This series of blogs takes a look at the failed players who have failed to grace the Royal Blue shirts of Pompey in recent years and dips into that transfer window to see just who else we could have gotten for our money. Where else better to start than the miss firing French man...
John
Utaka
French
striker Utaka was brought to Pompey in a deal rumoured to be in the region of
£7 million from French top flight outfit Rennes where he had found the net 22
times in 63 games giving him a goal ratio of 1 in 2.86. In all Utaka made 90
appearances for Pompey between 2007 and his departure to Montpellier in 2011
finding the net just 10 times in total giving him a disastrous goal ratio of 1
in 9 at a cost of £700,000 per goal.
So in
the summer of 2007 what else could Manager Harry Redknapp have got for the
clubs money in the transfer market?
Gareth
Bale (Southampton to Tottenham Hotspurs) £7 million
Despite
a slow start to his Spurs career which saw him lose his place in the side to Benoît Assou-Ekotto, Bale has gone onto become
one of the best players in the English Premier League and has performances in
the Champions League have brought rumours of a potential move from Barcelona in
a deal that could be worth as much as £32 million. The original fee was set to
rise to £10 million depending on appearances and success but this was reduced
to £7 million when Spurs paid Southampton a much needed early settlement fee of
just £2 million. In total Bale has now played 113 appearances for the North
London outfit and found the net on 21 occasions giving him a goal ratio of 1 in
5.38 games.
Ironically
Bale would end up playing for Redknapp when he took charge of the North London club.
Scott
Parker (Newcastle to West Ham) £7 million
Like
Gareth Bale another signing that would have seen money better spent and also ended
up playing under Redknapp is England international Scott Parker.
The
tough tackling no nonsense midfielder was soon taken to the hearts of the Irons
fans and was voted their player of the season two seasons on the trot. In September 2010 Parker signed a new five
deal which made him the highest paid player in the clubs history.
In
February 2011 Parker was named Premier League player of the month and he also
won a recall to the England national side. That season Parker was placed on the
six strong shortlist for the PFA Player of the year award. Although he didn’t win that award he was named
the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year. In total Parker
scored ten goals in 113 appearances for West Ham before his move to Tottenham.
Martin Petrov (Atletico Madrid to Manchester City) £4.7
million
The skilled Bulgarian soon found the hearts of the City fans
with his trademark left foot which saw him find the net 9 times for the blue
half of Manchester before being transferred to Bolton Wanderers having made a
total of 59 appearances. Costing £2.3 million less than Utaka, Petrov’s nine
goal tally came at a cost of £522,222 per goal and he averaged a goal in every
6.56 games.
And the bargain bucket…
Graham Alexander (Preston North End to Burnley) £250,000
Yes costing £6,750,000 less than John Utaka Graham Alexander
helped his new Burnley side ultimately rise to win promotion to the English
Premier League playing an integral part in his side’s success winning wide
praise in the game from home fans and neutrals alike. Alexander became the
oldest player to score in the English Premier League.
Alexander made 154 appearances in total for Burnley as
either right back or defensive midfield cover but still managed to double Utaka’s
goal tally before he was sold back to PNE in 2011 before retiring from the game
for good at the end of last season.
Alexander’s goals came at a cost of just £12,500 per goal compared to
Utaka’s £700,000, he scored double amount the French striker did, cost £6,
750,000 less and his goal ratio to rub salt into the wound was 1 in 7.7 games
compared to 1 in 9.
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