10 Gabriel Obertan (Manchester United) - Hailed
as the next big thing to come out of France, United fans have
barely had the chance to see Obertan in action with just six league
games under his belt. At £3 million it's hardly the flop of the
season, but after all the hype, United fans will be wondering when
the young Frenchman will make an impact.
9 Stewart Downing (Aston Villa) - Constantly lauded as
'England's next big left midfielder' it's a surprise to see that
Downing is now 25 and no longer a fresh-faced youngster. With
Middlesbrough's demise a £12m move to Aston Villa seemed like the
perfect answer - but the winger has been poor for the Villans and
often lost out to James Milner and Ashley Young in the Villa
midfield.
8 Nikola Kalinic (Blackburn) - Perhaps harsh to include a
forward who plays for the team that struggles to score goals, but
just two league nettings all season is a poor return by anyone's
standard. Even Tommy Smith has scored more. The Croatian has looked
neat but way too ineffective, and is a flop at the kind of cash -
£6m - that Blackburn can't exactly afford to waste.
7 Kamel Ghilas (Hull) - Have you heard of Kamel
Ghilas? No? Neither have most fans, but the Frenchman persuaded
Hull to spend nearly £2m on him in the summer. A return of one
solitary goal from 16 games is relegation form for sure. Apt,
seeing as Hull are careering towards the drop in some style.
6 Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Liverpool) - Kyrgiakos
became the first ever Greek player to play for Liverpool when he
completed a £2m move in August, but it's unlikely they will be
heading back to southern Europe any time soon if the defender's
performances are anything to go by. Clanger-prone and fan of the
odd rash challenge - just ask Everton's Marouane Fellaini who still
hasn't recovered from Kyrgiakos' studs in the Merseyside derby -
the James Bond baddie lookalike has, oddly, become something of a
cult hero at Anfield.
5 Jason Scotland (Wigan) - Roberto Martinez must
have run out of first-choice targets in July, as he dipped into the
Championship to sign Swansea's Jason Scotland for £2m. Wigan fans
had to wait ten staggering months for the Trinidadian to net his
first league goal. £2m well spent? Hardly.
4 Patrick Vieira (Manchester City) - Not the sort
of signing City fans had in mind when the Abu Dhabi millions were
transferred to the Eastlands coffers, the ageing Frenchman was
Roberto Mancini's first new face after taking over from Mark
Hughes. The former Arsenal captain has looked sluggish and
uninterested since arriving, and managed to get sent off in his
first few games.
3 Mido (West Ham) - If you've ever wondered why
Mido plays like he doesn't care, it's because he comes from a very
rich family and it doesn't really matter where his next contract
comes from. Indeed, he is currently playing for £1,000 a week at
West Ham, making him the lowest paid Premier League footballer by
some way. He made the gesture because he wanted to "prove himself"
back in England, but has been awful, and missed a tame penalty at
Everton recently.
2 Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City) - It is no
secret that you have to pay through the nose for top class quality
these days, but for £17.5m you'd expect better than four goals in
19 games. While Tevez - at an even more costly £40m - has been
banging in the goals for City, Santa Cruz has looked a shadow of
the striker who scored 29 in 69 for Blackburn Rovers. Like someone
on their last roll at Vegas, Santa Cruz has been an expensive
gamble which failed.
1 Alberto Aquilani (Liverpool) - The Italian's
summer signing was supposed to soften the blow of losing Xabi
Alonso to Real Madrid, with a large chunk of the £30m the Reds
received for the Spaniard splashed on bringing Aquilani from Roma.
But an ankle injury that lasted longer than a James Cameron film
delayed his debut and to date he's only played 21 games this
season, a mere eight as a starter.
