The Worst Summer Signings? Really?
So here at UF central, we share around 300 emails a day. Links to stories, lists, ideas–you get the drift. Anyway, U75 found this earlier on. lt’s a list from Sport.co.uk of the worst summer signings. Now, I will not profess to know enough about Spain or other European leagues to comment on their expensive comings and goings but the EPL? That’s a different story.
Looking at the list I found myself amused at some of the names, in fact, ALL OF THEM. After the jump I’ll deconstruct the list and then show you mine. Come on in, lets find out who really WERE the worst signings of the summer.
Right, Lets start with that list. Alex King who made the list starts with Man City’s new defensive duo Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure. He says that Toure is ‘just past his peak’ in terms of age and that Lescott’s ‘goal scoring abilities have dried up’. King also mentions the high transfer fees. Lescott was 24 mil and Toure 16.
Over inflated transfer costs are part of the modern game, if you have the cash and want the player then you are going to pay for him. Toure at 28 is at his peak right now, not past it. Players start to decline after 30. 16 million for Man City was a drop in the bucket for a center half this year. Arsenal paid 10 for his replacement and although Vermaelen is turning out to be a gem, he was unproven at this level for that fee. Toure has EPL experience.
Lescott scored 1 goal every 10 games for Everton. For Man City he has played 8 times, scoring once. Toure has also played 8 and scored 1. These are first team starters of quality and certainly nowhere near being bad signings, let alone the worst.
Still just 29. 3 goals in 4 starts for Man Poo, Owen has settled in nicely and may even find his way onto England's plane for South Africa.
Next is Michael Owen. King says that Owen was past it when Newcastle signed him, let alone nowadays. But it was a free transfer, so what have Man Utd got to worry about? Well, it’s free in terms of Newcastle getting nothing, but not free in terms of paying the steep wages Owen demands, especially as he is likely to play fewer games than Gary Neville and score fewer goals than John O’Shea.
John O’Shea scored 1 goal in 42 appearances last season, in all competitions. Owen played 24 games for Newcastle, scoring 8, the year before he scored 1 in every 2 Premier League games. This season he has started 4 games for Manchester United and scored 3 goals, including a winner against rivals Manchester City.
Owen is on half the wages he was on at Newcastle and as a free signing was a super signing. He may have had some injuries in the past but his career goal scoring record is 159 goals in 358 appearances or a goal every 2.25 games. Not bad eh? Owen may appear to have been around forever but he is just 29 years old! This signing is not only smart, it’s a complete no-brainer. In fact its probably one of the best signings of the summer if Owen stays fit. But don’t just take my word for it, I noticed yesterday that the Telegraph’s football man Henry Winter has a similar opinion (via twitter)…
Owen’s runs so clever. For 30k a week, #ManchesterUnited getting great teacher for Macheda + Welbeck. A fine pro, Owen a top role model too.
And that is why #ManchesterUnited’s Owen should go to World Cup. Great touch, great turn + clinical finish. Only v Barnsley but still class
4th on the list is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This is where King and I agree. Ibrahimovic is highly over rated and Inter got the better of that deal as Eto’o is a far better player who, unlike Zlatan, performs in big games and not just against league minnows.
5th is Michael Brown. The former Sheffield United and Fulham captain has been around the block and at 32, his best days are behind him, he is currently first choice for Pompey and was a cheap acquisition. Not a great signing, but when you are on Pompey’s budget, not a terrible one either. He’ll put his foot in and I can see why Paul Hart wanted him in the squad, he is a worker and a pretty good passer of the ball. King bemoans Brown’s discipline, but that isn’t everything. Kevin Davies is very well thought of in Bolton and is the same age as Brown, yet currently he has committed the most fouls in the EPL this season. I think any of the teams around the bottom of the EPL would like to have Brown. Take his last start for Pompey, against Wolves at Molineaux. Brown made 23 passes, completing 18. The week before against Everton? 28, completing 23. Villa away? Made 38, completed 33. A fair comparison would be Stephen Hunt of Hull? Similar players. Last week Hunt made 20 completing 15, the week before at Fulham he made just 11 with 8 completed and the week before at home to Wigan, 16 with 11 successful.
6th of King’s list is Ross Turnbull. King says that Turnbull ‘managed a measly 27 starts’ while at Boro. Turnbull is just 24 and has had to play second fiddle to Mark Schwarzer. Turnbull’s opportunity only came when the Aussie left for Fulham. The young keeper was offered a new contract at Boro and turned it down to join Chelsea. Will he ever start there? Probably not but he has some promise and will be first choice somewhere in the EPL once he gets bored riding the wood at Chelsea. As a free signing this cannot be considered a bad one. Both parties make out. Chelsea did make a bad signing this summer and it’s not on King’s list. More on that later.
