7 Transfers That Were TERRIBLE For Everyone Involved

[@safwaansibda]

I'd add Wilfred Bony from Swansea to City. It left Swansea without a real goal threat and added nothing for City, and his own form went down the drain, even his loan spells were awful. He returned to Swansea, got relegated then ended up in Qatar.

[@viansyah669]

How dare you disrespect the GOAT himself 😤😤😤

[@JayForsure]

Bony to City? That's like saying Cristiano Ronaldo from Man United to Real Madrid was terrible..

[@hananidrisi6436]

@@JayForsure huh?

[@tschekhov_04]

@@viansyah669 2016 was calling they want their joke back

[@timsmith1323]

@@JayForsure wtf how is it even remotely the same bony was shocking at city

[@yamkarl1420]

Arthur's and Pjanic's exchange transfer should have been top spot imo: neither player have been playing well at all after the deal, Juventus lost its best midfielder, and Barca doesn't even play Pjanic, whilst Pjanic's wages is probably an indirect cause of them exceeding their wage cap and having to let Messi go.

[@frankunodostres473]

yes that transfer was baffling

[@oisinmckibbin2788]

I think there was a story that the transfer was illegal.

[@fpldirectory6753]

It was an accounting manoeuvre - so suited both clubs just fine. You record sales immediately but can spread purchases across the length of the contract, so by both inflating the price, they can balance their books short term (similar to Cancelo being £60m when really the deal was £30m but Danilo went the other way in a separate deal so the books could balance)

[@smacksoftSMA]

That transfer was legit just money laundering. That’s why it didn’t make sense

[@stealthiscool]

money laundering

[@Blaugranafever]

The first transfer that comes to my mind is Anthony Modeste who went from Köln to Quanjian in 2017 for 29 million Euros. Modeste had played two seasons in Köln, scoring 15 league goals in the first and 25 league goals in his second season which led Köln to 5th place and them qualifying for a European Cup for the first time in 25 years. In the summer he left and went to China. Köln immediately wasted the money, spending 17 million on his replacement who didn't score a single league goal in his first season and two defenders for 7 million each who were largely disappointments. They fell from 5th place to the bottom of the league in the next season and got relegated. Modeste never really felt comfortable in China and got into legal disputes with his club because of bonus payments he claimed they hadn't paid him, he successfully tried to get out of his contract after only 18 months and rejoined Köln who were now in the 2nd division but struggled to reach the same level. He only scored 10 league goals over the next 2,5 years, 6 of them in his few appearances in the 2nd division and only 4 goals in almost 2 years in the Bundesliga. During that time he also spent 6 months on loan in St. Etienne where he didn't score a single goal. So Köln lost their star striker and got relegated immediately after, Quanjian wasted 29 million on a player who left for free only 1,5 years later and Modeste was unhappy in China and looked like a finished player for years afterwards. Horrible for everyone involved. But, there is a happy ending. This year, aged 34, he somehow resurrected his career, scoring 16 league goals so far and Köln have a great opportunity to qualify for a European Cup again, they are in 7th at the moment. Football is weird sometimes.

[@reintaler6355]

You forgot to mention the kicker: a year after signing Modeste, Quanjian (the group that owned the club) was exposed of fraud in its medical business. The local FA took over the club in early 2019 but couldn't stop the bleeding, especially the enormous wage bill. After a transition fell through in May 2020, the club officially dissolved. Quite the epitome of the Chinese football industry in recent years, if you ask me.

[@FerraristDX]

Modeste didn't really want to leave Köln in the first place or at least the split was far from amicable, especially with regards with then director Jörg Schmadtke (du Betrüger...).

[@alichiverton3930]

And is now Borussia Dortmund’s main striker. Gotta love the crazy game

[@rohithraman6488]

Alexis Sanchez's best performance for United was on the piano

[@carltonleboss]

Loool

[@heinzdoofenshmirtz8643]

You right.

[@alehlete830]

poor alexis

[@dazwold]

Sean Dyche first Burnley XI: Where are they now?

[@kieronparr3403]

The pub

[@hamster4810]

The retirement home

[@stevemorison3787]

Burnley

[@aaronconway4435]

Dyche's first returning PL XI from 2016/17 might be more interesting, as there's probably more that havent retired yet

[@adrianbalan3810]

@@kieronparr3403 🤣🤣🤣

[@gibospartan6185]

According to some of the Liverpool players from the time. Balotelli generally didn’t try very hard in training. Apparently if they played practice games on the training ground, he’d just walk off the pitch if it looked like his side was going to lose. Despite this, whenever a teammate riled him up he would become unplayable on the training ground. I think he’s basically the poster boy for players who would be world class if not for their personality.

[@hugoumero9723]

with players like Coutinho and probaly Emre Can

[@gandalf_thegrey]

@@hugoumero9723 Coutinho was world class and Can never looked to reach close to those levels, ever.

