Compiling a list of the worst Premier League Players is no easy feat, especially considering that the league has been around for a great number of years.Here is what is considered to be the ten worst players to have ever played in the Premier league.
10. Ade Akinbiyi
Akinbiyi always features in lists of this sort and it is no surprise really. A former Nigerian international, that is to say that Akinbiyi received one cap for the national team before they realised he was incompetent as a striker, he played in the top flight for Norwich City, Leicester City and Sheffield United. He is best remembered for his time with the Foxes where, as a £5.5 million replacement for Emile Heskey, he hopelessly gave opposing defences the simple job of keeping him out at Filbert Street. He played a total of 74 Premier League games, scoring 11 and was relegated once.
9. Bebe
Clearly, signing a player before you have actually seen him play is not a good idea and Bebe is yet another example of that. The Portuguese striker is best known for being homeless at one point in his career, but he soon found himself at Old Trafford after Manchester United shelled out £7 million for his services. The 23 year old has made no impact on the Red Devils and has been loaned out in the last three seasons. Bebe had managed to score two goals in his seven appearances for the club during the 2010/11 season, but these were more of a fluke than anything else.
8. Bosko Balaban
It is not just a big transfer fee that makes an unsuccessful signing a flop, but for Bosko Balaban, formerly of Aston Villa, it definitely did not help. The Croatian striker cost the Villans nearly £6 million after impressing in his native league. However, nine appearances in two and a half years, coupled with the fact that Balaban could not score a solitary goal, makes the striker a terrible Premier League player. England was just not right for the former Dinamo Zagreb hitman, who went on to score goals in a number of different leagues after his time at Villa Park.
7. Winston Bogarde
Bogarde played for the likes of Ajax, AC Milan and Barcelona before signing for Chelsea in 2000. However, transfer complications and a change of managers left the Dutch defender surplus to requirements just weeks after he arrived in England. Despite constant efforts from the club to force him out, Bogarde decided to see out his extortionate £40,000 a week contract and played in just nine games during his four years with the Blues. Although he remained professional by training every day due to his expulsion from the first team, Bogarde was a terrible player in the annuls of Premier League history.
6. Massimo Taibi
The only goalkeeper in the list and although Taibi may claim that to step into the shoes of Peter Schmeichel at Manchester United would have been a daunting task for any goalie, there are really no excuses for his shocking displays during his short time in England’s top tier division. The Italian stopper, who sported the tracksuit bottom goalkeeping trend long before Gabor Kiraly, played a total of four games for United after being purchased for a whopping £4.5 million from Venezia. Taibi made one critical error in each of the four matches he played, with his hasrh attempt to stop Matt Le Tissier’s shot at Old Trafford a famous goalkeeping blunder.
5.Savio Nsereko
Without doubt one of the worst signings in Premier League history, West Ham United captured Savio Nsereko for a reported £9 million in January 2009. It was unusual for the Hammers to spend such a substantial amount on a striker who had scored just three senior goals for Serie B side Brescia prior. The Ugandan born forward started just one game for West Ham that season, failing to score in his nine other substitute appearances. He left for Fiorentina just six months later and in the eight clubs (across six different countries) he has played for since, he has still not scored a single goal.
4. Thomas Brolin
He was brilliant for Sweden at international level and even more magnificent for Parma in Serie A, but as soon as Thomas Brolin came to England he seemed to forget how to play football. Signed by Leeds for £4.5 million in 1995, big things were expected of the Swedish maestro and in one way the club definitely received something big. Brolin piled on the pounds while in Yorkshire and it was no surprise that the Whites boss accused him of “not pulling his weight”. After two horrid years at Elland Road, which consisted of many unexplained absences and injuries, Brolin was equally useless during a spell with Crystal Palace.
3. Bruno Cheyrou
Dubbed the “new Zidane” upon his arrival to Liverpool in 2002, Cheyrou showed no likeness to his fellow French international during his four seasons on Merseyside. The 35 year old, who is unsurprisingly without a club right now, moved to England when Liverpool paid Lille £4.5 million for his services. Cheyrou had very few happy moments in a Liverpool shirt and from day one was considered a failure. After two disappointing seasons under Gerard Houllier, Cheyrou spent the rest of his Liverpool career back in France on loan before leaving the club on a free transfer.
2. Marco Boogers
This is another footballer who was signed before being seen actually playing.Harry Redknapp picked up Boogers from Sparta Rotterdam for £1 million in 1995. The Dutch striker was supposed to bring the goals to West Ham after a prolific early career in theEredivisie, yet instead he brought an aggressive streak that makes him memorable as an awful signing. Boogers, in only his second appearance for the club, was shown a straight red card for a horror tackle on Manchester United’s Gary Neville minutes after coming on as a substitute. He played in two more games before returning to Holland.
1. Ali Dia
The top spot goes to none other than the infamous Ali Dia, whose story will forever go down in Premier Leaguefolklore. Southampton manager Graeme Souness was convinced over the phone by former FIFA Player of the Year George Weah to sign his cousin Dia. As it turned out, Dia is no relation to Weah whatsoever and it was the Senegalese “footballer” impersonating the former Chelsea forward. Somehow Dia managed to evade suspicion in training and was sprung onto the bench for the Saints’ league game against Leeds in November 1996. Dia came on for the injured Matt Le Tissier in the first half, but was himself substituted 20 minutes later after an embarrassed Souness realised he could not play football. A hilarious moment in the history of the top flight and without doubt Dia goes down as the worst player ever to have played in the Premier League.
