Worst Transfers in Premier League History

EPL teams are flush with cash, but sometimes they spend that money on terrible players.

Worst Transfers in Premier League History

Jozy Altidore was a big disappointment for Sunderland.

The English Premier League is the richest soccer league in the world, and in recent years, the EPL has taken its wealth to new levels, with even smaller clubs spending exorbitant fees on players.

Strikers make up a big portion of transfers as teams often are willing to throw huge wads of cash at exciting, sometimes unproven, goal scorers. But no matter the position, it's important to spend wisely.

Bringing in a player who can’t cut it in the Premier League can be devastating. One bad roster move could cost clubs a chance at trophies or cause them to be relegated to the second division.

These are the worst transfers in Premier League history.

Note: All fees are listed in English pounds (and current U.S. dollars), based on the best available information. Some fees are media estimates or unknown.

50. Helder Postiga

Fee (bought): £6.25 million ($7.9 million)

Team: Tottenham

Years: 2003-04

Position: Striker

Goals: 1

Appearances: 24

Fee (sold): Swapped for Pedro Mendes

Bottom line: Helder Postiga played a key role for the Porto squad that won the UEFA Cup under Jose Mourinho.

But the young striker had a horrible season at White Hart Lane, scoring only once in the Premier League.

49. Michael Owen

Fee (bought): £16.8 million ($21.4 million)

Team: Newcastle United

Years: 2005-09

Position: Striker

Goals: 30

Appearances: 79

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: By his own world-class standards, Michael Owen was a disappointment for Newcastle.

But the real problem during his time with Newscastle was his injury issues. Having played at the highest levels since he was 17, his body began to break down in his late 20s.

48. Anderson

Fee (bought): £20 million ($25.5 million)

Team: Manchester United

Years: 2007-14

Position: Midfielder

Goals: 9

Appearances: 181

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Anderson hung around Manchester United for a long time and contributed to some of its biggest games, but he was a disappointment overall.

His career at United petered out over several seasons. He often often injured and fell out of favor with David Moyes before being let go for free under Luis Van Gaal.

47. Nikola Jerkan

Nikoa Jerkan — Croatia's Nikola Jerkan, right, challenges Denmark's Kim Vilfort during a European Soccer Championships match in 1996.

Fee (bought): £1 million ($1.27 million)

Team: Nottingham Forest

Years: 1996-97, 1998-99

Position: Defender

Goals: 0

Appearances: 14

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Bought during the heyday of Croatian superstars, Nikola Jerkan proved to be fool's gold in his one season in the Premier League.

He was a shaky defender, scored zero goals, and picked up five yellow cards in his 14 appearances.

After spending a season on loan, he returned for the 1998-99 season but did not make an appearance before being released.

46. Christian Poulsen

Fee (bought): £4.5 million ($5.7 million)

Team: Liverpool

Years: 2010-11

Position: Defensive midfielder

Goals: 0

Appearances: 12

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Attempting to fill the shoes of legendary players like Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano in the midfield for Liverpool, Christian Poulsen was found to be severely lacking.

He had success at several major clubs around Europe, but his spell at Liverpool was a perfect representation of the decline of the club during Roy Hodgson’s tenure.

45. Leon Cort

Fee (bought): £1.5 million ($1.9 million)

Team: Burnley

Years: 2010-11

Position: Defender

Goals: 0

Appearances: 20

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Leon Cort was brought in to help rescue Burnley from relegation, but he failed to strengthen their defense or provide anything offensively.

Burnley was relegated, and Cort was let go for free after a loan spell.

44. Diego Forlan

Fee (bought): £6.9 million ($8.8 million)

Team: Manchester United

Years: 2002-04

Position: Forward

Goals: 17

Appearances: 98

Fee (sold): £2.88 million ($2.7 million)

Bottom line: Diego Forlan was a decent player for Man U, but his dazzling success for Atletico Madrid and in the 2010 World Cup for Uruguay made his time at Old Trafford look disappointing.

He scored some big goals for the Red Devils, but he couldn’t live up to his potential.

43. Christian Benteke

Fee (bought): £32.5 million ($41.4 million)

Team: Liverpool

Years: 2015-16

Position: Striker

Goals: 10

Appearances: 42

Fee (sold): £27 million ($34.4 million)

Bottom line: Christian Benteke wasn’t awful for Liverpool, and the team sold him for a fairly high fee, but he’s seen as a disappointment in the eyes of Liverpool fans.

