Earlier this week, it was officially announced that Paul Pogba will leave Manchester United for a second time at the end of this month, following the expiry of his contract.
The Red Devils paid more than £89 million to re-sign the French midfielder from Juventus in 2016. Few would argue that club got anywhere close to value for money out of the mammoth deal.
A poor piece of business, for sure. However, we don't reckon it's United's worst of the Premier League era.
Join us now as we take a look back at every Premier League club's most disastrous pieces of transfer activity.
There's some real shockers in here!
Arsenal - Shkodran Mustafi
Mustafi was touted as a star of the future when Arsenal paid Valencia £35m for the German defender in 2016.
Whatever promise he had shown in La Liga, though, didn't seem to survive the trip over to London.
Mustafi never looked at home at the heart of the Arsenal defence, but still managed to maintain a regular presence in the side, despite numerous errors.
News of his departure to Schalke in 2021 was greeted with great enthusiasm from the Arsenal fanbase.
Mustafi lasted only three months with the German club.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 22: Shkodran Mustafi (R) of Arsenal protests referee Jonathan Moss (L) over the penalty decision during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Burnley at the Emirates Stadium on January 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Aston Villa - Bosko Balaban
For the time, Villa's 2001 investment of £5.8m in Croatian striker Balaban was a significant one. It wasn't, however, a wise one. He never found the net during his time at Villa Park.
28 Nov 2001: Bosko Balaban of Aston Villa tries to break through during the Worthington Cup fourth round match against Sheffield Wednesday played at Villa Park, in Birmingham, England. Sheffield Wednesday won the match 1-0. \ Mandatory Credit: Jamie McDonald /Allsport
Bournemouth - Jordan Ibe
A buy-back and a sell-on clause were included when Ibe joined Bournemouth from Liverpool for £15m in 2016. Neither were needed.
After four largely dismal years, the player was released by the Cherries in 2020.
BURTON-UPON-TRENT, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 25: Jordon Ibe of AFC Bournemouth looks on prior to the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Burton Albion and AFC Bournemouth at Pirelli Stadium on September 25, 2019 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
Brentford - Nick Proschwitz
The Bees have been so impressive in their debut season in the Premier League that it's tough to pick on any member of their current squad.
However, years before Ivan Toney was propelling the club to the dizzy heights of the English top-flight, Brentford put their faith in German striker Proschwitz in 2014 - and it didn't end well.
He was back in his homeland a year later, having hit just two goals in 20 games.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 26: Nick Proschwitz of Brentford looks to get past Fulham's Dan Burn during the Capital One Cup Second Round match between Brentford and Fulham at Griffin Park on August 26, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Brighton - Alireza Jahanbakhsh
Brighton forked out a club record £17m for Jahanbakhsh in 2018.
He moved on three years later with just two Premier League goals to his name.
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 08: Alireza Jahanbakhsh of Brighton and Hove Albion celebrates after Adrian Mariappa of Watford (not pictured) scored an own goal which resulted in the first goal for Brighton and Hove Albion during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Watford FC at American Express Community Stadium on February 08, 2020 in Brighton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Chelsea - Danny Drinkwater
Announcing his departure from Stamford Bridge after five years last month, Drinkwater called his £35m switch to Chelsea "a business move gone wrong".
You won't hear too many arguments from the Blues' camp about that assessment, either.
Drinkwater's entire Chelsea career saw him make just 12 Premier League appearances.
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 16: Danny Drinkwater of Chelsea during The Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Chelsea and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on February 16, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Crystal Palace - Alexander Sorloth
Palace somehow ended up making a profit on Sorloth - which is remarkable when you look at his stats for the Eagles.
A £9m capture from FC Midtjylland in January 2018, striker Sorloth managed just one goal in 20 appearances for the club.
Improved form while on loan in Turkey convinced RB Leipzig to offer £20m for his services two years later. Palace quickly cashed in on their man and must have been delighted to do so.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: Alexander Sorloth of Crystal Palace holds off a challenge from Chris Smalling of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park on March 5, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)
Everton - Davy Klaassen
This £23.6m deal could have gone better.
