Top 10 Worst January transfer window signings

grenache

I don't necessarily agree with this list but its interesting none the less. Most of them strike me as pure panic buys.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/blogs/mirror-football-blog/Fernando-Morientes-Afonso-Alves-Marlong-King-Nigel-Quashie-and-the-Top-10-WORST-January-transfer-window-signings-article271979.html

In our Top 10 best buys feature, we argued that the January transfer window isn't just about desperate managers making ill-informed panic buys or pay over-the-odds for other clubs' cast-offs .

Although, it must be said, that it quite often is, as this Top 10 of rubbish buys proves:

10) Afonso Alves (Heerenveen to Middlesbrough, £12million, 2008)
Proof that holding a Brazilian passport doesn't automatically make you a footballing God, Afonso Alves pitched up at the Riverside on transfer deadline day with a CV boasting 45 goals in 39 starts for his previous club. Unfortunately for long-suffering Boro fans, that club was Heerenveen in the somewhat shonky Dutch league. Alves' return of nine goals from 29 Premier League matches tells its own story…

9) Jimmy Bullard (Fulham to Hull, £5million, 2009)
Hull City fans thought they'd pulled off one of the transfer coups of the millennium when they snapped up contract rebel Jimmy Bullard for a relatively bargainsome £5million. Sadly, the only winners in this deal appear to be Fulham. The midfielder's time at the KC Stadium has been blighted by injury, and despite bagging two goals, Bullard's six starts in 12 months represents shocking value for money for one of the Premier League's less wealthy clubs.

8 Kevin Nolan (Bolton to Newcastle, £4million, 2009)
A hero at the Reebok, Kevin Nolan pitched up at St James' Park as a potential England star with a reputation as one of the Premier League's most tenacious midfield generals. That he's currently plying his trade in the Championship with as much chance of playing in the 2010 World Cup as you or I sadly says as much about the chaotic stewardship of Magpies owner Mike Ashley as it does Nolan's talents.

7) Andy Reid (Nottingham Forest to Tottenham, £4million, 2005)
Signed as part of a package that also took Michael Dawson to Spurs, Andy Reid's mercifully brief tenure at White Hart Lane will be remembered more for his ever-increasing girth than the solitary goal he notched in a 5-1 rout of Aston Villa. Spurs were more than happy to take a £1million hit when they offloaded him to Charlton the following August.

6) Scott Parker (Charlton to Chelsea, £10million, 2004)
Proof, if proof were needed, that flaunting your newfound financial wealth in January is no guarantee of success (hello, Manchester City fans), Chelsea forked out a fortune for this - then - young England star, only to then let him rot in the reserves for almost all of his year and a half stay at the Bridge. Parker made just eight league starts for the Blues before eventually being offloaded to - where else? - Newcastle for just £6.5million.

5) Fernando Morientes (Real Madrid to Liverpool, £6.3million, 2005)
Rafa Benitez has had as many misses as hits in the transfer market since taking over at Anfield, but few have been as disastrous as Fernando Morientes. The Spaniard was touted as one of the best strikers in Europe when he arrived from Real Madrid. Liverpool fans were queuing up to drive him to the airport when he was eventually sold to Valencia in a cut-price deal in July 2006.

4) Marlon King (Watford to Wigan, £4million, 2008)
Despite missing almost all of Watford's disastrous 2006-07 Premier League campaign, Marlon King's reasonably prolific strike rate in the Championship persuaded Steve Bruce to take a pricey punt in 2008. One goal in 15 league starts later, the forward was unceremoniously shipped out to newly-promoted Hull on a season-long loan. The custodial sentence he received in October 2009 for sexual assault, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, only compounded the folly of this panic purchase.

3) Jean-Alain Boumsong (Rangers to Newcastle, £8million, 2005)
The Cameroon defender arrived at St James' Park with a fine reputation following successful spells in Scotland and France. Unfortunately, he then set about dismantling said reputation with a series of woefully inept defensive displays that made even Titus Bramble look good in comparison. Just 18 months - and 47 comical league games - later he was on his way to Juventus at a loss of almost £5million.

2) Savio Nsereko (Brescia to West Ham £9million, 2009)
To cushion the blow of Craig Bellamy's departure to Manchester City, German Under-20 prospect Savio was sold to bewildered West Ham fans as one of the best young talents in Europe. It didn't take too many of his 10 appearances in the claret and blue for those same fans to realise they had, in fact, been sold a pup. The Hammers' record signing was eventually shipped out to Fiorentina six months later.

1) Nigel Quashie (Portsmouth to Southampton, £2.1million, 2005, and West Brom to West Ham £1.5million, 2007)
Look away now, MK Dons fans: if the man nicknamed Uncle Albert - after the Only Fools And Horses character who went down on every ship he sailed on - is linked with your club this January then you might as well give up on the season now. He only failed at West Ham to repeat his trick of relegating Southampton four months after signing when injury forced Alan Curbishley into playing Mark Noble instead. Well, that and Carlos Tevez, obviously.

