Revealed! The top 10 worst players in the Premier League ever

Revealed! The top 10 worst players in the Premier League ever

Babu Tendu
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:58 PM

As the Premier League progresses for the 21st century, we can recall some sensational players who eventually became the worst in the history of the Premier League. Of course, there are hundreds to choose from, but this is our slightly lighthearted look at the top 10 worst Premier League players ever.

Worst Players in the Premier League ever
Revealed! The Top 10 Worst Players in the Premier League ever. Photos by David S. Bustamante and Paul Gilham. (Modified by author).
Source: Getty Images

Unfortunately, several players should never have played in the Premier League. These are players who lacked talent, commitment and essential fitness, and who, in the end, brought disappointment to their managers, making them the worst Premier League players.

The worst Premier League players ever

According to the most recent football publications, this list contains football players who truly embarrassed their fellow teammates, and had their club fans covering their eyes in sheer shock.

Before we kick it off, we are not saying this hapless bunch cannot play football. They are not useless, rancid, pathetic excuses for professional players. Okay, maybe one or two, but often it is just a case of bad timing.

For whatever reason, these blokes did not show their best form in the Premier League. They can truly be top quality players, and it boggles our minds how they failed so badly.

10. Sebastian Squillaci

Arsene Wenger completed one of the worst transfers of all time when he signed Squillaci to his team, which qualifies him for this category. Arsenal must have suspended their belief in order to complete the $5.2 million sale.

Worst Premier League players in 2022
Sebastien Squillaci when playing for Troyes in Ligue 1. Photo: Dave Winter.
Source: Getty Images

The Frenchman did not possess any significant pace. He was neither aerially impressive nor equipped with the kind of finesse previously seen at Sevilla, that would qualify him as a natural centre back. This makes him one of the worst Premier League players of the decade.

9. Radamel Falcao

The Premier League has reached its most absurdly decadent zenith. The Colombian striker's loan term at Manchester United cost the club around $5.2 million per goal, while his tenure at Chelsea cost the club approximately $349,000 for each shot he took, which was a feat unparalleled.

Worst Premier League players this season
Radamel Falcao Garcia celebrates scoring a goal for Chelsea, during a Barclays Premier League match at Stamford Bridge in London, England. Photo by Paul Gilham.
Source: Getty Images

Radamel was and had re-established himself as one of the world's greatest forwards. However, these two errors were the most egregious, as they obscured the reality of his catastrophic knee injury, and demoted him to the level of one of the worst Premier League players in history.

8. Lukas Jutkiewicz

He played just four minutes for Everton but they yielded no goals, a foreshadowing of what was to follow. Then half a decade later, the muscular striker returned to England's top division, this time with Sean Dyche's Burnley, a team whose crude blueprint suited the English forward.

worst Premier League players of the decade
Lukas Jutkiewicz of Birmingham City during the match between Birmingham City and Derby County on September 10, 2021 in Birmingham, England. Photo by Matthew Ashton.
Source: Getty Images

His strengths were never totally obvious. The ball was never introduced into the back of the net during his 25-game season. He currently plays for Birmingham City, where he has established himself as one of the division's most lethal marksmen. With his previous statistics, he is one of the Premier League's worst signings.

7. Claude Davis

When Derby County was promoted to the Premier League in 2007, manager Billy Davis sought to strengthen their defence for the most challenging league. He therefore spent $4 million on the centre-back, Claude Davis, who had previously played under him at Preston North End.

Bad Premier League soccer players
Claude Davis of Crawley Town in action during the League 2 match between Crawley Town and Northampton Town at Broadfield Stadium on April 17, 2012 in Crawley, West Sussex. Photo by Pete Norton.
Source: Getty Images

Yet Davis proved his worth wholly in Premier League football. He played just 19 times as the Rams recorded low points totalling 11 pts, while earning himself the nickname 'Calamity Claude', making him the worst Premier League player of the decade.

6. Andrea Silenzi

In the mid-1990s, Football Italia had been captivating audiences with the skill of great European players. Still, the first Italian to play had the opposite effect.

