Join The Club
Short-lived transfers
One-club men are a rarity these days, but most players anticipate spending at least a season or two with their new side once they’ve signed on the dotted line.
That isn’t always the case, though. Some instantly regret their decision to join a particular club, while others are quickly shipped off as victims of buyer’s remorse. In this slideshow, we reveal the stories behind 10 short-lived transfers.
10. Clive Allen to Arsenal, 1980
Allen (left in the above picture) was 19 when Gunners boss Terry Neill spent £1.25m to sign him from QPR in the summer of 1980. He'd scored 32 goals in 49 appearances for Rangers, but after none in three pre-season outings for his new club the young striker was moved on to Crystal Palace in a swap deal with Kenny Sansom and Paul Barron.
There were suggestions that the Gunners had wanted Sansom all along, but Allen wasn't convinced. "Several different theories were put forward," he said. "There was no foundation to any of them. I mean, if Arsenal wanted Kenny, why didn't they just buy him from Palace?"
9. Kevin-Prince Boateng to Genoa, 2010
The notoriously hard-to-handle Kevin-Prince Boateng spent so little time at Genoa that he didn't even have the opportunity to fall out with anyone. The Serie A side paid Portsmouth £5m for the midfielder in August 2010, only to immediately ship him out to Milan on loan with a view to a permanent deal.
“For now he is joining the Rossoneri on loan,” explained club president Enrico Preziosi. “If Milan buy him outright then it'll mean we both saw this is a great player and Genoa will have made a healthy profit. Will he return to Genoa? He could do, but in a way I hope he doesn't."
8. Juan Agudelo to Stoke, 2013
In 2013, Stoke agreed a pre-contract deal to sign Juan Agudelo when the United States international's contract at New England Revolution expired. This all seemed fine, until Agudelo failed to secure a work permit. That should have been a bit of a warning sign, but Stoke decided to sign him anyway and send him out on loan until the forward qualified for a permit.
So Agudelo joined Eredivisie side Utrecht for the second half of the 2013/14 campaign, but the Home Office refused to budge despite his three goals in 14 games in the Netherlands. Stoke swiftly terminated the youngster's contract and he went full circle with a return to New England Revolution.
7. Stephane Guivarc'h to Newcastle, 1998
Stephane Guivarc'h shot to fame as the striker who somehow couldn't score in the France team that won the 1998 World Cup.
Those were presumably the credentials Newcastle thought would be perfect for them when they signed Guivarc'h shortly before the tournament. Perhaps the Magpies hoped the frontman’s knack for failing to score would turn the rest of the Newcastle team into Zidane, Djorkaeff and Henry.
Unfortunately, though, it didn't quite work out that way. Despite netting on debut against Liverpool, Guivarc'h made only four appearances before manager Ruud Gullit sold him to Rangers for £3.5m.
6. Steed Malbranque to Saint-Etienne, 2011
Malbranque made the decision to return to France after 10 years in English football when he signed for Saint-Etienne from Sunderland in 2011. Only a month later, though, it was reported that Malbranque had asked to be released from his contract to look after his son, who was apparently battling cancer.
Expect his son wasn't battling cancer – mainly because he didn’t have a son. "Steed does not know the origin of these stories but would like to stress that they are without merit," read a statement released on his behalf. "His immediate family are all in good health."
5. Hameur Bouazza to Sivasspor, 2009 and Omonia Nicosia, 2012
If there's one thing former Watford and Fulham midfielder Bouazza has learned (eventually) over the years, it's that southeast Europe isn’t the place for him.
Bouazza has moved to the region not once but twice, but on both occasions he was on the plane back to England quicker than the summer tourists. The Algerian joined Turkish club Sivasspor in 2009, but was released five days into his contract after deciding he didn’t like the city.
Bouazza returned to England with Blackpool and Millwall, before moving to Cyprus with Omonia Nicosia. He lasted a whole two months this time, although he didn’t play a single game for the club. "I leave Omonia Nicosia amicably with the assurance that they will not trouble me," said Bouazza. How nice of them.
4. Robert Jarni to Coventry, 1998
Three clubs who so often go together: Real Betis, Real Madrid and... er, Coventry City. In summer 1998, Jarni was faced with a dilemma. Weeks after helping Croatia to third place at the World Cup, Gordon Strachan had lured the Real Betis wing-back to Highfield Road for £2.6m when Real Madrid suddenly decided they wanted him.
"I wouldn't say it was my wife's decision," said Jarni, while intimating that it was his wife's decision to choose Madrid over Coventry. "It was a family decision – my family was against moving to England. We had small children, my daughter was in elementary school in Spain and we preferred to stay there rather than move to England. I was honest about it, and when I told Strachan, he understood."
3. Bebe to Vitoria Guimaraes, 2010
The Portuguese forward was happy enough when Europa League regulars Vitoria Guimaraes signed him on a free transfer from cash-strapped Estrela da Amadora in 2010. So he presumably couldn't believe his luck a few weeks later when, before he'd even played a game for Vitoria, Manchester United made their move... for £7.4m. Bebe must have been something special in pre-season – so much so that Vitoria had swiftly increased his previous buyout clause of €3m.
He made only seven appearances for United, spending time on loan at Besiktas, Rio Ave and Paços de Ferreira before Benfica permanently in 2014.
2. Sol Campbell to Notts County, 2009
Amid talk of a Middle Eastern takeover and ambitions to reach the Premier League, League Two outfit Notts County appointed Sven-Goran Eriksson as director of football and then lured Campbell to Meadow Lane on a five-year deal in 2009.
Despite dropping down three divisions, Campbell had a nightmare debut in a defeat by Morecambe and left Meadow Lane days later after becoming increasingly concerned that the club’s ambitions were a little optimistic. "Sven still hasn’t said sorry for getting me involved," Campbell later huffed to FFT.
1. John Obi Mikel to Man United, 2006
"I am pleased to get the chance to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world," said an 18-year-old Mikel, referring to Manchester United. "I'm looking forward to it."
The only problem was that Chelsea also believed they’d signed the Nigerian teenager from Lyn Oslo. United released pictures of the midfielder holding up their shirt, but their announcement proved premature as a legal wrangle ensued.
In the end Chelsea came to an agreement with both United and Lyn, and Mikel moved to Stamford Bridge. They paid the price, though: £12m to the Red Devils in two instalments, and £4m to Lyn.
