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Transfers can do football teams a world of good. But doing business in the transfer market is not all that straightforward. In fact, it can get very tricky. For a player to be playing to the best of his potential, he'll need a lot of things to fall into place.
For an individual to excel, the compatibility between him and his club's style of play and the level of understanding he shares with his teammates are all important. A great player could join a team he does not fit into and things can go south real quick for all parties involved.
That's why clubs need to make informed decisions in the transfer market. Breaking the bank for the wrong player can set a club back financially and even hamper their progress on the pitch.
On that note, let's take a look at five of the worst signings of the last decade.
#5 Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea) -£72 million
When Thibaut Courtois left Chelsea to secure his dream move to Real Madrid, the Blues had to find a world-class goalkeeper. They panicked and decided to trigger the release clause of a young Kepa Arrizabalaga who had impressed in La Liga.
Questions were asked of Chelsea's decision to make the then 23-year-old their most expensive signing of all time. Kepa definitely did not help his case as he turned in a string of unconvincing displays after arriving in England.
His refusal to be substituted in the extra-time of the Carabao Cup final in the 2018-19 season under Sarri did little to endear him to fans. He has since been replaced by Edouard Mendy and Kepa is currently the Premier League's most expensive second-choice goalkeeper.
#4 Mario Balotelli (AC Milan to Liverpool) - £16 million
At the end of the day, Liverpool can breathe easy knowing that they did not break the bank to sign Mario Balotelli in 2014. But what was once touted as a bargain deal has become a source of embarrassment for the Merseysiders.
Balotelli was roped in from AC Milan in 2014 to replace the departing Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan international had scored 31 goals in 33 appearances in the 2013-14 Premier League season and nearly led Liverpool to the league title. His replacement, Mario Balotelli, scored exactly one goal in the Premier League in the 2014-15 season.
The Italian international's professionalism was questioned and he seemed disinterested in the goings-on a lot of the time. Balotelli was shipped back to AC Milan on loan after one season and was subsequently let go for free in the next.
#3 Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal to Manchester United) - Swap deal
Jose Mourinho reportedly pushed for the signing of Alexis Sanchez to throw a spanner in Manchester City's works. The Chilean international had been tearing it up for Arsenal and Manchester United were worried about Manchester City securing his services.
By then, Henrikh Mkhitaryan had become a peripheral figure at Old Trafford as well. So during the winter transfer window of the 2017-18 season, United came up with the plan to swap Mkhitaryan for Sanchez.
Even though it was a swap deal, Manchester United had to dish out a £500,000 per week contract to convince Sanchez to sign. What they got for that money is a player who looked like a shadow of his former self.
He was consistently poor and scored just three goals in 32 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils. Sanchez was then shipped out on loan to Inter Milan and they signed him on a free transfer in August 2020.
Not only did Sanchez not perform well, his entry displaced the young and promising duo of Martial and Rashford and hampered their progress a bit. Thankfully, Solskjaer's entry came at the right time for Manchester United and he quickly set out to clear the deadwood at Old Trafford.
#2 Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool to Barcelona) - £105m (rising to £142 million with add-ons)
When Barcelona received close to £200 million for Neymar's sale to Paris Saint-Germain, the possibilities seemed endless. But the Catalans went ahead and squandered all that money on players who didn't fit their needs.
A major chunk of that money was spent on bringing Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool. The Brazilian had established himself as one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League at Liverpool. Barcelona was his dream destination as well.
Coutinho joined Barcelona halfway through the 2017-18 season. He had a decent half-season at the club. But during his first full season with Barcelona, it became clear that the Catalans didn't have much use for him.
He wasn't great down the wings and did not fit the profile of the midfielder that Barcelona were looking for. So they shipped him out to Bayern Munich on loan. Coutinho played a big role in Barcelona's humiliating 8-2 loss at the hands of the Bavarians in the 2019-20 Champions League season.
Simply put, one of Barcelona's most expensive signings scored two goals and added insult to injury in their worst Champions League outing of all time. Coutinho returned to Barcelona for the 2020-21 season. He got off to a decent start but missed more than half of the season due to a knee injury.
Barcelona have wanted to sell him for a while now but his exorbitant wages have proven to be a stumbling block.
#1 Eden Hazard (Chelsea to Real Madrid) - €100 million (rising to €146.1 million with add-ons)
When Real Madrid signed Eden Hazard from Chelsea in 2019, they thought they were signing one of the best players in the game. He had been a force to be reckoned with for Chelsea for close to a decade and was truly a footballing superstar at the time.
Real Madrid were looking to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and Hazard was the closest thing they could find. However, the Belgian international showed up at the Spanish capital seven kilos overweight. He also started having unprecedented injury problems.
Hazard was also filmed joking with his former Chelsea teammates after Real Madrid were knocked out in the 2020-21 Champions League semi-final. The former Chelsea man is reportedly paid £400,000 per week but he has hardly done anything to justify his wages.
In two full seasons, Hazard has managed to make just 44 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring just five goals and providing nine assists.
