Aston Villa: 10 Strangest Ever Signings

By Crip Cooke /

3. David Unsworth

Geography can€™t have been a strong point for the Aston Villa negotiators following this strange signing back in 1998. Then-West Ham defender David Unsworth was looking for a move from the Hammers in €™98 after joining from Everton a year before, with reports suggesting his family weren€™t settling well in London as they were originally from Merseyside. But that didn€™t stop Aston Villa splashing out £3M for a homesick player - who strangely agreed to move - despite the Birmingham club being 100 miles away from Liverpool. Unsworth never made an appearance for the Midlands outfit, and lasted just a month at the club that summer too, citing problems with the commute and his family€™s inability to settle in Birmingham, before negotiating a deal to sign for former side Everton. While Aston Villa lost the minimum with the deal, why they thought Birmingham would be a better commute to Liverpool than London is baffling, and Unsworth€™s quick snub left the hierarchy red-faced that summer.