Coutinho, Hazard, Torres: What's the worst transfer in recent history?

Aston Villa signed Phillipe Coutinho from Barcelona yesterday in a deal worth £17 million.

It’s a shocking turn of events when you think about it.

I mean, anyone who had pitched such a scenario unfolding when the magical Brazilian traded Liverpool for Barcelona back in 2018, would have been laughed out the house.

Nevertheless, it will undoubtedly go down as one of the worst transfers in football history.

Which got us thinking… could it even be the worst?

Well, that’s the question we’ve set out to answer as we rank football’s worst transfers ever.

10. Mario Balotelli to Liverpool – £18 million

Ah, Super Mario. What can be said about this maverick?

An exceptional talent, we saw glimpses of greatness in his spell with Manchester City. But for every brilliant thing the Italian did, there were three or four moments of madness that ruined it.

After falling out with his teammates at City, he was sold to Milan, where he somewhat got his career back on track – scoring 14 goals in the Serie A.

As a result, Brendan Rodgers decided to take a punt on the 24-year-old as he bid to find a suitable replacement for Luis Suarez.

Liverpool fans were dubious at the time, but Rodgers had a knack for getting the best out of players so there remained some hope the move could work out.

That hope, though, was short lived. Balotelli’s refusal to run, combined with his persistence in shooting from 40-yards was a cause of constant frustration for fans.

In the end, he scored just one Premier League goal for the Reds in 939 minutes of action before he was sent packing back to Milan on loan.

9. Fernando Torres to Chelsea – £52.7 million

Torres’ transfer to Chelsea was one of the most controversial pieces of business in modern football.

The