It is astounding how often a record transfer ends up being a gargantuan flop. A Chelsea legend features in our list of six.
Every fee is taken from Transfermarkt.
Tanguy Ndombele (Tottenham)
In July 2019, Tottenham smashed their transfer record by signing Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon for £54m. The French playmaker had shone for the Ligue 1 outfit and was able to showcase his skills to English fans when they outplayed Manchester City home and away in the Champions League.
The move made sense. Ndombele had made his France debut at the age of 21 in 2018, though it’s telling that six of his seven Les Bleus’ appearances came before he joined Spurs. He was recalled by Didier Deschamps in March last year to play 82 minutes against Kazakhstan in a World Cup qualifier but that already feels like a long time ago now. He has struggled in the Premier League – often criticised for his fitness and work rate – and instantly fell out of favour under Antonio Conte after a mini-revival with Nuno Espirito Santo in charge.
The 25-year-old scored ten goals and provided nine assists in 91 games for Spurs and it is very likely that he has played his last game for the north Londoners. Conte is not a fan of him, Giovani Lo Celso or Harry Winks, with a midfield clear-out on the cards this summer. Ndombele was loaned back to Lyon in January and the French side have the option to buy him, while an ‘unknown Spanish club’ has also opened talks with the midfielder’s representatives.
It has been a disastrous signing for an awful lot of money. Not that any of us spotted it at the time.
Sebastian Haller (West Ham)
The Champions League demon that is Sebastian Haller is West Ham’s record arrival at £45m. The French striker impressed for Eintracht Frankfurt and was signed by Manuel Pellegrini, who plotted to finally bring a competent No. 9 to the London Stadium. He scored 33 times for the German club after scoring 51 in 98 for FC Utrecht. But 14 in 54 for the Hammers was a…
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