ESPN Soccernet’s Norman Hubbard compiles a list of the top 10 worst transfers in the English Premier League this season. It betrays little suspense to cut right to the chase: Hubbard rates Chelsea’s Andriy Shevchenko the worst transfer of the 2006-2007 season. It’s true, four goals and six assists for $60 million is a terrible return. However, it should be noted that Sheva’s numbers in the three cup competitions were considerably better. In 41 starts in all competitions, the Ukrainian notched 14 goals and 10 assists. Hardly worth $60 million, but hardly worthless, either.
More surprising, perhaps, is Blues midfielder Michael Ballack at No. 2. Ballack certainly didn’t have a great season by his standards, but the German arrived at Stamford Bridge on a free transfer. His effectiveness was likely stifled by Frank Lampard, whose natural role in midfield is almost the exactly the same. The rest of Hubbard’s underachievers, in descending order are: the injury-prone Matthew Upson of West Ham, the ineffective Bernardo Corradi of Man City, the clumsy Djimi Traore of Charlton, Javier Mascherano during his loan spell at West Ham, the unscrupulous Gabriel Paletta of Liverpool, the (almost) goalless Carlton Cole of West Ham, the inconsistent Khalid Boulahrouz of Chelsea, and the $12 million sub Robert Huth of Middlesbrough.
Hubbard adds that the number of big-name under-achievers this season were to numerous to include in the list; honorable mention goes to Aston Villa’s Stilian Petrov, Newcastle’s Damien Duff, the rest of Man City’s forward line and “any of Watford’s legion of nonentities.”