The Premier League is and always will be one the most intense and competitive leagues in the world. This air of unpredictability is what attracts players and managers to England and keeps fans on the edge of their seats. While strikers and defenders are extremely important to any football team, it’s the midfielders who are the heart and engine of any football team.
They have the ability and talent to control games and can change the outcome with one creative move. While players like Pirlo and Xavi thrived by sitting deep in the heart of the midfield and orchestrate the team around them, Sergio Busquets, on the other hand, is rarely ever seen in an attacking position and he still manages to keep Barcelona ticking.
But there are also players like Roy Keane, who’s gift lied more in his explosive and physical destructive side while Arsenal’s former captain Patrick Vieira could dominate defensively by using his strength and also drive his team’s attacking thrust with impeccable vision and strength.
Therefore it’s no surprise when teams spend nearly £100 million on midfielders that could change matches for them and while there are success stories even in the modern game with players like Ross Barkley, Dele Alli, Mesut Ozil and even Paul Pogba.
There are, however, players who never did hit the heights that were set for them or never managed to ever click in the English game. Here is our take on the worst midfielders to have ever played for a Premier League club.
#5 Alberto Aquilani
One of the most expensive failures to ever grace the Premier league, it was understood as to why The Reds broke the bank signing the midfielder back in 2009. Liverpool paid £17 million for the Italian with players like Francesco Totti and John Arne Riise, and even their then manager Rafa Benitez, all speaking about how good the then 24-year-old player was.
Aquilani, who was touted to be Xabi Alonso's replacement (who had left for Real Madrid that same summer) had established himself at both Roma and the Italian national side and a lot was expected from “potentially one of the best players in the world”. However, nothing turned out the way it was touted to be and the Italian’s Anfield career was miserable, to put it kindly.
He had arrived in August of 2009 with an ankle injury and made his full debut well into the season in December. By the end of his first season with Liverpool, the Italian had made just 18 league and eight cup appearances. But six assists and a driven shot in the Europa League showed glimpses of the quality that lied beneath all the injuries and infrequent appearances.
He never lived up to the hype and after an injury-filled first season, he was sent on multiple loans back to Italy before finally being sold to Florentina during the 2012 transfer window. Before his poor display at Liverpool, Aquilani was considered to be the next star midfield general to come out of Italy but he could never outdo his Liverpool price tag which hung over his head like a dark cloud.
#4 Amaury Bischoff
Arsene Wenger signed Amaury Bischoff back in 2008 from German side Werder Bremen and he even said that he knew signing him would be a gamble on his talent. The Portuguese midfielder was certainly an interesting left-field acquisition and joined the club as a relatively unknown player.
Wenger had always taken a gamble with players, signing Pascal Cygan, Francis Jeffers and even Philippe Senderos, and he took another one by signing the injury-prone player who had made just one senior appearance for Bremen. The then 21-year-old central midfielder was seen as a cheap addition to a squad, which needed big-money signings.
The 29-year-old has endured an injury-filled career and has found himself struggling to settle at various clubs over the years. He joined Arsenal in 2008 after failing to break into the Werder Bremen starting eleven, with hopes of possibly breaking into Arsenal’s.
However further injuries stifled his progress and he couldn’t really settle in well at the Emirates either. He made his first and last Premier League appearance as he came on for Theo Walcott in the second half with less than half-an-hour remaining.
Soon after, with a handful of reserve cup action and the one Premier League cap, Arsenal allowed his contract to expire at the end of the season before releasing him. He later went on to join Portuguese club Academica for two years and was later signed by Preuben Munster in 2012 and has been there since.
#3 Gabriele Ambrosetti
Touted as the Italian Ryan Giggs, Ambrosetti signed for Chelsea with a lot of pomp back in 1999. Perhaps, manager Gianluca Vialli meant that they both played as left-wingers, as that’s where the comparison ended. While Giggs was the core part of the dominant Manchester United attack during the ‘90s, his Italian version barely managed to trouble defences, when at his very best.
Signed for £3.5 million from Vicenza, he was a huge flop at Stamford Bridge and made only 23 appearances in his first season before being shipped out on loan. Chelsea fans obviously expected a lot but were later disappointed by the Italian’s performance.
The Italian was an average winger and stood out during his spells with decent teams all over Italy. He was, simply put, not good enough for either the Premier League or the Blues and was gone permanently in 2003 with fans wondering why he was ever signed for £3.5 million.
What actually prompted Vialli to bring the Italian to the club was a Cup-Winner’s quarter-final game where Amberosetti tore through the Chelsea back-four and showed what he could do. Unfortunately for Vialli, the left-winger could never recapture that performance at Stamford Bridge and other than his goal in the Champions League, Ambrosetti never lived up to his price tag.
#2 Eric Djemba-Djemba
The Cameroonian midfielder was thought to be the natural heir to Roy Keane, but unfortunately, Djemba-Djemba turned out to be one of Sir Alex’s flop signings for Manchester United. He arrived from Nantes for £3.5 million in the same summer as Kleberson and a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Possibly the beacon of United’s very confused transfer policy of the 2000s, Djemba-Djemba was hungry and young, and with impressive performances in France, the 22-year-old was brought in to add energy and stamina to the midfield.
But it did not turn out the way it was supposed to and Sir Alex Ferguson watched on as his Keane replacement fluttered about the football pitch resembling a headless chicken, incapable of keeping up with the Premier League’s pace and eventually the subject of the now iconic “so good they named him twice” chant. The midfielder did play 20 unremarkable games for United but he never turned out to be the midfield general the Scot manager had wanted.
Djemba-Djemba eventually left for Aston Villa who immediately regretted signing the Cameroonian and sent him out on loan to Burnley. Further spells at Odense BK, Hapoel Tel-Aviv and even Chennaiyin FC were no better.
#1 Ali Dia
The obvious number one on this list, Ali Dia has since been labelled as one of the greatest sporting con artists of all time. It was on the 23rd of November 1996, that Dia made his first appearance for Southampton, having come on as a substitute for Matt Le Tissier. And in one of the most bizarre and extraordinary signings of the Premier League, Dia managed to play nearly a total of 53 minutes before being subbed off himself by manager Graeme Souness.
The story has been repeated a thousand times. Dia claimed to have played 13 international games for Senegal and also to be the cousin of former World cup winner George Weah.
Graeme Souness, the then manager, reportedly got a call from someone who claimed to be the former World Cup winner and that person went on to vouch for Dia’s football credentials. Souness signed the player to a 30-day contract, without having seen him play a proper game other than a five-a-side match.
The midfielder nearly scored a goal but floundered very badly, according to Souness. Dia was not the player he claimed to be and was then subbed off after 53 minutes. Matt Le Tissier, the player Dia came on for compared him to “Bambi on ice” and even went on to say, “It was very, very embarrassing to watch. We were like: ‘What’s this geezer doing? He’s hopeless.’ Graeme named him as a sub and we couldn’t believe it."