The Reds paid a high fee for the player who was prolific at Aston Villa, but he never fit Jurgen Klopp’s style and was sold after only a season on Merseyside.

42. Daniel Amokachi

Daniel Amokachi and Everton teammates — Daniel Amokachi, in front, with Everton teammates after winning the 1995 FA Cup.

Fee (Bought): £3.15 million ($4.0 million)

Team: Everton

Years: 1994-96

Position: Forward

Goals: 10

Appearances: 43

Fee (sold): £1.8 million ($2.3 million)

Bottom line: Remembered for a great goal for Nigeria against Greece in the 1994 World Cup, Daniel Amokachi didn’t do too much for Everton.

His most famous moment was substituting himself into the FA Cup semifinal game agains Tottenham. He had been told to warm up, but he instead went into the game while another player was receiving treatment. All Amokachi did was score two goals in the game.

Everton went on to win the 1995 FA Cup, so Amokachi did give fans of the Blues fond memories.

41. Robinho

Fee (bought): £32.5 million ($41.4 million)

Team: Manchester City

Years: 2008-10

Position: Forward

Goals: 16

Appearances: 53

Fee (sold): £15 million ($19.1 million)

Bottom line: Bought the same day that Manchester City was taken over by Sheikh Mansour’s group, Robinho was the first of many big money signings that the group made.

He was decent in his first season, but his second was a failure in which he only scored once.

40. Kleberson

Kleberson and Manchester United teammates — Kleberson, far left in front, with Manchester United teammates in 2004.

Fee (bought): £6.5 million ($8.3 million)

Team: Manchester United

Years: 2003-05

Position: Midfielder

Goals: 2

Appearances: 30

Fee (sold): £2.3 million ($2.9 million)

Bottom line: A key player on the Brazilian World Cup-winning squad of 2002, Kleberson was injured in his second game for Manchester United and rarely played after that.

He was offloaded soon afterward, never reaching the level of his performances in the World Cup.

39. Salif Diao

Fee (bought): £5 million ($6.4 million)

Team: Liverpool

Years: 2002-07

Position: Defensive midfielder

Goals: 3

Appearances: 61

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Salif Diao never established himself in a specific position for Liverpool and failed to contribute much to the team.

He was sent out on several loan spells, where he didn’t do much better.

However, his final loan spell at Stoke went well enough for them to sign him permanently.

38. Javier Margas

Fee (bought): £2 million ($2.5 million)

Team: West Ham

Years: 1998-2001

Position: Defender

Goals: 1

Appearances: 27

Fee (sold): Retired

Bottom line: Javier Margas is remembered for two things: dying his hair crazy colors and disappearing out a window, only to be found in Chile several weeks later.

What Margas is not remembered for: playing well for West Ham.

He’s one of many players who benefited from a good World Cup performance.

37. Agustin Delgado

Fee (bought): £3.5 million ($4.5 million)

Team: Southampton

Years: 2001-04

Position: Forward

Goals: 2

Appearances: 15

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Agustin Delgado suffered from injuries during his time at Southampton and also clashed with his manager.

The Ecuadorian only scored two goals in 15 total appearances before being released.

Southampton would be relegated in 2004 and wouldn’t return to the Premier League until 2012.

36. Serhiy Rebrov

Fee (bought): £11 million ($13.9 million)

Team: Tottenham

Years: 2000-02

Position: Striker

Goals: 15

Appearances: 75

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Serhiy Rebrov was a dynamic scorer in his home country of Ukraine, but he couldn’t hack it in the Premier League.

He was bought for a huge fee of £11 million in 2000 ($13.9 million today), but after two loans in Turkey, he was released for nothing.

35. Alireza Jahanbaksh

Fee (bought): £17 million ($21.6 million)

Team: Brighton and Hove Albion

Years: 2018-Present

Position: Winger, attacking midfielder

Goals: 0

Appearances: 25

Fee (sold): N/A

Bottom line: Brighton is not the first team to be fooled by a player’s impressive stats in the Eredivisie, but it now has joined the list of teams that will cast a cynical view toward the next high-scoring striker in the Dutch League.

The Iranian Alireza Jahanbaksh was the leading scorer in the 2017-18 Eredivisie season, but failed to register a single goal or assist for Brighton.

Injuries played a part, but he still had 25 appearances to make an impression and failed.

34. Jordon Ibe

Fee (bought): £15 million ($19.1 million)

Team: Bournemouth

Years: 2016-present

Position: Winger

Goals: 4

Appearances: 86

Fee (sold): N/A

Bottom line: Somehow, Liverpool was able to get a significant fee for the young winger, who became Bournemouth’s record signing.

