5 of the worst defenders in the Premier League era

LONDON - MARCH 26:  Jean Alain Boumsong of Newcastle United looks during the Barclays Premiership match between Charlton Athletic and Newcastle United at The Valley Stadium on March 26, 2006 in London.  (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
Boumsong endured a torrid time with the Magpies

#3 Djimi Traore (Liverpool)

LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 04:  Djimi Traore of Liverpool holds off a challenge from Marcus Bent of Charlton Athletic during the Barclays Premiership match between Liverpool and Charlton Athletic at Anfield on March 4, 2006 in Liverpool, England.  (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Traore consistently failed to live up to expectations with Liverpool

Traore joined Liverpool as a 19-year-old in 1999, from his hometown club of Laval. He spent a majority of 7 uninspiring seasons on the bench, almost leaving them for their Merseyside neighbours Everton, further straining an already broken relationship with the fans.

Positionally poor and toothless in attack, he had done little to warrant a place in the squad. Things got worse for the defender when he scored an owl goal that saw Liverpool eliminated by Burnley in the 2004-05 FA Cup.

Incredulously he found himself in the starting lineup for one of the greatest football matches in living memory; the 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan. Of course, he immediately conceded a free-kick that lead to Maldini’s goal in the opening minute.

Though he did redeem himself later on with a goal-line clearance to thwart a certain goal by Andriy Shevchenko and collected a Champions League medal in the process, his time at Liverpool was well and truly up; replaced by John Arne Riise.

His stints at Portsmouth and Charlton Athletic were insipid too, with his one season in the Valley leading to their relegation from the Premiership.

After spending one season with MLS side Seattle Sounders, he retired from the game in 2014.

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