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There have been some brilliant transfers in Premier League history.

Think Chelsea’s signing of Didier Drogba, Manchester City’s signing of Sergio Aguero, Manchester United buying Eric Cantona, Tottenham Hotspur signing Rafael van der Vaart or Liverpool snaffling away Virgil van Dijk from Southampton.

There have been some bad ones too. Fernando Torres to Chelsea didn’t work out, nor did Manchester City signing Wilfried Bony, or Manchester United buying Angel Di Maria.

But the transfers that hold a special place in everyone’s hearts are the really bizarre ones, the deals that make you scratch your head and think, “wait, what?”

Football FanCast takes a look at some of the weirdest transfers in, or out, of the Premier League.

Kim Kallstrom – Arsenal 2011 (Loan)

A Football Manager legend, a 131-cap Sweden international and a talented midfielder during his days in Ligue 1.

The only problem with Arsenal signing Kim Kallstrom on a short-term loan in January 2014, despite it being the direct antithesis of the exciting mid-season addition Arsene Wenger had alluded to as the Gunners entered the January transfer window in first place, is that he had a broken back.

Nonetheless, Wenger persevered with the deal and the Swedish playmaker, allowing him to finish his recovery in north London (seemingly at Arsenal’s rather than parent club Spartak Moscow’s expense) just in time for him to make four appearances as the campaign drew to a close. Unsurprisingly, Arsenal elected not to sign Kallstrom permanently and his arrival did not sustain their title charge, eventually ending the season in their habitual fourth place.

Roger Johnson – West Ham 2014 (Loan)

Once upon a time, Roger Johnson was gaining a reputation for himself as one of the better centre-halves outside the Premier League’s top clubs, as one of the key components of a Birmingham outfit that finished in the top half during the 2009/10 season and won the League Cup the year later.

But by the time West Ham moved for him in January 2014, Johnson’s career had plummeted, falling all the way down to League One with Wolves. The first half of the season was spent on loan at Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, after which Sam Allardyce unexpectedly swooped as he looked to jostle a relegation battle, the FA Cup and a run in the League Cup.

The criteria for signing Johnson appeared to be that firstly, he was very tall and secondly, that he wasn’t cup-tied. Come the close of January, after Johnson had started both legs of a League Cup semi-final that West Ham lost 9-0 to Manchester City, his use had already expired. The Englishman made one more start for the Hammers before returning to Molineux.

Bongani Khumalo – Tottenham Hotspur 2011

Signing an unknown, beastly defender from South Africa is the kind of move that likely would have paid off during the exceptionally attritional early years of the Premier League. In fact, Leeds cult hero Lucas Radabe provides the perfect example of such a cavalier recruitment strategy.

But in 2011, the Premier League had become a little more sophisticated – it was now arguably the hardest league in the world to walk into. Regardless, Tottenham Hotspur still saw fit to take a £1.5m punt on Bongani Khumalo from SuperSport United.

Four and a half years after his arrival, Khumalo returned to SuperSport United without a single competitive appearance to his name. The entirety of his White Hart Lane career consisted of loan spells, four in the Football League and one 22-game stint with PAOK. £1.5m well spent.

Dong Fangzhou – Manchester United 2004

Before signing for United in 2004, Dong Fangzhou had scored just two goals in 26 league appearances, both of which came in the Chinese second division.

Nonetheless, Sir Alex Ferguson felt compelled to give the forward a chance, making him the first East Asian footballer to sign for United in a £500k deal. However, due to work permit problems, the Chinese international spent his first two years with United out on loan at Royal Antwerp.

A total of 34 league goals in 71 appearances and finally a British work permit earned Dong a new contract and even a shirt number ahead of the 2008/09 season. A few weeks after being named the new No.21, however, United and Dong parted ways by mutual consent. He bizarrely ended up playing two games for Legia Warsaw a few years later, but has spent the majority of his career back in the Far East.

Steven Caulker – Liverpool 2016 (Loan)

The most recent deal to make this list, Steven Caulker is a decent centre-back who’s sadly lost his way in football after not reaching the potential shown in his youth; although that may have something to do with the fact the two sides he started regularly for, Cardiff City and QPR, spectacularly plummeted out of the top flight with the one-time England international arguably their best performer in both instances.

