The Alternative List: Boffins pick their top 10 Premier League transfer flops

15 May 2009 13:49
 THE LIST: The biggest transfer flops in Premier League history - top 10Sportsmail delights in revealing our top 50 football teams of all time for our latest instalment of The List. Who is the worst signing in Premier League history? For every successful signing like the inflation-busting Nicolas Anelka or the bargainous Peter Schmeichel, there's a host of washed-up, overpaid mercenaries - or simply turkeys - ready to bite the chequebook- waving hand that feeds. Which transfer didn't add up for you? 10 David Bentley Blackburn Rovers to Tottenham, July 2008, £15m Bentley has scored just one goal since joining Spurs. It was a bit special and did come in a 4-4 draw with Arsenal, but other than that Bentley has contributed very little to Spurs' campaign this season.  Certainly hasn't justified his massive fee.  9 Alberto Luque Deportivo La Coruna to Newcastle, August 2005, £9.5m After falling behind Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, Obafemi Martins and Alan Smith in the striking  pecking order at St James' Park he joined  Ajax after just  two years at the club.  Scored just once in 21 appearances at Newcastle.   8 Steve Marlet Lyon to Fulham, August 2001, £11.5m Fulham paid a club record fee for Marlet. But he struggled after fellow Frenchman Jean Tigana Craven Cottage as manager and ended up on an 18-month loan to Marseille.    7 Jean-Alain Boumsong Rangers to Newcastle United, January 2005, £8m Played just 18 times for Rangers before moving to Newcastle United. Having joined Rangers on a free transfer in July 2004, former Rangers manager Graeme Souness returned  to his old club to pay £8m for Boumsong. After a good start, Boumsong struggled and people quickly questioned the price Newcastle had paid Rangers for his services.  He joined Juventus 18 months later for less than half the fee paid to Rangers. Now at Lyon.  6 Massimo Taibi Venezia to Manchester United, August 1999, £4.5m Often remembered for the horror goal he conceded to Matt Le Tissier. He played just four matches for Man Utd including a 5-0 defeat to Chelsea. United's fans were delighted when he moved to Reggina after just one season. 5 Robbie Keane Tottenham Hotspur to Liverpool, July 2008, £20.3m One of the biggest transfer flops in Liverpool's history (and there have been a few over the years).  Keane signed a four-year contract with Liverpool in July but struggled to score goals. In fact it was November before he scored his first league goals for the club. After 19 matches and five goals for the club he supported as a child, he returned to Spurs. 4 Sergei Rebrov Dynamo Kiev to Tottenham Hotspur, June 2000, £11m His time at White Hart Lane was regarded as a failure. He scored 10 in 60 appearances. Ended up signing for Fenerbahce on loan  before joining West Ham United on a free in July 2004. 3 Chris Sutton Blackburn Rovers to Chelsea, July 1999, £10m After being relegated with Blackburn in 1998-99, Sutton joined Chelsea for £10m. He struggled at Chelsea, scoring one league goal in 28 matches.  After one season he was transferred to Celtic for £6m.  2 Francis Jeffers Everton to Arsenal, June 2001, £8m Showed great potential at Everton.  Arsene Wenger paid £8m for Jeffers in 2001, but he ended up back on loan to Everton after a few seasons. Career has spiralled downhill since then and he's now wearing No 9 shirt for Sheffield Wednesday. And the loser is... Andriy Shevchenko was so bad at Chelsea that they aren't even going to take him back for the last year of his Stamford Bridge contract 1 Andriy Shevchenko AC Milan to Chelsea, May 2006, £30m After joining from AC Milan for a club record, Shevchenko scored Chelsea's goal in a 2-1 loss to Liverpool in Community Shield 2005. But he went on to score just nine in 47 matches for Chelsea.  Currently on loan back at AC Milan where he is yet to score in his second spell. Career has plummeted since he joined Chelsea.  Check out the Championship Manager website, by logging on to: www.championshipmanager.co.uk THE LIST: The biggest transfer flops in Premier League history - top 10  

Source: Daily_Mail