Highlights

  • Manchester United's Jadon Sancho ranks among the worst Premier League flops after failing to make an impact at Old Trafford. He has now been loaned back to former club Borussia Dortmund after falling out with manager Erik ten Hag.
  • Sancho is not the only Manchester United signing to flop in the Premier League, with the likes of Bebe, Antony and Kleberson all also struggling.
  • Six Chelsea players feature in the Premier League's biggest flops, including strikers Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, who both failed to live up to expectations.

As with any league in world football, English fans have experienced the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. While most professional football is usually played at a standard beyond the reach of the average person, there have been a number of players over the years who have brought that statement into disrepute.

Whether it be failing to acclimatise to the fast-pace of the English game, or simply suffering a drop-off in form after switching clubs, the Premier League has been home to countless flops. Often arriving to huge fanfares, they fail to hit the ground running, or something goes amiss off the field, with fans questioning what the point was in the move at all.

The label of 'flop' feels apt for Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho. After joining from Borussia Dortmund for £73m in 2021, the 23-year-old has failed to nail down a place in the team, and his infamous bust-up with Erik ten Hag led to him being banished from the Red Devils' first team. Eager to put the whole sorry saga behind them, both parties have agreed a short-term loan deal with Dortmund as Sancho bids to re-discover his best form back at his old stomping ground.

It's been a disastrous move for all parties in question, but where does the winger rank among the worst Premier League flops ever? The team at GIVEMESPORT have put our heads together, picking out 20 English top-flight signings before ranking them based on overall cost and what impact they made on the pitch. Got all that? Let's get into the list then...

1 Ali Dia

Joined Southampton in 1996

Ali Dia to Southampton cost

Signing cost

Free transfer

Appearances

1

Cost per appearance

N/A

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

The story of Ali Dia playing for Southampton is truly iconic. He managed to fool the Saints into believing he was George Weah's cousin and had previously played for Paris Saint-Germain. What's more, he blagged a short contract with the club and even played 53 minutes for them against Leeds in 1996, making it clear to then-boss Graeme Sounnes that he was more of a conman than he was a footballer.

Southampton's players thought Dia had won a competition to train with the Saints, which says it all about his ability. He may not have cost as much as some of the other flops on this list, but his transfer is just so bizarre, the Senegalese striker deserves his spot in first place. At least the others players in this list could pass as Premier League footballers for more than just one appearance!

2 Romelu Lukaku

Joined Chelsea in 2021

Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea.

Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea cost (stats correct as of 10/01/24)

Signing cost

€113m

Appearances

44

Cost per appearance

€2.57m

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

The Blues already had a pretty good idea of just how good Romelu Lukaku could be when they signed him from Inter Milan. After all, he'd already enjoyed three years with them, albeit most of that time was spent out on loan banging in the goal for Everton and West Brom.

When he returned in 2021, Chelsea were expecting the finished product at Stamford Bridge, the man who'd just fired Inter Milan to the Serie A title with 24 goals. And while the early signs were promising, a controversial TV interview saw him complain about life back in west London. After scoring just eight league goals in 2021/22, he returned to Inter Milan on loan after just one season. Incredibly, he is still on Chelsea's books.

3 Bebé

Joined Manchester United in 2010

Man Utd's Bebe looking dejected.

Bebe to Man Utd cost

Signing cost

€8.8m

Appearances

7

Cost per appearance

€1.26m

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Sir Alex Ferguson signed Bebé in 2010 without ever seeing him play, and it would prove to be a serious mistake. Bebe was one of Man United's worst-ever players. In a game against Wolves, for instance, he replaced Owen Hargreaves as an early substitute before being hooked off himself in the second half.

The striker played just two times in the Premier League for the Red Devils, failing to score a goal. Unsurprisingly, Ferguson wanted none of the responsibility for signing Bebé, instead blaming his assistant Carlos Queiroz, who insisted he knew nothing about the deal. He spent most of his time out on loan but still stayed contracted at United for four years.

4 Jadon Sancho

Joined Manchester United in 2021

Jadon Sancho of Manchester United

Jadon Sancho to Man Utd cost (stats correct as of 10/01/24)

Signing cost

€85m

Appearances

82

Cost per appearance

€1.04m

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Maybe recency bias plays a part in Sancho being so high in our list, but this truly has been one of the worst deals in recent memory. A marquee signing who the club had pursued for years, expectations were high for the man who had 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 games for Borussia Dortmund.

