The Top Five Worst Attacking Midfielders Of The Premier League Era

David Tully

4 years ago

Categories: Galleries, West Ham United News

Tags: Arsenal, aston villa, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Southampton, Spurs, West Ham, Wolves

After going back through the archives to look for the worst wingers in Premier League history last time, we now move on to the attacking midfielders.

The number 10 role does come with a certain level of responsibility, with the player being required to both score and create goals for his team.

In the days of 4-4-2, these players were not as common in English football but there are certainly some notable failures in terms of those who flattered to deceive when playing in the position over the past thirty years.

Press the next page as we count down our five worst attacking midfielders of the Premier League era.

5) Itzik Zohar (Crystal Palace)

The Israeli international was signed by the Eagles from Beitar Jerusalem for a hefty £1.2m in 1997, but he didn’t even last one season playing in the Premier League.

Zohar made just nine appearances in all competitions for Palace, with his only highlight being a missed penalty against Southampton. He was shipped back to Israel within six months of his arrival in England.

4) Alberto Mendez (Arsenal)

While manager Arsene Wenger was known for discovering hidden gems, it is fair to say that the midfielder wasn’t one of them after he signed from a regional club in Germany.

Still, Mendez managed to hang around at Highbury for five years. He played only four league games during that time, with a number of loan spells away from London, and he was eventually offloaded to Sporting Ferrol.

3) Andrejs Stolcers (Fulham)

The Latvian actually had a decent start to his career with the Cottagers, scoring two goals on his debut as the club were promoted to the Premier League in 2001.

However, Stolcers failed to make an impression in the top flight, playing just 81 minutes over the next three seasons before joining Yeovil Town.

2) Alberto Aquilani (Liverpool)

Not ostensibly an attacking midfielder but the Italian was employed as the playmaker in a midfield three by Rafa Benitez during his spell at Anfield.

Aquilani was brought in to replace Xabi Alonso for £17m in 2009 but he did not live up to the hype, with injuries limiting his game time during his spell in England. He was loaned out to Juventus a year after arriving and was sold for a nominal fee to Fiorentina in 2012.

1) Moustapha Salifou (Aston Villa)

Although not a particularly expensive signing from FC Wil 1900 in 2007, the Togolese international actually spent four years at Villa Park despite only playing 13 games.

Salifou even managed to get a contract extension despite finding himself playing in the reserve team. Astonishingly enough, he is still playing at 37 years of age, having been picked up by German fifth division side Türkspor Augsburg back in 2015.