DubaiSpur
Ian Walker
Internationally;
1)Kaka to Madrid - 2010, 60 million quid; three injury-ravaged and extremely frustrating years. Real probably made the money back in shirt deals alone, but it was a waste of both a good player and a lot of dosh.
2)Denilson to Real Betis -1998, 21 million quid; I couldn't believe it at the time and I still don't believe it. Not the most expensive deal in the world, but certainly the most financially damaging when you consider the size of the club proportionate to the (then) world-record investment made in an under-peforming, luckless winger.
3)Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea -2006, 31 million quid; An astonishing waste of money on a prestige buy that would in the end lead to a bitter fallout between Abramovich and Mourinho and be dumped on Milan after scoring 19 goals in two injury-plagued years.
4)Andy Carroll to Liverpool -2011, 35 million quid; Eh? Just because you sold one donkey doesn't mean you have to immediately buy another. On loan at West Ham, something no 35 million-pound footballer should have to sink to.
5)Robinho to Emirates Marketing Project - 2008, 32 million quid; the beginning of the project at Middle Eastlands. Spent two uninspiring years at City before shuffling off to Santos after complaining about the weather and the physicality and suffering a series of niggling injuries.
Spurs (post 1997-1998 );
1)Sergei Rebrov -2000, 11 million quid; why? A player that defined the decade of mainly malodorous arse served up by Spurs from 1995 to 2005.
2)David Bentley - 2008, 15.5 million quid; the new Goldenballs, ended up just being balls. THAT goal is all that keeps him off the top.
3)Grzegorz Rasiak - 2005, far too much - just....why?
4)Darren Bent -2007, 16.5 million quid; the fact that we recouped most of the money from his transfer means putting him here is harsh, given that he had quite a reasonable scoring rate as well. That being said, 'one-dimensional' was often a dimension too far for Darren.
5)Robbie Keane - 2009, 12 million quid; Scored four goals against Burnley, and....erm...not much else, really. Defoe's injury prompted his re-signing, but...jesus.
Honourable mentions to Ben Thatcher, Ramon Vega, Goran Bunjevcevic, and Paolo Tramezzani, only kept off the list by the relatively small fees involved. (Although 5 million for Thatcher was still 5 million too much)
Compared to those blokes, Crouchie (and his goal against City) was and remains a living legend.
1)Kaka to Madrid - 2010, 60 million quid; three injury-ravaged and extremely frustrating years. Real probably made the money back in shirt deals alone, but it was a waste of both a good player and a lot of dosh.
2)Denilson to Real Betis -1998, 21 million quid; I couldn't believe it at the time and I still don't believe it. Not the most expensive deal in the world, but certainly the most financially damaging when you consider the size of the club proportionate to the (then) world-record investment made in an under-peforming, luckless winger.
3)Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea -2006, 31 million quid; An astonishing waste of money on a prestige buy that would in the end lead to a bitter fallout between Abramovich and Mourinho and be dumped on Milan after scoring 19 goals in two injury-plagued years.
4)Andy Carroll to Liverpool -2011, 35 million quid; Eh? Just because you sold one donkey doesn't mean you have to immediately buy another. On loan at West Ham, something no 35 million-pound footballer should have to sink to.
5)Robinho to Emirates Marketing Project - 2008, 32 million quid; the beginning of the project at Middle Eastlands. Spent two uninspiring years at City before shuffling off to Santos after complaining about the weather and the physicality and suffering a series of niggling injuries.
Spurs (post 1997-1998 );
1)Sergei Rebrov -2000, 11 million quid; why? A player that defined the decade of mainly malodorous arse served up by Spurs from 1995 to 2005.
2)David Bentley - 2008, 15.5 million quid; the new Goldenballs, ended up just being balls. THAT goal is all that keeps him off the top.
3)Grzegorz Rasiak - 2005, far too much - just....why?
4)Darren Bent -2007, 16.5 million quid; the fact that we recouped most of the money from his transfer means putting him here is harsh, given that he had quite a reasonable scoring rate as well. That being said, 'one-dimensional' was often a dimension too far for Darren.
5)Robbie Keane - 2009, 12 million quid; Scored four goals against Burnley, and....erm...not much else, really. Defoe's injury prompted his re-signing, but...jesus.
Honourable mentions to Ben Thatcher, Ramon Vega, Goran Bunjevcevic, and Paolo Tramezzani, only kept off the list by the relatively small fees involved. (Although 5 million for Thatcher was still 5 million too much)
Compared to those blokes, Crouchie (and his goal against City) was and remains a living legend.
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