7th is Jason Scotland. While at 30 years old it was certainly (as King says) a case of ‘Certain managers just love taking players with them wherever they go’ but Scotland has been very good for Wigan when he has played. I was also surprised when Martinez bought him. A goalscorer at Colaship level and in Scotland, I doubted he could make the leap up but Wigan’s manager understands what Scotland brings to the party, he supports his team mates aroundthe box, bringing midfielders into the game. So far this season Scotland has started 4 games and come from the bench in 6 others earning good reviews from Wigan fans and pundits alike. He genuinely makes a nuisance of himself. While he hasn’t brought the goals with him from the Colaship, he has earned his place in Martinez’ squad. Not a bad signing either.
8 is Sotirios Kyrgiakos and this is where King and I agree fully. What a duffer this signing was. 2 million? What a waste. Without riling up the Liverpool fans, more on him and other ‘Pool signings later.
9 is Robert Huth and I just don’t get this one. Since joining Stoke the big center half has played 6 games and established himself as first choice, even scoring away at Everton . He’s only 25, capped 19 times for Germany and at 5 million is a good fit for Stoke. A player who can play week in andweek out. With Huth in the side, Stoke have lost just 2 Premier League games. Man U and Cheslea.
10 is the man with the longest name in the EPL, Dutch international Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. To say that free signing Hesselink is a bad signing is a little over the top. He is not costing much and comes with a decent scoring record and no transfer fee. Sure, he has scored most of his goals at a lower level, so have all of Hull’s current forwards. But, Hull have no money to spend! They are currently in a financial hole. Hesselink has scored just once in his 5 starts this season but so have Hulls other forwards. Just one each. Hesselink’s goal scoring record and size make him a handful for any defense and give lowly Hull a target to aim for. This for me is good business. Time will tell but as I will point out below, Mr long name is not one of the worst signings by a long shot.
So who is? Well for me, this lot….
Frazer Campbell. If you want to talk about value for money then Campbell is a pricey purchase. 3.6 million rising to 6 million and Man U saw Sunderland coming. Campbell is currently playing second fiddle to Kenwyn Jones and Darren Bent who have 13 goals between them this season. Campbell has played a part in 9 games and hasn’t found the net yet, even fat Andy Reid has scored 3 goals this season. Not to say that he won’t develop into a good player, he may, I doubt it, but he may.
Tuncay Sanli. When Boro went down through the trap door, the Turk wanted out. He got his wish when Stoke came knocking on Southgate’s door with a check for 5 million. Since then he has failed to get first team football, finding a nice warm spot on the bench, probably with a blanket over his knees. The Turkish international has come from the bench just 4 times this season with no goals to his name. 5 million is a lot of money for a team like Stoke and a player ‘a team like Stoke’ are using as a tracksuit model.
Look familiar? Nope.
Mike Williamson ??? No, you haven’t? Huh. Well, he looks nothing like David Nugent does he? Yet he shares so much in common with the former Preston man. Like large fees and no football. Nugent cost Pompey 6 million before immersing himself in a season of spectacular suckage and time with the reserves and Williams wasn’t cheap either. 3 million smackers from Watford where manager Malky Mackay rubbed his hands together, counted the cash and then did a jig. 25 year old 6 ft 4 inch Williamson has played ZERO times for Pompey this year and has quite a few players in front of him. He actually represents Pompey preparing for life in the Colaship does he not? Pompey have declared themselves to be skint in recent months and 3 million on a 5th choice CB that only played 20 Colaship games last season seems a bit daft. Dreadful signing.
Sotirios Kyrgiakos. As in King’s list, this is a shite signing. A desperate punt to fill a space on the bench on the back of a few YouTube video’s and the recommendation of a waiter at a Greek restaurant (guessing). The 30 year old Greek CB has played one game for Liverpool this season, v Bolton. It will probably be his last. Actually he started yesterday in Liverpool’s defeat to the Arsenal babies in the League Cup. That will be his last.
Lets stick with Liverpool. Now, this is where Liverpool fans and I will differ in opinion. Before I name two signings and call them out, I want to point out that the players involved ARE very good players. Their signings for ‘Pool may, however, turn out to be…Not so smart.
