Ten not so great deals from the January transfer window

Here at Great Annual Savings, we’re experts in reducing your running costs and ensuring you aren’t being overcharged on your everyday business expenses.  In our regular blog posts and industry updates, we often preach the importance of not overspending unnecessarily on your indirect costs.

As the football January transfer deadline approaches, we take a look back at some of the Premier League’s finest who have been guilty themselves of overspending on some of the games’ biggest names.

ANDY CARROLL

​From: Newcastle United
To: Liverpool
Fee: £35 million

​His £35m transfer to Liverpool made Carroll the most expensive British footballer of all-time. After only 6 goals in his next 44 appearances, Carroll was promptly shipped out on loan to West Ham 2 years later.

JEAN-ALAIN BOUMSONG

​From: Glasgow Rangers
To: Newcastle United
Fee: £8 million

​​Newcastle could have signed the disaster-prone defender for free in the summer of 2004 but waited too long and ended up spending a fortune a few months down the line. Sound familiar?

KONSTANTINOS MITROGLOU

From: Olympiacos
To: Fulham
Fee: £12.4 million
​
Paying a club record fee at the time, Fulham hoped the Greek would fire them to safety. Instead, plagued by injury and indifferent form, he made a mere 3 appearances as Fulham were relegated in the summer.

CHRISTOPHER SAMBA

From: Anzhi Makhachkala
To: QPR
Fee: £12.5 million
​
​Back when QPR were spending money like it was going out of fashion, they stumped up £12.5m for the defender.  On a reported £125,000 a week, his poor form was capped off with QPR’s eventual relegation.

SAVIO NSEREKO

From: Brescia
To: West Ham
Fee: £9 million
​
​Once considered one of the brightest prospects in Europe, the German youth international  failed to settle in East London and after making just 1 start for the club, he returned to Italy the following summer.

JUAN CUADRADO

From: Fiorentina
To: Chelsea
Fee: £23.3 million
​
​Many forget that Cuadrado is still in fact a Chelsea player. Despite paying a small fortune for the Colombian, he has spent most of his time since back in Italy on loan at Juventus.

AFONSO ALVES

From: Heerenveen
To: Middlesbrough
Fee: £12.7 million
​
​Once upon a time he was the flag-bearer for club’s accused of overspending on a player. A prolific scorer in Holland, he never recreated his form on Teesside and eventually moved to oil-rich Qatar.  

MICHAEL RICKETTS

From: Bolton
To: Middlesbrough
Fee: £3.5 million
​
​Lightening strikes twice for the Teessiders! Despite scoring for fun at Bolton, Ricketts struggled at Middlesbrough and his tally of just 3 strikes ended up costing them a pricely £1.17m per goal. 

RICARDO ROCHA

From: Benfica
To: Tottenham Hotspur
Fee: £3.2 million
​
​Despite arriving with a great reputation, the Portuguese defender was found wanting at White Hart Lane. After 3 years and just 14 appearances, Spurs cut their losses as he moved to Standard Liege.  

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST…..

FERNANDO TORRES
​

From: Liverpool
To: Chelsea
Fee: £50 million
​
​The transfer that triggered a flurry of activity in 2011, Torres’ never recaptured the form that saw him idolised by the kop. He left the club 4 years later for a fee well-short of the £50m they paid for him.

To make sure you’re not overspending this January, consult our Bill Doctor ​service today for a free business health check. Or alternatively, call us today on 0800 130 3514.