5 biggest transfer flops in Premier League history

Nnanna
There have been multiple big-money moves in the Premier League that have been proven to be wasteful.
There have been multiple big-money moves in the Premier League that have been proven to be wasteful.

#3 Angel di Maria | Manchester United

Manchester United v Queens Park Rangers - Premier League
Manchester United v Queens Park Rangers - Premier League

Signed on for £67.5 million, then a British transfer record, Angel di Maria started his debut season well, but things went sideways a little too quickly.

After dealing with a hamstring injury, as well as an attempted robbery which was clearly unsettling, Di Maria couldn't seem to regain his confidence and form at Old Trafford. He score just four goals in 32 appearances for Manchester United.

The Red Devils eventually breathed a sigh of relief when they sold him off to Paris Saint-Germain by the end of the star's debut season. His selling price at the time was nearly seven times lower the amount United bought him for.


#2 Radamel Falcao | Manchester United

Leicester City v Manchester United - Premier League
Leicester City v Manchester United - Premier League

For a classy player who was an exceptional goalscorer during his time at Atletico Madrid, the one season Radamel Falcao spent on loan at Manchester United was mediocre, at best. He was unable to provide the goals he so freely scored in Spain and France and it wasn't long before he was taken out of the starting lineup.

It could have been called just a bad spell, but his goal droughts were rather long and consistent. By the end of the season, Falcao had scored only four goals in all competitions.

The buy-clause in his loan deal was left untouched by Louis van Gaal and Falcao returned to Monaco. He would later go on another loan move to Chelsea but his Premier League goalscoring woes would continue with the Blues as well.


#1 Adrian Mutu | Chelsea

Adrian Mutu of Chelsea starts to celebrate scoring a goal but it was later disallowed.
Adrian Mutu of Chelsea starts to celebrate scoring a goal but it was later disallowed.

Adrian Mutu's eventful exit from Stamford Bridge took the whole world by storm. The star played brilliantly in Serie A before joining the Blues and he even started off on the right foot during his debut season in England. However, Mutu would go on to test positive for cocaine after failing a drug test.

While the star was banned from playing football for seven months, Chelsea terminated his contract and sued him. The club was successful, with the courts ruling that Mutu had to pay Chelsea a fee near the cost of his transfer: €17 million. Adrian Mutu would later go on to play for Fiorentina, where he failed yet another doping test.

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