Every current Premier League club's worst transfer in history

For every player who becomes a star when they've been bought for a bargain comes a player who completely flops when they've been purchased for an extremely high price. In the Premier League, where there is an embarrassment of riches, the latter is much more common.

We'll delve into each current Premier League club's worst transfer in history—whether due to inflated fees, underwhelming performances, persistent injuries or off-field issues.

All transfer fees are sourced from Transfermarkt.

Nicolas Pépé was, until recently, Arsenal's record signing. But he was nothing short of a flop—an expensive one, too. The Gunners fought off competition from around Europe to snatch the winger from Lille for £72m, but the signing couldn't have gone worse. His lack of defensive work rate clashed with Mikel Arteta's philosophy, while injuries and poor decision-making further stalled his progress. His time at the Emirates ended in a loan exit to Nice, then a permanent move to Villarreal at a significant loss.

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Balaban is regularly cited as one of the worst Premier League signings of all time. Arriving on the back of being the Croatian league's top goalscorer, Balaban was signed by Aston Villa for a fee of £5.8 million, earning a whopping £20,000 per week, according to the Guardian. However, the forward went on to make just nine appearances, seven as a substitute, in two and a half years. In December 2003, Villa allowed him to go to Club Brugge on a free transfer.

Bournemouth broke their transfer record for Ibe when he joined from Liverpool, but the then-promising winger managed just three goals in over 90 appearances. Ibe later admitted that personal struggles contributed to his lack of confidence and inconsistent form, but the move was a financial and footballing disaster for the normally savvy South Coast side.

The fact that Carvalho makes this list at all is testament to the good work done by Brentford. The club normally spends small then makes big profits, which is why Carvalho's transfer from Liverpool really stands out. According to the BBC, the West London club spent a whopping initial fee of £22.5m on a player who struggled to make the grade at Anfield. Now, just months into his time at the Gtech Community Stadium, after just a handful of appearances, mostly from the bench, there are already grumbles that the player is unhappy and wants to leave.

Another club that is usually a shrewd operator in the market, Brighton made a major misstep when signing Jürgen Locadia from PSV. The forward arrived as Brighton's record signing but netted just six goals in over 40 appearances. He failed to adapt to the pace of the Premier League, and his career has been in freefall ever since. Loan spells in Germany and the MLS failed to revive his career, and he now finds himself playing in Spain's third tier after stops in Iran and China.

When Chelsea beat archrivals Arsenal to the signature of the young speed merchant, Chelsea thought they had the next Eden Hazard on their hands. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. The Ukrainian's performances have thoroughly underwhelmed and, to make matters worse, he looks to be facing a massive ban after failing a drugs test.

Sørloth's Palace career yielded just one goal in 20 appearances. Struggling with confidence and Premier League intensity, he was loaned out to Turkey. Ironically, he thrived at Trabzonspor, scoring prolifically, only for Palace to sell him cheaply. His subsequent success in Europe, eventually moving from RB Leipzig to Atlético Madrid via Real Sociedad and Villarreal, has only made the transfer look even worse.

Klaassen arrived at Goodison Park with a pedigree as one of Europe's top creative midfielders when he joined from Ajax. However, like many players from the Eredivisie, he failed to adjust to English football, contributing little when given a rare opportunity to shine. Dropped by successive managers, he lasted just one season and was sold at a significant loss, epitomising Everton's wasteful spending in recent years.

Fulham spent big on Mitroglou to save their Premier League status, but he played just three games following his January Deadline Day move from Olympiacos. Fitness issues and a failure to adapt to life in England left him out in the cold. When relegation followed, he was loaned out for the rest of his contract. Mitroglou remains a cautionary tale for panic buying.

Having paid a then-club record fee for his services, the Tractor Boys only got one season out of Sereni–and it was one to forget. The Italian made 33 appearances for Ipswich during the 2000-01 season, conceding an eye-watering 50 goals as the club were relegated, not to be seen in the top flight again for another 22 years.

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Keita arrived at Liverpool with high expectations after his £52.75 million transfer from RB Leipzig, a deal that had been agreed in principle a year earlier. The Guinea international was expected to be the lynchpin of the Reds' midfield for the next decade with his dribbling, creativity and box-to-box abilities. However, injuries plagued Keita's time at Anfield, significantly limiting his appearances, so much so that he eventually left the club on a free transfer.

When Manchester City signed Mendy for £52 million in 2017, he was touted as one of the best full-backs in Europe, with his pace, crossing and attacking abilities expected to transform the left-hand side of the team. However, his time at City was marred by a series of injuries that meant he never made more than 19 Premier League appearances in a single season, according to Transfermarkt. He also didn't play at all for the final two years of his contract due to legal issues. He was eventually released on a free when his deal expired in the summer of 2023.

The Brazilian winger was reunited with his former coach at Ajax, Erik ten Hag, to bring creativity and flair to Manchester United's attack. However, his output has been nothing short of disastrous, with negligible goal and assist contributions. Having been signed for £82 million on £200,000 per week, according to Spotrac, to not even feature regularly in the first team has him down as one of the Premier League's worst-ever signings.

Following a year at Real Madrid, Owen's move set a club-record fee that stood for 14 years. Despite the fanfare, Owen's tenure on Tyneside is remembered for disappointment. The striker, who made no secret of his preference for a return to Liverpool, arrived as Newcastle sought a replacement for the retiring Alan Shearer. He started well but suffered a broken metatarsal, derailing his season and jeopardising his 2006 World Cup hopes. Owen's decision to play in Germany led to a torn cruciate ligament, and he never rediscovered his best form. His contributions dwindled, and his apparent disinterest during Newcastle's relegation battle in 2009, cemented his place as one of the most disappointing signings in the club's history.

During his three-and-a-half years in the East Midlands, Arter made just 14 appearances for Forest following his move from Bournemouth. He spent much of his time at the club as an outcast, unable to force his way into the team. Adding to the frustration of Forest fans, an automatic extension clause in Arter's contract was triggered when the Reds achieved promotion, keeping him on the books despite his lack of contribution. Eventually, he left as a free agent in the summer of 2024.

Carrillo arrived from Monaco as the Saints' record signing and, unfortunately, remains one of their most infamous flops. The Argentinian striker was brought in mid-season to address the Saints' goalscoring woes. However, Carrillo failed to find the net in any of his 10 appearances for the club as the side only narrowly escaped relegation. His underwhelming performances saw him frozen out by successive managers, and he was eventually loaned out twice before leaving on a free transfer in 2021.

Also arriving as the club's record signing, Ndombele showcased glimpses of his talent at Spurs, but inconsistency, poor fitness levels and questions about his work ethic saw him fail to earn the trust of multiple managers, including José Mourinho and Antonio Conte, often being left out of matchday squads. Loan spells to Lyon and Napoli followed, with the midfielder struggling to find a permanent home, making him one of Tottenham's most underwhelming signings in recent memory.

Scamacca joined after a stellar season with Sassuolo, where he netted 16 goals in Serie A. The Italian striker was expected to solve the Hammers' long-standing goalscoring issues, but his time in East London was disappointing. Injuries and inconsistent performances limited Scamacca to just three Premier League goals in his debut season, and he struggled to adapt to the physicality required by David Moyes's system. After just one season, Scamacca returned to Italy with Atalanta, where he has since thrived.

When Wolves signed Patrick Cutrone from AC Milan in 2019, expectations were high for the young Italian forward. However, his time at Molineux was brief and largely forgettable. Cutrone scored just two goals in 14 Premier League appearances before he was sent on loan to Fiorentina after only six months. He never returned to feature prominently for Wolves again.

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