The Premier League is one of the most prestigious Leagues in the world. Its huge commercial backing as well as its fast and electric soccer is a joy to watch. Loads of world-class talent are attracted to the English First Division every season.
Every season PL teams go rampant during the transfer window and buy players for ridiculous amounts. One could easily find multiple $100 million+ players in each club.
The Premier League’s transfer spending compared to every other league is OUTRAGEOUS 💰💰💰 pic.twitter.com/TLre3ugq45
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) January 25, 2023
While money can give the clubs a wider spectrum from which they can buy players, it always doesn’t guarantee success. The League has seen many expensive players who have flopped massively despite having huge hype around them. Let’s look at 5 players who are considered Premier League flops.
5) Juan Sebastian Veron (Manchester United,2001):
Sir Alex Ferguson once told reporters to F*** off, when they were questioning a dressing room incident involving Juan Sebastian Veron. Such was the stature of the Argentine midfielder, that one of the greatest managers in Premier League history used such harsh words to defend him.
United
Great Pic Of Juan Sebastian Veron pic.twitter.com/r7mDKuqSab— Superb Footy Pics (@SuperbFootyPics) December 3, 2023
Manchester United signed Veron in the summer transfer window of 2001 from Serie-A side Lazio. The transfer fee that United paid ($42 million) was the highest in the Premier League history at the time. At the time, Veron, being one of the best midfielders in the world, was destined to succeed.
But things didn’t go right for United and the Argentine midfielder. Veron could not live up to the hype as he could not match the Premier League’s intensity and speed. His arrival at the club was during a tough time for The Red Devils as the club had to face the rise of Arsenal.
His midfield partner Paul Scholes in an episode of the show “The Overlap”, came up with the best reason why Veron didn’t work well in the Premier League. The former England midfielder said the following:
“Yeah, me and Veron were a disaster. I think me and Anderson did it once – just, no, it’s not working, is it? Just two lads who don’t care about defending – don’t know the [DM] position that well. But it worked better with a Michael or a Roy or a Nicky, who were brilliant playing a position they knew.” In 2003, they sold Veron to Premier League rivals Chelsea, incurring a loss of around $21.75 million.
4) Angel Di Maria (Manchester United 2014)
The relationship between Angel Di Maria and Manchester United can be regarded as one of the most toxic relationships in the soccer world. The Argentine winger hated every bit about United and the city of Manchester.
A heavenly finish from Angel Di Maria 😇#GoalOfTheDay | @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/wP0LyvYGle
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 3, 2022
The Argentine arrived from Real Madrid to United for an English record fee of $98 million, exciting the English Club fans. The Argentine had come to Manchester United following a successful World Cup campaign, which saw him reach the finals.
Di Maria scored 4 goals and gave 12 assists in his only season for The Red Devils. However, the stats can be misleading as the Argentine did not score a single goal after October 2013. The Argentine also reportedly, fell out with United’s manager Louis Van Gaal after a poor run of form and was subsequently dropped from the squad.
Wayne Rooney summarized the Argentine’s tenure at United perfectly, when he said, “He could have been a major star at United but at the time we were going through a bit of a transition and it was tough for him to settle. He had young kids and lived a couple of houses down from me and someone tried to burgle him. I remember that really shook him and his family.” Angel Di Maria left for PSG the next season.
3)Andy Carroll
Andy Carroll can be considered one of the biggest flops in Premier League History. He was signed by Liverpool from Newcastle in 2011 for a club-record fee of $55 million. The tenure of Andy Carroll was disastrous, to say the least, as the English Striker failed to establish himself in the Merseyside.
Andy Carroll:
“When I was injured at Liverpool, I got a lot of abuse. I had to realise that none of it matters – you can create problems for yourself when you listen to it.” #lfc [mirror]
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) April 7, 2023
Andy Carroll could only score 11 goals in 58 appearances for Liverpool. Carroll’s stay at Liverpool was cut short to only 18 months, as he was loaned out to West Ham United who purchased him permanently in 2013 for $23.4 million. The English striker in 2023 is playing his soccer for French club Amiens.
2)Fernardo Torres (Chelsea 2011):
Fernando Torres’ big-money move to Chelsea in 2011, ignited the hopes of many Chelsea fans. The Spanish striker had come to the English capital following his stellar performances for Liverpool.
Torres had scored 81 goals in just 142 games for The Reds everyone hoped that he would repeat his record in Chelsea as well. But a mix of persistent injuries and bad scoring form meant that Fernando Torres came to be branded as a ‘flop’.
We couldn’t forget this 𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘 goal! 🤩
9⃣ years ago today vs Barcelona 🙌 Fernando Torres pic.twitter.com/BRndMySXEY
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 24, 2021
Torres scored only 20 goals in 110 Premier League games for The Blues. Torres was loaned out to AC Milan and Atletico Madrid, the latter buying the Spaniard in 2016. Fernando Torres retired in 2019, with his final club being Sagan Tosu in 2019.
1) Jozy Altidore (Sunderland 2011):
Jozy Altidore is the most unknown player on this list. The American forward played his soccer for the likes of Villareal, Sunderland, and MLS side New England Revolution. Jozy was once considered among the best talents in the world.
What a waste of money Jozy Alditore was
— Michael (@greenallefc) November 29, 2014
The Premier League flop joined The Black Cats in July 2013 from Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar. The English paid a fee of around $10 million to acquire the services of the American soccer player. Jozy, however, did not deliver the expected return to Sunderland.
In his two seasons at the club, Jozy could only manage to score one goal for Sunderland. The timing of arrival was perhaps not right as the club from North-East England was battling relegation at that time. His difficulties in the Premier League, made him move to MLS side Toronto FC in 2015, Thus, Jozy ended his European adventures at the young age of 25.