5 clubs who splurged in the market and still failed to win a title

Football is awash with money now. Once upon a time it was the working man’s game but no more.How can it be when we are in an age when the best players earn ¼ million pounds per week, when those players cost anything from £80 million upwards of a club’s transfer budget and when broadcasting companies are paying something in the region of £11 million per match for the exclusive rights to show certain games.Whether the paying punter likes the way football is heading or not, the situation doesn’t change. Think of the club chairman or elected presidents who have the responsibility of shelling out club funds in order to help secure success. And who often get nothing in return for their vast outlay.Let’s take a look at five who spent heavily and probably wished they hadn’t.

#1 Tottenham 2013/14

Gareth Bale's move to Real Madrid really beefed up Tottenham's vaults

Once Gareth Bale’s sale to Real Madrid for a reported €100 million was confirmed, the expectation was that Tottenham would be challenging for all main honours available given the transfer “war chest” that was available to them.

No one reckoned on manager Andre Villas-Boas squandering Daniel Levy’s hard-earned money.

Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and possibly Vlad Chiriches can be absolved of blame for the disastrous season that transpired. Paying £17 million for Paulinho was daylight robbery and £26 million for Roberto Soldado could arguably have been used better elsewhere.

Nacer Chadli and Etienne Capoue were two more that hardly covered themselves in glory during the first half of the 2013/14 season and the Portuguese can have no complaints over his eventual dismissal.

Seven players that couldn’t elevate the Lilywhites to the heights is astounding incompetence from a manager who, to that point, was very well regarded in football circles.

Now firmly ensconced at Zenit St. Petersburg, it’ll surely be some while yet before AVB can return to these shores with anything like the credibility he enjoyed before his largesse.

#2 Real Madrid 2014/15

Real Madrid failed to live up to their performance in the transfer window

There can’t be too many things more galling than seeing your arch rivals win the treble and in some style.

That was exactly the scenario facing Real Madrid at the end of the last campaign. A campaign where, after 22 successive wins in the early stages, most were tipping the all-whites to significantly add to their own trophy cabinet.

President Florentino Perez oversaw a €131-million spend that included the €80-million capture of the World Cup’s best player James Rodriguez and a €25-million purhcase of reliable midfield machine Toni Kroos. Keylor Navas came in as back up for Iker Casillas for a reported €10 million and barely got a look in.

There were other purchases who hardly registered in the first-team picture and it was perhaps the reason why Perez decided to relieve Carlo Ancelotti of his duties.

It was a hugely unpopular decision which annoyed even the clubs’ senior players, but can you really blame the president for wielding the axe after finishing the season with only a Club World Cup to show for their efforts?

A cup which was won against teams that were, with respect, second rate opposition?

#3 Chelsea 2010/11

The likes of David Luiz did no good to Chelsea's title-winning chances in 2011

In amongst the recent success that Chelsea have enjoyed during the Roman Abramovich era, their failure to secure any silverware in 2010/11 gets conveniently forgotten.

Second in the league was as good as it got for Carlo Ancelotti who was nowhere close to bringing any of the domestic or European trophies back to Stamford Bridge.

Ramires at £22m was by far their biggest summer capture. The signings of Yossi Benayoun, Tomas Kalas and Matej Delak for a combined £11.7m barely registered on the transfer Richter scale.

Languishing in fourth at Christmas was evidently not to the Russian’s liking and the £50m capture of Fernando Torres on deadline day in the winter window was a real statement of intent at the time. As was the £25m invested for David Luiz.

A combined £108.7m outlay still couldn’t see Abramovich claim his coveted Champions League trophy and a place back at the summit of English football.

Indeed, the Blues finished a whopping nine points behind eventual champions Manchester United and were 15 points worse off than their own total from the previous season.

#4 Manchester United 2014/15

Louis van Gaal disappointed in his first season at United

After the disastrous tenure of David Moyes which ended with Manchester United out of Europe for the first time in years, the arrival of Louis Van Gaal was supposed to herald a brave new dawn at Old Trafford.

It’s safe to say that the arrival of Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid at a cost of £59.7m had everyone in the red half of Manchester excited.

Following hot on the heels of Ander Herrera (£29m), Luke Shaw (£27m) and Marcus Rojo at £16m, there was a buzz about the place. Daley Blind was subsequently added for another £14m meaning that LVG had relieved his new employers of £145.7m, the most ever spent in a transfer window by the club.

Instant results were a pre-requisite, trophies were expected to follow.

Things not only didn’t go according to plan but some way through the season the Dutchman had much the same record as his predecessor. All of his pomp and ceremony about how he’d managed the no. 1 club in Spain, the no. 1 club in Holland and the no. 1 club in Germany seemed nothing more than hot air.

His team struggled badly at various points in the campaign Van Gaal did at least guide the Red Devils into the Champions League qualification places, something that may yet ignite his second season at the club.

#5 Liverpool 2012/13

Brendan Rodgers could not take Liverpool back into the Champions League after spending millions

Brendan Rodgers was backed to the hilt before the start of the 2012/13 season. His biggest outlay was for his former player at Swansea, Joe Allen. £15m was on the high side but the Welshmen were in no mood to do their near neighbours any favours.

Sensing that the Anfield outfit had money to burn, Roma stole £10m for Fabio Borini and Chelsea tapped the Merseysiders for £12m for Daniel Sturridge who was still relatively unproven before his switch from Chelsea.

Oussama Assaidi joined from Heerenveen for £2.5m with Philippe Coutinho’s £8.5m move form Inter Milan proving to be the best bit of business a Liverpool manager has done in a long, long time.

With Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez in top form, was it finally going to be the season where Liverpool finally broke their Premier League duck? In short, no. It took them six matches to even get their first win on the board.

Only two more wins until December meant that Liverpool were always playing catch up and only a magnificent second half of the season where they lost just three times in the league, saw them end up a respectable, but hugely disappointing seventh.

Mind you, not nearly as disappointing as second the following season after blowing approx another £45m.