Transfer flops of the season XI

Ollie Irish

30th, May 2007

7 Comments

Sheva.JPGWelcome to the Pies Transfer flops of the season XI sponsored by Freddy Shepherd. In fairness to Freddy he does not have any representatives in the side. Chelsea and West Ham fans, avert your eyes now! Everyone else, click below.


GK: Magnus Hedman
A bit harsh on Magnus that he has made the team as he was probably expecting to join Chelsea to be a benchwarmer, but having been hurriedly signed amid injuries to Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini the Swede didn’t make a single appearance.
DR: Khalid Boulahrouz
A horrible first season of injuries and playing out-of-position at right-back was well and truly topped off by the Cannibal with his clumsy sending off against Arsenal which handed Manchester United the title.
CB: Andre Ooijer
Blackburn’s Dutch centre-back has had a nightmare debut season. His assured World Cup performances were followed by a season of floundering around many a Premiership penalty area. He then broke his fibula and tore ankle ligaments in January which ended his season.
CB: Robert Huth
Signed by Middlesbrough for £6 million after a chase for his signature, Huth has been crocked almost constantly since. It seems Jonathan Woodgate Syndrome is contagious. The German international has made just 12 appearances for Boro and will now miss the start of next season.
LB: John Paintsil
His season started with his name being spelt incorrectly on registration forms and didn’t improve a great deal. The £1 million defender was part of Ghana’s outstanding World Cup, but he has rarely been deemed good enough to play a part in West Ham’s relegation scrap. He has been told he can leave the club for the right price.
MC: Javier Mascherano
He has started to come good with Liverpool, but Mascherano still has to go down as one of the biggest transfer flops. Heralded – along with Carlos Tevez – as the man to bring Champions League footballer to Upton Park, the Argentine struggled to fit in and was kept out of the team by the mighty Hayden Mullins.
MC: Michael Ballack
The German midfielder has not only had a disappointing season personally, but accommodating him into a winning team already bulging full of Frank Lampard disrupted Chelsea’s tried and tested system.

MR: Mark Gonzalez

Speedy looked promising in his early Liverpool performances, but never justified the hype surrounding his protracted transfer to Anfield. He ended the season a peripheral figure and is soon to be shipped out to Real Betis.
ML: Julio Baptista
The Beast moved to Arsenal on a 12-month loan deal as part of Jose Antonio Reyes’ switch to Real Madrid. The bulky Brazilian was expected to take the Premiership by storm, but flopped big style earning him the ‘Crapista’ tag.
ST: Bernardo Corradi
His biggest highlight of the season was co-inventing the best celebration of the season. Apart from that there is not much to report. Managed three goals in 25 games which is not the best of returns from your new star striker.
ST: Andriy Shevchenko
Top of the flops. Sheva was supposed to be the deadly marksman Chelsea needed to win the Champions League. Didier Drogba upped his game and the £30 million man was left to bag sneaky goals against the likes of Wycombe Wanderers.

Posted in Top 10s & lists

Share this article: Email

7 Comments

  1. Dom says:

    To be fair to Andre, he did have a shit start but after his first few games his form came back. Only then to be sat on by one Bernardo Corradi.
    With both Savage and Ooijer at 32-years-old with broken legs, I’m not sure how much action they’ll see next season.

  2. William says:

    How you can put a player like Mascherano, who kept the best player in the world in his pocket for 70 mins of the Champs League Final in such a list beggars belief. Bearing in mind the torrid spell he had at Upton Park, he would certainly be in my transfer coups of the season XI

  3. Sheps says:

    Isaksson would have been my keeper – kept out by the iron gloves of Nicky Weaver when not injured. And Kalou. I think he’s a truly horrific player. Just adds nothing to your team not already more than provided by Robben/SWP/J Cole

  4. mintox says:

    There’s a big difference between a transfer flop and a transfer that was never given the chance to play.
    Hedman not playing a game hardly makes him a flop, he was bought as a stop gap and was never required, you could even say he was a transfer success.
    Including Mascherano in your list is ridiculous, just because Pardew and Curbishley couldnt see how he would fit in their team is no fault of his and he’s since proven his class.

  5. Joe says:

    I agree, it’s very unfair on Mascherano. Mediocre management rather than overpayment.
    Nothing but nodding heads on Ballack though, fresh from undeservedly taking the credit for Germany’s World Cup run, he then went on to make even more of a laughing stock of the Chelsea bench than it already was. If I get bored watching the next West London derby (and considering the way these teams play, that’s very likely), I’ll add up the transfer value of the Chelsea sitters and compare it to Nigeria’s deficit. That’ll make for some interesting results…

  6. Rob P says:

    Hey, nobody is saying Mascherano is to blame but he flopped big style at West Ham. I agree his Liverpool move was one of the coups of the season, but his move to the Hammers was without doubt a transfer flop.

  7. Allen says:

    Mascherano has proven his class while at Liverpool? He’s had flashes but I wouldn’t say he’s proven he can be consistant enough in EPL play to deserve all the attention he gets.