[@GooseGumlizzard]

Cassano was another, although he was world class at one point, he could never maintainn it because his shitty personality. But he is the most talented Italian player of the last 20 years

[@harveyholmes9533]

Jean Kevin Augustin to Leeds is right up there. Joined in January 2020 turning down a permanent move to Monaco and a rumoured move to Manchester United to do so, played 3 games as a late substitute before getting injured and ruling him out for the remainder of the season and he returned back to Leipzig for treatment. Leeds had an obligation to buy if they got promoted by June 30th but the pandemic delayed the promotion until July meaning RB Leipzig and Leeds have been in a legal battle ever since that could end with Leeds having to pay up to £20 million and still not getting the player, meanwhile JKA joined Nantes on a free where his career has almost completely petered out and he’s apparently suffering from long covid symptoms. That’s 3 clubs who’ve all suffered as a result of the transfer and if Leeds end up paying the millions it’s deemed they owe it could be even worse

[@denisbrady2272]

Johnathon Woodgate to Real Madrid. He got injured in training before he made his debut. Was out for about 8 months. Finally made his debut, scored an own goal. Gave away a penalty and then got sent off. Brilliant.

[@MikeJones-mw3yj]

That was 1 game, he played well for them after that and they only sold him due to his injuries.

[@chlcrk]

It didn't work out for Newcastle. Sold their best, if injury prone, defender, signed some players who weren't at good for inflated fees to replace him and conceded an excessive amount of goals to fall from 5th in 2004 to 14th in 2005

[@archstanton6102]

Michael Owen just didn't care about Newcastle when we needed players fighting to avoid relegation. And the fans will never forgive him.

[@rohithraman6488]

Just curious, do you have the same energy for Wijnaldum, Sissoko, Thauvin and all the other players who downed tools, got relegated then beat Spurs 5-1 on the last day to put themselves in the shop window?

[@archstanton6102]

@@rohithraman6488 Thauvin had already gone by that point and he never showed any ability with us. The other 2 played well and times but had clearly signed for Newcastle to then put themselves in the shop window. I think Sissoko is hated more as he was lazy. Wijnaldum scored a lot at home but never away from St James. But Owen is in a different league of dislike to them. They have not criticized Newcastle since they left.

[@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716]

And Liverpool fans will never forgive him as well

[@iamhuman8516]

@@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716 he did nothing really bad going to united Just had 2 good games and didn't do any damage to Liverpool

[@r4h4al]

It takes some going for Owen to be hated at every club he’s played for.

[@jakebyronjones]

Charles N'Zogbia from Wigan to Villa has echoes of David Bentley as it caused him to retire young too. He was on fire for Wigan but he made less appearances for Villa in 5 years than he did for Wigan in 2 years.

[@Justinian-IV]

Don't remind me

[@rohithraman6488]

Joe Kinnear: Yeah yeah yeah, Yohan Kebab in midfield, Charles Insomnia on the wing

[@abelstretford3097]

Ashley shouldn’t have forced him out

[@Lythgoemania]

Eh I think we got a very good deal. Shaun Maloney more than made up for N'Zogbia's loss and we were actually even better with Maloney and Moses driving the team rather than just N'Zogbia on his own

[@JohnDoe-vc5qb]

Bro I loved N’Zogbia that’s a painful reminder

[@flixrus9473]

Timo Hildebrand from Stuttgart to Valencia is another great example. Stuttgart lost the Goalkeeper who was a huge part of them winning the Bundesliga on a free transfer with Schäfer being a terrible replacement. Valencia went from playing Champions League football to a 10th place finish. Hildebrand went from Bundesliga winner and German 3rd Choice goalkeeper behind Kahn and Lehmann to Never being able to solidify himself as a true number one ever again

[@theuncommentator]

Anyone said Kaka to Real Madrid? Player - Rapidly declined from being a Balon D’or winner and picked up lots of injuries. Real - Lost a world record transfer fee on a player who was troubled by injuries, began to decline and didn’t help them challenge Barcelona. Milan - Lost their best player accelerating their decline.

[@chinmaybapat6774]

He is my favourite footballer of all time, and I hate to admit that his career was wasted at Real Madrid..😢😢

[@manusiabumi7673]

As a Milan fan i'd say Shevchenko to Chelsea as well, Milan lost their (arguably) best striker at the time, Sheva didn't fit in Mourinho's plan and spent most of his time on the bench, and Chelsea losing a lot of money for nothing

[@theuncommentator]

Yeah that's a good one. Also Milan won the title in 2011 (I think) so maybe Kaka leaving didn't hurt that much haha.

[@glennaldosf]

One interesting one here... James Rodrigues, Everton to Al Rayyan. Everton now in serious danger of being relegated, Benitez sacked, Colombia fail to qualify for the WC, James is now exiled in Qatar, and his Qatari club al Rayyan, normally title and trophy challengers, had a terrible season almost getting relegated, coming nowhere near a trophy or Asian Champions League places + Laurent Blanc getting sacked...

[@AManWithNoName]

He should've taken the Galatasaray contract offer tbh. Now he's in Qatar.

[@glennaldosf]

@@AManWithNoName I think he's left al Rayyan, probably going to Inter Miami now..

[@AManWithNoName]

@@glennaldosf Welp, another world class player wasted in Qatar and USA. He should've taken that Galatasaray deal but oh well.

