Features

Foreign Premier League flops

Author: Rose Young
Date: 01/02/2010
Football betting

With Robinho's stale Manchester City career rumoured to be coming to an abrupt end, he is just one of a few oversees big-money flops that have graced the Premier League.

After making the £32.5million British record move from Real Madrid in September 2008, the diminutive Brazilian star has never settled in northern England and it is reported that he wants a return loan move to Santos, the club where he made his name.

He was sensationally brought off the substitutes bench in a recent league game at Everton before being hauled off and this move by coach Roberto Mancini seems to have hastened his position at the club.

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His talent is there for all to see but he has so far failed to justify his mammoth transfer fee.

But he is in good company alongside Juan Sebastian Veron, Andriy Shevchenko, Hernan Crespo and Adrian Mutu, who have left the wrong lasting impressions on the Premier League.

Juan Sebastian Veron - The Argentina hero excelled in Italy's Serie A for Sampdoria, Parma and Lazio after earning his crust in his homeland for home town team Estudiantes La Plata and Boca Juniors.

His glowing reputation earned him a cool £28.1 million move to Manchester United, but it was here his career derailed.

After a two-season struggle with the Red Devils, he was offloaded to Chelsea for around half the fee United shelled out and he made just 14 appearances for the Chelsea first-team, again proving to be a flop in the frenetic Premier League.

Andriy Shevchenko - The sharp-shooting striker found fame in Ukraine playing for Dynamo Kyiv before making the move to AC Milan.

He spent seven seasons in Italy before Roman Abramovich and Chelsea came calling and on May 28 2006, Shevchenko left the Rossoneri in a £30.8million transfer.

However, the success he found on the continent wasn't reproduced in any way in England, and after finding himself in-and-out of the first team, he returned to Milan on loan and his shocking spell in England was at an end.

Hernan Crespo - In August 2003, Crespo joined Chelsea for £16.8million from Italian outfit Internazionale.

He scored goals for fun in Serie A for Parma and Lazio and he landed in England with a massive reputation. However, he was another who fell by the wayside.

His opening season for the Londoners proved to be difficult and he soon joined AC Milan on loan.

He excelled for the Italian giants, scoring twice in the Champions League final against Liverpool in 2005.

On the power of this, Jose Mourinho brought him back to the club and he went on to score 26 goals in all competition as he helped Chelsea to the Premier League title during the 2005-06.

Despite recapturing his form, he requested a return to Italy, which was eventually granted.

Adrian Mutu - Yet another striker signed by Chelsea and yet another flop - this time for all the wrong reasons.

The Romania international made the move from Parma for around £15.8million in August 2003 after his goalscoring exploits in Italy and he scored four goals in his first three games for his new club, but things soon turned sour for him.

He had an explosive relationship with Mourinho and just over a year later he failed a drug test.

Mutu received a seven-month ban and a £20,000 fine from the FA before a lengthy and ugly Court battle ensued between club and player as Chelsea tried to recoup the transfer fee they originally dished out for the troubled star.

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