The Sun: Premiership Shockers XI
----------------------Taibi----------------------------
Roqué Junior - Kroldrup - Marcelino - Bogarde
Dia - Veron - Kleberson - Brolin
----------------Boogers - Luqué-------------------
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Massimo Taibi
(Manchester United)
The Italian keeper was brought in to fill the hole left by Old
Trafford legend Peter Schmeichel. Instead, Taibi failed miserably
and made just four appearances in a United shirt after signing from
Venezia for £4.4m.
Fans still cringe at the memory of him letting a daisy-cutter from
Matt Le Tissier slip through his legs, for which he was dubbed the
'Blind Venetian'. Now 37, he is back playing in Italy with
Torino.
Roque Junior
(Leeds)
The Brazilian World Cup winner was supposed to plug the gaps in
Leeds' leaky defence. Signed on a season-long loan, the towering
centre-half left every Yorkshireman scratching his head as to how
he could possibly fit in alongside Ronaldinho and Co.
He was eventually paid £1.2m for making just five starts as Leeds
were relegated to the Championship. Now playing for Bayer
Leverkusen, he also owns a popular kids clothes company.
Per Kroldrup
(Everton)
Sadly for Toffees fans, Kroldrup was no Great Dane. Hailed by boss
David Moyes after signing from Udinese for £5m, the centre-half
started only one game and that was a 4-0 drubbing by Aston
Villa.
Kroldrup played a total of just 147 minutes, costing Everton
£13,600 for each of them when he was sold to Fiorentina for £3m
after just six months.
Marcelino
(Newcastle)
Not a popular topic of conversation around the Bigg Market. Much
was expected from the Spanish defender when he signed from Real
Mallorca for £5.8m.
But fans were left asking whether boss Ruud Gullit had bought the
same player who was so composed against La Liga's finest strikers.
The final straw came when he refused to play for weeks because of a
broken finger.
Winston Bogarde
(Chelsea)
The Dutchman was handed a four-year £40,000-a-week deal at Chelsea.
He started disastrously and never recovered, playing just 11 times
during his contract.
Chelsea tried everything to dump Bogarde but you have to hand it to
him, he refused to walk away from his luxury life. The
ex-Barcelona, AC Milan and Ajax man ended up commuting from
Amsterdam to train with the youth team. To no-one's surprise, he
retired a rich man after leaving Stamford Bridge with no takers for
his signature.
Juan Veron
(Manchester United)
Even in the unparallel riches of today's game, it beggars belief
that Manchester United paid over £28m for Veron. The Argentina star
arrived in a blaze of glory from Lazio but the massive hype was
quickly forgotten.
Known as an elegant master on the ball, Veron could barely pass to
a team-mate 10 yards away at times. What was baffling was why Alex
Ferguson signed him in the first place when he already had Keane,
Scholes, Giggs and Beckham.
Kleberson
(Manchester United)
Another Brazilian with a World Cup winners' medal who couldn't hack
it in the Premiership. Kleberson was actually signed as a
replacement for Veron when he joined for £6m but the only thing
they had in common was their utter ineptitude.
Along with Eric Djemba-Djemba, his departure was celebrated far
more than his arrival.
Ali Dia
(Southampton)
One of the greatest tales in Premiership history. Dia was signed by
Southampton boss Graeme Souness when he was told by a George Weah
impersonator that he was his cousin and a Senegal
international.
The player was brought on as a first-half substitute against Leeds
but was so bad he was taken off later on. Souey dumped the fraud,
who was last seen playing for non-league Gateshead.
Tomas Brolin
(Leeds)
The Sweden ace was signed from Parma for £4.5m but soon became as
inflated as his transfer fee. Brolin, a hero in his homeland,
failed to bring his form for the Italians to Leeds and soon piled
on the pounds.
He was sent round Europe on loan before agreeing to a bizarre move
to Crystal Palace where he was briefly appointed player-coach.
Began selling vacuum cleaner parts after retiring from
football.
Marco Boogers
(West Ham)
The £1m arrival from Sparta Rotterdam was sent off in his second
match for the Hammers for a sickening two-footed lunge on Gary
Neville. He soon went AWOL from Upton Park and was later found in a
Dutch caravan park after suffering a breakdown.
West Ham boss Harry Redknapp later admitted he signed the Holland
striker despite only watching a video of him. Boogers later
recovered to star once again in his homeland.
Alberto Luque
(Newcastle)
Another smart signing by Graeme Souness. The Spaniard was hailed as
the latest saviour of Newcastle when he signed for a whopping £9.5m
two years ago.
But the Geordie crowd, ever impatient for trophies, quickly grew
tired of Luque's drab displays and niggling injuries. Scored just
twice during his time at St James' Park and was last spotted on
loan at PSV Eindhoven.
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