timmy17
Player Valuation: £6m
discuss, who would yu have on here?
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8750_3058301,00.html
As football fans gasped at the thought of �5 million being exchanged for the services of Marlon King, it got us thinking about some of the extortionate prices that have been paid for very average players over the years.
Here is a team of players whose transfer fees were huge yet didn't quite offer value for money...
Goalkeeper: Richard Wright, cost Arsenal �6 million in 2001
Billed as the next England number one as he developed as a youngster at Ipswich Town, Arsenal splashed the cash on Wright in 2001. However, he struggled to get close to the first team with David Seaman in the twilight of his career. He made just 12 league appearances before been sold to Everton for almost half the price.
Left Back: Jose Enrique, cost Newcastle United �6.5 million
Maybe a harsh inclusion as he is only five months into his Newcastle career. A lot was expected of Enrique after the large amount of money paid for him and quite frankly he looks severely out of his depth in his early days as a Newcastle player.
Right Back: Paolo Ferreira, cost Chelsea �13.2 million in 2004
Jose Mourinho went back to his old club Porto to pick up Paolo Ferreira, and he wasn't cheap. When they paid �13.2 million for the Portuguese right-back, Chelsea fans would have expected him to be the best full back in the league, nay the world. That wasn't the case though, Ferreira's performances were nothing short of ordinary and he looked like an especially mediocre player in a very good team, exposed easily by quality wingers.
Centre Back: Marcelinho cost Newcastle �5.8 million in 1999
With Newcastle spending almost �6 million on the centre-back, much was expected of Marcelinho upon his arrival from Mallorca. One of Ruud Gullit's bigger boo-boos, his time on Tyneside is best forgotten, he made only 19 error strewn appearances for the Magpies in four years. It might amuse you to learn he currently works as a commentator on Spanish TV coverage of the Premier League.
Centre Back: Jean-Alain Boumsong cost Newcastle �8 million
Just three months after joining Rangers on a free transfer, Graeme Souness liked what he saw, and so did Rangers when they were given �8 million for the services of the Frenchman. Boumsong epitomises the word calamity - week in week out the Frenchman would scare 50,000 Geordies with his totally inept performances. His lack of positonal sense, diabolical marking and even his amazing ability to misjudge a bounce were the highlights of his disaster in the North-East. Boumsong eventually went to Juventus in the Summer of 2006.
Left Midfield: Hugo Viana, cost Newcastle �8.5 million in 2002
Viana arrived at St.James' Park known as a bright talent. Newcastle beat a host of European teams to the winger's signature, but probably wish they didn't. Viana found it hard to settle in the North-East and this was evident in his performances. He returned to Sporting Lisbon on loan after 39 lacklustre performances.
Right Midfield: El-Hadji Diouf, cost Liverpool �10 million in 2002
Liverpool fans were optimistic after seeing Diouf's performances in the 2002 World Cup for Senegal. He couldn't reproduce that form though in the Premiership. Liverpool had paid well over the odds for an inexperienced player from Lens who wasn't ready to play consistently on such a big stage. Diouf has since gone on to prove his worth in the Premiership though with continuing good performances for Bolton.
Centre Midfield:Juan Sebastian Veron, cost Manchester United 28.1 million in 2001
When he joined United ,Veron was one of the biggest stars in the world. He had been terrific for Lazio and exceptional for Argentina. United smashed the British transfer record to bring him to Old Trafford but Veron simply couldn't adapt to the style of the English game. United managed to take advantage of Chelsea's open wallet to get some return on their investment.
Centre Midfield: Seth Johnson, cost Leeds United �7 million in 2001
A good player in an average Derby side, Leeds felt the need to shell out �7million for the former England under-21 international. Johnson couldn't step up to the plate for Leeds and a plague of injuries ruined his career in Yorkshire. After making only 43 league starts in four years at the club, Johnson moved back to Derby in 2005 for nothing.
Striker: Carl Cort, cost Newcastle �7 million in 2000
The great comic myth of this transfer is that Bobby Robson was meant to sign Jason Euell and it was Carl Cort that arrived. We'll never know if it was actually true, and I'm not too sure that �7 million on Jason Euell would have been a good signing either but it surely would have worked out better than Cort's time at Newcastle. Cort was ravaged by injuries and when fit he found it hard to grab a first team slot. He played just 28 times in four years for the Toon Army.
Striker: Bosko Balaban, cost Aston Villa �5.8 million 2001
Bosko Balaban was a virtual unknown, although he did have the dubious honour of the backing of John Gregory. Balaban's stay in the Midlands was nothing short of a nightmare, not a single Premiership start for Villa, not a single goal for the club in any competitions. People could argue that if you spend �5.8 million on a striker, you have to at least give him a Premiership start but the unsettled Croat was shipped back out to Dynamo Zagreb on loan to rediscover his touch. Which he didn't.