Now, if Liverpool fail to capitalize of their HUUUUGE win last weekend and push on, will Liverpool fans look back and ask why Rafa spent 20 million on a central midfielder and18 on a right back, the total sum of which was every penny he had to spend? Especially when he had weak areas all over the park and 3 fit central midfielders in Gerrard, Mascherano and Lucas?
Alberto Aquilani. This lad may turn out to be the best player in the EPL. He may set the world alight but for me this was a bad signing as Rafa knew that his 20 million would be sat on the bench, not to see a Premier League game until November. He already has 3/4 others to compete for 2 spots and competition never hurt, no doubt, BUT Liverpool have had injuries at the back and up front. The only Torres replacements on hand are Ngog and Voronin. N-fucking-Gog! Really? The yanks hand Rafa 20 million and he adds a midfielder leaving nada, nichts, nein, nonka to his attack. A front like that consists of the superb Torres playing the me myself and I routine. No one of quality on the bench to come in but Ngog, oh and Voronin. Liverpool fans will say that Kuyt can play up front, but that defeats the point as Rafa sees him (and plays him) as a winger. Anyway, ‘Pool fans have been bitching about the lack of depth in many areas and this was highlighted in a runof 4 defeats ending last weekend. Spending the whole kitty on a crocked player does not seem like a good signing to me.
Zhirkov doesn't like diamonds. Seen here as he demonstrates his bench warming technique.
Yuri Zhirkov. When Chelsea signed Zhirkov for 18 million this summer I assumed he would be replacing Ashley Cole, but no, Cashley is still there and Zhirkov has had a couple of injuries keeping him from playing. But now that he is available its clear he has no place at Chelsea. Where does he play? Ancelotti has instilled the now famous ‘diamond’ formation and Chelsea are flying. A winger/left back like Zhirkov doesn’t fit. You can’t plop a winger in the diamond and Cashley is first choice at the back. This makes Zhirkov the most expensive bench statue ever. Actually it doesn’t, that honor went to another pucker Chelsea purchase, one Andrey Shevchenko. Zhirkov is a quality player, in fact he is absolutely superb when deployed at his favorite left back position (or out wide) but thats not an option at Chelsea. They have midfield depth to fit their shape and now that Joe Cole is back Zhirkov is going to get rather bored watching his team mates play every week. So far Zhirkov has played once for Chelsea, in the league cup.
Roque Santa-Cruz. Mark Hughes’ love of Santa Cruz (it may actually be unnatural) meant that he chased and chased and chased and chased the Paraguayan’s signature and basically paid 17 million quid for a fifth choice striker. Santa Cruz himself may think he will be a big part of Man City’s plans to crack the top 4 but the reality is he will only start league cup games at Scunthorpe, like he did last night. Bellamy, Robinho, Tevez and Adebayor are in front of him and surely he is going to get sick of being part of Manchester Arabia’s reserve/league cup squad. The last ten minutes of a Premier League game should not make RSC happy at all. Arabia can afford to spend millions on a spare broom if they want to and for them, having Santa-Cruz hanging around is an insurance policy should injuries spoil their attacking plans. But its a shite signing and if the player doesn’t get much time this year and doesn’t ask for a move in the summer then we know exactly what he’s all about. Ka-ching! Too good a player to be anyone’s fifth choice. He walks into the starting 11 of 17 other EPL teams.
Diego Arismendi. Stoke City cannot afford to spend lots of cash on players for the future, like Chelsea, Man U and even Villa with Delph, so when they spend 3 million quid they expect the signing to be a part of their plans and play a role in keeping them up/achieving their mid table dream. Arismendi arrived from Nacional in Uruguay and has so far not played one single game for Stoke. 3 million quid for nowt. Arismendi is known in Uruguay as ‘the wonder kid’ but if you have seen Uruguay play during their world cup campaign, you will know all of their players have magical names they don’t live up to. Arismendi made his debut on the 22nd of Sept in a 4-3 league cup win over Blackpool. While this 21 year old may truly be a ‘wonder kid’ in the future, spending 3 mil on a midfielder that will offer you nothing in a campaign where every penny counts and every signing needs to offer something for the survival cause, is just a waste. In contrast Stoke also signed Dean Whitehead for 3 million this summer and he has played 10 games. Stoke seem to like wasting money, see Tuncay Sanli above. Lets hope they don’t wish that they had spent the 8 million they spent on Sanli and Arismendi elsewhere come May. Neither player will want to play in the Colaship.
Well there it is… Bad buys that make the worst summer transfers. If I’ve missed any, leave em below in the comments.
Comments
…and then show you mine.
