Every Premier League club’s worst January signings in history has been named, so we take a look at we’re now in the final week of the 2019/20 winter window.
Not every club gets it right in the January transfer window, which is often used to get players in on a short term view in the hope that they can fend off relegation or secure a top four spot. Find out which players were listed for each team below…
ARSENAL – Kaba Diawara
Signed by Arsene Wenger in 1995 for a total sum of £2.5 million from Bordeaux striker, but went on to make just 15 appearances and failed to score a single goal before heading back to France.
Arsene Wenger snapped up Kaba Diawara for a £2.1m fee from Bordeaux in January 1999. One to forget. pic.twitter.com/bOOkxcNtKl
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 11, 2016
ASTON VILLA – Jean Makoun
Gerard Houllier labelled Makoun as a “good asset for the future” after bringing him in from Lyon back in 2011. That couldn’t be anymore wrong however, he was sent off a month after signing for a poor lunge on Blackpool’s DJ Campbell and ended up playing a total of seven league games for Villa before leaving the club.
BOURNEMOUTH – Lewis Grabban
Bournemouth sold him to Norwich in 2014 but then re-signed him two years later after watching him score one goal in six Premier League games in the 2015/16 season. He scored once in 22 appearances for the Cherries and then left the club again in 2018.
BRIGHTON – Jonny Dixon
Jonny Dixon was bought by Brighton in January 2008, though played just five games and then chose to retire 18 months later at the age of 25 to concentrate on his business ventures. Now he’s a film/television producer and director.
BURNLEY – Leon Cort
Burnley signed the defender in January 2010 to help them avoid the drop, however during his 15 appearances, they conceded 36 goals and failed to keep a single clean sheet. He was loaned out to Preston and Charlton before leaving permanently in January 2012, then retired in 2014.
#PlayerPic Leon Cort – Burnley – Defender 2010-12 pic.twitter.com/lymT2pPV
— Martyn Bishop (@MartynBCFC) October 20, 2012
CHELSEA – Juan Cuadrado
Cuadrado played four Premier League games and assisted a goal in the Blues’ run to the title after arriving in January 2015. He went out on loan to Juventus later that summer, and again in August 2016, before leaving Stamford Bridge to make his Turin move permanent in May 2017.
On this day: 2015 – Juan Cuadrado played his last @ChelseaFC game. #CFC #Chelsea pic.twitter.com/phXvhkPYet
— Chad (@ChelseaChadder) August 16, 2017
CRYSTAL PALACE – Valerien Ismael
Defender Valerien Ismael was Palace’s record signing for 15 years after arriving from Strasbourgh for £2.75m in January 1998. It took until the 2013 arrival of Dwight Gayle for Crystal Palace to finally break it. The player was signed by Steve Coppell to maintain their Premier League status. He made 13 appearance then left for Lens before going onto play at Bayern Munich later in his career. He’s now manager of Austrian side LASK Linz, who have done brilliantly in the Europa League, making the knockout stages after smashing their group.
Perhaps the move to #CPFC in 1998 came too soon for Valérien Ismaël but he showed signs of quality. Went on to play for Bayern and Bremen. pic.twitter.com/bo0JJhKKTK
— The Eagles Beak (@TheEaglesBeak) August 30, 2017
EVERTON – Cenk Tosun
A raved about signing by Sam Allardyce, Cenk Tosun completed a £27m deal to bring him in from Besiktas during 2017. “We looked at the qualities of the player, his talent and goalscoring, and his resilience, too,” the then-Everton boss said. “I do not think you can look any more than we have done.” He scored nine goals in 44 league matches for the Toffees, then recently got loaned out to Crystal Palace.
LEICESTER – Andrej Kramaric
Kramaric netted four goals in 20 appearance, an underwhelming stat for Leicester who expected more from their club-record signing during the 2014/15 season. Thankfully he doesn’t holds that record. He played two league games in their remarkable 2015/16 campaign and missed out on a Premier League winner’s medal. He’s since socred 55 in 116 matches over in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim.
ON THIS DAY IN 2015:
Leicester City completed the signing of Andrej Kramaric from HNK Rijeka.
Kramaric made 2 substitute appearances in the 2015/16 title winning season#lcfc pic.twitter.com/87450yeg9q
— 'The Amazing' LCFC ?? (@Champions_LCFC) January 16, 2020
LIVERPOOL – Andy Carroll
Carroll became the eighth most expensive footballer – and most expensive British player – ever when he signed for Liverpool at a price of £35m. He didn’t make his debut until March, and failed to score his first goal until April, in total, he netted 11 times in 58 games, and was sold for just £15m in 2013.
Newcastle striker Andy Carroll has revealed he had to Google who his team-mates were when he joined Liverpool in 2011.
Read more: https://t.co/LO6y5ZHsIt pic.twitter.com/nsIEYVWoFb
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 20, 2019
MANCHESTER CITY – Wilfried Bony
Although a logical signing by Man City, Wilfried Bony’s time at the Etihad went wasn’t as successful as many hoped it would be.