[@g4ddos]

The James Cordon comment 🤣🤣 So glad I'm not alone with the belief that he is terrible!

[@Yuki5342-b6p]

He's literally one of the most hated people on the internet if not the most hated. He gets more hate than Putin.

[@karlosdeevs]

That's b-cuz Corden isn't anything near a badboy, he's just a brat!

[@insertnamehere5809]

He's the male Amy Schumer!

[@papacinoooo]

@@insertnamehere5809 wait till you meet jimmy fallon

[@heinzdoofenshmirtz8643]

@@karlosdeevs He's a very naughty boy!

[@ajbw04m48]

Ricky van Wolfswinkel to Norwich. Signed for a club record fee of about £9mil to replace one of the club's greatest ever strikers, Grant Holt, ended up scoring one Premier League goal as City were relegated, was then sent out on loan twice before being sold for approximately £500k. Grant Holt didn't exactly have a great move to Villa either.

[@angelosvlahos]

One most people won't have a clue about is that of Miralem Sulejmani. Bought from fellow Eredivisie side Heerenveen for 16.3 million euros, Ajax thought they had the next big star in their squad. He even got a huge bumper 5-year contract. But boy oh boy, it turned out awful. He got signed to win the title, which didn't happen until he got put on the bench and academy players came through. Heerenveen lost one of their most exciting players and dropped out of Europa League qualification to 11th in the Eredivisie. Ajax spent a huge sum of money for a bench warmer which in total cost them 28 million euros. Sulejmani sat out his long, lucrative deal to leave on a free to go Benfica where he stank up the place even more. He now plays for Young Boys with his contract expiring this summer, aged 33.

[@007Fusiion]

I remember (2008?). He was one of the emerging stars I followed the hype on early and expected big things, but he couldn’t get in sync with the team - he was selfish. I lost track of him after 2010 and then heard his name called out by a commentator while playing for young boys last year. I thought he retired long ago.

[@sandrogut5882]

at least he became a legend at Young Boys :)

[@Blazeboy2999]

I remember this guy was a beast on PES 2009

[@DrZaius3141]

Arguably though, he made bank himself. More than if he had been "exposed" before the transfer. When you look at Balotelli or Pancev, they had insane potential and could have been (even) bigger stars. Sulejmani was a middling player who sacrificed a middling, decently earning career for a pathetic career with a huge payout.

[@darthwiizius]

The thing about Alexis Sanchez was that he was purchased by Arsene and signed for Arsenal specifically because we played a similar brand of football as Chile and would be playing week in week out in his favoured position for both teams. When he left us he was literally putting money above his career and country and he would never be effective again as a direct result.

[@constablekennedy7705]

Romelu Lukaku Returning to Chelsea this Season has been pretty much Garbage All Round ….. 👀. ⚽️

[@abhiss6705]

inter are doing fine without him tbh

[@kevinhanandi]

Good for inter though.....sort of

[@gediminaskucinskas6952]

@@abhiss6705 Yeah but he wasnt a big loss to inter so its not like all sides lost.

[@DJMavis]

Inter got nearly 100m though, so there is an upside

[@cornykova9902]

Same with Hazard to Real, but in both cases the selling clubs got a big fee, and actually managed fine without them.

[@sophiejones9947]

Incredibly minor nitpick but Yugoslavia was never in the Soviet bloc despite being communist. It was one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement and sought to maintain good relationships with both Western and Eastern bloc countries when possible.

[@Jingullbells]

Van Wolfwinkle to Norwich was dreadful, neither norwich or the player recovered from it and sporting got a low fee for their main talesman

[@craigseddon4884]

I'd sort of agree but he has done reasonably well since leaving Norwich, albeit not at the level he was previously. He scored 20 goals in 32 games for Vitesse and 28 goals in 88 games for Basel which isn't bad. I think the incident against Cardiff may have just taken all confidence out of him, he started well if I remember correctly but I don't think he scored again after that.

[@JasonSantiagoShow]

I lived in Norwich at the time and there was genuine hype around wolfwinkle. Shame he was awful but Sporting Lisbon didn't really miss him. (I think that's where he was before)

[@gibospartan6185]

Not to mention Chris Houghton got sacked off the back of that season despite the fact Wolfwinkle and others were signed by the club against his wishes.

[@DJMavis]

I'm sure he scored his only goals against Everton

[@Tris2000]

I would say Mendieta to Lazio. He was a hero at Valencia, went to zero. And it took Valencia forever to get the transfer fee.

[@soulsmischief2626]

but they won the league the season after he left

[@grajammellor660]

He was good at mbro

[@MegaFeb]

Here's a fun fact for y'all. Darko Pancev's transfer turned out so bad that, that he went from previously been known as "the Cobra" because of his viciousness in the penalty area and scoring lots of goals, to been nicknamed "lizard", because he was so terrible that he would've been better for him to hide underground (much like an actual lizard). That's quite elaborate, but I think it's pretty funny (and in my opinion, us Italian fans can come up with pretty good nicknames for a player, especially if they flop as hard as Pancev did - like, say, Vampeta at Inter) AC Milan fans, such as my father, feasted on this nickname and laughed quite a lot on Pacev's shortcomings during his stint at Inter Milan.