Clearly a widely held belief, two Premier League clubs elected to sign him on loan from the Championship during the 2015/16 season. Whilst he simply couldn’t force his way in at Southampton during the first half of the campaign, however, largely due to the presence of Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s swoop for Caulker in January soon proved to have ulterior motives.

Indeed, as Liverpool faced a 3-2 home defeat to Arsenal at Anfield, eyebrows were raised when Klopp asked Caulker to warm up and get himself ready to come on in the 87th minute. But it quickly became apparent why the German international had signed him; Caulker was Liverpool’s new emergency striker. Three substitute appearances totalling just five minutes later, all of which came in January, and Caulker didn’t feature for the Reds in the Premier League again.

Julien Faubert – Real Madrid 2009 (Loan)

Depending on how you look at it, Julien Faubert was either a full-back who couldn’t be trusted in defence or a winger who didn’t produce enough to play in midfield. Either way, his £6.1million move to West Ham didn’t prove to be the greatest bit of business from the east Londoners.

Nonetheless, during his time in the Premier League, the France international had seemingly gained a fan in Juande Ramos, who ended up taking the job at Real Madrid just a matter of months after being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur.

And another two months after that, Ramos actually snapped up Faubert midway through a very unspectacular season at West Ham, signing him on loan for the remainder of the season with a view to a permanent deal.

In six months at the Bernabeu, Faubert made two appearances, was pictured falling asleep on the bench and missed training because he thought he had the day off.

It’s as bizarre as it is funny.

Many Wolverhampton Wanderers fans have lauded the Molineux atmosphere after a post from Tim Spiers suggested that a game from the 1996/97 play-offs against Crystal Palace had the best atmosphere since the stadium was rebuilt.

This comes as the journalist for The Athletic shared a tweet from the Midlands club’s official page celebrating a fine goal from former player Mark Atkins on the 14th May of that season.

Spiers described the place as feral on that day, whilst many Wolves supporters chipped in with their own thoughts. The post also sparked a debate as to what has been the best atmosphere at WWFC’s ground, with suggestions like the FA Cup win against Newcastle United back in 2003 being thrown about.

Other games mentioned were the play-off semi-final against West Bromwich Albion in 2007 and against Manchester United in the FA Cup last campaign.

Nevertheless, these Wanderers fans lauded their stadium atmosphere, with one supporter describing it as ‘electric’ on that particular night in 1997:

Wolves fans, what is the best Molineux atmosphere you have seen? Comment below!

Wolverhampton Wanderers would be silly to pay 20 million euros (roughly £17.9 million) for Óscar Rodríguez after Mundo Deportivo (via Talking Wolves on Twitter) claimed that the Midlands club were interested in signing the Real Madrid midfield player.

As per the outlet, Rodríguez , who is currently on loan at Leganés, is also attracting interest from Schalke and Lazio, and it is rumoured that Los Blancos value the 21-year-old at 20 million euros.

That figure may not seem much of a gamble to a Premier League side, but WWFC would be silly to pay that much for a man who arguably would not fit into their team at the moment.

In Nuno Espirito Santo’s current system, it could be argued that there would be no room for an attacking midfield player such as Rodríguez to play in the pocket, as demonstrated by a graphic from their last outing in the 1-1 away at Olympiacos in the Europa League all the way back on the 12th March this year, according to Sofascore.

Indeed, the Spaniard has predominantly played in that position in this season so far, featuring in that role 15 times (via Transfermarkt), whereas Wolves tend to play two deeper central midfielders in Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho.

However, he has shown that he can play in other areas and has performed relatively well in La Liga so far, scoring seven goals and providing two assists in 26 appearances (per the website).

Nevertheless, spending £17.9 million on a player who may have to settle for a place on the bench based on Nuno’s preferred formation would be silly as the money can be used to strengthen elsewhere on the pitch in the upcoming summer transfer window, money which will be invaluable on the back of the current pandemic with clubs likely to face financial challenges.

Wanderers, would you pay that figure for Rodríguez? Comment below!