Former Ajax man Klaassen made just seven appearances for the Toffees. His fate was essentially sealed when his former boss Sam Allardyce remarked that he couldn't risk playing the Dutchman - because he "wanted to win".
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JULY 27: Davy Klaassen of Everton in action during the UEFA Europa League Third Qualifying Round, First Leg match between Everton and MFK Ruzomberok at Goodison Park on July 27, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Fulham - Kostas Mitroglu
Desperate to add goals to their squad in January 2014, Fulham took a £12m punt on Greek striker Mitroglu, handing him a four-and-a-half-year deal.
Making only one start for the club, the move was not a success. Mitroglu was back in his homeland within 12 months.
ZAGREB, CROATIA - NOVEMBER 09: Kostas Mitroglou (L) of Greece in action against Domagoj Vida (R) of Croatia during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier Play-Off: First Leg between Croatia and Greece at Stadion Maksimir on November 9, 2017 in Zagreb, Croatia (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)
Leeds - Seth Johnson
Leeds signed Johnson from Derby for £7m in 2001 - and only got 59 appearances in total for their money.
When the Whites were relegated in 2004, the club actually refused to play the once-capped England international to avoid triggering additional payments in his contract.
Johnson's Elland Road nightmare mercifully ended a year later, when he rejoined Derby after his Leeds deal expired.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 21: Kleberson of Man Utd clashes with Seth Johnson of Leeds during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Manchester United and Leeds United at Old Trafford on February 21, 2004 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Leicester - Ahmed Musa
Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante are just three names that have risen to prominence while plying their trade with the Foxes.
It wasn't to be for £16.6m signing Musa, though, who joined the club in July 2016. Two goals in 21 Premier League outings sums up how his time at Leicester went.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 07: Ahmed Musa of Leicester City celebrates scoring his sides first goal during the Emirates FA Cup third round match between Everton and Leicester City at Goodison Park on January 7, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Liverpool - Andy Carroll
Having sold fan favourite Fernando Torres to Chelsea on the final day of the January transfer window in 2011, Liverpool's move for Newcastle's Carroll came as a bit of a shock, especially when you consider the £35m transfer fee involved.
Rarely fully fit during his time on Merseyside, Carroll contributed just 11 goals in 58 appearances, before departing for West Ham in a £15m deal in 2013.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 24: Andy Carroll of Liverpool shows his dispair during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Wigan Athletic at Anfield on March 24, 2012 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Manchester City - Eliaquim Mangala
City aren't shy of splashing the cash, but the £32m they paid for Mangala in 2014 simply has to be an investment they bitterly regret.
Even surrounded by world-class talent, it didn't take long to notice that the Frenchman was completely out of his depth.
It won't come as a shock to learn that City didn't recoup a penny of that transfer fee when he officially left the club in 2019.
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 19: Eliaquim Mangala of Manchester City during the Carabao Cup Quarter-Final match between Leicester City and Manchester City at The King Power Stadium on December 19, 2017 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Manchester United - Alexis Sanchez
Technically, Sanchez arrived at Old Trafford on a free transfer as part of a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move to Arsenal.
Despite the lack of an upfront fee, Sanchez proved a miserable piece of business for United due to his staggering £500,000-a-week salary.
That huge number might have been justifiable if Sanchez had routinely delivered the dynamic form that he'd shown at the Emirates. However, he didn't, at any point!
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: Alexis Sanchez of Manchester United looks dejected in defeat after the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester United and Sevilla FC at Old Trafford on March 13, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
A pale imitation of the player he had been previously, Sanchez was paid a total of £26m-a-year to sit on the United bench and look like he'd rather be anywhere else most of the time.
Eventually, United were able to loan the Chilean to Inter Milan, where they were still responsible for paying the bulk of his wages.
