Andrey Arshavin isn't the only disappointing foreign import in the Premier League...
Andrey Arshavin could finally be on his way out of Arsenal for good, with reports suggesting that Galatasaray made a £4m bid to take the Russian off the Gunners' hands. The little magician arrived at the Emirates after a sensational display at Euro 2008, but a few decent games aside, all he would leave behind in London is four years of disappointment. In 'honour' of Andrey, talkSPORT look at some of the Premier League's other most disappointing imports...
Name: Tomas Brolin
From: Parma
To: Leeds
Swedish forward Tomas Brolin left a mark on the English consciousness when he sent the Three Lions crashing out of Euro 92 with a brilliant finish. It was presumably with that fine tournament display in mind, as well as three goals in Sweden's third place finish at USA '94, that Leeds boss Howard Wilkinson was convinced to sign him for £4.5m in 1995. Billed as the perfect partner for United top-scorer Tony Yeboah, Brolin's overweight appearance suggested, at the age of just 26, his best years had gone. A measly 19 appearances over two years was blighted by spats with Wilkinson and suspicions over his diet, with the attacker eventually running down his contract, before an even less auspicious spell at Crystal Palace.
Name: Juan Sebastian Veron
From: Lazio
To: Manchester United
Juan Sebastian Veron was at the heart of the Lazio side that won Serie A and the Italian Cup in 2000, while his enormous reputation commanded an equally enormous fee. The playmaker completed a £28.1m transfer when he moved to Old Trafford in 2001, a record fee in English football at the time, as he joined a club that had just won a hat-trick of Premier League titles, but was too often falling short in Europe. Veron was figured to be the man who would help United rediscover their Champions League mojo, but while they managed a run to the semi-finals during his first season, the domestic title was surrendered to a resurgent Arsenal and injury and poor form sentenced him to become an expensive mistake for United. Veron did pick up a title winner's medal in 2003, but the writing was on the wall and Fergie jumped at the chance to cash in when Roman Abramovich started flashing his cash, with the Argentinian sold on to Chelsea for £15m, where he was equally dire. After loan spells in Italy he eventually returned to childhood club Estudiantes in Argentina and finally rediscovered his best form, further adding to the mystery of why he looked so out of sorts in the Premier League.
Name: Adrian Mutu
From: Parma
To: Chelsea
Adrian Mutu's 18 goals in the 2002/03 season for Parma turned him into an icon in his home country of Romania as well as Italy, and it was enough to impress Roman Abramovich, who forked out £15.9m to bring the striker to Stamford Bridge. After arriving with four goals in three matches, including a brace against Spurs, Mutu's goal-scoring touch burned out, ending the 2003/04 season with only ten goals in 36 appearances. The worst was yet to com,e however, as the following season the forward missed training without any explanation, prompting Jose Mourinho to ask for a drugs test which showed cocaine in his system. As a result, Mutu was banned from football for seven months and found to be in breach of his Chelsea contract and was promptly released. Chelsea and the player have since been embroiled in a lengthy legal battle, with a claim for compensation incurred by the club at the hands of Mutu. A hugely disappointing blot on the career of an extremely talented player who could have gone much further.
Name: Fernando Morientes
From: Real Madrid
To: Liverpool
Three Champions League winner's medals are only the pick of the bunch when looking at Fernando Morientes' time at Real Madrid. The Spanish striker was electric during his peak years at Real, but was eventually egded out of the starting line-up by Brazilian superstar Ronaldo. A loan spell at Monaco followed, where Morientes would get sweet revenge by knocking Real out of the Champions League with two strikes in an away goals victory, en route to the final. With that kind of pedigree it's easy to see why Liverpool had high hopes for the forward, paying €9.3m for his services in January 2005. Three league goals in the remainder of the 2004/05 season was a disappointing return for the Spaniard, and he left Liverpool having scored only 12 in total over 60 games in all competitions. His time at Anfield showed nothing of the player that both delighted and tormented the Spanish giants.
Name: Serhiy Rebrov
From: Dynamo Kyiv
To: Tottenham Hotspur
Serhiy Rebrov still holds the record for the most goals ever scored in the Ukrainian Premier League and his star partnership with Andriy Shevchenko would see both players make big money moves to pastures new. Spurs landed Rebrov for £11m in 2000, but nine goals in 29 league games in his first season was a modest return to say the least, considering his previous record. It got worse, however, as three goals in 39 games in all competitions was all he could manage the following season, figures that would ensure his Tottenham exit soon after.
Name: Andriy Shevchenko
From: AC Milan
To: Chelsea
If you thought Rebrov was underwhelming, spare a thought for Chelsea fans, who had to deal with the overwhelming let down that was Andriy Shevchenko during his time at Stamford Bridge. At Milan, Sheva lifted the Serie A title and UEFA Champions League, as well as the UEFA Super Cup, and was widely acknowledged as the deadliest finisher in the game. Chelsea - fresh from back-to-back Premier League titles - paid £30.8m in 2006 to lure the striker to Stamford Bridge, expecting him to replicate the 28 goals he had scored for the Italian side in the season prior, but he managed only 14 strikes in 51 games for the Blues that year. Injury problems soon prohibited him to bit-part appearances, and he was eventually loaned back to Milan with a record of 22 goals in 76 games in all competitions in London. He would eventually see out the rest of his career in Dynamo Kiev.
Who do you rate as the most disappointing foreign import in English football? Have your say...
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