Key Takeaways
Some players and managers have managed to excel in the harsh environment of the Premier League, while others have struggled to meet expectations.
The league has seen numerous disappointments since its inception in 1992, including big-money signings that have failed, promising young talents that haven't met their potential and managers who have underperformed.
From Andriy Shevchenko to Renato Sanches, GIVEMESPORT has identified the top ten Premier League disappointments.
Succeeding in the best league in the world is very difficult. Players and managers have arrived in the Premier League with hefty expectations, due to what they've done previously, the price tag bestowed on them, or because of the promise they've shown as a youngster.
Many have flourished, meeting and exceeding these expectations, while many more have struggled with these pressures, and been unable to produce what was expected from them. This variability in outcomes is what makes the Premier League so special - its perennial unpredictability.
While this makes the product a fascinating spectacle for the viewer, those who don't succeed are burdened with the label of being a disappointment. Whether it's a youngster who didn't fulfill their potential, a manager who was expected to produce but failed, or a big-money signing who outright flopped, there have been countless disappointments since the Premier League's inception in 1992.
GIVEMESPORT have identified the ten biggest disappointments in the Premier League's history.
Ranking Factors:
Statistics at the club they disappointed at (results, appearances, goals, assists etc.)
Reputation prior, and the extent to which it became damaged.
How much they underperformed their expectations.
10 Renato Sanches
Loan at Swansea (2017/18)
Renato Sanches at Swansea City
After bursting onto the scene at Benfica in the 2015-16 season, Renato Sanches completed a big-money switch to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2016 after playing a key role in Portugal winning the European Championship. Winning the Golden Boy award that year, expectations were sky-high for the Portuguese attacking midfielder.
However, a largely peripheral figure in his debut campaign at the Allianz Arena, the German giants shipped Sanches out to Swansea City on loan for the duration of the 2017/18 season. Given his status as one of the hottest prospects in Europe after claiming the Golden Boy accolade, there was huge excitement at the Liberty Stadium about what the playmaker could provide.
The club would be let down, as Sanches endured a torrid time in South Wales, and was substituted at half-time in a game against Chelsea in November, after playing a pass into the advertising boards on the side of the pitch. He ultimately made just 15 appearances for Swansea, not scoring once, and didn't appear for the Swans after January of that season.
9 Gael Kakuta
Chelsea (2009-2015)
Gael Kakuta in action for Chelsea
Moving to Chelsea as a youngster, Michael Ballack once told journalists during a Blues youth game to 'go see the French lad, he is the star'. The German was referring to Gael Kakuta, an exciting winger with pace, dribbling ability and composure in the final third.
Skipping several age groups throughout his youth career, anticipation of what Kakuta could become grew around Stamford Bridge, when he started training with the first team at the age of just 17. Dubbed a 'fantastic talent' by Carlo Ancelotti in 2009 after an electric Champions League showing when he was 18, there was a genuine belief in many quarters at Chelsea that they'd stumbled across the next big winger talent in world football.
It's fair to suggest that Kakuta, who had wowed Hazard as a youngster, didn't live up to these expectations, which were raised even further by the fact Chelsea's illegal pursuit of Kakuta had resulted in a transfer ban. The West London outfit were patient with the Frenchman, loaning him out on numerous occasions, as they hoped that he would develop into the player they believed he could, but he ultimately made just six Premier League appearances for the club, before eventually being sold to Sevilla in 2015.
8 Michael Johnson
Manchester CIty (2006-2012)
Michael Johnson
Another former starlet who didn't fulfill his potential, Michael Johnson's case was particularly infuriating for those involved at Manchester City. Arriving at City as a teenager, Johnson was a highly-thought of midfielder, described as 'outstanding' by teammate Dietmar Hamann, and as 'an excellent player' who 'everyone thought would become the next big star for England' by Sven-Goran Eiksson.
At 19, Johnson was said to be a more complete player than Steven Gerrard, but by 36, he was an estate agent. His demise was prompted by an apathy, anxiety and lack of joy when playing football, which ultimately pushed him away from the sport.
Despite an incredible start to his career, from the 2009/10 season onwards, Johnson made just two more appearances for City. He was only released by the north-west club in 2012, after it had emerged that he was overweight and unfit.
7 Andre Villas-Boas
Chelsea (2011-12) and Tottenham (2012-2013)
Andre Villas-Boas at Chelsea
When speaking of disappointments in football, most immediately think of major signings who didn't justify their price tag, or youngsters who didn't fulfill their potential. However, managers who didn't fulfill their potential can also be deemed significant disappointments, and that's exactly what Andre Villas-Boas' coaching career was.
Taking the unusual path of having no senior playing career, Villas-Boas set out to pursue coaching from the offset. Identified by José Mourinho as a promising young professional, the legendary manager appointed him as part of his coaching staff at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan.
This inevitably sparked excitement that the prodigy would be the next Mourinho, and this was exacerbated by his exceptional stint as Porto's head coach, leading the club to an unbeaten season in 2010/11. Taking the same route as his mentor, Villas-Boas was appointed Chelsea boss in June 2011, but was dismissed before the end of his first season, after losing the dressing room and leaving the Blues comfortably outside of the top four.
Earning a season and a half at Tottenham, the Portuguese was unable to lead a team containing Gareth Bale to Champions League football in his debut campaign in North London, before his side spiralled out of control in his second season.
