, he had only recently recovered from a severe knee injury. After just four goals, it became clear that he lacked the physical strength necessary to play English football. We might have been discussing an Old Trafford legend instead, if it weren’t for that knee injury.
Cost of Radamel Falcao to Manchester United
Cost of signing
£6 million
Looks
29
The price per appearance
£206,896
28Naby Keita
Joined from Liverpool in 2018
It appeared inevitable that one of the elite clubs would contact him after he made an impression for RB Leipzig in Germany and Europe, and that club turned out to be Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Keïta was brought in to help the Reds, who were on the rise and hoping to challenge Manchester City to the top of the division.
The midfielder, however, never adjusted to English football, and his injury problems made matters worse. His life has barely improved since leaving the team, and he is currently playing in Hungary.
The cost of Naby Keita to Liverpool
Cost of signing
£4 million
Looks
129
The price per appearance
£372,093
27Savio Nsereko
Joined West Ham in 2009
When West Ham United signed Savio Nsereko from Brescia in January 2009, they smashed their own transfer record in the hopes of replacing Craig Bellamy, who had left for Manchester City. Regretfully, they did not spend their money wisely.
At that stage of his career, Nsereko had only made 23 league games and scored three senior goals, so questions about his skill level soon surfaced. He made just one start in ten Premier League games following a lacklustre debut against Hull City, and six months later, he was transferred to Fiorentina at a loss of around £7 million.
The cost of Savio Nsereko to West Ham
Cost of Signing
£9 million
Looks
11.
The price per appearance
£818, 181
26Afonso Alves
Joined Middlesbrough in 2008
After paying a club record to recruit Afonso Alves from Heerenveen in January 2008, Middlesbrough had to wait two months before he scored his first goal for the team. A hat-trick against Manchester City on the last day of the 2007–08 season gave the impression that things would be better the next season, but that was not the case.
In fact, he only scored four goals the next season, and Boro was demoted from the top division in part because of his failure to produce goals on a consistent basis. For the club, this was a really bad business decision.
25Massimo Taibi
Joined Manchester United in 1999
Massimo Taibi only played four games at Old Trafford before Sir Alex Ferguson realised he wasn’t the answer in goal. The unimpressive Italian goalie made a string of well-publicized errors that he never fully recovered from. Only six months after coming to Manchester, he departed.
In the English game, he will always be associated with awful transfers. He was cruelly referred to as “The Blind Venetian” by the Sun, and it’s safe to say that the Red Devils were not rooting for him to succeed Peter Schmeichel.
Cost of Massimo Taibi to Manchester United
Cost of signing
Transfer without charge
Looks
4.
The price per appearance
N/A
24Jo
Joined Manchester City in 2008
Jo was acquired from CSKA Moscow in July 2008 for a club-record sum, shortly before Sheikh Mansour’s takeover that would establish Manchester City as a major force on the continent and at home. City’s 2008 summer window was one of their greatest, arriving in the same window as Pablo Zabaleta and Vincent Kompany. If Jo hadn’t been such a huge letdown, it could have been much better.
After scoring just one goal in the league, the attacker spent three seasons on loan at Everton. He won’t be as well-remembered as some of the more successful City forwards who have played for the team in the last ten or so years.
Cost of Jo to Man City
Cost of signing
£18 million
Looks
42
The price per appearance
£428,571
xz
