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The Premier League is going through a very uncertain and unpredictable phase at the moment. The COVID outbreak has led to the postponement of a majority of fixtures on Matchday 18. There are also suggestions from a few managers that the Premier League fixtures until January 1 be suspended to contain the cases.
A concrete decision is yet to be made on that, as clubs that are fit to field a team under the given guidelines continue with their matches. The subplot that is unfolding behind this turmoil is that of the January transfer window. It's a period that witnesses drama in the Premier League.
Every Premier League club has made some disappointing signings in January
The winter transfer window is a very interesting period to watch because for many teams it could shape the end of their season. Some clubs recruit with the intention of saving their season and a few others to avoid any potential slipup in what has been an ideal season.
January comes with the potential to crack some bargains and with the hope of sealing the future of soon-to-be free agents. Clubs are sometimes desperate and, as history will tell you, desperation can lead to mistakes. The winter transfer window has seen many Premier League clubs splash the cash and they haven't necessarily been rewarded for it.
Here are the five worst transfers in Premier League history:
#5 Fernando Torres
For the Chelsea faithful, disasters don't come any bigger than this. Fernando Torres was one of the hottest properties in the Premier League back in the time when he represented the Reds. His 65 goals in 102 Premier League appearances justified the £50m that Blues spent.
But the shift from Red to Blue was quite horrific for the Spanish forward. In the 110 appearances he made for the Blues in the English top-flight, Torres found the back of the net only 20 times. The transfer happened on the back of a surgery that the former Liverpool man went under to fix a recurring knee complaint.
When he arrived at Chelsea he was clearly not playing at the pace he was known for. He was on a lofty package worth £150,000-a-week, something that added to the intensity of criticism. Torres was on Chelsea's books for three-and-a-half years before moving to AC Milan.
#4 Jean-Alain Boumsong
The Magpies were on the hunt for a domineering defender during the 2005 winter window. Graeme Souness was in charge and one would think when it came to signing a rough and sturdy player, at least he, of all people, wouldn't get it wrong.
Jean-Alain Boumsong walked through the doors at Newcastle United. Multiple eyebrows were raised when his move was sanctioned. A man who was a free-agent just six months before was ignored and allowed to sign with Rangers only to be roped in again for £8.5m.
Boumsong became a joke in the Premier League with his error-prone performances and inconsistency.
Souness had said during his signing:
“The supporters will enjoy watching him play. He is potentially a top man in our football team. I think he expects to be up there with the likes of Terry and Ferdinand.”
Clearly the Terry and Ferdinand mentioned weren't John and Rio. The Magpies sustained a significant loss on the Frenchman who was moved to Juventus for merely £3.6m, when they were demoted to Serie B.
#3 Wilfried Bony
There was a time when Swansea City were competing well in the Premier League this past decade and were also participating in the Europa League. One man who had become a clutch player for the Swans in that period was Wilfried Bony.
He helped them in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League and continued to showcase his attacking prowess in the group stages and onwards. His goal-scoring run in the Premier League was quite special as well and Manchester City felt the Ivorian was worth spending cash on.
Bony was signed for £25m and in addition to disappointing himself, his move also led to other bad decisions by the club. The biggest mistake was letting go of Edin Dzeko, who could have been a brilliant second-fiddle to Sergio Aguero.
The Ivorian made 36 appearances in the Premier League for the Etihad side and only managed to get on the scoresheet six times. When Pep Guardiola arrived in 2016, he was quick to exclude Bony from his plans. In short, the signing of the Swansea star was an utter waste of both money and time.
#2 Alexis Sanchez
When a player starts having second thoughts about his transfer after his very first training session with the new club, you know something bad is about to happen. Manchester United were in a jolly mood as they lured Alexis Sanchez away from bitter rivals Arsenal.
The excitement was brewing also because this was a man who was involved in a transfer saga with neighbors Manchester City just months ago. So in a way this was them inflicting two-way damage. But fate had other plans and the Premier League sensation they signed left everything good about him at Arsenal.
Sanchez became the Premier League's highest paid player and that deal made him the most resentful Man United signing. In the 2018-19 campaign, the forward scored only one goal in the Premier League and was frequently injured. Eventually, United had to pay Inter Milan to take Sanchez on loan.
It is a shame that Jose Mourinho signed him, given he was not suited to United's system and will be remembered as one of his most forgetful signings.
#1 Andy Carroll
Remember what we said in the beginning, desperation causes mistakes, costly mistakes, and Andy Carroll is a prime example of it. Liverpool lost one of their gems when Chelsea snatched Fernando Torres from their ranks. They could not afford to spend the £50m they received in return recklessly.
In hindsight, that was as hopeless and miscalculated as it gets. Carroll cost £35m to the Reds, who in utter panic made a 22-year-old the costliest British player of all time. His style was contrasting to Torres's and it was difficult to understand if he would be able to lead the line with the same intensity.
The Newcastle striker scored just six Premier League goals in 44 appearances for the Reds before moving to West Ham. A target man by trait, Liverpool tried to use him as a versatile striker, but they were asking for something he wasn't meant to generate.
His 21 goal contributions in the Premier League in just 19 appearances for Newcastle in 2010-11 deceived everyone, but only Liverpool took the bait. Now aged 32, Carroll plays for Reading FC and has no chance of coming back into the Premier League unless someone goes mad again in January.