Jordon Ibe has failed to live up to his billing as an exciting and dynamic offensive talent, lacking the end product despite possessing the skills and athleticism to succeed.

33. Sebastien Squillaci

Fee (bought): £4 million ($5.1 million)

Team: Arsenal

Years: 2011-13

Position: Defender

Goals: 2

Appearances: 39

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: The error-prone Frenchman quickly fell down the pecking order at Arsenal, where he made only one Premier League appearance in his second and third seasons combined.

Sebastien Squillaci was let go for free, and Arsenal fans were glad to see him go.

32. El Hadji Diouf

Fee (bought): £10 million ($12.7 million)

Team: Liverpool

Years: 2002-04

Position: Winger, forward

Goals: 6

Appearances: 79

Fee (sold): Unknown

Bottom line: He was the reigning African Footballer of the Year when Liverpool signed him, but El Hadji Diouf was an abject failure for the Reds.

He only scored three goals in the Premier League.

He’s most noted for several spitting incidents at opposing fans.

31. Andre Santos

Fee (bought): £6.2 million ($7.9 million)

Team: Arsenal

Years: 2011-13

Position: Fullback

Goals: 3

Appearances: 25

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Arsenal needed defensive help after losing 8-2 to Manchester United, but Andre Santos was hardly the answer.

He never really fit in and was roundly criticized for trading shirts with former Arsenal captain Robin Van Persie at halftime of a game.

When he went to Brazilian club Flamengo, he was attacked after a poor performance by fans.

30. Danny Drinkwater

Fee (bought): £35 Million ($44.5 million)

Team: Chelsea

Years: 2017-Present

Position: Midfielder

Goals: 1

Appearances: 23

Fee (sold): N/A

Bottom line: A key piece of Leicester City’s magical run to the Premier League title in 2015-16, Danny Drinkwater has been relegated to a squad rotation player since his move to Chelsea.

He has not fit in well with the team and has contributed nothing like his great performances with Leicester.

Injuries have played a part, but he’s not been good enough in the times he’s played either.

29. Alexis Sanchez

Fee (bought): Straight swap for Henrik Mkhitaryan

Team: Manchester United

Years: 2018-present

Position: Forward

Goals: 5

Appearances: 45

Fee (sold): N/A

Bottom line: Alexis Sanchez was a star at Barcelona and a world-class player at Arsenal. He once had a season of 30 goals and 14 assists. That was the player Manchester United thought they were getting when they agreed to pay his exorbitant wages.

Instead, the Chilean has been a peripheral figure, barely contributing anything like his incredible output at Arsenal.

Along the way, Sanchez has made £350,000 ($445,375) a week, the second highest wage in the Premier League.

28. Savio Nsereko

Fee (bought): £9 million ($11.5 million)

Team: West Ham

Years: 2009

Position: Winger, forward

Goals: 0

Appearances: 11

Fee (sold): £5.58 million ($7.1 million)

Bottom line: Given the responsibility of the number 10 shirt at the young age of 20 years old, Savio Nsereko was not up to the task.

He only lasted from January to August in 2009 before being sold.

Not a good showing from your club-record signing.

27. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa

Fee (bought): £30 Million ($38.2 million)

Team: Fulham

Years: 2018-present

Position: Midfielder

Goals: 0

Appearances: 25

Fee (sold): N/A

Bottom line: The defensive midfielder was just one of Fulham’s poor signings that was supposed to solidify its place in the Premier League.

But after spending over £100 million ($127.25 million) to build up its squad, Fulham still was relegated with several games to play in the season.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa showed nothing to justify his transfer price, though he was far from the only one who disappointed at Craven Cottage.

26. Fred

Fee (bought): £52 million ($66.2 million)

Team: Manchester United

Years: 2018-present

Position: Midfielder

Goals: 1

Appearances: 17

Fee (sold): N/A

Bottom line: Widely regarded as the worst signing of the 2018-19 Premier League season, Fred was so poor for much of the season that some even (jokingly) doubted that he’s Brazilian.

The defensive midfielder is the fourth-most expensive signing in Manchester United’s history, and has quickly become the poster child for Man U’s poor record in the transfer market in the post-Alex Ferguson era.

25. Jô

Portland Timbers defender Stephen Keel, left, works to contain Manchester City forward Jô during an exhibition game in 2010.

