Photo by Wikimedia Commons, CC by 2.0
The global growth of football from the 1990’s to the modern day is best epitomised by the transfer fees exchanged by the biggest clubs in the world, for the best players on the planet.
Back at the start of the 1990’s, Roberto Baggio’s transfer from Fiorentina to Juventus cost the princely sum of £8 million, surpassing the £6 million that AC Milan had paid for Ruud Gullit from PSV Eindhoven, three years earlier.
In the relatively short space of 27 years, Paris Saint Germain parted ways with £200 million to sign Neymar Jr from Barcelona. Consequently, a whopping £192 million had been placed on the world record transfer fee, in less than three decades.
These days, transfer news and speculation dominates column inches and football betting sites worldwide are offering markets on which players will sign for which clubs.
Inevitably however, not every transfer works out the way in which the player and the club intended.
Let’s take a look at some of the most notable and expensive transfer flops in football history:
Fernando Torres: Liverpool to Chelsea – £50 million – 2011
Having starred for Atletico Madrid and then Liverpool in the Premier League, Chelsea thought they were signing the real deal, when they acquired Fernando Torres from Liverpool in the January of 2011.
Torres had scored 65 goals in 102 games for Liverpool and was adored on the Kop at Anfield but his relationship with the reds fans soured when he decided to join rivals Chelsea.
Not much blame could have been attributed to Torres at the time, with Liverpool languishing in the Premier League and Chelsea in title contention but the weight of a British record transfer fee inhibited El Nino.
The Spaniard never really settled at Stamford Bridge, only managing 20 Premier League goals in 110 appearance and spells in Spain and Italy followed.
He did manage to win the Champions League at Chelsea in 2012, but he didn’t hit the heights many expected during his time in West London.
Andy Carroll: Newcastle United to Liverpool – £35 million – 2011
In the aftermath and fallout of the Fernando Torres transfer, Liverpool scrambled around to fill the gap the Spaniard left in January 2011.
The reds spent the money from Chelsea on two strikers: Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll.
Suarez went on to have an incredible impact at Liverpool, inspiring the reds to some famous victories during his time on Merseyside.
Andy Carroll however never truly settled at Anfield and failed to live up to the hype surrounding him, following his breakthrough season at Newcastle.
Problems on and off the pitch led to Carroll seriously struggling during his time at Anfield and his record of 6 Premier League goals in 44 games, is indicative of the tough time he endured there.
Kepa Arrizabalaga: Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea – £71.6 million – 2018
The Pep Guardiola effect on the Premier League came to the fore in 2018, as every club sought after a goalkeeper who could play with his feet, just like Ederson at Manchester City.
Chelsea lost out on the title heavily in 2017/18 and went big, signing goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for a world record fee for a goalkeeper – £71.6 million.
Having only played 50 games for Athletic Bilbao’s first team, it felt as if Chelsea were taking a gamble with Kepa and so it proved, with the Spaniard struggling from the moment he arrived at Stamford Bridge.
Following two indifferent seasons in between the sticks, Kepa was ousted to the bench and has only managed 40 Premier League games for the club since 2020.
Loan spells at Real Madrid and Bournemouth have given fleeting reminders of his talents but Kepa remains one of the great enigmas in goal and his fee puts him amongst the biggest transfer flops of all time.
Paul Pogba: Juventus to Manchester United – £89 million – 2016
In essence, Paul Pogba’s record of 226 appearances and 39 goals for Manchester United shouldn’t make him a transfer flop, however, the circumstances surrounding Pogba and Manchester United bring the Frenchman into contention.
Pogba has long been regarded as one of the brightest talents in world football when United swooped in to sign him as 16 year old from Le Harve.
This move appeared to pave the way for Pogba to develop in United’s infamous academy system, before progressing to make waves in the first team.
Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t give Pogba the playing time he craved however and by 2012, Pogba had joined Juventus and was starting to establish himself in Serie A.
He was a crucial part of a sustained spell of success in Turin, so much so, that United courted his progress and finally managed to sign him back to Old Trafford.
The key issue was, however, they let him go for free and signed him back for £89 million, a mere 4 years later in 2016.
Pogba did win the Europa League and Carabao Cup during his second stint at United, but he left the club on a free (again!), to go to Juventus (again!) before joining Monaco, following a drugs ban – in 2025.
Philippe Coutinho: Liverpool to Barcelona – £130 million – 2018
It felt like déjà vu for Liverpool fans in the January of 2018, as Philippe Coutinho departed Anfield, following much heartache and fanfare, to join Barcelona – in what remains the 3rd highest transfer fee ever paid.
Coutinho had been tearing it up for Liverpool in the Premier League and he looked set to join Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at the Nou Camp and run riot.
Injuries coupled with a loss of confidence and form saw Coutinho on the periphery from the outset at Barcelona and the Brazilian simply never managed to fit in.
He did manage to win two La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey, but he never settled at Barca, spending a season on loan at Bayern Munich and another at Aston Villa.
26 goals in 106 matches in all competitions is hardly what the king makers at Barcelona envisioned when they lured Philippe Coutinho away from Liverpool and he remains one of the biggest transfer flops of all time.
