Top 20 Worst Premier League Transfers In January PART FIVE

David Tully

2 years ago

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

Today is our final article looking at the worst transfers in Premier League history that have taken place in January.

We have reached our top four and it is fair to say that every single player we have named in this post turned about to be a very expensive failure.

Some of them may have had their moments but, in terms of their impact after joining their respective clubs, their performances fell well below expectations.

Press the next page as we list our worst January signings of the Premier League era.

4) Chris Samba (Anzhi Makhachkala to QPR – £12.5m – 2013)

The Congolese international had proven he was a good defender during his five-year spell at Blackburn but, by the time he arrived at QPR, he was unfit and lacked the motivation to be in a relegation fight.

Samba was picking up £100,000 a week, without giving much back in return, and he returned to Russia just thirteen months after moving to Loftus Road.

3) Guido Carrillo (Monaco to Southampton – £19.1m – 2018)

The Saints had money available after selling Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool for £75m, and manager Mauricio Pellegrino wanted a forward to improve their goal return.

He opted for a player he knew after working with Carillo back in his native Argentina. Despite having a mediocre record with Monaco, the club trusted their manager by shelling out almost £20m on the striker. It was a massive mistake. He played just five times before Pellegrino was sacked, with new manager Mark Hughes selecting him twice before loaning him out to Leganes. He eventually left on a free transfer for Elche in October 2020.

2) Andy Carroll (Newcastle to Liverpool – £35m – 2011)

The very definition of a panic buy, Liverpool had £50m burning in their pocket after the sale of Fernandes Torres and the club’s new owners wanted to make an impression.

However, Carroll, who was reluctant to leave his hometown club in the first place, struggled to make an impact after his £35m move to Anfield. He spent just eighteen months with the Reds before being loaned out to West Ham.

1) Fernando Torres (Liverpool to Chelsea – £50m – 2011)

The Spaniard had a superb start to life in England with Liverpool, scoring 33 goals in his first campaign, before two further strong seasons, but injuries had already begun to cause the striker problems.

Despite that, Chelsea were willing to pay £50m for Torres. He scored just 20 league goals over three and a half years at Stamford Bridge before leaving for AC Milan, who paid a nominal fee to snap him up on a permanent basis.