[@beadle111gaming]

Without being too sick but Emiliano sala’s transfer didn’t work out too well….

[@JoDyMa]

I came here to say this, but I knew in my heart it had already been said.

[@tschekhov_04]

yh true, thats the most tragic story

[@jayantisucker4856]

Ouuuuuu that’s dark 😂😂😂😂

[@matthewmcneany]

I'm struggling to think of a player who would be less well remembered on Tyneside than Owen. Even Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer who infamously had that fight on the pitch during a game are probably remembered more fondly than Owen.

[@abelstretford3097]

Cabella and Riveire are worse

[@nicholastricarico2957]

Nile Ranger?

[@sammyjameson7007]

Nice1 again Alfie. These videos (and your acute sense of humour) help me get through some god awful boring or depressing days. Just thought id let you know i appreciate it ten fold the effort and research you put into putting these videos.

[@MikeJones-mw3yj]

Harry Kewell from Leeds to Liverpool; Leeds got relegated and Kewell sat on the bench or on the treatment table for his entire Liverpool contract and also gave up in Istanbul at half time and asked to subbed with an ‘injury’. Went from one of the best wingers in the league to barely being fit for a reserve game.

[@funkmasterdub]

Then Kewell, the ex Leeds United player signed to Galatasary, the club that Leeds hate due to two innocent fans being stabbed to death before a Champions League game between them both. If he had any respect for the club's he had played for then he wouldn't have signed for them..ever. He'd have signed for Fenerbache or whoever but not them. He will never ever be welcome back at the team that made him, Leeds United.

[@wandilemtambo9962]

Hey, Alfie. Can you please do a 7 Greatest Playmakers of all time, yep still going at it.

[@wandilemtambo9962]

@DDeglane16 It is, but that's kind of on brand for this channel.

[@jmakiola]

I'd go with Redondo to AC Milan. Enormous transfer fee (for the time), for a brilliant player (at the time) who played not even a minute I believe, due to a career-ending injury the moment the contract was signed.

[@iamhuman8516]

It didn't do any damage to real

[@carlosbarton763]

Supposedly in response to his injury, Milan improved their medical facilities as a result

[@1greenMitsi]

damn redondo was an underated player

[@jamesflynn4951]

What did redondo do at the signing? Jab the pen into his knee and pried the kneecap off?

[@Shades-of-76]

I loved Redondo, what a player. In fairness to him, did he not refuse/decline his due salary at AC because he wasn’t actually fit to play?

[@bigguy8435]

I would mention Peru's Cristian Cueva's transfer to Santos - Brazil, back in 2018/19. Manager Jorge Sampaoli said he thought Cueva was a good player, and then, the at the time president José Carlos Peres, how I hate that guy, panic bought Cueva for some good amount of million euros (7M, if I'm not mistaken). But Sampaoli never actually asked to have him at the team. He rarely played, had one of the biggest salaries, and the coach couldn't fit him on the tactic. He played only 18 games for Santos, and scored only 8 goals, before being sold to Krasnodar. But, hey, it gets worse. From 2014-2019, Santos abided by a policy of "not paying" for their transfers, something that is not entirely legal, also, the money of the transfers of young players, like Neymar, Gabigoal, Rodrygo, Bruno Henrique and Yuri never showed up, and since Krasnodar also didn't paid us for Cueva, we fell in a debt with him and the club who sold him. That, alongside many other cases, such as Leandro Damião, Felipe Aguilar and Yeferson Soteldo, made us go into insane debt, with the club owning more than 500 million reais (100 million euros) by the end of 2019. The president was kindly told to fuck off and an interim took control. Then FIFA punished us with a 9-month transferban, limiting our roster options, and then the manager got sacked in the middle of 2020. And still, we managed to get into a continental finals against all odds, even winning against big and stable teams, like Grêmio and Boca Juniors

[@dazzaMusic]

Red star had no choice but to sell their best players because of the war in the region they were hit with sanctions so even if they wanted to keep Pancev they couldn’t.

[@davidkirkland310]

Kepa Arrizabalaga to Chelsea for 70 Million has been an absolute disaster and he surely is the most expensive second keeper

[@gabsnandes7818]

Athletic didn't suffer in that transaction, and now they have Unai Simon, he is fine

[@Eibarwoman]

@@gabsnandes7818 Given that Alex Remiro, the Real Sociedad goalkeeper, was released from Athletic because Unai Simon won the starting job while Remiro was injured. There wasn't one but two fine goalkeepers waiting behind Kepa Arrizabalaga. Edit: If anything, Athletic benefitted, Real Sociedad benefitted, and Chelsea was butchered by the panic buy.