Fee (bought): £19 million ($24.7 million)

Team: Manchester City

Years: 2008-09, 2010-11

Position: Striker

Goals: 6

Appearances: 42

Fee (sold): £7.98 million ($10.4 million)

Bottom line: A few months before Manchester City became the team with unlimited cash, it paid a significant amount for Brazilian striker Jô. He was the team's record signing at the time and failed to live up to the hype.

Fortunately for Man City, this move didn’t hamper the team for long. Soon after, the Mansour group bought the team, and a £19 million fee for a player ($24.7 million today) would be considered peanuts.

24. Bruno Cheyrou

Fee (bought): £4.5 million ($5.9 million)

Team: Liverpool

Years: 2002-04

Position: Midfielder

Goals: 5

Appearances: 48

Fee (sold): £800,000 ($1.04 million)

Bottom line: It’s not Bruno Cheyrou’s fault that his new manager at Liverpool hailed him as the "New Zidane."

In fact, putting him among the worst transfers might be unfair since the fee for him wasn’t exorbitant for a club of Liverpool’s size.

But his contributions to the team were still minimal. Though several of his five goals were scored in big moments, his overall output wasn’t exactly Zidane-like.

23. Ade Akinbiyi

Fee (bought): £5.5 million ($7.2 million)

Team: Leicester City

Years: 2000-02

Position: Forward

Goals: 11

Appearances: 58

Fee (sold): £2.2 million ($2.9 million)

Bottom line: A well-traveled striker, Ade Akinbiyi struggled at Leicester City.

His struggles were summed up in one nightmare game against Liverpool. The Nigerian was gifted with several point-blank chances to score and missed each one spectacularly.

His team lost 4-1 that day, and Leicester City fans let Akinbiyi hear their displeasure.

22. Lazar Markovic

Fee (bought): £20 million ($26 million)

Team: Liverpool

Years: 2014-15, 2018-19

Position: Winger

Goals: 3

Appearances: 34

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: At first, this deal seemed like good business for Liverpool. The extremely pacy Serbian winger was prolific in Portugal, but he never fit in with the Reds.

Then, he spent years either on loan or on the Liverpool reserves. The team tried to sell him several times before he was just given away for a loss of £20 million ($26 million today).

21. Jean-Alain Boumsong

Fee (bought): £8 million ($1.04)

Team: Newcastle United

Years: 2004-06

Position: Defender

Goals: 0

Appearances: 49

Fee (sold): £3.3 million ($4.3 million)

Bottom line: Embroiled in a weird transfer controversy from the beginning, Jean-Alain Boumsong wasn’t that bad in his first season.

The defender had a nightmare second season, conceding big goals and making high-profile errors.

He was sold for a loss before his third season.

20. Sean Dundee

Fee (bought): £2 million ($2.6 million)

Team: Liverpool

Years: 1998-99

Position: Striker

Goals: 0

Appearances: 3

Fee (sold): £1 million ($1.3 million)

Bottom line: Sean Dundee’s name has become a byword for a failed signing, only appearing three times for Liverpool in his lone season with the club.

He now acknowledges that he didn’t work hard enough to break into the team, but at the time, he bitterly blamed his manager, Gerard Houllier, for not giving him a fair shot.

19. Eric Djemba-Djemba

Fee (bought): £3.5 million ($4.6 million)

Team: Manchester United

Years:

Position: Midfielder

Goals: 2

Appearances: 39

Fee (sold): £2.5 million ($3.3 million)

Bottom line: Brought in to replace the legendary Roy Keane, Eric Djemba-Djemba had all the aggressiveness of Keane but lacked everything else.

Djemba-Djemba made a name for himself with his hard and dangerous tackling. Premier League opponents were glad to see him leave the league in 2008 after stays at Aston Villa and Burnley.

18. Massimo Taibi

Fee (bought): £4.5 million ($5.9 million)

Team: Manchester United

Years: 1999-2000

Position: Goalkeeper

Clean sheets: 0

Appearances: 4

Fee (sold): £2.5 million ($3.3 million)

Bottom line: The goalkeeper Massimo Taibi is remembered for one horrific error in which he let a low shot from Matthew Le Tissier dribble through his legs.

No one remembers the Man of the Match performance in his first game of his Manchester United career.

But they do remember that he was labeled "The Blind Venetian" after his famous error.

17. Steve Marlet

Fee (bought): £11.5 million ($14.9 million)

Team: Fulham

Years: 2001-04

Position: Forward

Goals: 11

Appearances: 54

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: For a smaller club, Fulham will show up on this list way too often.