10. Ade Akinbiyi
Akinbiyi always features in lists of this sort and it is no surprise really. A former Nigerian international, that is to say that Akinbiyi received one cap for the national team before they realised he was incompetent as a striker, he played in the top flight for Norwich City, Leicester City and Sheffield United. He is best remembered for his time with the Foxes where, as a £5.5 million replacement for Emile Heskey, he hopelessly gave opposing defences the simple job of keeping him out at Filbert Street. He played a total of 74 Premier League games, scoring 11 and was relegated once.
9. Bebe
Clearly, signing a player before you have actually seen him play is not a good idea and Bebe is yet another example of that. The Portuguese striker is best known for being homeless at one point in his career, but he soon found himself at Old Trafford after Manchester United shelled out £7 million for his services. The 23 year old has made no impact on the Red Devils and has been loaned out in the last three seasons. Bebe had managed to score two goals in his seven appearances for the club during the 2010/11 season, but these were more of a fluke than anything else.
8. Bosko Balaban
It is not just a big transfer fee that makes an unsuccessful signing a flop, but for Bosko Balaban, formerly of Aston Villa, it definitely did not help. The Croatian striker cost the Villans nearly £6 million after impressing in his native league. However, nine appearances in two and a half years, coupled with the fact that Balaban could not score a solitary goal, makes the striker a terrible Premier League player. England was just not right for the former Dinamo Zagreb hitman, who went on to score goals in a number of different leagues after his time at Villa Park.
7. Winston Bogarde
Bogarde played for the likes of Ajax, AC Milan and Barcelona before signing for Chelsea in 2000. However, transfer complications and a change of managers left the Dutch defender surplus to requirements just weeks after he arrived in England. Despite constant efforts from the club to force him out, Bogarde decided to see out his extortionate £40,000 a week contract and played in just nine games during his four years with the Blues. Although he remained professional by training every day due to his expulsion from the first team, Bogarde was a terrible player in the annuls of Premier League history.
6. Massimo Taibi
The only goalkeeper in the list and although Taibi may claim that to step into the shoes of Peter Schmeichel at Manchester United would have been a daunting task for any goalie, there are really no excuses for his shocking displays during his short time in England’s top tier division. The Italian stopper, who sported the tracksuit bottom goalkeeping trend long before Gabor Kiraly, played a total of four games for United after being purchased for a whopping £4.5 million from Venezia. Taibi made one critical error in each of the four matches he played, with his hasrh attempt to stop Matt Le Tissier’s shot at Old Trafford a famous goalkeeping blunder.
5.Savio Nsereko
Without doubt one of the worst signings in Premier League history, West Ham United captured Savio Nsereko for a reported £9 million in January 2009. It was unusual for the Hammers to spend such a substantial amount on a striker who had scored just three senior goals for Serie B side Brescia prior. The Ugandan born forward started just one game for West Ham that season, failing to score in his nine other substitute appearances. He left for Fiorentina just six months later and in the eight clubs (across six different countries) he has played for since, he has still not scored a single goal.
4. Thomas Brolin
He was brilliant for Sweden at international level and even more magnificent for Parma in Serie A, but as soon as Thomas Brolin came to England he seemed to forget how to play football. Signed by Leeds for £4.5 million in 1995, big things were expected of the Swedish maestro and in one way the club definitely received something big. Brolin piled on the pounds while in Yorkshire and it was no surprise that the Whites boss accused him of “not pulling his weight”. After two horrid years at Elland Road, which consisted of many unexplained absences and injuries, Brolin was equally useless during a spell with Crystal Palace.
3. Bruno Cheyrou
Dubbed the “new Zidane” upon his arrival to Liverpool in 2002, Cheyrou showed no likeness to his fellow French international during his four seasons on Merseyside. The 35 year old, who is unsurprisingly without a club right now, moved to England when Liverpool paid Lille £4.5 million for his services. Cheyrou had very few happy moments in a Liverpool shirt and from day one was considered a failure. After two disappointing seasons under Gerard Houllier, Cheyrou spent the rest of his Liverpool career back in France on loan before leaving the club on a free transfer.
2. Marco Boogers
This is another footballer who was signed before being seen actually playing.Harry Redknapp picked up Boogers from Sparta Rotterdam for £1 million in 1995. The Dutch striker was supposed to bring the goals to West Ham after a prolific early career in theEredivisie, yet instead he brought an aggressive streak that makes him memorable as an awful signing. Boogers, in only his second appearance for the club, was shown a straight red card for a horror tackle on Manchester United’s Gary Neville minutes after coming on as a substitute. He played in two more games before returning to Holland.
1. Ali Dia
The top spot goes to none other than the infamous Ali Dia, whose story will forever go down in Premier Leaguefolklore. Southampton manager Graeme Souness was convinced over the phone by former FIFA Player of the Year George Weah to sign his cousin Dia. As it turned out, Dia is no relation to Weah whatsoever and it was the Senegalese “footballer” impersonating the former Chelsea forward. Somehow Dia managed to evade suspicion in training and was sprung onto the bench for the Saints’ league game against Leeds in November 1996. Dia came on for the injured Matt Le Tissier in the first half, but was himself substituted 20 minutes later after an embarrassed Souness realised he could not play football. A hilarious moment in the history of the top flight and without doubt Dia goes down as the worst player ever to have played in the Premier League.
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