[@gabsnandes7818]

@@Eibarwoman yeah, that's the point Chelsea and kepa got cucked and athletic got 70 Million and now have a better keeper, they benefited

[@GOKKENIELS]

@Kevin Green Not Basque

[@GOKKENIELS]

@Kevin Green He played for atletico. Ath Bilbao only use basque players

[@bojanlepic8119]

Pančev is much more complicated than you stated. Most players could not stay in Red Star as the club did not have the money to keep them as Serbia was under sanctions due to its involvement in the Bosnian and Croatia wars. That's why they lost most of their EC winning squad at the same time. Especially players that were not Serbian. Prosinečki left for Barcelona or Real, can't remember which was first as he played for both, Belodedici went back to Romania, Jugović went to Italy, Mihajlović as well. Dejan Savičević left for Milan so the war sanctions literally destroyed the club and resulted in an exodus of players. Other players from that awesome squad which left when the war started were Šabanadžović, Binić and Najdoski among others. If that squad remained whole without only Pančev they would be top of the league 20 pts ahead. But that was not the case. I think you should reconsider your top spot as it is far more political and complex than just saying Red Star lost Pančev so they lost out on the transfer. With the money and no sanctions they could have bought anyone and won the league as the supporting cast was too talented for the rest of the league.

[@ofs82]

Billy Gilmour's loan move to Norwich last season was pretty horrendous. He was seen as the next big thing, and with Norwich having had to let Oliver Skipp return to Spurs they wanted somebody to replace him in that controlling midfield role, loaning in Gilmour after his great performances for Scotland and earlier breakout seemed a good move, with Gilmour likely to get far more playing time than he would at Chelsea, and Norwich benefiting from a strong young player in their midfield. Except it didn't work out like that. Gilmour continued to play well for Scotland, but clearly didn't care one iota about playing for Norwich, had an attitude that he was only there for a season and would be a big star so was 'slumming it' at a team beneath him, and when he did play, he was either out of his depth in main roles, or lazy and disinterested in lesser ones, and spent most of his time losing the ball. Chelsea fans viewed Norwich's entire role as to develop their player and so wanted Norwich to build their team around him and would bombard discussion with criticism whenever they didn't, creating hostility among the fanbases, and the shine really came off Gilmour who Chelsea haven't trusted as part of their squad this season, yet after last season's shenanigans he's not exactly done himself any favours in terms of having any suitors for further loan moves so is languishing in the U23s. There's plenty of time for him to turn it around as he's still young and in future it may just be a one year aberration in a long and successful career, but it was pretty much a miserable failure of a move for Norwich (who didn't get the solid midfielder they hoped for and instead got a lazy, disinterested bit-part player who carried a hype train with him that meant they got negative press for not building around him), for Chelsea (who didn't get any help in the development of their player and saw their asset suffer devaluation), for Farke (who got incessant criticism for not utilising Gilmour until he got sacked, but by the end of the season Dean Smith had found exactly the same thing as Farke had) and for Gilmour himself (who has seen his stock fall dramatically and fewer suitors as a result of his performances at Norwich).

[@drliamo9049]

I know this is going back quite a number of years, but one that springs to mind for me is when Stan Collymore was sold by Liverpool to my club Aston Villa.... we thought we had pulled off an absolute coup and were getting this awesome player that was going to score all these goals... and then over 3 seasons he played 46 games and I think scored 5 or 6 goals over 3 YEARS!!

[@iankemp1131]

Yes, a weird one. I remember seeing my home town team Portsmouth playing Aston Villa in the FA Cup. Collymore barely touched the ball, Pompey were 2-0 up and the crowd were chanting "What a waste of money". Unfortunately the manager acted on it, Collymore was subbed and Villa came back to draw 2-2 and won the replay.

[@michiadams]

I love how you're seemingly planning to walk form this channel to do it on your own, much love if that's the case

[@depekthegreat359]

You have totally spotted on all these respective players who did not work out for any representative who were involved in their transfers and read my mind about Alexis Sanchez boss' and Mario Balloteli boss' transfers,good friend Alfie!!!🙏

[@nektarioss]

Bentley = car crash 😂

[@fpldirectory6753]

Veron was signed to be *so* different to what Utd already had and their playstyle, so much so that it really didn't work. That's on the club/management too. Thiago to Liverpool seemed similar last season, but he has been integrated now as part of evolution, which was lacking at the time with the Veron signing

[@TheMS991]

Would love to see a part two. A fascinating listen and involved some players either I hadn't heard of our some I just hadn't thought of in a while.

[@flak509]

Alfie lad 20 minutes is never too long in your company, part 2 thank you please. Also as a Rangers fan thank you for forgetting us 😅

[@TheBeastlyFollower]

The Pogba bit caught me so off guard, had me in stitches haha.

[@andersonwang1746]

The James cordon slander in the beginning was hella hilarious 😂

[@vismaadtamber964]

Please make a part two, this was a great video mate!

[@martinramirez5396]

I don't think anyone could've predicted how bad Alexis Sanchez was going to be tbh

[@keeganlubbe2470]

Literally had to pause the video from laughing at the opening lmao

[@gentleken7864]

You can't have an opening wihtout pointing out what a nib James Corden is. In fact, I think every youtube clip should do this...

[@sameerbernard1167]

Dat boi da notorious A.P.H with another banger

[@tdyerwestfield]

I've watched Liverpool for 18 years since I was 8. Balotelli is the worst player I've ever seen play for us.

