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Sometimes in football, we get an incredibly strange transfer that no football fan or analyst would have ever predicted. These transfers are normally performed by the big teams and are usually done extremely late in the transfer window. Unsurprising, a lot of these deals do not work out. So here are five of the strangest football transfers of all time.
#5 Robinho
In the Summer of 2008, everybody in world football expected the Brazilian winger to sign with Chelsea. On deadline day, Manchester City came out of nowhere and smashed their transfer record to sign the Brazilian for £32.5 million. While this transfer may not seem strange in today's market, at the time Manchester City were a mid-table Premier League table team. The transfer also materialised on the day that Manchester City's current owners took over the club. Whilst it didn't work out for Robinho in Manchester, the Brazilian paved the way for other superstars to join the newly mega-rich club.
#4 Carlos Tevez
In 2006, Tevez was one of the highest rated young players in the world, in addition to being a full Argentina international. West Ham pulled off one of the biggest coups in football history when they signed both Tevez and Javier Mascherano, on permanent deals. The striker scored a number of important goals, including one on the final day of the season which kept West Ham in the Premier League. The whole transfer was marred in controversy, however, as West Ham were accused of breaking rules to sign the Argentine pair. Tevez's representative bought out his contract after just one year in London and he soon joined Manchester United.
#3 Owen Hargreaves
Owen Hargreaves followed in the footsteps of Carlos Tevez, by swapping the red side of Manchester for the blue side. The midfield was signed on a free transfer after playing just 5 games in the previous three years due to serious injuries. This transfer happened in 2011, a time in which Manchester City was throwing around serious money, and in the same transfer window that City signed Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri, and Gael Clichy. Unfortunately, injuries once again crippled the midfielders season, playing just four times before he was released. Hargreaves subsequently retired aged just 31.
#2 Edgar Davids
One of the finest midfielders of his generation, Edgar Davids remarkably found himself playing for League 2 side Barnet at the age of 39. The Dutch legend also served as the club's manager, and his 15-month spell at the club was pretty wild. Davids played in midfield wearing the number 1 shirt, something virtually unheard of in football. There were also reports that he sent the club's team bus to pick up stranded fans on the motorway. His performances were wild too, as he was sent off in three of his first eight games. It's safe to say that Barnet fans will never forget this period of the clubs history.
# 1 Julien Faubert
In January of 2009, Julian Faubert found himself unable to break into West Ham's first team. Out of nowhere, Real Madrid swooped for the Frenchman and signed him on a six-month loan for £1.5 million. His spell in the Spanish capital is remembered most for when he seemingly fell asleep whilst sitting on the Real Madrid bench. The winger played just twice before returning to West Ham, after for obvious reasons, Madrid did not make his loan deal permanent.