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been left fuming by a fresh transfer report emerging this week.

According to Todofichajes, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is keen on landing Atletico Madrid centre-back Stefan Savic in the summer.

It’s claimed that the La Liga side will listen to offers of around €15m (£13.6m) and the 29-year-old is high on his list of potential defensive options.

But the Spurs faithful are far from pleased with the news…

The 29-year-old has been an integral part of Diego Simeone’s sturdy defence, when fit and available, this campaign. He was part of the side that kept Champions League winners Liverpool at bay in this year’s competition.

Savic has contributed to eight clean sheets in 17 appearances across La Liga, the UCL and the Copa del Rey, via Transfermarkt.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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The 6 foot 2 defender has also averaged 5.2 clearances, 3.1 aerial duels won, 1.2 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game.

Yet, this isn’t enough to convince some sections of the Spurs faithful with many slamming him for his lack of pace.

Whilst there were also comparisons made to players past and present as well as to other reported transfer targets.

One supporter believed Eric Dier is a better player whilst another likened the Montenegro international to ex-flop Federico Fazio.

It remains to be seen if Mourinho is indeed chasing the 29-year-old centre-back this summer, but clearly the potential signing wouldn’t go down well with some fans in north London.

AND in other news, Spurs fans slam Adam Lallana transfer report…

Name: Jack Wadham

Club: Bournemouth

Date of Birth: Unkown

Position: Midfielder/Centre-back

Jack Wadham – his career so far

The now 17-year-old Jack Wadham has been at Bournemouth since he was an under-ten footballer, having joined and trained at Dumpton since an early age. Even back then, he was highlighted for his great talent and for always being among the best youth performers in the club’s lower age groups.

The Yorkshire-born youngster is currently a first-year scholar with the Cherries and can boast with appearances for Bournemouth’s U18 squad. He also played for Weymouth Cougars from the age of seven, having moved from Germany as a really young kid.

Unfortunately, there’s no data available on the youngster as of right now since he’s had limited exposure with the team at any levels but has presumably been making quite a bit of noise clawing his way up the ranks at Bournemouth and impressive the staff along the way.

Back when he was just starting out as one of the Cherries in their U11 squad, he was touted as being the most talented kid in the whole team and big things were expected from him even then. Even though he was younger than his peers at that time – being officially still a U10 player – he was still able to tango with the older kids. He continued impressing and moving up the ranks, eventually making it to the U18 squad where he is playing his football right now.

But he is still very much an academy player through and through and it remains to be seen when will the club decide he is ready for a big step-up towards the senior squad. At only 17 years of age and minimal exposure at this point, however, it could still take some time before we see him anywhere near Eddie Howe’s troops.

His talent and potential do mean he has what it takes to make it but Bournemouth have to be patient with their young and still mostly unpolished gem.

Transfer latest

Since we are talking about a first-year scholar after all, there are no transfer rumours or transfer news presently surrounding the young player. It will be interesting to see, however, how the club handles his contract.

He is yet to pen that first professional deal with the team and there’s currently no Bournemouth news indicating that might be on the table. Given his talent and the rise through their academy ranks, the Cherries may want to tie him down as soon as possible.

There was some big Bournemouth news concerning the young lad at the end of 2019, however, when he was picked in the Guardian’s 20 best Premier League talents among some of the other breakthrough gems from all the top-flight teams in England.

This could indicate that he is already out there on the media’s radar but just not quite there yet.

Player profile

Wadham could be described as a deep-lying playmaker as the midfielder likes to occupy that pivot role, just ahead of the defensive line, and contribute to the build-up by securing a safe transition of the ball from the first to the final third of the pitch.

Even though he is still quite young, Wadham is quite mature for his age, making the right decision both on and off the ball and also showing a certain dose of aggressiveness when trying to snatch it away and break the opposition’s attacks.

He is also quite fast but can’t boast with a muscular physique, which could be necessary if he is to eventually make that big step up into the Premier League where players will generally be more aggressive and physical in their approach.

Interestingly enough, he can also be deployed as a centre-back, courtesy of his strong tackling abilities and a good sense of positioning and anticipation.