[@PassivesAbseits]

Kind of sad, how often Borussia Dortmund could be on the list. Let's quickly go through the list: 1. Sahin to Real Madrid. 2. Götze to Bayern. 3. Dembele to Barca. 4. Pulisic to Chelsea. 5. Kagawa to Manchester United. And let's just add Ömer Toprak to Werder Bremen for the fun of it... Since he is now playing in the 2nd League for that club. It might be a bit early on Pulisic, since he is still young, but all the other players had their peak at Dortmund and never got close to the level again, after they left...

[@karlclifford1176]

Hopefully we won’t be adding Jadon Sancho to that list.

[@PassivesAbseits]

@@karlclifford1176 right... I already Kind of forgot about him...

[@janmichasolms4783]

I don‘t think we lost that big on Dembele. Sure, the part of the money that got reinvested on players like Yarmolenko was not very well spent, but the rest afaik went into training facilities , youth development and helped to finally complete financial consolidation after the near bankruptcy in 2008. It also left room for Sancho to overtake him. Pulisic was a different story altogether. In the months before Chelsea bought and loaned him back to us he seemed like stagnating with bad decision making and ineffectiveness. Both Ousmane and Christian are not particularly missed. Especially Dembeles behavior at Barca would have damaged our team much worde than it did Barcelona (with Messi there to carry the attack on his own). The biggest legacy they left is a curse and a blessing though: the greatest talents in Europe want to join Dortmund at a very young age, when no big club can promise them as much playing time as we do, then they opt to leave for the biggest clubs in the world at the first opportunity. The club is payed record fee after record fee. This business is what put us on the mal for talents like Bellingham and Haaland. Its great to have these two in the team and watch their brilliance but ever since Haalands first game, media speculation heated by Raiola etc. have created a very stressed atmopshere around the club that has taken its toll on other young players like Moukoko and led to a massive decline in identification by the fans with the team. Many will be relieved when the media circus surrounding Haaland will finally be over.

[@PassivesAbseits]

@@janmichasolms4783 Even if it expands the topic: The real problem "your Borussia" has, is: Your own academy actually sucks. Yes, I know, they win a lot of youth championships, and they let a lot of young players start in the Bundesliga. But mostly because they identify great talent like Tom Rothe and get him at the age of 17. But the players, that actually start age 15 or younger are... like Passlack, Burnic and Reimann. And yes, I am working on a post on this right now, so I just looked into this. Here is a scary stat: Bochum developed more German national squad players (Goretzka and Klostermann) than Dortmund. And Reus was sent away at the age of 16. If you are a talented teenager living in "the Ruhrpott", you should avoid going to Dortmund at all costs. Because they will buy the next insane talent for your position and worry more about his development, than yours. If Dortmund was actually able to develop real homegrown talent, that really identifies with the Club, it would really help them out. These players would stay longer, because Dortmund is more than just the next step for them. But for that, they would have to take an honest look in the mirror and ask themselves why they have to send a player like Knauf away...

[@adamhofman4933]

I literally laughed out loud when you showed Ivan and talked about how terrible it can be at the start. That’s my favourite start to one of your vids thus far!

[@paulsmithcdj]

Daniel Prodan to Rangers for £2million was a disaster, rushed medical missed an injury and he never played at all for Rangers!

[@scipioafricanus2212]

Biggest Rangers dud of all time was Franciso Sandaza. He only managed 2 goals in the 3rd division, got injured and then got his contract terminated for being an idiot.

[@larrydavid6852]

Seb Rosenthal.

[@kengbrissy3074]

To be fair, Neymar didn’t live up even at half the price

[@iangascoigne8231]

That’s unfair to Isis and Nazis comparing them with James Corden.

[@heinzdoofenshmirtz8643]

Good one Ian, good one.

[@michalwantke9670]

I would add Schweinsteiger to Man United. Bayern lost a first team player, while Mourinho never played him and his carrer basically ended at 31.

[@ethandalton6480]

Why is Neymar in the thumbnail and description, but isn't mentioned once in the video?

[@gregoriuspascalis500]

As a Milan fan, I believe nobody regret Balotelli transfer to Liverpool, even if he got back on loan a season later. The real regret is Redondo transfer.

[@ianz9916]

Willian's transfer from Chelsea to Arsenal was an unmitigated disaster. A free transfer but an enormous wage saw the return of only one goal which was a couple of weeks before his Arsenal career came to an end.

[@somakorosi1568]

Never heard of Pančev... I guess I should feel ashamed since he actually got 2nd place for the 1991 Ballon d'Or (tied with Matthäus and Savićević), what a weird year that must have been...

[@davidtaylor1630]

Not as weird as 1983 when Allan Simonson was 3rd and Gordon Strachan 4th in the Ballon D'or voting. Massive drop off after the top 2 - platini and Dalglish.