The Top 10 Worst Players in the Premier League ever Revealed.
Andrea Silenzi of Nottingham Forest running after the ball. Photo by Steve Morton.
Source: Getty Images

Silenzi, who signed for $2.3 million from Torino in 1995, horrified Nottingham Forest supporters with his leaden touch and laid-back approach. He managed just a handful of appearances and two goals in the FA Cup, before Forest cut their losses and loaned him back to Italy, making him one of the worst EPL players of all time.

5. Harry Maguire

He at some point was the most valuable and expensive defender at the time of his signing from Leicester. After making successful wins, tackles, and shots while at Leicester City, and even winning the Premier League, he also showed class while playing for the England national team. He was signed for $90 million from Leicester City.

Worst EPL players of all time
Harry Maguire of Manchester United during a UEFA Champions League match between Atletico Madrid v Manchester United at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. Photo by David S. Bustamante.
Source: Getty Images

His class suffered as a result of his lack of adaptability and game expected from him by the squad. He has also scored several own goals for Manchester United, making him one of the highest contenders in the list of the worst Premier League players in the 2021/2022 season.

4. Ali Dia

Inevitably, the worst Premier League player of all time is Ali Dia. This story remains ridiculous no matter how many times you hear it. He was given a trial at Coventry and Bournemouth, and it didn't impress either one of them. Later, Graeme Souness, the then Southampton manager, decided to take him.

Worst Premier League players in history
Ali Dia of Southampton FC. Photo by These Football Times.
Source: Twitter

Dia started against Leeds despite an early injury to Matt Le Tissier. The Senegalese attacker ran aimlessly for 52 minutes, fooling Le Tissier into thinking he was sprinting away from the ball, before getting sent out for the second time, making him arguably the worst Premier League player in history.

3. Jozy Altidore

The stats do not appear to be appropriate for Altidore. The American striker appeared in 70 league games and only scored two goals for English football's relegated Hull and Sunderland. He was powerful, quick, and capable of holding the ball up, but it didn't seem to matter when he failed to score goals.

Worst Premier League signings
Jozy Altidore of Sunderland runs with the ball during a Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Hull City at the Stadium of Light. Photo by Mark Runnacles.
Source: Getty Images

However, everything changed when he went away from Sunderland. His record for Major League Soccer club Toronto is a phenomenal 47 goals in 88 games and counting. He still remains one of the Premier League's worst players throughout his time at Sunderland and Hull City.

2. Milton Nunez

The arrival of Honduran striker Milton Nunez at Sunderland remains a mystery. Signed by Peter Reid for $2 million on deadline day in 2000, Nunez made just one appearance for the Black Cats, and it seems Reid signed the wrong player.

The Top 10 Worst Players in the Premier League ever Revealed.
Milton Nunez of Sunderland FC. Photo by Richard Sellers.
Source: Twitter

Nunez was a striker for PAOK in Greece, alongside the (much taller) Colombian Adolfo Valencia, who, history has it, was Reid's target. Nunez has provided contradicting accounts, which he gave in an interview. Sunderland was Premier League's poorest team at the time.

1. Junior Lewis

The ungainly midfielder was selected Leicester's worst ever player by supporters, with Foxes fan James Sharpe citing his opinion saying, "incredible ability to be 6 feet 2 inches standing height, and 5 feet 8 inches when jumping.” That he was also named Stevenage’s worst-ever player in the same survey says it all.

Worst Premier League team
Junior Lewis of Gillingham in action during a Nationwide League Division 2 match against Colchester United, at Layer Road in Colchester, England. Photo by Steve Bardens.
Source: Getty Images

Lewis made 30 appearances for Leicester in three years. The latter signed him for $210,000, which made him spend a lot of money from the team, and yet he showed no results and class, making him appear on the list of the worst Premier League players of the decade.

The above-listed players have either shown no commitment or class, considering their huge transfer amounts of money and humongous salaries, which means they inevitably appear on the list of the worst Premier League players ever.

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