The January transfer window can be a very tricky time for teams around the world. On the one hand, they have the ability to add a quality player to upgrade their club’s chances of chasing a league title or any other hardware they could be pursuing. On the other hand, if they take on a player that dramatically underachieves, it could become both an immediate and long-term burden that actually disrupts what they have accomplished up until that point. Here is a quick look at the five worst January transfers of all-time.
5. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ajax to Real Madrid (2009)
Huntelaar was a world class player who was previously Dutch Football Talent of the Year, a key member on the Dutch national team and Ajax’s Player of the Year”. Even so, there is no way to exclude Real Madrid’s decision to add him from Ajax for half of a season at the whopping cost of 20 million euros. He ended up scoring just eight goals for Real, which boils down to $2.5 million euros per tally. The fact that Huntelaar wasn’t even able to play for Madrid’s Champions League team makes this one of the most ridiculous cases of misspent money at the January transfer window.
4. Christopher Samba, Anzhi to QPR (2013)
This is the perfect example of how a team in a desperate situation can throw away money in an attempt to save their season. The acquisition of Samba was a desperate move by QPR to address its back line in the hopes of avoiding relegation in the Premier League but the move did not pay off for Harry Redknapp’s side. At the time of the move, Redknapp raved that Samba was just what they needed and that “he’s a monster”. Turns out, the 12.5 million pounds they spent to acquire the defender didn’t make a difference. QPR was eventually relegated, which led to Samba’s exit shortly after.
3. Antonio Cassano, Roma to Real Madrid (2006)
Real Madrid’s second entry on this list is proof of the team’s willingness to take risks in order to be great. While their current standing in La Liga could be regarded as evidence that their lucrative decisions usually pay off, the individual January transfer that brought Cassano to Spain from Roma in 2006 did not. Real Madrid paid 30 million euros for a player that absolutely flamed out. He only scored five goals in his first season and openly butted heads with head coach Fabio Capello. He would later be permanently moved after the president of the club Ramon Calderon deemed he was “unsustainable” based on weight issues and a terrible attitude.
2. Andy Carroll, Newcastle United to Liverpool (2011)
On deadline day in 2011, Liverpool spent a ton of money to acquire Andy Carroll from Newcastle United – $35 million pounds to be exact – but they never saw a quality return on investment. Carroll never really fit in and after a couple of mediocre years, Carroll eventually moved on to West Ham. It’s clear that the ridiculous money they spent would have been better used somewhere else in a bid for a long-term fix at a number of key positions.
1. Fernando Torres, Liverpool to Chelsea (2011)
Coming in at No. 1 on the list of the worst January transfers of all-time is the move that sent Torres from Liverpool to Chelsea for 50 million pounds. At that time, what Chelsea paid what was a British transfer record, and while they were hoping for the most, they ended up paying for a player that spent three years regressing even further from the average form he showed at Liverpool. Then, he eventually was shipped on to Milan where he only lasted half of a season as his uninspiring play continued, before moving on to Atletico Madrid. There have been plenty of January transfer flops over the years but there is no doubt at this point that the Torres move to Chelsea remains the standard bearer for the worst of all.