BOHtox

I disagree with thebullard one

Vurnon San Benito

I kind of disagree with the Nolan one too, £4m wasn't a huge fee, especially if he gets us promototed again.

grenache

Doocey wrote: »

I kind of disagree with the Nolan one too, £4m wasn't a huge fee, especially if he gets us promototed again.

Neither do I. And 9 goals in 29 starts for Alves at Boro, its not that bad!

Namlub

2) Savio Nsereko (Brescia to West Ham £9million, 2009)
To cushion the blow of Craig Bellamy's departure to Manchester City, German Under-20 prospect Savio was sold to bewildered West Ham fans as one of the best young talents in Europe. It didn't take too many of his 10 appearances in the claret and blue for those same fans to realise they had, in fact, been sold a pup. The Hammers' record signing was eventually shipped out to Fiorentina six months later.

God yeah, I'd completely forgetten about Nesereko En-shrieko Savio...

Ferris_Bueller

Bullard and Alves seem a bit harsh to me.

Hammer Archer

Agree completely with Savio and Quashie. And I'm an Irons fan. Especially Quashie. We were deep in it at the time and we decided to go for a player nicknamed "the Relegator" Possibly unsurprisingly, when he got "injured" in our 4-3 defeat to Spurs, our fortunes then started to pick up.
Although the way our injury situation is going, we'll probably have to recall him from MK Dons soon.

A Dub in Glasgo

Everyone knew at the time that Newcastle grossly overpaid for Boumsong. Questions were asked about how Rangers managed to get so much for him. Souness probably had a huge part to play.

zAbbo

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

Bullard and Alves seem a bit harsh to me.

Really?

To anyone who doesn't think that Bullard & Alaves were disasters...

Both players are record transfer fees for their clubs, in that context it would be the equivalent of a top side spending £20m+.

Bullard was a good player at Wigan, but not worth £5m as an injury prone 30 year old. Pretty expensive for someone who's only played 6 games for Hull (and less than 50 in 4 years!)

Alves was the make or break deal from Boro, they spent big in January last year gambling £12.8m to stave off relegation, Alves flopped, and never looked match fit, they got relegated and he left for £7m.

I'd have Boumsong as the worst, he was a free agent to Rangers, played a few games, and then Newky came in with a 5-6year deal and £8m!

Vurnon San Benito

Yeah, no doubt Boumsong's was one of the worst.
Terrible signing.

Not as bad as Albert Luque though, although a decent player if you ask me.

The Volt

James Beattie to Everton for 6 million FTW

noodler

I thought Reid was good for Spurs when they actually played him. Open to correction though.

Xavi6

if the man nicknamed Uncle Albert - after the Only Fools And Horses character who went down on every ship he sailed on - is linked with your club this January then you might as well give up on the season now.

Ha ha that's the best nickname I've heard since 'One size'!

zAbbo

Xavi6 wrote: »

Ha ha that's the best nickname I've heard since 'One size'!

As good as Ade Akin-Bad-Buy

Peyton Manning

zAbbo wrote: »

As good as Ade Akin-Bad-Buy

Just helped me get 2 straight promotions in Football Manager with Notts County did Ade! Fantastic player

jesus_thats_gre

zAbbo wrote: »

As good as Ade Akin-Bad-Buy

Always thought that Panicbuy was funny

Xavi6

zAbbo wrote: »

As good as Ade Akin-Bad-Buy

Lol good but not quite not as good as removing the two letter Rs from Lee Bradbury

zAbbo

Didn't City get Samaras in one of the windows, for biggesh money as well.

One from Liverpool, we got rid of Joe Semi for Kromkrap one January as well, I'd say Stevie Finnan wasn't too worried

//Edit 6m for Samaras!

Mr Alan

zoran tosic. hands down.

Het-Field

As a Hammers fan, I can vouch for the crapness of Nsereko and Quashie. Savio was not bought for £9 Million. I believe the £2 Million Sum that Fiorentina paid was closer to the mark. West Ham simply got back what they paid for the little fella.

Quashie was a panic buy when West Ham were aflush with money. The same could be said for Calum Davenport and Kepa Blanco who were purchased in the same window in 2007. Two 6/10 performances against Fulham and Newcastle preceeded some appalling displays against Charlton and twice against Watford. West Ham drw the games against Newcastle and Fulham, and lost all three to their relegation rivals. A toe injury in a defeat to Spurs was Quashie's final appearence in a Hammers shirt. Conspiracy theories about Quashie's contract have been circulating for close to two years, as he has played for Wolves, Birmingham, and MK Dons in the past two years, wihtout pulling on a Hammers shirt since 3rd March 2007. It is unclear whether WBA are in line for a pay-off if he makes another appearence. It is highly unlikely that the Hammers will have to write that cheque.

Quashie is the prem's worst panic buy.