10 Most Expensive Newcastle Transfer Flops In History

7. Alan Smith

Starting in 30 games or more just twice in five years at Newcastle and scoring precisely zero goals, Smith must go down as one of the worst pound-for-pound signings in our history after joining for £6 million from Manchester United in 2007. It quickly became apparent that he didn't have the technical ability to succeed as a Premier League striker and was thus converted in a central midfielder, despite Sir Alex Ferguson's failed experiment at transforming him into the new Roy Keane at Old Trafford. But apart from delivering the odd crunching, mistimed tackle and lateral, five-yard pass in his attempt to carve out an image as a tough-guy midfielder Smith offered little to vindicate his fee or the reported £60,000-per-week wage that he continued to pick up in the Championship. Towards the end of his career at St James' he would often be sent out for cameo appearances in the dying embers of a game, usually picking up a booking for his troubles for unnecessarily wild challenge.