Just like the nice man at the Chuck E. Cheese did when I was a kid!
ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Doood.
Zlatan’s been pretty good this year Ned. A quick look at soccernet (who, let’s be honest, could be completely wrong) says that he has scored 6 in 6 in la liga, and i’ve seen him score a couple in the CL.
We will see how he does with the big games. He will probably falter, but Barca got rid of a crazy person who wanted out, kept the locker room happy, and signed a player who can score once a game.
They did pay a massive amount for him, but isn’t it worth it? To have Eto’o back, the Eto’o that would hurt morale and be a loony, could train wreck their dreams of a second triple.
Zlatan could turn out to be bad, but right now, I can’t call it one of the worst signings of the year.
I have to agree with Charley. I think that most of us would say that Inter got the better of the deal, but that doesn’t qualify Ibra as one of the worst signings of the year.
He’s certainly no Michael Theoklitos.
“Liverpool fans will say that Kuyt can play up front, but that defeats the point as Rafa sees him (and plays him) as a winger”
Liverpool fans will say that, and the occasional start as a CF behind Torres will back that. Also, the Dutch national team will say that every time they play him as a striker. And to think we debated this on IM for an hour the other day! For shame, Ned. For shame.
@James T. Torress and Kuyt are injured. What now?
@ NYKID He was NOT in my list of worst signings. Scan reader! Were you watching a trailer for Invictus?
@Charley He scores against shite teams and goes missing in the big ones.
Report from last CL game…
“Barcelona’s megabucks signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic failed to impress as the Champions League winners claimed a last-gasp victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Super Cup.
Ibrahimovic, who moved from Inter Milan for £40million plus Samuel Eto’o, was completely overshadowed by Lionel Messi, who created the only goal for Pedro Rodriguez in the 115th minute.”
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=267763&cc=5901&league=UEFA.SUPER_CUP
Ned: Kuyt is a robot. He is unhurtable. Meanwhile, you can’t answer my point that if Torres gets hurt that Kuyt can play striker with a question about Kuyt getting hurt. Just admit he can play a very competent striker role, as evidenced by 122 goals in 261 games pre-LFC, and a 1-in-4 strikerate for both LFC and Holland.
Yes he can mate, but removing him from his wing position weakens the fank, so it has a knock on affect. Why can’t you admit that NGog and Voronin are the only other ’strikers’ on the books and they suck. If Rafa wanted to use Kuyt as a striker then NGog and Voronin would not have been used recently and he would start there often and not just when there is an injury crisis.
4th on the list is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This is where King and I agree.
This implies that you agree that Ibra is one of the worst signings, irrespective of whether or not you included him on your list
Look, Kuyt can play striker. Benayoun can play right wing. That’s how it worked against United, with devastating effect. I’ll happily admit that N’Gog and Voronin are the only strikers beyond Kuyt and Torres, but it seems you first need to admit that Kuyt is a striker, something you weren’t able to do in the post above.
Yes I agree he is over rated, but he is not on MY list of worst sightings. He IS over rated. This season he has scored against Getaffe, Racing Santander, Malaga, Rubin Kazam, Real Zaragoza. Nuff said.
*signings
I pretty much agree with Charley, but I will take it a step further. I actually think Zlatan is a really good player and adds a whole other dimension to Barce that they were completely lacking last year. They may have overpaid for him, but it also got rid of a cancer that refused to sign for all but a couple clubs.
For Liverpool is primarily a winger and a striker in a crisis. Right or wrong?
@cjdomer04
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Zlatan is crap, he doesn’t feature on my list but he is highly over rated and Eto’o is a better player with a better record. Zlatan disappears from big games, Eto’o does not.
He has actually scored in every Liga match, other than at Valencia (0-0) and home to Almeria (1-0). That means he has scored against Gijon, Getafe, Atleti, Racing, Malaga, and Zaragoza. Can’t slate him for not scoring against Real or Sevilla as Barce haven’t played them yet.
Ned, who cares where he plays in crisis or not? If he can play striker, and has been a striker for virtually his entire playing career, who are we to call him otherwise?
@cjdomer
Yep, I listed those above, but lets get real, those teams are like playing Bolton, Wolves, Hull and Portsmouth. Those are the games he excels in. In the Champions League, he is a ghost.
Rafa. Please tell me how many games last season and this he has played up front and how many on the wing? 10-1 ratio? Huckerby was known as a ’striker’ but spent his time at Norwich out wide. Could still play up front if needed to but he was essential to the wing, just like Kuyt.