[@revolzyy]

Check his stats and watch some highlights, had he moved to United under Fergie he and Cantona would've been something out of this planet. He was a very good player, he was considered the best striker in the late 80s and early 90s

[@frankkkbard0n315]

lets face it, transfering for united has been bad for pretty much any player in the last ten years

[@KFR]

Sturridge to Perth Glory

[@wazaaap93]

A bit controversial opinion from me, but I think Emiliano Sala's transfer to Cardiff just couldn't have turned out worst than it did...

[@thelastmanonearth2631]

"It is all a bit cheery and light for the end times we're currently living through." This kind of commentary is why I'm subscribed!

[@Charliiiie]

19:40 Yesss!! we most defenitly need part 2 🙏

[@rohithraman6488]

James Corden unsubbed from HITC Sevens after watching this video

[@jawsavfc]

I literally think benteke going to liverpool was my first heartbreak, he couldve become worldclass but it just didnt workout when liverpool hit his buyout clause

[@Uzair_Of_Babylon465]

Fantastic video keep it up your doing amazing job

[@maxking6000]

Lois Diony from Dijon to St Etienne. Ste payed a club record fee from him and he ended up scoring 7 goals in 3 seasons for the club. Dijon ended up by missing his goals and going down to Ligue 2 a couple years after. Diony is now on loan at Red Star Belgrade and isn’t any better

[@shyammaharaj1172]

James Corden absolutely violated

[@economicerudite4924]

I'm confused why Neymar to PSG is in the thumbnail but doesn't even get an honourable mention in the video. Most expensive transfer of all time at 222 million Euros without even mentioning signing on fees and contract. I don't even really need to explain why it worked out badly for both Barcelona and PSG. Barcelona flunked all that money on Coutinho and Dembele, never truly replacing Neymar. PSG, meanwhile, got an injury prone player who seemed to miss almost all of PSG's major European games over the next few seasons. Neymar literally went from Ballon D'Or podium contention at Barcelona (and considered the third best player in the world by most) to being forgotten at PSG. The only winners were Liverpool and Dortmund who ended up with all that cash.

[@TheEnd-gt5sp]

Luka jovic to real and diego forlan from villarreal to united

[@Trillmxtic]

Diego Forlan left United for Villarreal then developed into one of Europe’s best strikers. U got it completely wrong

[@YepMarko]

Yugoslavia and Red Star club was never under Soviet block. But ye broking Red Star was like biggest downgrade of a any club in history I would say. from European giant to literally Farmer club in one decade.

[@DJMavis]

True that. Though possibly the semi independence of parts of the Warsaw Pact might have been a step too far in the context. Not that Alfie is ever opposed to a lengthy tangent

[@YepMarko]

@@DJMavis not even semi it was literally against warsaw pact. Tito was big anti Stalin guy. It was called "Info biro" crises after WW2 I don't min much of these miss info, thes eis football chanel nto history :) But really I''m more sad cause of sport downgrade after.

[@stepheng8779]

Loved Michael Owen at Newcastle, kept the mighty Tigers in the Prem 😂 I'll give a side swipe for Ben Arfa and Bullard 👍

[@nurrr897]

Part 2 would be nice

[@AdamMiligan]

Amazing video, as always Alfie. So glad to see Corinthians, the team that I love and support, Socrates is our greatest idol and the player the best represent our ideals. Day 1 asking for a video about Democracia Corinthiana.

[@pascallovic]

Moise Kean’s transfer to Everton could be on the list. Juventus went in decline, Everton went in decline and Moise Kean never fulfilled his potential so far.

[@Jamie-927]

Doubt he really effected either not good for him tho

[@louielouie95]

Video Request: What On Earth Is Going On At Scunthorpe United?

[@pushon10]

13:20 Hahahaha! Can't beat that British humour!

[@alexwood9075]

How about a video on bonkers January transfers. What i mean is january transfers by relegation threatened teams that were a waste of money. As a Southampton fan i can definately think the ones from that infamous 04/05 campaign that shouldn't have been sanctioned. (Note: the manager at the time was Harry Redknapp. That campaign and his subsequent exit back to the Skates within 3 months of relegation are why he will never be welcome to St Marys again.) Jamie Redknapp from Spurs. While a free he didnt exactly perform that well. Henri Camara was a loan from wolves after his loan to Celtic was terminated. 4 goals from 13 games for a striker who played in the 2002 WC doesnt exactly seem worth the wages.

[@m0str33t]

Jesus james cordon caught stray on that

[@bravosierra2447]

Part 2: 7 transfers that was terrible for everyone except the players’ agents.

[@chsm5285]

pogba

[@deepvoicegames5024]

Rodney Marsh from QPR to Man City should be in the next failed transfers

[@GreekHouseEffect]

I'd say one case that I know very well is Cisse's transfer from Panathinaikos to Lazio. Cisse was on fire for two seasons for Panathinaikos scoring 55 goals in two seasons and bossing the league around. But for various reasons including financial ones and him being attacked by Olympiacos fans and president, he left the club in 2011. Well, after this, began the collapse of Panathinaikos, who rarely were viable championship contenders after this and became completely useless in European competitions. Cisse scored 5 goals and was never prolific again and he left mid season to QPR at a loss for Lazio. Admittedly, Lazio did well that season, but I'm sure they'd rather have spent their money elsewhere

[@unstoppableExodia]

Make a part 2, ya great big galah

[@beastTime999]

Antonio griezmann to barca was like a horror movie

[@beastTime999]

@Kevin Green I agree bro the worst ever Josep bartomeu

[@paulbaynham5482]

Both Daniel Prodan and Sebastien Rosenthal to Rangers FC. Prodan was a Romanian International (when Romania were a good football team) but got injured and literally never actually kicked a ball for Rangers. Rosenthal was a £4.5m signing (lot lot of money back then) from Chile who was apparently more popular than Ivan Zamorano but again got injured and hardly kicked a ball!!

