Top 10 most overrated transfers in football history

In modern day football, many big clubs have spent millions of dollars to complete several overrated transfers, where the big players have not been able to live up to the expectations circulated around the hefty price tags associated with them.

In the wake of big money moves, many elite European clubs have signed some of the most talented youngsters and experienced players from across Europe to bolster their defense, midfield and attack. Some of them have been delivered big time, while a few others could not fulfill their potential and made it to the list of the overrated transfers in football history, brought to you by Sportsdunia.

List of most overrated transfers in football

10. Raheem Sterling (Chelsea)

The 29-year-old English attacker was once touted to be one of the greatest strikers in the history of English football. Raheem Sterling had touched the highest deck at Manchester City since he exploded into the scene in 2015. The English forward was at the peak of his career at Etihad Stadium which was decorated with 131 goals.  However, Sterling has continuously fallen short in scoring despite being a regular for Chelsea. In the last two years, he has only accumulated 14 goals in 60 appearances in the Premier League. It is fair to say that among a few other overrated signings made by the Blues in recent years, Sterling is also one.

Also Read: Chelsea 2024 Summer Transfers LIVE

9. Anthony Martial (Manchester United)

Anthony Martial once became the most expensive teenager in football following his £36 million move to Old Trafford. Since then, he featured in 210 Premier League games, scoring only 61 goals in the process. In other major competitions, the former AS Monaco striker made 124 appearances and scored only 28 goals. It is no surprise that Martial is without any club this season.

Also Read: Manchester United 2024 Summer Transfers LIVE

8. Jordan Henderson (Ajax)

The name of Jordan Henderson might raise a few eyebrows, but he was definitely overhyped by the loyal Liverpool fans during his stint at Anfield. Upon his arrival from Sunderland, the English midfielder was tasked to replace Steven Gerrard in the club. He has already played over 600 games, but still has not reached the 50-goal mark so far. Most probably, eight major trophies in 12 years as a Red masked the overrated tag that should have been associated with him. Since 2008, Henderson has never scored more than seven goals in a calendar year, which somehow tells the caliber of the player.

7. Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)

Many might argue that Ousmane Dembele was one of the biggest flops in Barcelona’s history. The Spanish heavyweights went all out to sign the French winger and he came at the cost of around £85 million. With this hefty transfer fee, everyone at the club had a lot of expectations from the player. But, a string of injuries kept the highly-talented attacker sidelined many times and between 2017 and 2021, he featured in only 85 games in all competitions. 

Also Read: Barcelona 2024 Summer Transfers LIVE

6. Harry Maguire (Manchester United)

Manchester spent a fortune to bring Harry Maguire to Old Trafford in 2019. After locking horns with Leicester City for weeks, the Red Devils shelled out around £80 million to sign the highly rated defender. But, this transfer followed a string of horrible displays by the English center-back, who later became a meme sensation on social media platforms for his high price tag and terrible performance. Many believe the burden of the transfer fee and high expectations have made him an overrated player.

5. Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea)

Mykhailo Mudryk is one of the most overrated transfers in this decade. Following the departure of Eden Hazard, Chelsea could not find a suitable player, who could fill in the big shoes of the Belgian. Mudryk joined the Blues for a huge transfer amount of £88.5 million. The burden of this huge amount was too heavy for the 21-year-old to carry as he failed to shine on the big stage despite showing promise several times. His numbers will tell exactly why we have listed him as one of the overrated transfers in football history. Since 2019, the former Shakhtar Donetsk player has featured in 110 games and registered only 18 goals and 21 assists.

4. Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid)

Joao Felix is one of the biggest modern day flops in club football. Atletico Madrid, in order to replace Antoine Griezmann, paid £111.5 million to Benfica to sign the young striker, who was making headlines back then. However, due to attitude issues and inconsistent displays, Felix lost his spot in Diego Simeone’s squad and moved to Barcelona as a loanee. He is yet to justify the trust and money Atletico put on him. Since 2018, he has scored only 76 goals in 241 appearances in all competitions.

Also Read: Atletico Madrid 2024 Summer Transfers LIVE

3. Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)

Romelu Lukaku has already been termed as a Chelsea flop. The former Manchester United striker has had the potential to be one of the greats in the business, yet he has somehow managed to sideline his goal scoring prowess in recent years. Lukaku is like a mystery which is yet to be solved at the club level. The Blues signed the big Belgian back on a transfer deal worth £97.5 million in 2021, but the player has been an elusive force ever since. Failing to impress at Stamford Bridge, he went back to Italy the following year. Lukaku has it all to become a brute force, yet he has been bone-headed time and again. In 2021, he only scored one goal for the Blues in 16 games, which sums up his overrated transfer story.

2. Eden Hazard (Real Madrid)

Eden Hazard was a part of the Galactico signings for Real Madrid, and he was brought to Santiago Bernabeu to fill in the void left by the club legend Cristiano Ronaldo. The Spanish giants paid around £84.1 million to buy Hazard from Chelsea as the player was making waves in the Premier League and Real thought he was perfect to replace Ronaldo. But, the honeymoon period did not last long as the Belgian could not win over the Bernabeu crowd and was made to sit on the bench. He scored only one goal in the entire 2019/20 season.

Also Read: Real Madrid 2024 Summer Transfers LIVE

1. Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona)

Since the breakup of the legendary trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, Barcelona kept a tab on Antoine Griezmann. The Catalan side spent a whopping £101.5 million to acquire the services of the Atletico Madrid man, who was in the peak years of his career. But, arguably this move proved to be the most overrated transfer of all-time following the French attacker’s disastrous seasons at Camp Nou. According to many, this is the worst transfer in the history of club football to date.

FAQs

What is the biggest flop in football history?

Antoine Griezmann at Barcelona is the biggest flop in football history.

Which is the most overrated transfer ever?

Antoine Griezmann’s move to Barca from Atletico is the most overrated transfer ever.

Also Read: Premier League 2024 transfer window – done deals