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In these days of endlessly dragged-out transfer sagas, the move of a player from one club to another is usually flagged up well in advance, with merely the monotony of posturing and 'inadequate' offer refusals delaying the inevitable.
However, every now and then comes a transfer that no-one expects. A bolt from the blue: a player crossing the divide between two bitter rivals, or stepping up or down several levels above or below where they should be. And they usually result in some fun and games afterwards. Football history is filled with plenty of transfers that did surprise the football world to its core.
Today, we'll talk about some of the strangest signings that took place in recent years. These transfers were looked down upon by both fans and the media due to the lack of quality of these players to thrive at the highest level. Here are five of the strangest transfers in recent years.
#5 Kevin-Prince Boateng (on loan from U.S. Sassuolo to FC Barcelona)
Kevin-Prince Boateng signing for Barcelona in the January transfer window caught many people by surprise. A player well past his prime, signed by one of the biggest clubs in the world.
In becoming the first Ghanaian to play for Barca, the transfer marks another extraordinary chapter in the player’s career, which started at Hertha Berlin before spells at Spurs and Portsmouth. Blessed with strength, speed, and a killer instinct in front of goal, big things were expected out of him. He quickly earned himself a move to AC Milan in 2010 where he started off brightly but failed to live up to his full potential. Arguably the biggest gripe against him is his relatively light scoring record. He’s only got 61 goals in 398 career appearances.
After selling Paco Alcacer and Munir this season, The Blaugrana were in search of a back-up striker, someone to take some of the pressure and the minutes off Luis Suárez. The 31-year-old is brought on loan and though the Catalans do have a purchase option for the summer, they may not use it.
#4 Alexandre Pato (on loan from Corinthians to Chelsea)
Everyone remembers the 24-second strike Alexandre Pato scored against Barcelona. The Golden Boy winner is widely known as the wonder kid who failed to become a superstar. The Brazilian had the world at his feet after arriving at San Siro in 2007 but injuries severely stunted his growth as a player. As a result, Pato was offloaded to Corinthians, who signed him for a fee of €15 million.
However, in January 2016, Chelsea surprised everyone when they announced the signing of Pato on loan from the Brazilian club, until the end of the 2015–16 season. On 2 April 2016, he made his debut away to Aston Villa as a 23rd-minute substitute. He won a penalty and converted it for the second goal of a 4–0 win.
He became the sixth Brazilian to score on his Premier League debut. His agent claimed that Pato was keen to make the move permanent and that he enjoyed life in London. After a season with only two appearances, Chelsea decided not to sign Pato and he returned to Corinthians. Pato now plays for the Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian.
#3 Nicklas Bendtner (on loan from Arsenal to Juventus)
Nicklas Bendtner, popularly known as "Lord Bendtner" by fans all around the world, was a player who played as a striker for Arsenal. He signed his first professional contract with Arsenal in 2005 and slowly became a regular first team player, but began to slip out of favour during the 2010–11 season. The Danish international was a large, tall, and physically strong player and was known for his ability in the air and possessed a powerful header. He was an average player but he proclaimed himself to be one of the best in the world and was mocked upon by the media and the fans.
On the last day of the August 2012 transfer window, Bendtner joined Italian Serie A giants Juventus on loan for the season, which came out as a surprise to many as he lacked the quality to play for a big club like Juventus. He finished his season with only two league starts and without a goal in eleven appearances in all competitions. Juventus chose not to make the loan move permanent, and Bendtner returned to Arsenal. After a few changes of clubs, he now plays for the Eliteserien club Rosenborg.
#2 Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Stoke City to Paris Saint-Germain)
Choupo-Moting began his career with Hamburger SV, making his Bundesliga debut in August 2007. In August 2011, he joined FSV Mainz 05. After three seasons with Mainz, he moved on to Schalke 04 in August 2014. He became a regular for the Gelsenkirchen club, and made over 100 appearances, before joining Premier League side Stoke City in August 2017.
Choupo-Moting came into the limelight when he scored both goals in a 2–2 draw against Manchester United on 9 September 2017 and was named the man of the match. He played 32 times in 2017–18, scoring five goals as Stoke suffered relegation to the EFL Championship.
However, On 31 August 2018, The Cameroonian joined Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer which came out as a big shock to everyone as no one expected a club like PSG to sign a 29-year-old player from a relegated Stoke City. He now serves as a backup winger for them and has only started twice for the club this season.
#1 Paulinho (Guangzhou Evergrande to FC Barcelona)
Paulinho started off as one of the brightest young prospects in Brazil until a move to the Premier League enticed him. Paulinho moved from Corinthians to Spurs in the summer of 2013. But there came the seeming end of his career at the top. He became infamous among the fans for his consistently poor performances and earned the nickname, ‘The Tottenham Flop’. Then, he did what all bad performers do, move to China.
When Paulinho signed for Barcelona in August from Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande for €40 million, the deal was widely viewed with derision, with both fans and the media doubting the Brazilian's quality to thrive at Camp Nou. Much to everyone's surprise, he rejuvenated his career under the Blaugrana and received praise for his performances throughout the season; becoming one of Barcelona's key players as they won the domestic double. He finished the season with 9 goals in 49 appearances. However, he re-joined Guangzhou Evergrande after just one season at Barcelona.
