Premier League Transfers: Top 10 Worst Deals of the Summer

The Premier League's biggest and best cemented their place as the most spendthrift teams in Europe this summer, parting with over half a billion pounds on transfers.

Some signings, like Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Swansea City's Michu, have already proven their respective clubs justified in parting with their cash.

But this list doesn't concern the hits of the transfer window, but rather the misses.

Whether it was due to a team overpaying or letting a talented player leave for well below his market value, here are the top 10 worst deals of the summer.



To: QPR

For: £3.5 million

Why: Based on his loan spell for the club last season, new QPR signing Samba Diakite is a madman.

Only 33 minutes into his debut for Mark Hughes' side, he was shown a red card for two bookable offences and honestly could've been given his marching orders well before then for his continued recklessness.

He did manage to improve upon returning from the subsequent suspension though, but still remained a significant liability for his aggressiveness the rest of the season.

He'll need to reign in such exuberance if he's to earn a place in the London club's already loaded starting lineup.

From: Liverpool

For: £880,000

Why: With the summer spending now wrapped up, Liverpool may be reflecting on their decision to ship Dirk Kuyt off to Turkish club Fenerbahce with regret considering the lack of forwards in their squad.

And for only £880,000, it seems that they've let a genuine club hero go for a pittance.

In his first seven games in Turkey, Kuyt has already bagged an impressive six goals, proving that he's still got the passion and scoring knack that endeared him to the Anfield faithful.

How Brendan Rodgers could use a player like him at the moment?

To: Aston Villa

For: £8.2 million

Why: For those who have followed Britain's lower leagues, and well recognise the abilities of three of Aston Villa's summer signings, this entry may not ring entirely true.

However, as good as Bennett, Westwood and Lowton especially have been at Middlesbrough, League Two side Crewe and Sheffield United respectively, Villa will be lucky if just one eventually becomes a regular first-team player at the club.

Signing lower league players may have worked for Paul Lambert at Norwich, but it is surely more of a risk than bringing in established players from more challenging environments.

For the £8.2 million spent on the trio, Villa could have bought Michu, Chico, Kieran Richardson and even Dirk Kuyt if he'd fancied sticking around in England.

From: Wigan Athletic

For: Free

Why: Wigan Athletic's definite lack of financial clout saw them unable to re-sign talented striker Hugo Rodallega to a new contract this summer. The Colombian subsequently moved to fellow Premier League club Fulham for nothing.

If Wigan had been able to sell, Rodallega's price would have been at least £5 million—cash that would've made a significant difference for the breadline club.

Rodallega is coming off an impressive preseason for Fulham, and has also shown his worth in the London side's early EPL games.

Unfortunately for Wigan, the club's squad looks weaker and weaker at the beginning of every passing season.

To: Chelsea

For: £7 million

Why: It may be a little harsh to include a player who hasn't yet played a single minute in the EPL, but Marko Marin is already looking like an unnecessary, ill-advised transfer for Chelsea.

With the club's squad already stacked with excellent attacking options, Marin will have to hope for an injury crisis before he is able to earn a place in the in-form team.

Even then, the diminutive German may struggle to adapt to the physical nature of the Premier League, unlike the way fellow new signing Eden Hazard has.

He then runs the risk of going the same way as Manchester United's former winger Zoran Tosic, whose similar playing style never suited the rigours of the English game.

To: Manchester City

For: £12 million

Why: In a £12 million deal that also saw Stefan Savic go the other way, Manchester City may not have gotten a particularly good deal in purchasing Fiorentina's central defender Matija Nastasic amidst a transfer window deadline day flurry.

Granted, the Serbian is a talented young player who did well to make as many starts as he did for the Serie A side last season, but at times was found wanting as his club slipped to a disappointing 13th league finish.

City boss Roberto Mancini has always been a known admirer of certain players from Italy's top division, and in this case, may have let partiality affect his judgment.

Nastasic will have to improve quickly if he is to avoid replicating the fate of the unfortunate Savic.

From: Wigan Athletic

For: Free

Why: Wigan make their second appearance in this summer's hall of shame, in this case for letting powerful defensive midfielder Mohamed Diame leave on a free transfer.

The club's inability to re-sign Rodallega and Diame to new contracts, or at least sell either one beforehand, reflects very poorly on them indeed.

A player reaching the peak of his abilities, the Senegalese international will no doubt play his best football at West Ham in the coming few years.

But with the poor financial state of Wigan as it is, this will probably not be the last time a highly-valued asset moves on for next-to-nothing.

To: West Ham

For: £8.3 million

Why: Winger Matt Jarvis was West Ham's marquee signing this summer in a deal that saw the London club pay Wolves over £8.3 million for the player's services.

Jarvis is by no means useless—and with big man Andy Carroll now at the club, will likely rack up a few assists before the season's end.

But for such a price, West Ham boss Sam Allardyce could've done so much better.

Jarvis struggled at times last season to get into the Wolves' starting team, this despite the West Midlands club being by far and away the worst team in the Premier League.

Allardyce will be hoping that the 26-year-old improves in his new surroundings.

To: Southampton

For: £7.6 million

Why: Besides the purchase of Jay Rodriguez, Southampton have actually had a very impressive transfer window, most notably pulling off one of the coups of the century in persuading Uruguayan attacking midfielder Gaston Ramirez to move to England's South Coast.

With Rickie Lambert ahead of him in the Saints' pecking order, Rodriguez may struggle for playing time this season, this despite costing £7.6 million—a considerably large sum for a newly-promoted team to spend.

At his previous club Burnley, the English striker was hardly prolific, scoring 31 times in over a hundred appearances.

Like Jarvis, it seems a hefty price was paid for homegrown talent.

From: Tottenham Hotspur

For: £880,000

Why: I have little doubt that Giovani dos Santos feels that he wasted a good deal of his four years at Tottenham, averaging less than four EPL appearances per season.

But whilst on loan for Spanish club Racing Santander last year, he proved that he remains a very dangerous attacking threat.

He hasn't been a regular fixture in the Mexican national team for nothing, notching up an eye-catching eight goals since the beginning of 2011.

For less than a million pounds, Tottenham have been too hasty to move on a player they likely saw as a problem, rather than the huge asset he actually is.