Steve Marlet was a club-record signing that flamed out.

By the 2003-04 season, he was out of favor and played in only one game the entire season.

16. Mario Balotelli

Fee (bought): £16 million ($20.8 million)

Team: Liverpool

Years: 2014-15

Position: Striker

Goals: 4

Appearances: 28

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: The definition of a desperation purchase, the enigmatic striker arrived on Merseyside with plenty of baggage from his time at Manchester City.

The difference between his tenures with the Sky Blues and the Reds? Goals.

He scored for fun at City, and scored almost none with Liverpool, before being sent on loan and eventually allowed to leave for free.

15. Corrado Grabbi

Fee (bought): £6.75 million ($8.8 million)

Team: Blackburn Rovers

Years: 2001, 2003

Position: Forward

Goals: 2

Appearances: 30

Fee (sold): Unknown

Bottom line: Corrado Grabbi was coming off a 20-goal season in Italy when the Blackburn Rovers signed him for what was a high fee in the beginning of the 21st century. But Grabbi never lived up to the hype.

He claimed that he had difficulty adjusting to the weather and the style. And it showed.

He only managed two goals before heading back to Italy, where he never regained the form he had before the transfer.

14. Ricky Van Wolfswinkel

Fee (bought): £8 million ($10.4 million)

Team: Norwich City

Years: 2013-14, 2015-16

Position: Striker

Goals: 2

Appearances: 28

Fee (sold): £500,000 ($650,178)

Bottom line: Ricky Van Wolfswinkel was a solid player who was not suited for the physicality of the Premier League.

Van Wolfswinkel came to Norwich with a great goal-scoring reputation, but he completely failed to deliver on that promise, often looking too frail to compete in the rough-and-tumble English top flight.

After a few years in the wilderness, Van Wolfswinkel found his level in the Dutch and Swiss leagues, where he’s a prolific scorer once again.

13. Mario Jardel

Fee (bought): £1.2 million ($1.6 million)

Team: Bolton Wanderers

Years: 2003-04

Position: Striker

Goals: 3

Appearances: 11

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Mario Jardel was a superstar before coming to England, but by the time he arrived in Bolton, he was well past his prime.

Weight was an issue for him, and continued to be after being allowed to leave on a free transfer to Ancona in Italy, where he earned the nickname "Lardel."

12. Kostas Mitroglou

Fee (bought): £12 million ($15.6 million)

Team: Fulham

Years: 2014

Position: Striker

Goals: 0

Appearances: 3

Fee (sold): £6 million ($7.8 million)

Bottom line: A consistent scorer in Greece before arriving at Fulham, Kostas Mitroglou was worthless for the team that was fighting to stay in the Premier League.

Mitroglou should be used as an example of the risks involved in late-January transfers. He was the team's record signing at the time, yet only made three appearances before being loaned out.

He regained his goal-scoring form in Greece and has had success in Portugal and France since.

11. Roberto Soldado

Fee (bought): £26 million ($33.8 million)

Team: Tottenham Hotspur

Years: 2013-15

Position: Striker

Goals: 16

Appearances: 76

Fee (sold): £14 million ($18.2 million)

Bottom line: Roberto Soldado was a successful striker in La Liga for Valencia and even played several times for Spain’s national team in its most dominant era ever. But he really struggled to find the net for Tottenham.

He was the record transfer for Spurs, then was sold to Villareal after only two seasons.

10. Juan Sebastian Veron

Fee (bought): £24.3 million ($31.6 million)

Team: Manchester United

Years: 2001-03

Position: Midfielder

Goals: 11

Appearances: 82

Fee (sold): £15 million ($19.5 million)

Bottom line: At one point, Juan Sebastian Veron was the most expensive player in the history of the sport, having been sold for a combined £77 million ($100.1 million today).

However, his time with Manchester United, which bought him for an English record £24.3 million ($31.6 million), was considered a major flop.

He often struggled to keep pace in the much quicker Premier League. Despite this, Chelsea was willing to pay £15 million ($19.5 million) to take him off Man U’s hands.

9. Fernando Torres

Fee (bought): £50 million ($65 million)

Team: Chelsea

Years: 2010-15

Position: Striker

Goals: 45

Appearances: 172

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: "El Niño" was an absolute legend for Liverpool, so it was a shock when he demanded a transfer to Chelsea.

Fernando Torres became the largest transfer in Premier League history at the time, and his tenure wouldn’t be considered a failure if it wasn’t for the colossal figure Chelsea paid for his services.

