Premier League Transfers: 15 Talented Imports Who Completely Flopped

13. Dani Osvaldo

The return of Southampton to the top flight was a good thing. The club was a fixture of the Premier League during the early years, and though the days of Matt Le Tissier and The Dell may be long gone, but it still feels like Southampton is back where it belongs. This resurgence was built on the back of the successful youth system, which in recent years has produced talent such as Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Having thrived in its first season back, the club invested in the summer with record signing of Roma forward Dani Osvaldo. Osvaldo is player of undoubted ability; he came to the Premier League as Roma€™s top goal scorer and is well respected in Italy. His high profile arrival was a signal of the progress Southampton had made and it appeared he would provide competition for newly minted England star- Rickie Lambert. Despite the anticipation and the great players around him, it didn€™t work. Rather than adding a new dimension to the team, Osvaldo stuck out like a sore thumb, appearing out of place with the skilful young Saints. He scored a few goals but it wasn€™t enough to displace Lambert. The failure of the transfer was soon confirmed; Osvaldo was already banned for three games when Southampton suspended him for two weeks, due to an undisclosed training ground incident. When this incident was revealed to be a fight with team mate José Fonte- which he had allegedly started- it was clear that his days were numbered. Osvaldo joined Juventus on loan until the end of the season, with an option for the Old Lady to buy in the summer.