6 Angel Di Maria
Manchester United (2014-2015)
Angel di Maria celebrates with his thumb celebration.
The first lucrative signing on this list, the extent to which Angel Di Maria failed at Manchester United often goes under the radar. Having excelled over many years at Real Madrid, Louis van Gaal opted to splash £59.7 million on the Argentine in 2014, which was at the time a record transfer fee paid by a British club.
Expected to ignite a stale United attack and lead the Red Devils to major silverware under their Dutch manager, Di Maria made just 32 appearances for the Manchester club, scoring four goals. He enjoyed a blistering start, but his form fizzled out and a robbery at his new home in England left the Argentine unsettled.
Leaving for Paris Saint-Germain at the end of his first and only season in the north-west, the wide man is still considered as one of the worst signings in Premier League history, certainly disappointing an expectant United faithful.
5 Jack Wilshere
Arsenal (2008-2018)
Jack Wilshere
Through little fault of his own, Jack Wilshere is one of the Premier League's greatest disappointments. Developing through Arsenal's Hale End academy, the Englishman was destined to become one of the most accomplished midfielders in the top flight, exploding onto the scene at the age of 18, schooling Xavi and Andrés Iniesta in a Champions League encounter with Barcelona in 2011.
However, relentless injuries throughout his career prevented him from ever consistently replicating the exceptional level he demonstrated as a youngster, meant he made fewer than 200 appearances for Arsenal over ten years at the club, and was forced to retire at the age of 30. Named as one of the most injury-prone Premier League players of all time, Wilshere's fate was sadly determined by his inability to remain fit.
4 Antony
Manchester United (2022-Present)
Antony celebrates for Manchester United
While the expectations surrounding Antony weren't as hefty as Di Maria, the outlay on the Brazilian was much greater, and he's certainly not justified this investment. In 2022, United splashed a staggering £82 million on the winger from Ajax, who arrived with a reasonable reputation as a promising young forward with potential.
He's scored five league goals in 57 appearances, and just one since the beginning of the 2023/24 season. One of the most expensive signings in Premier League history, Antony has arguably provided the worst value for money of any addition the division has witnessed, and after just two years at Old Trafford, he's been relegated to a last resort option in the pecking order.
3 Fernando Torres
Move to Chelsea (2011-2015)
Fernando Torres | Chelsea
At Liverpool, Fernando Torres was one of the most prolific and one of the most enjoyable strikers to watch in Europe. The Spaniard enjoyed a 24-goal campaign in his debut Premier League season, with only Cristiano Ronaldo netting more goals in the league that year.
Thus, with Didier Drogba entering the latter stages of his distinguished career, Chelsea went big on Torres, acquiring him for £50 million in January 2011. This made the number nine the sixth most expensive footballer in history at the time, and the Blues expected him to take the mantle from Drogba and lead them to consistent silverware.
However, Torres struggled in his three-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge, scoring just 20 goals in 110 Premier League appearances. While he contributed to Chelsea's first Champions League triumph in 2012, he ultimately looked a shadow of his former self in a blue shirt, and was unable replicate his Liverpool form.
2 Andriy Shevchenko
Chelsea (2006-2009)
Andriy Shevchenko | Chelsea
Another Chelsea signing that drastically underperformed what had been expected of him, Andriy Shevchenko's story was similar to Torres'. However, the expectations were arguably higher, his price tag was higher in real terms, and he didn't have a Champions League winners medal to show for his disappointing efforts.
Boasting a ridiculously productive goal-scoring rate at AC Milan, and winning the Ballon d'Or in 2004, Chelsea spent a club-record £30.8 million on Shevchenko in 2006, which is said to be the equivalent of £114.3 million today. For this money, you'd hope you've signed potentially the best striker in the world.
The Ukrainian was unfortunately beyond his best. Scoring nine league goals in 49 appearances for the club, he was eventually sold to Dynamo Kyiv in 2009.
1 Juan Sebastian Veron
Move to Manchester United (2001-2003) and Chelsea (2003-2007)
Ferguson and Veron
Perhaps the most disappointing marquee signing of them all, and arguably the biggest disappointment the Premier League has seen, Juan Sebatian Veron was a huge let-down at Manchester United. The Argentine had led Lazio to a treble in the 1999/2000 season, winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italia.
The talisman of that team, Sir Alex Ferguson identified Veron as someone who could dominate the middle of the park for United for many years. He was seen as one of the best midfielders on the planet, and thus the Red Devils outlaid £28.1 million on him in 2001, making him the most expensive transfer in English football at the time.
An astronomical amount to pay for a player in the early noughties, Veron struggled to adapt to the pace and intensity of the Premier League. While Ferguson ardently defended his player, the United boss could never quite find the right formula to get the most out of him, barring a brief flurry of goals in Europe.
Aware of his pedigree, Chelsea - enjoying a new influx of cash under Roman Abramovich - then sought to succeed where United had failed and bought Veron for £15m, making him the most expensive footballer in history based on cumulative transfer fees. But the South American spent just one season in the Chelsea first team; Jose Mourinho wasn't interested in Veron, and allowed him to spend the next three seasons out on loan to Inter Milan and Estudiantes.
Veron would then join the latter club permanently, with whom he twice won the South American Footballer of the Year award.
All Statistics courtesy of TransferMarkt - correct as of 05/12/2024
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