But Sancho failed to live up to the hype in the biggest of ways at Old Trafford, publicly falling out with manager Erik ten Hag after he posted a statement on social media. Banished from the squad, he is now re-joining his former club, with United desperate to get the man they once held in such high regard out the door. Was he worth it? Seeing as he scored just nine league goals for the Red Devils, absolutely not.

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5 Danny Drinkwater

Joined Chelsea in 2017

Chelsea's Danny Drinkwater

Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea cost

Signing cost

€37.9m

Appearances

23

Cost per appearance

€1.65m

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Having stormed to the Premier League title under Antonio Conte, Chelsea were in the market for reinforcements as they looked to defend their crown. The thought of reuniting Danny Drinkwater with N'Golo Kante, a duo which had won Leicester City their famous title in 2015/16, was too tempting to resist, with the Blues shelling out £35m for the midfielder.

What followed, however, was a calamity for both parties. Drinkwater barely got a sniff of action while at Stamford Bridge for five years, playing just 23 games and spending time out on loan at Burnley and Aston Villa. He also infamously got sent off after causing a mass brawl in a U23 game, and revealed his regret about wasting his best years at Chelsea after leaving the club.

6 Antony

Joined Manchester United in 2022

Manchester United's Antony

Antony to Man Utd cost (stats correct as of 10/01/24)

Signing cost

€95m

Appearances

65

Cost per appearance

€1.46m

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

In the summer of 2022, Erik ten Hag left Ajax for Manchester United. In Lisandro Martinez and Antony, the Dutch manager brought with him two other fellow men from Amsterdam. The Brazilian cost a mammoth £86 million and so arrived with higher expectations. It's safe to say, however, he's not lived up to them since.

The winger did net a goal against Arsenal on debut but that appeared to be a false dawn. Indeed, in his first 53 appearances for the Red Devils, Antony has provided a paltry eight goals and three assists. Lacking key attributes such as pace, vision, or a clinical touch, it's hard to see why United felt he would be worth spending so much money on. That massive fee is why he ranks so poorly on this list, with his only saving grace being that he still has time to rectify his present situation.

7 Andy Carroll

Joined Liverpool in 2011

Andy Carroll of Liverpool

Andy Carroll to Liverpool cost

Signing cost

€41m

Appearances

58

Cost per appearance

€706.9k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

After lighting up St. James' Park with Newcastle United, Andy Carroll was rewarded for his performances with a move to Liverpool. But the tall Geordie, with his unmistakable ponytail, only found the net on just 11 instances for Liverpool, a measly return on his transfer fee.

However, the Reds and Kenny Dalglish did get it right with their cheaper acquisition of Luis Suárez on the same day. Unfortunately, though, the Uruguayan's excellence only helped paint a poorer picture of Carroll and his time at Anfield. The only solace from the deal is that Liverpool at least recouped £15m for him.

8 Nicolas Pépé

Joined Arsenal in 2019

Nicolas Pepe

Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal cost

Signing cost

€80m

Appearances

112

Cost per appearance

€714.3k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Unfortunately for Nicolas Pépé, he was signed in an era of ever-increasing transfer fees and so the bar was raised nice and high for him in north London before he'd even kicked a ball. Indeed, the Gunners splashed £72 million on the winger in what was a club-record transfer fee at the time, with Pepe bagging 22 goals for Lille in Ligue 1 the season before he joined.

Unfortunately, the Ivorian always looked like an awkward fit at Arsenal and struggled to convince both Unai Emery and then Mikel Arteta. The emergence of Bukayo Saka left Pépé surplus to requirements, and he departed in 2023, leaving for free, having scored 27 goals in 112 appearances.

9 Adrian Mutu

Joined Chelsea in 2003

Adrian Mutu - Chelsea

Adrian Mutu to Chelsea cost

Signing cost

€19m

Appearances

38

Cost per appearance

€500k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Chelsea have had a lot of attacking players over the years who have failed to live up to experience. After all, there is the famous No. 9 shirt curse that has curtailed many careers at Stamford Bridge. Adrian Mutu, however, did not wear that kit number and yet perhaps flopped harder than any – though not entirely for what he did on the pitch.