Manuel Pellegrini brought him for £25m in January 2015 after Bony became the Premier League’s top scorer in 2014 with 20 goals for Swansea. He couldn’t replicate that record and instead scored 10 goals in 46 games for the club.
MANCHESTER UNITED – Alexis Sanchez
Ah, Alexis Sanchez’s move to Man Utd, remember when the club unveiled him with THAT piano video? He went on to flop for the Red Devils, scoring just 3 times in 32 matches. United are currently paying the Chilean £300,000-a-week – and he’s playing for Inter Milan.
One year ago today, #mufc signed Alexis Sanchez. His piano playing has been as good as it got so far… pic.twitter.com/aoBBoqqehd
— OldTraffordFaithful (@OTFaithful) January 22, 2019
NEWCASTLE – Jean-Alain Boumsong
Rangers signed Boumsong on a free in the summer of 2004 – so it was rather surprising and confusing when Newcastle spent £8m on him months later. He was praised for his defensive abilities and partnership with Titus Bramble, though the second season at Newcastle was less well received as his form began to lapse and was often blamed for the conceding of several goals. He blamed this lapse in form on his girlfriend’s illness and other personal problems. His move to Newcastle was even considered in the Stevens inquiry into football corruption in 2007. The former France international then left the Magpies and joined Juventus in 2006.
ON THIS TRANSFER DAY: In 2005, Newcastle United signed Jean-Alain Boumsong from Rangers for around £8m. #NUFC pic.twitter.com/SWA3teLdLi
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 1, 2016
NORWICH CITY – Steven Naismith
Naismith joined Norwich for £8m in January 2016, and at first it looked like a solid piece of business – especially when he scored on his debut against Liverpool. But that became the only goal he scored for the Canaries in the 2015/16 campaign and he was unable to prevent them from going down. The Scot wasn’t much better in the Championship, netting five goals in 31 league games before joining Hearts.
Steven Naismith scored his first #BPL goal for both Everton and Norwich against Liverpool #NORLIV pic.twitter.com/EkAXFT1K6H
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 23, 2016
SHEFFIELD UNITED – Geoff Horsfield
Geoff Horsfield’s move to Sheffield United was completed in February but Football365 have chose to include it in this, describing the signing as a ‘sheer tragedy’. He was brought in by Neil Warnock on loan from West Brom in 2006 but it went so badly that both parties wanted to terminate the move. ”Warnock wants to get rid of me,” Horsfield said. “He told me that he cannot see me getting into the team now or next season. Then he told me he didn’t want me near his club and to train at home.” But West Brom insisted that the Blades had an obligation to sign Horsfield at the end of the season and a £1.2m deal was completed. He never played for the Blades again and was loaned out to Leeds, Leicester and Scunthorpe before being released in 2009.
Former Sheffield United striker Geoff Horsfield praised after putting homeless man up in B&B for weekend https://t.co/oSpkrKPWGh pic.twitter.com/U2YQhwk4TE
— The Star, SUFC (@TheStarBlades) October 10, 2018
SOUTHAMPTON – Guido Carrillo
Carrillo signed for Southampton in January 2018 for a reported £19m fee and his move turned out to be a disaster. He made 10 appearances for the Saints, scoring not a single goal, and has been out on loan at La Liga side Leganes since July 2018.
TOTTENHAM – Ricardo Rocha
In 2007, Tottenham agreed to pay Benfica a sum of £3.2m and play them in two friendlies, with the Portuguese side getting all the profits from gate receipts and television money, in exchange for Ricardo Rocha. He was released in June 2009 after appearing in just 18 games.
#THFC On This Day: 23rd Jan 2006 – Tottenham sign defender Ricardo Rocha from Benfica for around £3.3 million. pic.twitter.com/L4bn0cLX85
— E-Spurs (@e_spurs) January 23, 2015
WATFORD – Will Hoskins
It took Hoskins a total of 19 months before he scored his first goal for Watford after joining in January 2007. He went on to score seven goals in 60 league games before leaving in January 2010.

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WEST HAM – Savio Nsereko
Savio Nsereko was named in the 2008 Under-19 Euros Team of the Tournament, so the Hammers thought they got a bargain when they paid Brescia £9m to sign him in January 2009. He name soon weren’t up in lights after that move, after making just one start in the Premier League before being sold to Fiorentina six months after arriving.
#2
In January 2009, Savio Nsereko became our record signing.
He left after 7 months without scoring a goal.
His career spiralled downwards and in 2012, he was arrested after he reportedly attempted to extort €25,000 from his family by telling them that he had been kidnapped. pic.twitter.com/w1L3sjtOcX
— ⚒ Jack Himself ⚒ (@jackgambardella) October 4, 2019
WOLVES – Eggert Jonsson
Signed by Mick McCarthy and forgotten by Terry Connor, the Icelandic midfielder joined Wolves in January 2012, but suffered relegation with the club, and then also played under Stale Solbakken and Dean Saunders in the Championship. Jonsson played seven times before being released from a contract that had two years remaining in 2013.

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