10 Premier League Record Signings Who Were A Waste Of Money

8. John Utaka

Signing for Portsmouth for a record-breaking fee of £7M in July of 2007, Utaka was an exciting and pacey striker who had played for many teams across the globe including stints in Egypt, France and Qatar. And initially at Portsmouth he did well, playing a pivotal part in the 2008 FA Cup final win over Cardiff City, but in the following season failed to make any sort of impact at all. Utaka and more specifically his salary caused controversy in 2010 when it emerged that he was collecting £80,000 a week wages while his club struggled to cope, finding themselves in financial turmoil that would be the beginning of the end. In a stunning change of fortune, Portsmouth went from the Premier League and FA Cup winners in 2008 to sitting in the bottom half of League Two as they do now. The Nigerian left the club in the January transfer window of 2011 having scored only ten goals in two and a half years at the club. In an ironic twist, Utaka left Portsmouth to sign for French side Montpellier and would help them to win the Ligue 1 Championship for the first time in their history.