Not every new signing can be a success at their new club…
Over the past decade, the transfer window has become one of the largest spectacles in English football.
Whilst many players endear themselves to their new fans, others provide a harsh reminder that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Fernando Torres – £50 million (Liverpool to Chelsea, January 2011)
Torres will perhaps be best remembered by Chelsea fans for his Champions League heroics, scoring a last-minute goal against Barcelona on the road to the 2012 Munich triumph. However, after turning his back on cult-hero status at Liverpool, Torres’ British record fee would prove to be one of the worst pieces of business in Premier League history.
Torres would go on to score just 20 times in 110 league appearances over the next three-and-a-half years, costing Chelsea a staggering £2.5 million per goal. Torres was subsequently sent to A.C. Milan on a two-year loan, spelling the end of his career in English football.
Kim Källström- 6-month loan (FC Spartak Moscow to Arsenal, January 2014)
Seen as a panic buy to many, Källström was brought in to cover Arsenal’s injury stricken midfield. With Mesut Özil, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Tomáš Rosický, Theo Walcott & Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all out, Wenger was desperate to find a short-term solution to the growing crisis.
Whilst making perfect sense on paper, the move would prove a catastrophe in practicality, as it soon came to light that Källström was harbouring an injury himself. With all the paperwork already completed, Wenger decided to push ahead with the move despite the concerns raised at the Swede’s medical.
In the end, Källström would only make three Premier League appearances for the Gunners, and these would all come after the injury crisis had eased.
Bebé – £7.3 million (Vitória de Guimarães to Manchester United, August 2010)
Signed on the recommendation of then-Manchester United assistant manager, Carlos Queiroz, Bebé had only just completed a free transfer to Vitória de Guimarães when Manchester United came knocking; buying their man for £7.3 million just five weeks later.
Thrown straight into first-team action despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s assertion that he had never seen him play, Bebé flattered to deceive, scoring on his Champions League debut after a string of forgettable substitute performances in the Premier League.
Despite that goal, it soon became very apparent that Bebé didn’t have the class to stake his place in the team, and would spend the rest of his tenure at the club out on loan.
Ali Dia – Free Transfer (Free Agent – Southampton, August 1996)
Last, and by all means least on the list, is the famous case of FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or-winner George Weah’s fictional cousin, Ali Dia.
After making a handful of appearances for non-league sides, Dia, with the aid of his university classmate, convinced Graeme Souness that he would be the perfect addition to his Southampton side.
Souness was led to believe that Dia had recently been plying his trade for Paris Saint-Germain and had represented his country 13 times. The fact that the player had been recommended by Weah himself led Souness to sign Dia in the summer of 1996. Unfortunately for Souness, the man on the other end of the phone was 100% not the legendary former striker.
After making a woeful 32-minute debut against Leeds United, it became apparent to all involved that Dia’s CV had been an audacious facade. Dia would be released just two weeks later.
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