The Premier League is the most valuable and richest league in world football courtesy of massive TV deals and a global fan base.
Clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal earn huge revenues and splash out on massive signings, while even the so called smaller teams now have the financial capabilities to poach top talents from other major leagues.
It hasn't all been plain sailing for those spending big in England's top flight however, with big fees regularly wasted on signings who don't pan out.
But who are the worst signings in Premier League history?
FFC Worst signings Related
20 Worst Premier League Signings 2025/26 (Ranked)
Premier League clubs have never spent more, but not every transfer is a hit...
Ranking factors
Performance - Eye test and statistics
Cost - Transfer fee and wages
Expectation - Performance against reputation
20 Wilfried Bony
Manchester City – £28m
Bony Man City
Brought in to score goals but underperformed drastically. Expensive, ineffective and quickly forgotten, he was loaned out just a year after his big move and sold another year later.
19 Mario Balotelli
Liverpool – £16m
Mario Balotelli for Liverpool
Scoring just one league goal, his chaotic attitude overshadowed his talent, making him one of many Brendan Rodgers signings who just didn't work out.
18 Roberto Soldado
Tottenham Hotspur – £26m
roberto-soldado-tottenham-premier-league
Elite scorer in Spain who could not replicate form in England. Expensive, disappointing and made even worse by the fact he was brought in with the Gareth Bale funds.
17 Davy Klaassen
Everton – £24m
davy/klaassen/everton/europa/league/lyon
Expected to be a creative leader but failed to adapt to the Premier League’s pace and intensity. Left quickly after just 16 appearances, scoring no goals and providing just one assist.
16 Sébastien Haller
West Ham United – £45m
Sebastian Haller for West Ham.
Club-record signing who failed to adapt to the Premier League and sold at a loss. In truth, West Ham fans will be happy he's the only one of their many failed strikers signings on this list.
15 Adrian Mutu
Chelsea – £16m
Adrian Mutu
Contract terminated after a cocaine ban, never contributed on the pitch and became one of Chelsea’s most infamous failed investments despite a low fee in today's terms.
14 Alexis Sánchez
Manchester United – £35m
Alexis-Sanchez-Man-Utd
Hugely overpaid, injury-prone and never replicated his Arsenal form. Considered one of the Premier League’s worst financial gambles relative to output, with United reportedly shelling out massive wages.
13 Tanguy Ndombele
Tottenham Hotspur – £55m
Former Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele
Immense talent but poor fitness, low work rate and inconsistency rendered him far below his £55m fee.
Was loaned out three times in an attempt to find a buyer before his contract was finally terminated.
12 Fernando Torres
Chelsea – £50m
chelsea-fernando-torres-celebrates-premier-league
Signed as one of the world’s top strikers, Torres collapsed under the pressure.
Somewhat rescued his perception as a monumental flop with his iconic goal against Barcelona, but the disparity between his performance and the expectation when he arrived was huge.
11 Eliaquim Mangala
Manchester City – £42m
Mangala Man City
Expensive defender with serious defensive liability issues. Quick to fall out of favor, loaned multiple times and remembered as one of several big money defensive gambles at City.