Transfer Deadline Day: 10 Most Questionable Deadline Day Signings in Premier League History 

Transfer deadline day is finally upon us. The next few hours will be some of the most exciting of the season, with fans up and down the country eagerly waiting to see if their club can pull off any inspiring signings, and also keep hold of their own stars.

The very nature of deadline day, however, means that some clubs will panic, and sign players to fill roles, only for that move to backfire pretty quickly.

The ticking clock can also force clubs to spend more than they usually would in a desperate bid to complete their team before the season kicks off, knowing that they won't get another chance until after Christmas.

Because of these factors, over the years, there have been some truly terrible deadline day transfers. While a lot of transfers on the list initially appeared to be a good signing, time would go on to prove that they definitely weren't. Let's take a look at ten of the worst deadline day signings of all time.

10: Michael Owen, Real Madrid to Newcastle

Fans had high hopes when Michael Owen arrived at St James' Park

Newcastle fans thought they had hit the jackpot when they announced the signing of Michael Owen from Real Madrid in August 2005.

The England star moved to the club for a reported £16 million, which was effectively paid so that the Balon d'Or winner could spend four seasons sat on a bench.

The prospect of an Alan Shearer, Michael Owen partnership was a mouthwatering one for the Magpies, but Owens' injury prone ways meant that he would spend a lot of his time at the club on the sidelines.

Owens managed to score a reasonable 30 goals in 79 games over four years at the club, showing that, when he played, he still knew where the net was, but he never justified his transfer fee for the club, and moved on, somewhat surprisingly, to Manchester United, at the end of his contract.

9: Robinho, Real Madrid to Manchester City

Robinho never came close to living up to his transfer fee

Robinho's move to Manchester City in 2008 felt like a statement of intent from the recently bought Manchester side, and in many ways, that's exactly what it was.

Showing that they had the financial capabilities to compete with the big boys of the league, Manchester City announced the £30 million signing of Robinho from Real Madrid in a last-day transfer deal that grabbed headlines across England.

It turned out, though, that Robhino was not as good at grabbing goals as he was at grabbing headlines, with the Brazilian striker failing to live up to his reputation, scoring an underwhelming 16 goals in 53 appearances for the club, costing them around £2 million a goal on average.

Robinho has never really managed to live up to his name since then, with his most impressive run coming when he returned to Santos in 2014-2015, scoring 17 goals in 41 games for the club.

8: Eric Djemba Djemba, Manchester United to Aston Villa

Djemba Djemba was one of Ferguson's worst signings

Sir Alex Ferguson is the greatest manager to ever grace the Premier League. The Scotsman won countless trophies at Old Trafford and helped build the careers of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, and many others. He did, however, also sign Eric Djemba Djemba.

The Cameroonian was notoriously poor for the Red Devils, so it must have come as quite as a surprise when they received a deadline day bid from Aston Villa for the midfielder.

Things didn't get much better for Djemba Djemba though, he made 11 appearances for the Birmingham club before heading out to Burnley on loan.

£1.5 million well spent, Villa.

7: Andre Santos, Fenerbache to Arsenal

Andre Santos knew how to endear himself to Arsenal fans.....

Normally, if a player arrives at your club and is a Brazilian international you would expect great things, so you can't blame Arsenal for initially getting excited when they signed left-back Andre Santos from Fenerbache in 2011.

Unfortunately, for the Gunners, Santos never quite lived up to expectations, playing just 25 times in all competitions for the North London club, and famously riling fans up when he had the audacity to swap shirts with former Arsenal player, Robin Van Persie, in a game at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Arsenal.

Santos would eventually get shipped out on loan before leaving the club, and he has played for seven clubs in the five years since he left The Emirates.

6: Christopher Samba, Anzhi Makhachkala to QPR

Christopher Samba was a different player from his Blackburn days

Christopher Samba's move to QPR may as well have been a loan signing. The Congo international joined QPR from the Russian side, Anzhi in January 2013, only to return to Russia again six months later in July.

QPR were in the midst of a relegation battle when Harry Redknapp signed Samba, and the hope was that the former Blackburn man could replicate the form he had previously shown in the Premier League.

Sadly, Samba seemed like a different player. The centre-back made a grand total of 10 appearances for The Rs, with the club ending the season relegated.

