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The Premier League's worst signings


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Came across this when on The Sun's site via that Shorey thing.

 

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2007270015,00.html

 

By MIKE ANSTEAD

 

EVERY club has one — that shocking buy that should never have happened. Fans up and down the country regularly wake up in a cold sweat at the nightmare of another dud signing. Hundreds of millions of pounds have been wasted with nothing but the horror memories to show for it.

 

Here, SunSport online picks the Premiership Shockers XI — the team of the worst buys in the league's history. It wasn't an easy task. After all, we had to leave out shining examples like Corrado Grabbi, Andreas Silenzi, Bosko Balaban, Jean-Alain Boumsong and Steve Marlet.

 

So sit back and enjoy our Top of the Flops. And if you don't agree with our verdict, post your team using the MySun link at the bottom.

 

 

Massimo Taibi (Manchester United)

The Italian keeper was brought in to fill the hole left by Old Trafford legend Peter Schmeichel. Instead, Taibi failed miserably and made just four appearances in a United shirt after signing from Venezia for £4.4m.

 

Fans still cringe at the memory of him letting a daisy-cutter from Matt Le Tissier slip through his legs, for which he was dubbed the 'Blind Venetian'. Now 37, he is back playing in Italy with Torino.

 

Roque Junior (Leeds)

The Brazilian World Cup winner was supposed to plug the gaps in Leeds' leaky defence. Signed on a season-long loan, the towering centre-half left every Yorkshireman scratching his head as to how he could possibly fit in alongside Ronaldinho and Co.

 

He was eventually paid £1.2m for making just five starts as Leeds were relegated to the Championship. Now playing for Bayer Leverkusen, he also owns a popular kids clothes company.

 

Per Kroldrup (Everton)

Sadly for Toffees fans, Kroldrup was no Great Dane. Hailed by boss David Moyes after signing from Udinese for £5m, the centre-half started only one game — and that was a 4-0 drubbing by Aston Villa.

 

Kroldrup played a total of just 147 minutes, costing Everton £13,600 for each of them when he was sold to Fiorentina for £3m after just six months.

 

 

Marcelino (Newcastle)

Not a popular topic of conversation around the Bigg Market. Much was expected from the Spanish defender when he signed from Real Mallorca for £5.8m.

 

But fans were left asking whether boss Ruud Gullit had bought the same player who was so composed against La Liga's finest strikers. The final straw came when he refused to play for weeks because of a broken finger.

 

 

Winston Bogarde (Chelsea)

The Dutchman was handed a four-year £40,000-a-week deal at Chelsea. He started disastrously and never recovered, playing just 11 times during his contract.

 

Chelsea tried everything to dump Bogarde but you have to hand it to him, he refused to walk away from his luxury life. The ex-Barcelona, AC Milan and Ajax man ended up commuting from Amsterdam to train with the youth team. To no-one's surprise, he retired a rich man after leaving Stamford Bridge with no takers for his signature.

 

Juan Veron (Manchester United)

Even in the unparallel riches of today's game, it beggars belief that Manchester United paid over £28m for Veron. The Argentina star arrived in a blaze of glory from Lazio but the massive hype was quickly forgotten.

 

Known as an elegant master on the ball, Veron could barely pass to a team-mate 10 yards away at times. What was baffling was why Alex Ferguson signed him in the first place when he already had Keane, Scholes, Giggs and Beckham.

 

Kleberson (Manchester United)

Another Brazilian with a World Cup winners' medal who couldn't hack it in the Premiership. Kleberson was actually signed as a replacement for Veron when he joined for £6m but the only thing they had in common was their utter ineptitude.

 

Along with Eric Djemba-Djemba, his departure was celebrated far more than his arrival.

 

 

Ali Dia (Southampton)

One of the greatest tales in Premiership history. Dia was signed by Southampton boss Graeme Souness when he was told by a George Weah impersonator that he was his cousin and a Senegal international.

 

The player was brought on as a first-half substitute against Leeds but was so bad he was taken off later on. Souey dumped the fraud, who was last seen playing for non-league Gateshead.

 

 

Tomas Brolin (Leeds)

The Sweden ace was signed from Parma for £4.5m but soon became as inflated as his transfer fee. Brolin, a hero in his homeland, failed to bring his form for the Italians to Leeds and soon piled on the pounds.

 

He was sent round Europe on loan before agreeing to a bizarre move to Crystal Palace where he was briefly appointed player-coach. Began selling vacuum cleaner parts after retiring from football.

