The Top Five Worst Central Midfielders Of The Premier League Era

After going through the worst defenders in Premier League history over the past month, we now move on to the midfield.

The middle of the park is probably the toughest area of the pitch to adapt to if you are not acclimatised to the English game.

Not every player on this list came from abroad but it is clear that to make it as a midfielder in the Premier League, you need a very specific skillset.

You need awareness, anticipation, work rate and a decent passing range; attributes that were certainly missing from the five players we have gone with here. Press the next page as we look at the worst central midfielders of the last thirty years.

5) Mauricio Solis (Derby)

A legend in his own country (having won 110 caps for Costa Rica over the course of 20 years), but he struggled when he arrived in England back in 1996.

Signed alongside Paulo Wanchope at Derby, Solis failed to make an impression, unlike his fellow countryman. He played just 11 games for the Rams before returning to Central America.

4) Nicolas Medina (Sunderland)

Sunderland spent £3.5m on the young Argentine in 2001, with then Black Cats boss Peter Reid describing him as a “complete midfield player.” Despite the praise, he never played a league game for the club.

Medina made just one appearance, playing against Bolton in the FA Cup, before being shipped out to Spanish football.

3) Slavisa Jokanovic (Chelsea)

Chelsea spent £1.7m on the Serbian international back in 2000 but he was clearly past his best when he arrived at Stamford Bridge. It was, however, before Roman Abramovich’s arrival as owner so the Blues were making far less glamorous signings.

Jokanovic still made 53 appearances during his two seasons at the London club before he was released in 2002. By that stage, he was already 34 and he made one final move before he retired from professional football.

2) Eric Djemba-Djemba (Manchester United)

Hailed as a potential successor to Roy Keane when he arrived from Nantes for £3.5m in 2003, he never lived up to the billing, playing just 20 games for United before leaving for Aston Villa.

Djemba-Djemba struggled both with the pace of the game in England as well as lacking the positional awareness required to play in the middle of the pitch.

1) Junior Lewis (Leicester)

The midfielder actually joined the Foxes on a loan spell from Gillingham, moving with Peter Taylor who was appointed manager in 2000. He then proceeded to put in a series of disappointing displays despite then being snapped up on a permanent basis.

During his three years at the club, he was loaned out to three different teams before eventually leaving for Hull in 2004.

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