The worst English Premier League players ever

As the richest and most prestigious division in world football, the Premier League has never had a difficult time attracting the world’s most talented footballers.

Maestros such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Eden Hazard have made it to the Premier League since its inception in 1992, leaving behind a lasting legacy, fan clubs that adore them and a string of unforgettable moments.

However, there have been more than a few duds over the years as well. The Premier League has not always boasted the best in class, with many leagues ending up shockingly when they tried to make their name in England’s top flight.

90min Ranks the ten worst unlucky players Premier League History – nothing personal, guys.

Sean Dundee had scored 61 goals in the Bundesliga before his arrival Liverpoola record that has filled the club’s fans with hope that he might be able to provide at least a fraction of that number on Merseyside.

The South African-born striker was only designated as a back-up option, but his impressive performances for Karlsruher have failed to translate to the Premier League.

Dundee made a scant three scoreless league appearances for the Reds before returning to Germany for £1 million in the summer after signing. Considering Liverpool bought him for £2m, it wasn’t great.

Jozy Altidore’s first spell in the Premier League has been very disappointing. A season-long loan with Hull City resulted in just one goal in 28 appearances as he led the line as the Tigers fell to the Championship. It is not surprising that they missed the opportunity to sign the American permanently.

Altidore’s horror spell with Hull appeared to be forgotten a few years later when Sunderland bet on the massive striker after rebuilding his career in Holland with AZ Alkmaar.

The Premier League proved to be a step too far for Altidore once again, as he scored one goal in 42 appearances between 2013 and 2015. Also, two goals in 70 group matches is very bad for a central striker.

Speaking of underwhelming and uninspiring Premier League strikers, enter Bosco Balaban. The Croatian got off to a slow start to his career in his homeland, but two prolific seasons with Rijeka and then Dinamo Zagreb caught on. Aston Villaeye.

It’s fair to say that Villa’s eyes were quickly blinded by the profligate centre-forward, who has managed to score a plethora of goals in eight appearances for the Midlands club.

The £5.8m signing eventually left on a free transfer to Club Brugge and has since blamed Villa for not giving him a proper chance to find some form.

Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimarães made a quick profit on Pepe. After signing him on a free transfer, they saw him leave after just over a month without playing a single competitive match for the club. Manchester United Paying the £7.8m needed to bring the striker into the team.

Portugal has been a popular hunting ground for Manchester United in previous years, but Pepe has failed to reach the same heights as Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani. He made just two Premier League appearances for the Red Devils before being shipped out on multiple loans abroad.

Four years after his arrival, Pepe was eventually sent off from Old Trafford after barely wearing a red shirt, as Benfica put the winger out of his misery.

Manchester United are known for their impressive success rate in the transfer market under Alex Ferguson, but they have had a few shocks under the Scot. This is expected for almost three decades.

Eric Djemba Djemba – who, unlike Jay-Jay Okocha, was not so good that they named him twice – arrived at Old Trafford in 2003 after a successful spell with Nantes. The Cameroonian midfielder quickly became famous for his overly physical style, but failed to match it with the ability needed to thrive in Manchester.

After 20 Premier League appearances, Djemba Djemba was given a second chance at Aston Villa, but his time at Villa Park was arguably even worse as he was sold just two years after his arrival.

Christian Poulsen represents Liverpool’s darkest days of the Premier League era. Roy Hodgson’s short, hot spell with the Reds was full of bad signings, but even the likes of Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic and Danny Wilson performed better than the Dane.

The midfielder, who quickly established himself as an uninspiring and technically questionable option in the engine room, made just 12 Premier League appearances for the Reds before being sold to Evian the following summer.

It was £4.5m down the drain for Liverpool, who were unable to get the best out of the 92-cap Danish international. He did little to help himself on Merseyside.

Being called a “blind gun” as a goalkeeper is not particularly encouraging. This is the fate that befell Italian goalkeeper Massimo Taipe during his mistake-filled and desperate spell with Manchester United in the English Premier League.

Signed to replace the injured Mark Bosnich in 1999, Taibi did little to reassure Manchester United fans of his quality, making just four appearances for the Red Devils and a number of errors. Most famously, he allowed Matt Le Tissier’s player to roll through his legs during the 3-3 draw with Southampton.

Unsurprisingly, Taibi was sent on loan just six months after his arrival for £4.5m. He will never play again for Manchester United.

Milton Nunez to Sunderland may be one of the strangest transfers in Premier League history. The Honduran forward, who was signed by then Blackcats coach Peter Reid, claimed that Sunderland had actually intended to sign compatriot and fellow PAOK striker Adolfo Valencia, but had bought him by mistake.

This theory is somewhat supported by the fact that Nunez made just one Premier League appearance for Sunderland, which lasted just 15 minutes. £1.6 million well spent, isn’t it?

There can’t be many deals more disastrous than this one, with Nunez spending the bulk of his career in Honduras.

Savio Nsereko had not uprooted many trees before arriving at West Ham United. He scored just three goals for Brescia in 25 appearances, but that was clearly enough for the Irons to spend around £9m on the Ugandan-born striker.

However, the youngster’s promising form in Italy was not replicated in London, with Savio lasting just six months at West Ham before being transferred to Fiorentina on a permanent deal.

Ten Premier League matches have yielded no goals and some confusion West Ham Fans who struggled to see the potential were clearly seen by the club’s recruitment staff.

It can be said the The most famous transfer in Premier League history, Ali Zia’s status is undeniably the worst the division has ever seen.

Signed by Southampton in 1996, the Senegal striker was recruited by the Saints due to a prank phone call received by then-manager Graeme Souness. Believing he was speaking to former Ballon d’Or winner George Weah – surprise, surprise, he wasn’t – who was claiming to be Dia’s cousin, the Scot was convinced to take a chance on the striker.

Having played for amateur club Blyth Spartans at the time, Dia was offered a one-month trial and made his only Premier League appearance in a 2–0 win over Leeds United before being released two weeks later.

Very embarrassing for everyone involved.

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