Some players are historic for their designation as one of the biggest transfer flops of all time.
Generally speaking, it is a fairly harsh judgment. Players do not decide what their transfer fee is when clubs switch them around. In fact, there can be times when a player may not be the one forcing a move. Same goes the other way, though. Sometimes, players force their way out and yield lower transfer fees. In doing so, their criticism may be lower in hindsight.
In any case, transfers are part of the modern game. Certain players hike up the average fees, leading to exorbitant costs for players compared to previous generations.
Sometimes, those transfer fees wildly exceed the output on the new team. Whether that be goals, lack of effectiveness or just not fitting in, some players do not work out. And, with the commonality of transfers in the modern day, there are transfer flops each year in each league throughout the world.
Biggest transfer flops of all time
When taking into account both the cost and the performance with the new team, we want to know your takes. Who is the biggest transfer flop of all time?
If you are asking me, a Barcelona fan, there are a number of options to choose from. Personally, I attribute that to Philippe Coutinho to the Camp Nou in 2018 for just shy of $150 million. Again, this is not entirely the fault of Coutinho. Injuries and exceedingly high expectations put the Brazilian under the microscope. Plus, it is hard to compare Coutinho to the likes of Neymar or Kylian Mbappé, the only players to have higher transfer fees.
There are likely a fair few factors you consider when picking your selection for the biggest transfer flop of all time. Your favorite team is among them. Yet, you may also pick based off of the transfer fee itself. For example, is Neymar’s crazy transfer fee to Barcelona truly worth what we see at the Parisian club? Probably not, but there is more than just performance on the pitch that comes into account for transfers.
So, use the comment section below to let us know your selection for the biggest flop.
PHOTO: Xavier Bonilla/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Michal
July 15, 2022 at 1:49 pm
Alfonso Alves to Boro’.
jason
July 15, 2022 at 11:55 am
Reminds me to think what might be the biggest transfer bust for a USA player at a European club ever. I thnk Jozy Alitdore to Sunderland perhaps. There was a ton of hype around that one.
Yespage
July 15, 2022 at 11:20 am
Wait… are we editors here now, or just writing content?
Regardless, Torres was a pretty bad transfer for Chelsea. Loved Torres, he had a few great years, but then injuries betrayed the remainder of his career. He tried hard, but his body just couldn’t keep up. 50 million pounds (and this is when 50 million was a lot for transfer) post his peak from Chelsea? I know, I know… as a Liverpool fan, I’m not being heavily critical, just being factual. Torres’ form was a known issue, and it was shocking that Chelsea paid that much up front.
Liverpool will always have the 35 million pound transfer for Carroll (or about 4 million pound per EPL goal). This was so terrible as Liverpool clearly overpaid for Carroll. There was no ill will ever to Carroll, it was just there was no way he could step into the shoes of a 35 million pound transfer player. Goodness, back in those days the British Government allowed Liverpool to file as a charity, with the ridiculous signings or financial contribution gifts to smaller teams, such as their high signings of Joe Allen, Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll. Jordan Henderson managed to mature into a great player, but that wasn’t certain when he was signed as well.
Enzo
July 15, 2022 at 10:58 am
Eden Hazard. Hasn’t done a thing for Real Madrid since he’s been there.
Kei
July 15, 2022 at 10:50 am
Winston Bogarde might not be the “gold standard” of transfer flops, but his case might be the most hilarious one. Salute to the man for getting that bag and never letting go.