At the moment, even though he still has much to go, he is working to become a well-rounded midfielder with both attacking and defensive attributes along with the ability to play equally well with both feet.

The future indeed seems bright for the 17-year-old talent, which is some Bournemouth news the fans will be happy to hear.

The rumour mill at Manchester United keeps on spinning with seemingly no end in sight. 

Man United have been pursuing Jadon Sancho for more than three years now, although recent reports suggest they are no closer to signing him.

Barcelona star Antoine Griezmann is considering a move to the Premier League, amid interest from United and Manchester City. According to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, as relayed by @ManUnitedZone_, the Frenchman wants to play in the Premier League.

After arriving at the Nou Camp last summer, the former Atletico Madrid forward has struggled for consistency this season. Griezmann, who plays as a second striker, has scored eight goals in 32 games in La Liga under Quique Setien. Furthermore, he has earned a below-par WhoScored rating of 6.9 for his performances up until now.

In comparison, the French World Cup winner bagged 15 goals in 37 appearances in his final season at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Both Manchester clubs have registered their interest in the 29-year-old, who is currently valued at £86.4m via Transfermarkt, as he could now leave Barca this summer. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made it clear that Sancho remains his top priority in the transfer window.

As it stands, it is unlikely that the Red Devils will be able to afford both players, as Ed Woodward has warned that the board’s summer spending may be restricted as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Loads of United fans blasted the “bang average” Griezmann as the news emerged, with one supporter tweeting that he is “overrated” due to his underwhelming statistics this season.

Scroll down through some of the scathing reactions so far…

United fans, should the board sign Antoine Griezmann this summer? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

Tottenham Hotspur slumped to a disappointing defeat to Sheffield United last week but they only had themselves to blame. 

The Blades took advantage of one of the worst defensive displays in recent memory as Tottenham could not contain Sander Berge, Lys Mousset and Oli McBurnie.

Spurs bounced back with a 1-0 win over Everton, although they were largely untested in a dull affair at home.

Alan Hutton insists the Lilywhites have looked “frail” at the back this season and this is one area they desperately need to improve sooner rather than later.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs star ripped into the defence after a string of “schoolboy” errors at Bramall Lane.

Hutton can’t believe Jose Mourinho hasn’t given Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld another chance as he feels the veterans are “world-class” players.

He told assistant editor Russell Edge “I think Alderweireld and Vertonghen, when they’re on top of their game, they’re a world-class partnership. It just feels something’s gone on there for them not to be playing.

“Tottenham looked frail, especially the Sheffield United game, they looked really bad. It’s obvious where they need to strengthen and that’s the backline in my opinion. It was really disappointing.

“I just think the defending in the Sheffield United game, even when I think about it now, it’s schoolboy stuff. It’s just covering, matching your runners, stopping one-twos – it’s simple, the basics of being a defender just weren’t there.

“He could have changed the full back-four against Everton, Sanchez got pulled out of the firing line.”

It is difficult to disagree with the pundit on this one, as the Lilywhites have leaked goals for fun all season so far. Spurs have conceded more goals than Arsenal, Manchester United and Premier League champions Liverpool.

Mourinho stuck with the same back four for the first three games since the Premier League restart. Although Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen watched from the sidelines as they picked up their first clean sheet in 10 games, Alderweireld was called into action on Monday night.

He replaced Davinson Sanchez in the starting lineup and immediately made a massive difference as Spurs kept another clean sheet.

However, this merely papers over the cracks, as they have still conceded four goals in the last four fixtures.

The Portuguese seemed to have settled on his first-choice pairing but now appears to have changed his mind.

Eric Dier, who was a favourite of Mauricio Pochettino, has established himself as a regular starter since football resumed last month.

Alderweireld has actually earned a higher WhoScored rating than Dier this season, although there isn’t much between them.

While Vertonghen seems to be embroiled in a power struggle with the Portuguese, Alderweireld signed a contract extension in December, keeping him at the club until 2023. He admitted Mourinho’s appointment influenced his decision to sign a new deal.

The Lilywhites have looked dodgy at the back and they will need to be at their very best if they are to stand any hope of reaching the top four.

