Nowadays, the Premier League is widely regarded as the best domestic competition on the planet. It’s filled with world-class operators FM managers can’t wait to work with, there are many highly respected coaches, and it contains some of the sport’s most iconic stadiums. Despite the competition’s elite levels, though, it has featured some terrible players over the years.
Not every recruitment department gets things right. As Manchester United has found out with players like Antony and Arsenal discovered after splashing huge sums of money on Nicolas Pepe, sometimes a player just doesn’t do it in England. Throughout the competition’s history, there have been an array of undoubted flops that failed to live up to their initial billing.
With some genuinely terrible players turning out for prestigious Premier League teams over the years, remember five of the worst signings the league has ever seen below.
Adrian Mutu – Chelsea – £15.8m
Chelsea haven’t always signed well, as their fans are witnessing, given Clearlake Capital’s scattergun approach to signings. Adrian Mutu is a classic example of the Blues getting it wrong, despite joining with a strong reputation behind him, thanks to his exploits in Italian football with Parma.
Mutu’s 2003 move started well, only for it to end abruptly after he tested positive for cocaine in October 2004. In the end, Mutu played just 27 games for Chelsea.
Jean-Kevin Augustin – Leeds United – £18.4m
The fact that Leeds United managed to sign Jean-Kevin Augustin from RB Leipzig on a loan deal during their Premier League promotion push was deemed a real coup at the time, but his signing turned out to be a painful experience for the Yorkshire club.
Augustin wasn’t fit and played for just 48 minutes for the club, but Leeds still had to pay RB Leipzig £18.4 million due to a contractual clause. Considering how bad the French striker was, that’s some fee for a Championship side to cough up.
Romelu Lukaku – Chelsea – £97.5m
These days, while many people who indulge in sports betting are backing Chelsea to finish in the top four, the Blues don’t have a world-class striker to call on. The same applied in 2021, when Romelu Lukaku returned to Chelsea from Inter Milan, scoring 64 goals in 95 appearances.
The transfer made sense then, but the Belgian goal-getter didn’t settle again at Chelsea. His unauthorized interview with Sky Italia towards the end of 2021 was the final straw for the club, with Lukaku’s lack of goals and his evident disillusionment in London seeing him return to Italian football on loan with Inter Milan.
Paul Pogba – Manchester United – £89m
Of course, Paul Pogba could light up any fixture, but his attitude was questionable, as Sir Alex Ferguson initially spotted during his younger playing days. However, the Red Devils’ legendary manager was ignored when they re-signed Frenchman Pogba for £89 million in 2016.
The most expensive player at the time failed to justify the price tag United spent on acquiring his services, with his six-year spell being overshadowed by attitude issues, injuries, transfer requests, and endless amounts of drama.
Jack Rodwell – Sunderland – £10m
When Sunderland signed Jack Rodwell for £10 million, it felt like the fresh challenge the English midfielder needed to get his career back on track after stagnating at Manchester City.
In the end, though, Rodwell became a symbol of Sunderland’s financial woes, eventually leaving the club when the Black Cats were in League One.
