Everyone has their own definition of what a “transfer fail” is when it comes to soccer. It can take into account the price a club pays for a player, what the club achieves or doesn’t with that player, as well as how a player carries himself in the eyes of the fans, his teammates, and his manager. Some have been a success for most of their careers, but failed to live up to the hype of a big money move to a massive club. Others have had one or two great seasons for a smaller club, and never really panned out once they were fully in the spotlight. Nearing the end of the January transfer window in 2011, Chelsea came calling not once, but twice, for Liverpool front man, Fernando Torres. In the span of just a few days they had their initial bid of £40m rebuffed, but their follow up offer of £50m was enough to pry the Spaniard away from Merseyside.
Fast forward a few years later, and Torres has failed to eclipse 20 league goals with Chelsea, often looking a shadow of the player that was as lethal as any from 2007-2011. In celebration of El Nino’s 30th birthday, we took a look at a few others who’ve have failed to live up to their valuations. From Dmytro Chygrynskiy’s move to Barcelona to Andy Carroll’s record-breaking switch to Liverpool, check out the 15 Biggest Transfer Fails in Modern Soccer History.