The Worst Premier League Signings....Ever!

A trademark Andy Carroll moment

Geordie lad Andy Carroll’s £35 million pound transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool raised a few eyebrows – not only for the size of the fee, but also for a young man in the 21^st century trying to bring the ponytail back into fashion. Fast forward 18 months later, and it looks like the weight of expectation has proven too much, and he’s about to be shipped out.

So here are a few other ‘interesting’ transfer dealings, probably some of the Premier League’s worst:

William Prunier

This guy has become something of a cult figure among Manchester United fans – although they were slightly less reverential towards him following his two appearances for the Red Devils during the New Year period of 1996.

Amidst an injury crisis that saw his three first choice centre halves crocked, Sir Alex (or just plain old Al as he was in those days) handed Prunier his first team debut following his switch from Bordeaux. A classy, continental defender, he impressed as United saw off QPR 2-1.

But it was his second game against Spurs where the seeds of doubt were sown for the fleet-footed Frenchman. He formed part of a makeshift defence that was torn to shreds by Teddy Sheringham and Chris Armstrong (!). The match finished 4-1, and Prunier was never seen again.

Massimo Taibi

Taibi, or the ‘Blind Venetian’ as he cruelly became known, was a highly-rated Italian keeper who Sir Alex purchased for £4.5 million, to compete with Mark Bosnich and Raymond Van Der Gouw for the number 1 jersey at United.

On his debut, Taibi flapped at cross from which Sami Hyypia scored. Although he went on to win the Man of the Match award as the Red Devils triumphed, the die was cast. He went on to gift Matt Le Tissier a goal against Southampton, before conceding five as United were routed by Chelsea. That was the last of his four appearances in the Premier League.

Juan Sebastian Veron

Completing our triumvirate of ‘Fergie’s Flops’ is Juan Veron, an undoubtedly gifted Argentine who signed for Manchester United for a then record transfer fee of £28.1 million.

Following huge success in his home country and in Italy, the follically-challenged midfield schemer found the going tough in the Premeir League against some ‘gritty’ opponents - with less time on the ball he could never release his trademark killer passes, and despite the odd flourish he was sold to Chelsea in a cut price £15 million deal just two years later. Where he flopped again.

Ali Dia (Or The Artist Formerly Known As George Weah’s Cousin)

Perhaps one of the funniest pranks in sporting history, the story of Ali Dia – or George Weah’s cousin - has gone down in footballing folklore.

The then Southampton boss Graeme Souness received a phone call from a chap purporting to be 1995 FIFA Footballer of the Year George Weah. ‘Weah’ told Souness that his young cousin was a promising young player, and convinced him to sign Dia. The Scot agreed, and handed him a one month contract.

Dia was scheduled for a run out in the Saints’ reserve team, but that game was postponed. So in his infinite wisdom Souness stuck him straight on the bench for his side’s game against Leeds United. What then transpired had to be seen to be believed.

The sneaky Senegalese replaced Le Tissier after half an hour, played for 19 minutes before himself being substituted for being, well, crap. Le Tiss is quoted as saying that Dia “...ran around the pitch like Bambi on ice; it was very embarrassing to watch.”

He went on to sign for non-league Gateshead, scoring two goals in eight games. But his place on Premier League history had already been cemented.

Marco Boogers

“I signed Boogers off a video. He was a good player but a nutter.”

This quote from the West Ham manager of the time sums up the Marco Boogers affair quite nicely. Boogers was a Dutch striker whom Harry Redknapp forked out a cool £1 million for, only to promptly get send off almost immediately after coming on as a second half substitute. The ‘horror tackle’ earned Boogers a four game ban.

This, however, was not the end. After three more matches, the Dutchman suffered a knee injury and was never seen around Upton Park again. There was media speculation that Boogers – who was fed up of the abuse suffered in the aftermath of his red card – had actually fled to his native Holland, and was hiding on a caravan site and refusing to come back to London. This remains a myth to this day.

Chris Sutton

Sutton was a prolific goalscorer for his first club, Norwich City, and latterly for Blackburn Rovers, where he forged the infamous SAS partnership with Alan Shearer and duly fired the Lancashire club to their first and only Premier League title.

A move to a ‘big’ club then seemed inevitable, and so it proved when the big centre-forward signed for Chelsea for a reported £10 million. Expectations were high....yet a return of one goal in 28 appearances has to mark Sutton down as one of the most expensive flops in EPL history.

Winston Bogarde

This sorry tale highlights why drawing up a contract should be taken VERY seriously. Bogarde was a solid if not spectacular centre half who signed for Chelsea in the year 2000, on a very tasty salary of £40,000.

When Claudio Ranieri took over as manager shortly after, he decided that Bogarde did not feature in his first team plans, and the Dutch defender was promptly transfer listed. 

As time went by and Bogarde slowly rotted in Chelsea’s reserves, he realised that he would not be able to command such a wage anywhere else, and so sat out his three year contract without kicking a ball. This makes him – in terms of hourly output– one of the most expensive players of all time.

Andrea Silenzi

This lanky striker cost Nottingham Forest £1.8 million in the summer of 1995. He became the first Italian to play in the Premier League, and as a result Forest fans were purring with anticipation to see their new hero in action.

It turned out that Silenzi was more of the rugged powerhouse than the skilful flair player the fans were hoping for, and his season’s return of two goals cost just under £1 million each. His contract was allegedly torn up, and Silenzi returned to his homeland with his tail between his legs. Ciao.