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8750_3058301,00.html
As football fans gasped at the thought of �5 million being exchanged for the services of Marlon King, it got us thinking about some of the extortionate prices that have been paid for very average players over the years.
Here is a team of players whose transfer fees were huge yet didn't quite offer value for money...
Goalkeeper: Richard Wright, cost Arsenal �6 million in 2001
Billed as the next England number one as he developed as a youngster at Ipswich Town, Arsenal splashed the cash on Wright in 2001. However, he struggled to get close to the first team with David Seaman in the twilight of his career. He made just 12 league appearances before been sold to Everton for almost half the price.
Left Back: Jose Enrique, cost Newcastle United �6.5 million
Maybe a harsh inclusion as he is only five months into his Newcastle career. A lot was expected of Enrique after the large amount of money paid for him and quite frankly he looks severely out of his depth in his early days as a Newcastle player.
Right Back: Paolo Ferreira, cost Chelsea �13.2 million in 2004
Jose Mourinho went back to his old club Porto to pick up Paolo Ferreira, and he wasn't cheap. When they paid �13.2 million for the Portuguese right-back, Chelsea fans would have expected him to be the best full back in the league, nay the world. That wasn't the case though, Ferreira's performances were nothing short of ordinary and he looked like an especially mediocre player in a very good team, exposed easily by quality wingers.
Centre Back: Marcelinho cost Newcastle �5.8 million in 1999
With Newcastle spending almost �6 million on the centre-back, much was expected of Marcelinho upon his arrival from Mallorca. One of Ruud Gullit's bigger boo-boos, his time on Tyneside is best forgotten, he made only 19 error strewn appearances for the Magpies in four years. It might amuse you to learn he currently works as a commentator on Spanish TV coverage of the Premier League.
Centre Back: Jean-Alain Boumsong cost Newcastle �8 million
Just three months after joining Rangers on a free transfer, Graeme Souness liked what he saw, and so did Rangers when they were given �8 million for the services of the Frenchman. Boumsong epitomises the word calamity - week in week out the Frenchman would scare 50,000 Geordies with his totally inept performances. His lack of positonal sense, diabolical marking and even his amazing ability to misjudge a bounce were the highlights of his disaster in the North-East. Boumsong eventually went to Juventus in the Summer of 2006.
Left Midfield: Hugo Viana, cost Newcastle �8.5 million in 2002
Viana arrived at St.James' Park known as a bright talent. Newcastle beat a host of European teams to the winger's signature, but probably wish they didn't. Viana found it hard to settle in the North-East and this was evident in his performances. He returned to Sporting Lisbon on loan after 39 lacklustre performances.
Right Midfield: El-Hadji Diouf, cost Liverpool �10 million in 2002
Liverpool fans were optimistic after seeing Diouf's performances in the 2002 World Cup for Senegal. He couldn't reproduce that form though in the Premiership. Liverpool had paid well over the odds for an inexperienced player from Lens who wasn't ready to play consistently on such a big stage. Diouf has since gone on to prove his worth in the Premiership though with continuing good performances for Bolton.
Centre Midfield:Juan Sebastian Veron, cost Manchester United 28.1 million in 2001
When he joined United ,Veron was one of the biggest stars in the world. He had been terrific for Lazio and exceptional for Argentina. United smashed the British transfer record to bring him to Old Trafford but Veron simply couldn't adapt to the style of the English game. United managed to take advantage of Chelsea's open wallet to get some return on their investment.
Centre Midfield: Seth Johnson, cost Leeds United �7 million in 2001
A good player in an average Derby side, Leeds felt the need to shell out �7million for the former England under-21 international. Johnson couldn't step up to the plate for Leeds and a plague of injuries ruined his career in Yorkshire. After making only 43 league starts in four years at the club, Johnson moved back to Derby in 2005 for nothing.
Striker: Carl Cort, cost Newcastle �7 million in 2000
The great comic myth of this transfer is that Bobby Robson was meant to sign Jason Euell and it was Carl Cort that arrived. We'll never know if it was actually true, and I'm not too sure that �7 million on Jason Euell would have been a good signing either but it surely would have worked out better than Cort's time at Newcastle. Cort was ravaged by injuries and when fit he found it hard to grab a first team slot. He played just 28 times in four years for the Toon Army.
Striker: Bosko Balaban, cost Aston Villa �5.8 million 2001
Bosko Balaban was a virtual unknown, although he did have the dubious honour of the backing of John Gregory. Balaban's stay in the Midlands was nothing short of a nightmare, not a single Premiership start for Villa, not a single goal for the club in any competitions. People could argue that if you spend �5.8 million on a striker, you have to at least give him a Premiership start but the unsettled Croat was shipped back out to Dynamo Zagreb on loan to rediscover his touch. Which he didn't.