He contributed to some great moments for the team, but failed to live up to his standards that had been set at Liverpool.

8. Andy Carroll

Fee (bought): £35 million ($45.5 million)

Team: Liverpool

Years: 2010-14

Position: Striker

Goals: 11

Appearances: 58

Fee (sold): £15 million ($19.5 million)

Bottom line: The reverberation from the shock transfer of Fernando Torres to Chelsea was the insane fee Liverpool paid to Newcastle for the young and exciting Andy Carroll.

Liverpool, desperate and flush with cash, needed to make a splash to counteract the loss of Torres.

Carroll was often injured and, when he wasn’t, did not contribute enough goals to make up for his hefty price tag.

7. Andres Cornelius

Andreas Cornelius — Andres Cornelius scored no goals in 11 appearances for Cardiff City.

Fee (bought): £7.5 million (9.8 million)

Team: Cardiff City

Years: 2013-14

Position: Striker

Goals: 0

Appearances: 11

Fee (sold): Unknown

Bottom line: A club-record signing, Andres Cornelius didn’t even last a full season in Wales. Injuries played a part, but the striker did take part in 11 games and failed to score in any of them.

For a team at the bottom of the Premier League, this showing was a devastating blow for Cardiff City's record signing to be such a failure.

6. Bosko Balaban

Fee (bought): £7.8 million ($10.1 million)

Team: Aston Villa

Years: 2001-02

Position: Striker

Goals: 0

Appearances: 8

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Bosko Balaban only made two starts for Aston Villa, and even though he rediscovered his goal-scoring form on loan at his old club Dinamo Zagreb, Villa was willing to let him go on a free transfer to Club Brugge.

Like many players on this list, the Premier League was one step too high for Balaban.

5. Bebé

Fee (bought): £7.4 million ($9.6 million)

Team: Manchester United

Years: 2010-11

Position: Midfielder

Goals: 0

Appearances: 2

Fee (sold): £2.4 million ($3.1 million)

Bottom line: One of the strangest transfers in history. Manchester United brought in the completely unknown Bebé for an average sum at the time, but when Sir Alex Ferguson admitted to having never seen Bebé play, it became apparent that something was afoot.

He only appeared twice for Man U and was loaned out several times.

Somehow, Man U recouped some of its money when the club sold him several years later.

4. Adrian Mutu

Fee (bought): £15.8 million ($20.5 million)

Team: Chelsea

Years: 2003-05

Position: Attacking midfielder/forward

Goals: 10

Appearances: 38

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Adrian Mutu’s issue wasn’t that he was a bad player — he scored 10 goals in his first season.

His problems were off the field, where he was banned from the sport for seven months after testing positive for cocaine.

For the next decade, Mutu was embroiled in a legal battle with Chelsea over a breach of contract issue.

3. Angel Di Maria

Fee (bought): £59.7 million ($77.6 million)

Team: Manchester United

Years: 2014-15

Position: Winger/attacking midfielder

Goals: 4

Appearances: 32

Fee (sold): £44 million ($57.2 million)

Bottom line: Angel Di Maria has proven through spectacular goals and performances with Real Madrid, Paris St. Germain, and the Argentine national team that he is capable of being a brilliant player.

But his one season with Manchester United was an absolute nightmare. Bought for an exorbitant fee, he failed to live up to the hype and was sold to PSG.

On his return to Manchester in the Champions League with PSG, he took the opportunity to go after the Man U fans after assisting a goal.

2. Andriy Shevchenko

Fee (bought): £30.8 million ($40.0 million)

Team: Chelsea

Years: 2006-08

Position: Striker

Goals: 23

Appearances: 77

Fee (sold): Free

Bottom line: Andriy Shevchenko scored 127 goals in 208 games for AC Milan, causing Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to pay an English-record transfer fee for him.

Shevchenko never regained the form he had at Milan. Injuries and a lack of goals contributed to him being sent back to Milan, where he continued to struggle.

1. Jozy Altidore

Fee (bought): £8.5 million ($11.1 million)

Team: Sunderland

Years: 2013-15

Position: Forward

Goals: 3

Appearances: 52

Fee (sold): Undisclosed

Bottom line: The American striker was a colossal disappointment for Sunderland.

Jozy Altidore had failed to impress in an earlier stint in England with Hull City, but Sunderland bought him after a solid spell for AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

Altidore showed promise early for Sunderland, but fizzled quickly. Some regard him as the worst striker in Premier League history.