As a United player, Sanchez scored only three league goals. Undeniably one of the worst deals in English football history.
Newcastle - Michael Owen
The Magpies stumped up a club-record fee of £16m for Owen in the summer of 2005. Shortly after arriving from Real Madrid he suffered a broken metatarsal and went on to tear his cruciate ligament while on duty with England at the 2006 World Cup.
Owen was never the same player again. He stayed at Newcastle until his contract expired in 2009, collecting a significant weekly salary while rarely setting foot on the pitch.
It took the club 14 years to build up the bravery to invest a similar sum in a player again.
NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND - AUGUST 31: Michael Owen signs for Newcastle United flanked by team manager, Graeme Souness (l) and Chairman, Freddy Shepherd during a press conference at St James' Park on August 31, 2005 in Newcastle, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Nottingham Forest - Nikola Jerkan
As this is a Premier League-based list, we'd rather stick to signings made while each club were part of the English top-flight.
With Forest having played second-tier football since 1999, we've had to go all the way back to 1996 for their ill-fated signing of Croatian international defender Jerkan.
Brought to the City Ground for a seven-figure fee on the back of an impressive Euro 96, Jerkan managed just 14 appearances in his Forest career.
21 Dec 1996: Nikola Jerkan of Nottingham Forest in action during the premier league game against Arsenal. Nottingham Forest won 2-1. Mandatory credit: Ross Kinnaird/Allsport
Southampton - Dani Osvaldo
The Saints splashed out £15m to sign Osvaldo from Roma in August 2013. For that outlay, the striker returned just three goals in 13 appearances.
His tally could have been greater had he not picked up a ban for violent conduct during a touchline fracas against Newcastle - and then promptly been suspended by his own club after a training ground scrap with teammate Jose Fonte just two weeks later.
He never played for the club again, with Southampton eventually tearing up his contract in 2015. The whole debacle (wages included) is estimated to have cost the Saints £25m in total.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 14: Davide Santon of Newcastle United tackles Pablo Osvaldo of Southampton during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton at St James' Park on December 14, 2013 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur - Roberto Soldado
Fair to say that 2013 wasn't the most prosperous year for Premier League transfers.
Soldado cost the north London club £26m. Notching just seven goals in his White Hart Lane career, Spurs paid an eye-watering £3.5m for every time he found the net.
Luckily, a certain Harry Kane soon found his shooting boots.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 25: Roberto Soldado of Spurs celebrates after scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City at White Hart Lane on August 25, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
West Ham - Javier Margas
The writing was probably on the wall for Margas from the very beginning. Turning up 40 miles away at Stanstead Airport rather than the Hammers' training ground on his first day with the club wasn't a massive encouraging start.
Things got even odder, though.
Harry Redknapp once revealed the story of how Margas departed the club without notice by jumping out of his hotel room window and running off.
"He'd obviously taken what he needed - his passport - jumped out of the window, legged it up towards the motorway somewhere and we never saw him again. He went back to Chile and then was the end of his career at West Ham.
"Half his gear was still in the room, suits and clothes and all sorts, but he'd made his mind up that he didn't want to stay and his wife wouldn't come back."
Perhaps not the worst signing from a footballing perspective, but certainly a bizarre tale.
19 Aug 2000: Javier Margas of West Ham United tussles with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink of Chelsea during the FA Carling Premiership match at Stamford Bridge in London. Chelsea won 4-2. \ Mandatory Credit: Ben Radford /Allsport
Wolves - Roger Johnson
Wolves had high hopes for Johnson when they paid Birmingham a reported £4m for his services in 2011. The move did not go to plan.
Part of a side that was relegated twice in successive seasons, Johnson's contract was cancelled by mutual consent in 2015.
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - MARCH 31: Wayne Hennessey of Woves squares up to his captain Roger Johnson during the Barclays Premier League match between Wolverhapton Wanders and Bolton Wanderers at Molineux on March 31, 2012 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
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