Samba, who had cost £12.5 million in January, returned to Russia for £12 million at the end of the season, which may seem like a good bit of business, providing you ignore his £100,000 a week wage bill.

5: Xisco, Deportivo La Coruna to Newcastle

Xisco scored just one goal for The Magpies

Xisco's arrival to St James' Park back in 2008 certainly had football fans scratching their heads. The Magpies already had six strikers on the book, including the likes of Obefami Martins, Michael Owen, and Andy Carroll, so just why they decided to bring in one more for a whopping £8 million on deadline day, is anybody's guess.

Xisco's time at Newcastle was troubled to say the least. The club tried to sell him off after just four months, but they were blocked by FIFA because he had already played for two clubs that season.

The Spaniard would end up earning an easy living for the next five years, making a grand total of nine appearances and scoring one goal. No wonder Mike Ashley is so apprehensive to spend money these days.

4: Afonso Alves, Heerenveen to Middlesbrough

Afonso Alves failed to live up to his hype

The very mention of the name 'Afonso Alves' is enough to send a chill down the spine of most Middlesbrough fans.

Alves arrived at the boro having scored 48 goals in as many games in his two years in Holland. Sadly for Middlesbrough, the Brazilian striker never quite lived up to his reputation, scoring just four goals for the club in the league in his first season, and seven in total when including cups. What makes this record even worse is that three of those goals came in one game, when he scored a hattrick past Man City in an 8-1 rout, a scoreline that seems incredible these days.

Alves failed to fare any better in his second season at the club, and after scoring just six goals in 11 appearances, he returned to Heerenveen, with Middlesbrough ending the season relegated.

3: Radamel Falcao, Monaco to Manchester United

Radamel Falcao didn't pack his scoring boots when he came from France to England

While Radamel Falcao may have been a loan deal from Monaco to Manchester United, the wage-price that The Red Devils were paying for the Colombian marksman make him more than worthy for this list.

Falcao arrived at Old Trafford having set Ligue 1 on fire the previous season for Monaco. He smashed in 11 goals in 19 appearances for the French club and had been even more prolific the year before, scoring 34 goals in 41 appearances for Athletico Madrid.

Sadly, for Manchester United, Falcao appeared to have left his scoring boots in France, with the highly rated striker only grabbing four goals in 29 games for Louis Van Gaal's side.

He would leave United to have an equally unsuccessful season at Chelsea, before finally finding his form again when he returned to Monaco, scoring 54 goals for the Ligue 1 side over the last two seasons.

2: Andy Carroll, Newcastle to Liverpool

Andy Carroll couldn't fill Fernando Torres' boots

Andy Carroll was on fine form in the first half of the 2010/11 season for Newcastle, scoring 11 goals in 20 games, and being a constant threat for the Magpies.

It was that form which convinced Liverpool to spend £35 million to bring him to Anfield as a replacement for the outgoing Fernando Torres, in what was one of the most bizarre transfer deadline days ever.

Needless to say, Carroll couldn't live up to Torres' standards, and the Gateshead born striker would go on to score two goals in his nine appearances during the remainder of the season.

Things would get even worse for Carroll in his first full season for the club though, with the England international only netting nine goals in 47 appearances in all competitions, with only four of them coming in the Premier League.

Carroll would leave the club at the start of the 2012/13 season for West Ham, and while he has shown flashes of quality, he has never replicated the form he showed for Newcastle in his early days.

1: Fernando Torres, Liverpool to Chelsea

Torres was a shadow of his former self in his time at Stamford Bridge

Liverpool fans the world over wept when Fernando Torres left the club for £50 Million in January 2011.

The Spaniard had scored 81 goals in his 142 appearances at Liverpool and become something of an icon at the club. His departure led to fans burning his shirt and proclaiming him a traitor.

The Reds would go on to get the last laugh though, as Torres completely tanked at Stamford Bridge. The World Cup winner would go on to score one goal in his first fourteen Premier League appearance for the club, and while his form did improve slightly over the years, he never managed to reproduce the magic he had performed at Anfield.

After over three seasons at Chelsea, the Spaniard would go out on loan to AC Milan, where he once again failed to inspire, before rejoining his parent club, Athletico Madrid. While he has had some good moments during his second spell in Madrid, Torres was never quite the same after his move to Chelsea.