It all comes back to that Englishman with a bum knee who couldn’t cut it in MLS.
No he couldn’t could he. MLS Newcomer of the year last year. Injured this, and its his hip. 9 goals in 28 games from the WING. Not bad that.
Kyrgiakos isn’t a shit signing, he was a depth signing and is the only tall defender we have. Stupid inclusion.
Ned: it doesn’t matter where he plays, wing, goalie, whatever. He has shown throughout his career to be a totally competent, professional striker, so much so that his own country plays him there.
And yet, because he plays on the wing mostly, you render him utterly unable to play striker. Arbitrarily too. Why is this so hard to admit?!@?!?! He is a striker! He’s also a winger! He’s blond too. These things are not mutually exclusive!
Hasn’t Rooney played a hot bit on the wing in his career?
Rooney plays where Rooney wants. Of course, that sometimes means he’s back chatting with Rio and Vidic when he should be up front…
@Georger. A bit and every game are two different things.
and Kyrgiakos is shite. JT will endorse that one.
@JT I think he is and excellent player and I certainly don’t render him ‘unable to play striker’. I was merely pointing out that if he has to go up top to cover an injured Torres you team is weaker in midfield and quite frankly you should have another decent striker if you are going to make any attack on the EPL title. Something you won’t do without decent depth.
Ned: we have people who can fill in the midfield… like I said to you yesterday in private, it doesn’t detract from your overall point, except I would love you to admit that Dirk Kuyt is an ready, willing, and able striker should the team need him to be.
Sure he is, I said that up there…But that weakens your midfield and no amount of praying will make Babel and Benayoun as good as Kuyt. You lack decnet depth. Don’t you agree?
Ned, the paragraph about Zlatan you copied is not about the most recent CL game, but about the UEFA Super Cup, Zlatan’s first “real” match with Barcelona
Now, now. Benayoun is awesome. We all know this to be true.
WSR: But that’s OK this season, because Wayne is playing “his preferred role” which, as everyone knows is “through the middle.”
Nothing about being prohibited from visiting with Rio and Vida there. Nope. Because it’s “through the middle” which is “preferred.”
Benayoun is as good as Kuyt at the things that Benayoun does well. They’re completely different players; Benayoun is more creative, Kuyt is more of a workman. A setup with Kuyt up front, with Babel/Riera – Aquilani/Gerrard – Benayoun behind him isn’t bad by any stretch; with Fabio Aurelio apparently playing left winger now, that midfield’s stronger.
The issue isn’t depth, it’s how Rafa deploys the players. When they’re allowed to play – like they were against United – they play very well. It’s when Rafa’s tactics become more rigid that players like Benayoun get stifled, but he’s responsible for far more of Liverpool’s attacking prowess than you’re giving him credit for.
Kuyt is outstanding at tracking back, that’s the biggest thing Yossi lacks compared to him (also naturally different footed players iirc)
True on the tracking back (although I think they’re both right footed…?), although sometimes I think he and Johnson are tripping over each other a bit (“I’m coming back!” “I’m going up!” “Let’s just hang out here!”).
Yeah I could well be wrong, either way, Yossi doesn’t play best from the right side.
No, he’s better right behind the striker or “cutting in” from the left…although he didn’t do badly out wide right against United. He and Kuyt also seem to switch off; I know Kuyt started behind Torres, but he and the Yossinator seemed to be pretty liberal about who was where.
Jason Scotland was a good signing, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic was not.
Wut?
Who’da thought that I would have something in common with Mark Hughes? I have an unnatural love for Roque Santa Cruz too.
@Ryan. Sorry mate, damn soccernet and their top to bottom match reports.
@Anonsters. Barcelona paid 40 million AND Eto’o for Zlatan. Thats fuckimng outrageous for a player who has bever turned up during a CL or Sweden game that matters. As I said, he was in the sport.co.uk list, not mine. He’s not a shite player, just highly over rated
@Sarah I bet he’d get playing time with you. He’ll be available for 8 mil in the summer.
I don’t think Ibra is overrated, particularly. Barca paid far more than they should have, but he’s better than Eto’o. Most of his problem in the so-called ‘big’ games was that Inter were basically shit. Any decent side could take him out of the game by exploiting Inter’s inability to link midfield and attack, which they’ve seemingly remedied this year by getting a more mobile central striker and a creative midfielder.
@MCR What about for Sweden? Inter Milan may be old and poo but that’s no excuse, great players make their mark.
James, Holland played Kuijt up front a grand total of 2 times, in friendlies. we didnt really like it.