As transfer fees skyrocketed across European football, clubs assumed massive risks when signing players. A lot of those deals went bust in a hurry. Here, we look at the worst signings ever made by some of Europe’s top teams.
Premier League
Arsenal
- Player: Francis Jeffers
- Transfer fee: £8 million
In fewer than 40 starts for Everton, Jeffers furnished a reputation as a ruthless poacher alongside ex-Arsenal man Kevin Campbell. Arsene Wenger paid big money for the 20-year-old striker in June 2001 and believed Jeffers could compete with Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Kanu, and Sylvain Wiltord for a place in the Gunners’ two-man frontline.
He made only 24 top-flight appearances under Wenger, scoring four goals, and would never exceed six goals in a league campaign for the rest of his career. To make matters worse, Wenger later revealed that he chose to sign Jeffers over future Manchester United icon Ruud van Nistelrooy because he “wanted to keep an English basis.”
Chelsea
- Player: Andriy Shevchenko
- Transfer fee: £30.8 million
Chelsea broke the British transfer record to sign Shevchenko from AC Milan in 2006, and on the surface, there was nothing wrong with that. The …read more