 

Marco Boogers (West Ham)

The £1m arrival from Sparta Rotterdam was sent off in his second match for the Hammers for a sickening two-footed lunge on Gary Neville. He soon went AWOL from Upton Park and was later found in a Dutch caravan park after suffering a breakdown.

 

West Ham boss Harry Redknapp later admitted he signed the Holland striker despite only watching a video of him. Boogers later recovered to star once again in his homeland.

 

Alberto Luque (Newcastle)

Another smart signing by Graeme Souness. The Spaniard was hailed as the latest saviour of Newcastle when he signed for a whopping £9.5m two years ago.

 

But the Geordie crowd, ever impatient for trophies, quickly grew tired of Luque's drab displays and niggling injuries. Scored just twice during his time at St James' Park and was last spotted on loan at PSV Eindhoven.

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You might already know this Dave, my mate from Leeds was telling me the other day that on the local Leeds United phone in, when the callers get on the air, the presenter asks them how Leeds were today, "Bremner or Brolin", and they'll say "God we were absolutely Brolin today" if they were bad and obviously the other way for Bremner, quite a funny idea I thought.

 

Best I could come up with were "Beardsley or Boumsong" or my favourite "Shearer or Shola".

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You might already know this Dave, my mate from Leeds was telling me the other day that on the local Leeds United phone in, when the callers get on the air, the presenter asks them how Leeds were today, "Bremner or Brolin", and they'll say "God we were absolutely Brolin today" if they were bad and obviously the other way for Bremner, quite a funny idea I thought.

 

Best I could come up with were "Beardsley or Boumsong" or my favourite "Shearer or Shola".

 

Not heard that, no. Good though. :lol:

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Souness has two in there, and once he was tricked by a George Weah impersonator. :D :D :D :D

 

That's the bit that got me laughing. How did he get fifty million to spend after that?

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Guest elbee909

Souness has two in there, and once he was tricked by a George Weah impersonator. :D :D :D :D

 

That's the bit that got me laughing. How did he get fifty million to spend after that?

 

All that and it's Newcastle that have the problems, he says.  Hahaha.

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Guest graemeh72

Don't agree with Veron being included at all

 

The guy is technically class .... and was bought primarily for CL football not for the Premiership

 

...... I agree with Alex Ferguson: "He's (Veron) a fucking great player and you're (The Press) all fucking idiots...this conference is finished" ...

 

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Toon shockers XI (Premier League signings only) shouldn't be too hard:

Hooper, Pistone, Boumsong, Marcelino, Babayaro, Georgiadis, Faye, Fumaca, Luque, Tomasson, Gui'varch.

 

Plenty others too.

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NO BOUM? NO SHAMBLES? Also,Viana,Maric and many more tbh.

 

Disagree with Viana being in there.....he didnt do that bad for us. It was really only the 2nd season (where he was always shunted out on the left wing) that he didn't perform as well for us.

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Got to nominate Vicente Matias Vuoso. Diego Forlan's strike partner at Indipendiente. Keegan paid £3.5m for him without ever seeing him in the flesh. Never played a game. Sold him to some mexican outfit for an "undisclosed fee" - AKA, a massive loss. :huff:

 

I'd also be tempted to nominate Dietmar Hamann. Signed for a Bolton on a free - we actually paid cash money to take him off their hands. How he ever passed a medical - let alone two in a week is beyond me. Chain smoker who has been playing 60 games a season for more than 10 years, so completely and utterly shot and pieces I would question the sanity of anyone who thinks he has owt to offer - I'd be worried if I were you - Allardyce signed him too :laugh:

 

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Got to nominate Vicente Matias Vuoso. Diego Forlan's strike partner at Indipendiente. Keegan paid £3.5m for him without ever seeing him in the flesh. Never played a game. Sold him to some mexican outfit for an "undisclosed fee" - AKA, a massive loss. :huff:

 

I'd also be tempted to nominate Dietmar Hamann. Signed for a Bolton on a free - we actually paid cash money to take him off their hands. How he ever passed a medical - let alone two in a week is beyond me. Chain smoker who has been playing 60 games a season for more than 10 years, so completely and utterly shot and pieces I would question the sanity of anyone who thinks he has owt to offer - I'd be worried if I were you - Allardyce signed him too :laugh:

 

 

Never heard of that before.

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I've heard he smokes like. Manc-mag told me he has a big cock too (Hamann that is).

Never knew about it tbh. I just remember how he had a stroke at very young age and his talk about the need of a healthy life style.

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