Mourinho knows this is an area he needs to improve if Spurs are to challenge for silverware next season.

However, Daniel Levy has made it clear he will not be spending heavily in the summer, and his budget has been severely slashed.

As it stands, Mourinho will have to make do with what he has got, while also pursuing swap deals and free agents in the transfer window.

Tottenham fans, do you think Mourinho should give Alderweireld and Vertonghen another chance? Let us know down below!

Brentford came extremely close to clinching their promotion to the Premier League but alas, it wasn’t to be this year. And while ultimately very disappointing for them given they’ve had a great 2019/20 campaign, it could be very beneficial for other teams looking to swoop in and raid their highly-talented squad.

According to the latest reports from The Mirror, Crystal Palace are set to trigger Ollie Watkins’ £18m release clause and bring the forward to the Premier League. However, as we already know, Leeds United are also showing interest in the 24-year-old and we’re bound to see the two teams clash in the ongoing summer transfer window.

Marcelo Bielsa seems to be a fan of Watkins and it was already reported earlier that the Whites intend to do exactly the same and acquire the young striker, maybe also by paying the release clause. And looking at his numbers, it’s pretty easy to see why.

The 24-year-old has bagged 25 goals in the Championship and seems to be ready for the next level. Whether that’s going to be at Leeds United or Crystal Palace, we don’t know.

What we do know, however, is that the interest from both clubs seems to be real and they are bound to clash for his signature. With the Whites clinching their promotion to the Premier League, they are in need of quality reinforcements and Watkins could offer exactly that.

Watkins a bargain at £18m

Whoever ends up snatching up Watkins will definitely get a bargain striker for £18m. Nowadays, you simply can’t get quality without spending huge sums of money and for that reason, this deal would surely feel like striking gold for either of the teams.

Leeds will, however, need to make a statement now that they have secured Premier League football for 2020/21 and what better way to do that than showing up with an incredibly stacked squad?

Bielsa definitely knows what he’s doing, now it’s just about getting the deal over the line.

David Moyes has once again done his magic to pull West Ham United out of the gutters and towards safety. But he also knows perfectly well the team will need strengthening in the ongoing summer transfer window if the Hammers are to enjoy a more competitive and overall successful 2020/21 season.

According to the latest report from The Sun, West Ham are preparing a second bid for Slavia Prague’s winger, Lukas Masopust. After their initial offer that is reported to have been around £4.8m was rejected by the Czech team, the Hammers are now willing to offer £8m, which is much closer to the selling club’s evaluation.

The 27-year-old has bagged seven goals and assisted five across 37 games played last term and would indeed be a big bargain considering his output is quite good. However, as we now know, West Ham don’t exactly have a lot of money to spend.

For that reason, Moyes will likely have to sell some players first before looking to potential reinforcements on the market. Both Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko could be next on the chopping block as the Premier League outfit looks to raise funds. But if they are indeed moved on, West Ham will also need more attacking power to come in to plug those holes and help the team improve.

Masopust just might be the chosen one if Slavia accept the second attempt, which is likely seeing how they were the ones asking for that specific amount in the first place.

Verdict

There are no two ways about it, West Ham need more firepower and they will need to dip their toes into the market this summer if the team is to be ready for the 2020/21 campaign.

Moyes has somehow managed to secure Premier League football once again but there’s no guarantee this squad is good enough to do it again. Masopust, on the other hand, might bring them one step closer to that goal.

Crystal Palace had a positive season this time around and finished in 12th place, just three points off the top 10.

Roy Hodgson was unlucky to lose Aaron Wan-Bissaka before the start of the season with the young English full-back moving to Manchester United. The club reinforced their squad with experience and reliability with names such as Jordan Ayew, Gary Cahill, and James McCarthy joining the club during the summer transfer window.

The Eagles started well, and throughout the season picked up some good results with positive performances – but the Crystal Palace faithful will soon be hoping to improve on these finishes.

Hodgson and his men would have set out this season to further secure themselves as a Premier League club that won’t be going anywhere any time soon, but with a season full of ups and downs, and results that shocked many – how much can you remember about the club’s 2019/20 campaign?