The striker tested positive for cocaine and was banned from the sport for seven months. Consequently, the Blues decided to tear up his contract and sued Mutu for breach of contract. They won the court case, as FIFA dished out the biggest financial penalty to a player in their history.

10 Fernando Torres

Joined Chelsea in 2011

Fernando-Torres-Chelsea

Fernando Torres to Chelsea cost

Signing cost

€58.5m

Appearances

172

Cost per appearance

€340.1k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Fernando Torres may have managed 45 goals in 172 games for the Blues, which is not totally awful, but having scored 81 in 142 for Liverpool, it's clear to see just how much he dropped off.

It actually took the Spaniard 903 minutes of football to score his first goal for Chelsea, and it felt as though he was always playing with some weight upon his shoulders. Having cost £50m, it never really looked like money well spent, and he went down in the club's history as yet another striker who failed to make the grade.

11 Andriy Shevchenko

Joined Chelsea in 2006

Andriy Shevchenko at Chelsea looking dejected.

Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea cost

Signing cost

€43.88m

Appearances

77

Cost per appearance

€569.9k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Andriy Shevchenko wasn't the player Chelsea – indeed, the entire league – thought he would be. The Ukrainian international had been immense during the preceding years at clubs like AC Milan, but his three years at Chelsea following the Blues' investment returned little by way of value for money.

The striker managed just 22 goals in 77 games, a dismal showing for a player famous for his potent ability in front of goal. While he impressed so many in Italy, he failed to leave a similar impression on football fans in England. A great shame indeed.

12 Kleberson

Joined Manchester United in 2003

Kleberson of Man United

Kleberson to Man Utd cost

Signing cost

€8.6m

Appearances

30

Cost per appearance

€286.7k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Brought in by Sir Alex Ferguson under the impression that Kleberson would be the natural heir to the throne left by Roy Keane, this was perhaps one of Fergie's biggest mishaps during his decorated 27 years with the club. It quickly became apparent that the Brazilian couldn't live up to the hype, and was nowhere near the level of his fiery Irish predecessor.

The central midfielder would go on to last just two seasons at Old Trafford before being offloaded to Turkish outfit Beşiktaş. He actually only joined the Red Devils because he thought Ronaldinho was heading that way too. What a mess...

13 Timo Werner

Joined Chelsea in 2020

Timo-Werner-Chelsea

Timo Werner to Chelsea cost

Signing cost

€53m

Appearances

89

Cost per appearance

€595.5k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Arriving in west London after scoring 28 league goals in the 2019/20 season, big things were expected of the former RB Leipzig striker. Timo Werner had been scoring goals for fun in the Bundesliga, and his raw pace and clinical propensities in front of goal were identified by then-manager Frank Lampard as exactly what was needed to remedy the Blues' deficiencies up top.

Unfortunately, Werner’s six-goal return in 35 league appearances in 2020/21 was the best it was going to get for the striker, reduced to just four the following season, having been limited to several substitute cameos and 15 relatively fruitless starts. The summer of 2022 would see the marksman return to RB Leipzig, but he has now returned to English soil, with Tottenham Hotspur signing him on loan, and has the chance to right past wrongs.

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14 Jack Rodwell

Joined Sunderland in 2014

Sunderland's Jack Rodwell

Jack Rodwell to Sunderland cost

Signing cost

€12.5m

Appearances

76

Cost per appearance

€164.5k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Jack Rodwell is to Sunderland fans what Judas was to Jesus; a traitor. The midfielder signed for Manchester City back in 2012, yet following a spell hampered by underperformance and injury, the ex-Everton man was quickly shipped on to Sunderland, with the Sky Blues recouping £10 million of the £12 million originally spent.

Rodwell's time on Wearside was just an elongated repeat of his stint at City, with injuries and lack of commitment hampering any chance of progression. It all eventually came to an acrimonious end with the Black Cats, as the player refused to leave while picking up a wage of £70,000 a week, with the Mackems languishing in League One and financially hamstrung.

