Biggest Transfer Flops of All Time

With the 

 clubs are frantically searching for the missing pieces of the jigsaw to help them improve their playing squads for the remainder of this season and beyond.

But, for every Alan Shearer going to Newcastle United and cementing his status as a hero at St James' Park, there is an Eden Hazard joining 

 and not living up to expectations in the slightest. So today, it's those who have the unfortunate tag as flops which we'll focus our gaze upon and examine why that dream move just didn't work out.

Alexis Sanchez

One of the biggest fails when it comes to transfers was the move of the Chilean international attacker Alexis Sanchez from Premier League side Arsenal to Manchester United. On the face of things, it looked like a good deal; Sanchez had come off the back of seven seasons of almost constant success. He'd won six trophies at Barcelona before moving to the Premier League, and his form was red hot at the Emirates Stadium too. He was voted PFA player of the year and won the FA Cup twice with the Gunners, leading to him moving to Old Trafford. However, the weight of expectation was too much in Manchester; he managed just 32 games and a measly three goals at United before he was shipped off to Inter Milan on loan, before joining them permanently in 2020.

Fernando Torres

When the Spanish international joined Chelsea from Liverpool in 2011 for £50m ($68.1m), the Blues thought they'd not only found the world-class striker they'd desired and the perfect partner for Didier Drogba; they had dented The Red's prospects of winning the title too. Liverpool and Chelsea are two of the three favorites for the Premier League in the current 

 football markets, and their rivalry was just as intense in 2010. However, Torres didn't replicate his Anfield form at Stamford Bridge; not only did he fluff his lines in front of goal, but he also struggled with injury, limiting him to 172 appearances in four years with Chelsea before moving onto AC Milan.

Andy Carroll

The rangy forward went from academy graduate to first-team striker at St James' Park, which brought him to the attention of the England selectors, making his debut for the Three Lions in 2010 against Ghana. His powerful, aerial abilities drew many admirers, and it was Liverpool who decided to spend much of what they'd gained from selling Torres to Chelsea to sign the England international. But, in a weird twist of fate, Carroll's fortunes aligned somewhat with the man he replaced, spending more time on the treatment table than he did on the pitch. However, Liverpool did manage to recoup £15m ($20.4m) of the money they'd spent by selling him to West Ham in 2013.

Phillipe Coutinho

When Barcelona signed the Brazilian international from Liverpool for a fee reported by 

 of around £105m ($143m), they were so confident of his abilities that when their talisman and club legend Andres Iniesta announced his impending move to China in the summer of 2018, they weren't worried. However, things soon changed; without Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah beside him, Coutinho just didn't get going at the Nou Camp and was quickly cast aside, sent to Bayern Munich on loan. Despite remaining on Barca's books, Coutinho recently made another temporary move, heading back to the Premier League, 

 to Newcastle and Spurs; he joined Aston Villa, managed by his former Liverpool colleague Steven Gerrard.