7. Robinho
David Howarth/EMPICS SportRobinho was signed as a statement of intent by Manchester City in 2008. The Abu Dhabi United Group had just turned City into 'the new Chelsea' with their mega-money takeover of the club and immediately sanctioned a
£33 million move for the Real Madrid forward. City's Premier League rivals were quaking in their boots over the Sky Blue's newly gained financial muscle but they needn't have fretted too much because Robinho was an enormous flop. It was one of those transfers that looked pretty impressive, written down on paper, but when put into practice just didn't work out. Despite starting his City career in promising fashion, scoring 14 league goals in his first season, Robinho soon faded away. He made just 10 appearances and didn't score a single goal in his second - and final - season at the Etihad, was loaned to Santos and eventually sold to Milan.