[@darkobojovic1936]

Dude, Soviet Uion don't have anything to do with North Macedonia or Serbia. Breakdown of Soviet Union and breakdown of Yugoslavia are two completely different occasions.

[@colinafobe2152]

just English ignorance

[@MikeJones-mw3yj]

Messi from Barca to PSG, Barca lost their best ever and Icon for free and now Messi has to go play in the farmer’s league and watch the champions league finals on tv every year. I am so sorry for you Leo, I hope you make it back to Barca.

[@adesperatelylonelysir7779]

And so far he has 3 goals in the Farmers League and missed a crucial pen against Real Madrid :)

[@juanrodriguezforero557]

Di Maria from Real Madrid to Manchester United. Or Hazard from Chelsea to Real Madrid

[@PK-ts8iz]

Di Maria's transfer was fine for Real Madrid

[@10mibrahim]

Leaving Barca was the end of Neymar

[@sameerbernard1167]

I miss ney at Barcelona I remember it was my dream as a Junior high lad then it came true

[@archstanton6102]

Purely motivated by money.

[@Ren_1090]

@@archstanton6102 I don’t think that’s true. I think Neymar mainly wanted to be the main man at a top European side, something that he couldn’t do given that Messi was already that at Barcelona. And whilst becoming that marquee signing for PSG definitely came with more money, the primary motivation was the former, at least in my opinion. And even if it was for money, is that something to criticize? Football might be the sport we all love, but to professional players it’s still their career as well, a career that only lasts so long.

[@archstanton6102]

@@Ren_1090 I and several other friends went to Rio in 2013 for the Brazil friendly v England. Morning after the game we were sat in a very small Cafe chatting with locals. They were watching Neymar sign for Barcelona. He had left the game night before early to catch his flight. All the locals said the same thing - "very talented but only motivated by money, not trophies." Not saying this is wrong but they were very critical of his attitude.

[@jdsoteldo]

This mf really compared benteke with the nazi party 😂😂😂😂

[@davidn8336]

Day 1 of asking: 7 transfers that seems like money laundering

[@footballinshorts2711]

Even though the Neymar transfer didn't really work out for PSG in a football point of you,it really elevated the club commercially. The fan base and following of their games has gone manifold because of the influence and star power Neymar clearly has.

[@12thMandalorian]

9:15 completely unneeded dig at David Beckham

[@caxzrockz]

can we please have a trigger warning for Corden

[@GreekHouseEffect]

Nice list, but Yugoslavia wasn't part of the Eastern Block. idk you are usually very knowledgable about this stuff so it kind of stuck out to me.

[@Unknowndew]

Well didnt expect that start to a Video

[@niksv4165]

Day 427: Ways to fix VAR with your suggestions

[@g00dbyemisterA]

Alfie, I am goingg to have to admonish you for this one. Terrible in Ivan the Terrible is not a reference to the Terrible we would think of in English, its a mistranslation and is actually supposed to be moreso "awe inspiring" or "magnificent".

[@simonedwards9630]

Fernando Uribe. Atletico Nacional made US$1m selling him to Chievo - then were ordered to pay Cortulua US$4m and given a transfer ban. Chievo got a striker who played 12 games and scored 2 goals who they then let go on a free. Uribe ended up back in Colombia and stuck in the middle of a massive dispute between two of the country's biggest rivals.

[@marketgarden1]

keane said veron never worked at united because they'd played a 442 for years and nobody wanted to change, veron wanted to float around the pitch like players do these days meaning he was always out of position, doesnt really get much more complicated than that sadly

[@yux.tn.3641]

a lot of south american or spanish footballers just don't do well in england, and yeah culture is definitely a part of the reason

[@Eibarwoman]

Language barriers are also seen as a hinderance, maybe even more so than cultural ones if examples like Iago Aspas are anything to go by. But then given how highly regarded of a league La Liga is, learning English is more a thing players either who have poor prospects of making it and considering a life post-football or the top prospects at top clubs where the Premier League could swoop in. A guy like Aspas when he was 16-17 was probably thinking, "If I stay pro given where Celta is in the ladder, I'll probably spend my whole career in Spain".

[@yux.tn.3641]

@@Eibarwoman i think if they went to play in a club in London, it might help? it is a global city compared to Liverpool or Manchester

[@Eibarwoman]

@@yux.tn.3641 Even then, it's a matter of luck of the London teams seeing said player as a system fit. Otherwise, you end up with loaning a guy out to Sevilla and then eventually selling the guy back to a Spanish side.