15 Tomas Brolin

Joined Leeds United in 1995

Tomas Brolin to Leeds cost

Signing cost

€5.2m

Appearances

24

Cost per appearance

€216.7k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Tomas Brolin admitted to being overweight when he joined Leeds United from Parma in 1995 and that contributed to a disappointing spell at the club. The Swede, who cost a club-record fee of £4.5 million, scored four goals in 26 appearances across two seasons.

He is well-remembered for an awful performance against Liverpool but later told The Guardian he deliberately played poorly in protest of being played out of position. At the age of 28, Brolin quit football and became a vacuum cleaner salesman. That probably tells you all you need to know about his time at Elland Road.

16 Jo

Joined Manchester City in 2008

Jo - Manchester City

Jo to Man City cost

Signing cost

€24m

Appearances

42

Cost per appearance

€571.4k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Jo was brought in for a club-record fee in July 2008 from CSKA Moscow, just before Sheikh Mansour's takeover that would see Manchester City become a dominant force domestically and continentally. Arriving in the same window as Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta, City's summer window in 2008 was one of their best. It might have been even better if Jo had not been such a major disappointment.

The attacker mustered just one league goal, before being loaned to Everton twice over the course of three seasons. He certainly won't be remembered as fondly as some of the more prolific City forwards to have played for the club over the past decade or so.

17 Massimo Taibi

Joined Manchester United in 1999

Massimo Taibi to Man Utd cost

Signing cost

Free transfer

Appearances

4

Cost per appearance

N/A

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Sir Alex Ferguson realised Massimo Taibi wasn't the solution in goal after just four games at Old Trafford. The unconvincing Italian shot-stopper produced a series of high-profile mistakes that he never quite lived down. He left just six months after arriving in Manchester.

He will always be synonymous with terrible transfers within the English game. The Sun cruelly dubbed him "The Blind Venetian" and it's safe to say he was not the Peter Schmeichel replacement the Red Devils were hoping for.

3:29
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18 Afonso Alves

Joined Middlesbrough in 2008

Afonso Alves at Middlesbrough

Afonso Alves to Middlesbrough cost

Signing cost

€17m

Appearances

49

Cost per appearance

€346.9k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Middlesbrough had to wait two months before Afonso Alves scored his first goal for the club after they paid a club record to sign him from Heerenveen in January 2008. A hat-trick against Manchester City on the final day of the 2007/08 season suggested the following season would be better, but that didn't prove to be the case.

Indeed, the following term, he scored just four times and Boro would see themselves relegated from the top flight, partly as a consequence of his inability to find the back of the net on a regular basis. This was a truly disastrous bit of business for the club.

19 Andy van der Meyde

Joined Everton in 2005

Signed for €9m

Andy Van Der Meyde - Everton

Andy van der Meyde to Everton cost

Signing cost

€9m

Appearances

24

Cost per appearance

€375k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Andy van der Meyde's struggles off the pitch during his time at Everton contributed to him playing just 24 games over four years with the Toffees. The Dutchman's time on Merseyside after signing from Inter Milan was tumultuous, to say the least; he had issues with alcohol, his dog was stolen during a burglary, his drink was spiked in a bar and his wife even hired a private detective to follow him at one stage.

It's safe to say the odds were never in his favour, with Everton consequently allowing Van der Meyde's contract to run out following a series of run-ins with manager David Moyes. He actually wanted to sign for Monaco instead but ended up in "rainy Liverpool" instead as his wife could bring her Zebra along with her to England, but not to the French league. Bizzare.

20 Marco Boogers

Joined West Ham United in 1995

Marco Boogers to West Ham cost

Signing cost

€725k

Appearances

4

Cost per appearance

€181.25k

Transfer cost taken from Transfermarkt

Harry Redknapp signed the unfortunately named Marco Boogers from Sparta Rotterdam after watching a video of him in action. As scouting goes, that's not necessarily how it's done, and Redknapp was left to wish he'd watched another video instead after Boogers was sent off in just his second game for West Ham.

Following his horrendous start to life as a Hammer, the player brought in from Sparta Rotterdam staged arguably the biggest disappearing act of them all when he was given permission to return to Holland and never came back. Four appearances for such a small return hardly seems worth the cost.