The biggest flop XI in Premier League history ft. Lukaku, Richarlison and Pogba | OneFootball

The Premier League has been no stranger to bad business over the years.

Players have been signed for expensive fees and placed on astronomical wages, only to fail to live up to expectations.

This season has had a couple of flops too, with Chelsea the main culprit.

The Blues spent an absolute fortune to bring multiple players to Stamford Bridge, only to record a 12th place finish.

Kalidou Kouliably and Marc Cucurella are just two examples of players bought for big money whose careers have faltered in west London.

Chelsea’s poor business is a continuation of sorts, with the club forking out £97.5 million to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge last summer.

The Belgium striker’s return was arguably one of the worst transfers in Premier League history, spending just one year in London before being loaned back to Inter Milan.

LUTON, ENGLAND - MARCH 02: Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea looks on during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Luton Town and Chelsea at Kenilworth Road on March 02, 2022 in Luton, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

His time in west London was enough for The Sun to name him in their XI of the Premier League’s most expensive flops of all-time last year.

But after the 2022/23 season, GIVEMESPORT have inducted two new names into the Premier League's biggest and most expensive flop XI. And while one of Chelsea's new recruits is included, so too is another man from a different London club...

The Premier League’s biggest flop XI of all-time

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga to Chelsea

This season has been somewhat of a redemption campaign for Kepa, as he reclaimed his spot as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper.

But no fan would say that the £71.6 million that the Blues forked out for the 28-year-old was money well spent.

DF: Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea

This might be a bit harsh after just one season in the league. But given how much he cost and that it could be his only season, we think this is justified.

Koulibaly arrived in west London for a reported £33 million and was given a monstrous wage of £295,000 per week (Capology), having been one of Serie A’s best defenders while at Napoli.

But he failed to live up to expectations, and is now linked with a move away to Saudi Arabia.

DF: Shkodran Mustafi to Arsenal

Following his £60 million move last summer, Chelsea’s Cucurella is fortunate to escape this team. The only reason he manages to is because the club could reportedly still get £30 million if he leaves this summer.

Mustafi, however, was a calamitous signing for Arsenal. £35 million spent, only for him to make errors consistently and have fans blast him until his contract was eventually torn up in January 2021.

DF: Eliaquim Mangala to Manchester City

Manchester City paid £43.5 million to bring the French defender to the Etihad, and he earned a further £12.5 million in wages too.

He would only make 57 Premier League appearances for City in total, costing them £1 million per game before he was sold to Valencia in 2019.

MF: Juan Sebastian Veron to Manchester United and Chelsea

Veron deserves a special mention for failing to succeed at two separate Premier League clubs.

The Argentine became the league’s most-expensive player when he signed for United in 2001 for £28.1 million, but he would only spend two seasons at the club.

MF: Paul Pogba to Manchester United

Having become one of the finest midfielders in the world at Juventus, expectations were high when Pogba re-signed for United for a whopping £89 million.

Although he had his moments, he never performed as well as he did in Italy, and six seasons later, he returned to Juventus on a free transfer.

MF: Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea

An integral part of Leicester’s Premier League winning team, Drinkwater was signed for £34 million and put on wages of £100,000 to once again partner N’Golo Kante in Chelsea’s midfield.

Only he rarely did. The Englishman only made 12 league outings for the Blues, had stints on loan at Burnley and Aston Villa, and left for free last summer after admitting the transfer had been a bad one.

RW: Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal

Arsenal fans were buzzing when Pepe arrived in north London for £72 million, having shone in Ligue 1 for Lille where he scored 22 goals in the 2018/19 season.

But he never hit those heights in London and spent last season back in France on loan at Nice.

Arsenal are now also looking to move him on permanently this summer. Hardly what you would expect from a marquee signing…

LW: Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United

You know this was a flop of epic proportions when the player himself admits it was a mistake to leave Arsenal…

Having seen what he did for the Gunners, United fans must have been when Sanchez signed. But his eye-watering wage of £505,000 a week meant every league goal cost the club £20 million.

FW: Richarlison to Tottenham Hotspur

Judging him off one season at Spurs is premature, so we could be eating our words in a year. But as of right now, Richarlison has been a terrible signing.

After joining for £60 million, he has scored just one goal in the league and has been mocked by fellow Premier League strikers. And there has been plenty of noise off the pitch too, with the forward giving an explosive interview where he slammed ex-manager Antonio Conte.

FW: Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea

The worst bit of Premier League business ever? Most likely.

Lukaku arrived for what was a club record fee at the time and was believed to be the prolific number nine Chelsea so desperately needed.

But everything fell apart in just a few short months. After a season on loan at Inter, the striker is now linked with a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge.