Most expensive flops in football history

Real Madrid have terminated Hazard's contract a year early. Clubs spend big in pursuit of silverware, but expensive transfers don't always guarantee success.

Many quality players have failed to live up to their transfer fees. In this article you are going to read the compiled list of the costliest mistakes in football history.

7. Alvaro Morata: Real Madrid - Chelsea (2017)

Alvaro Morata's agent is considered by many to be the best in the business. Despite struggling to score goals consistently, Morata has managed to earn moves to Europe's elite clubs for significant sums of money. In 2016-17, Morata scored 15 Primera Division goals, which convinced Chelsea to sign him from Real Madrid for £60m ($75m).

However, Morata's best-ever top-flight haul remains at 15 goals. During his 18-month stay at Stamford Bridge, Morata managed just 16 Premier League goals, which led to criticism from the press. In January 2019, he was allowed to join Atletico Madrid on loan with a view to a permanent transfer. Despite his disappointment with the press, Morata's goal return remains a disappointment given the size of the outlay.

6. Nicolas Pepe: Lille - Arsenal (2019)

Nicolas Pepe's time at Arsenal has been a mixed bag. He showed promise towards the end of the 2020-21 season, but failed to replicate that form in his final season at the Emirates, scoring only one Premier League goal.

His place in the starting line up was taken by younger, better players, leading to his departure to Nice on loan. Arsenal is unlikely to recoup the £79m they paid for him in 2019, given that his contract is set to expire in 2024.

5. Romelu Lukaku: Inter - Chelsea (2021)

Lukaku returned to Chelsea with the intention of finishing what he started, having failed to score during his previous stint. Despite finishing the 2021-22 season as the club's top scorer, he only managed to score 15 goals from 44 appearances, which was a poor return given the club's investment of £97.5m ($119m) in his services.

Lukaku's unsanctioned interview with Sky Sport Italia, in which he praised his former club Inter and criticized Thomas Tuchel's tactics, damaged his relationship with his coach and the club's supporters. As a result, his loan return to San Siro was inevitable.

4. Paul Pogba: Juventus - Man Utd (2016)

Manchester United's loss of Paul Pogba in 2012 was repeated again ten years later. Despite most fans being delighted to see him go due to his inconsistent performances, some supporters at the Premier League clash with Norwich in April 2022 went as far as to boo and shout profanities at him.

However, losing such a valuable asset for nothing still hurt, considering the world-record £89.5m United paid to re-sign him from Juventus in 2016. Despite winning one Europa League and one Carabao Cup during his six seasons at the club, Pogba's performances were often subpar, and he made several public pleas to rival clubs. Ultimately, Pogba returned to Juventus.

3. Eden Hazard: Chelsea - Real Madrid (2019)

Eden Hazard's move to Real Madrid was a transfer that took 10 years to materialize. However, his arrival was marred by his overweight physique during pre-season training. He was also plagued with injuries, which hindered his performance on the pitch. Despite managing to play a few games, he failed to impress and was a far cry from the player who shone in the Premier League for seven years.

Although he won important trophies, including the Champions League, he played a negligible role in Madrid's 2021-22 triumph, much like Gareth Bale. In fact, he never played a single minute of a Clasico, highlighting his lack of contribution. As a result, he is regarded as the worst signing in Real Madrid's history.

2. Philippe Coutinho: Liverpool - Barcelona (2018)

Liverpool made one of their most important transfers in history when they sold Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for €120m (£100m/$130m) plus €40m (£34m/$43m) in potential bonuses. However, the move turned out to be the worst in Barcelona's history as they didn't need him and Bartomeu, the then-president of the club, didn't even know if Coutinho was an attacker or a midfielder.

Despite being on Barca's books for four years, Coutinho's most significant contribution was scoring two goals against them while on loan to Bayern Munich in 2020. After years of trying to offload him, Barcelona finally let him join Aston Villa for just €20m (£17m/$21.5m) in 2022 as they tried to restore some financial order after nearly going bankrupt under Bartomeu's leadership.

1. Harry Maguire: Leicester City - Man Utd (2019)

Harry Maguire was a successful Premier League defender at Leicester, which even caught the attention of Pep Guardiola in 2019. Despite Maguire's claim that he chose United over City, the latter team deemed him not worth the world-record fee for a defender. Manchester United paid £80m ($100m) for Maguire, but his performance has been a disappointment, resulting in abuse from fans.

The decision to make him club captain has been proven ridiculous due to his numerous mistakes. It is expected that United will offload him this summer for less than half of his original fee. Despite Rafael van der Vaart's infamous comment, Maguire's performance has not been up to par.