In 2016, the year of Brexit, Craig David made a return, England suffered a defeat against Iceland, and Leicester City claimed the Premier League title. Several of its transfer moves were equally bizarre.
Social media users have been reminiscing about a time 10 years ago whenthe world was lighterthey were younger and less worried.
We are nothing if not shameless opportunists at Planet Football, so let’s jump on the 2016 bandwagon and recall its 11 most bizarre transfers.
11. Steven Pienaar
Sunderland had been stuck in the Premier League’s bottom tier for many years before David Moyes took charge in the summer of 2016.
His approach to the Black Cats’ ongoing poor performance was to bring in as many members of his Everton 2012 squad as possible, including theonce-brilliant Pienaar on a free.
The outcome was six victories, 24 points, and finishing at the bottom. Pienaar went back to South Africa, perhaps feeling embarrassed.
10. Emmanuel Adebayor
Adebayor sat on the Crystal Palace substitute bench during the 2016 FA Cup Final, marking the end of a six-month stint at Selhurst Park where he featured in 15 matches and scored one goal.
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9. Jack Wilshere
Roy Hodgson included Wilshere in his Euro 2016 team, even though the midfielder only came on as a substitute once for Arsenal during that season.
This reflected both the limited choices available to England and the lack of creativity exhibited by many of the nation’s leaders.
Wilshere tried to revive his career with Bournemouth, moving there on a loan deal for the entire season in August 2016, but it failed to halt his decline leading to West Ham and eventual retirement.
For those who recall hisperformance versus Barcelona in 2011, it was all quite sorrowful.
8. Seydou Doumbia
If you had only experienced football via FIFA 13, you’d think Doumbia was the top player globally.
Speed, strength, and accurate striking made the Ivorian impossible to stop near the goal, a hero in living rooms across Britain.
Thirty scoreless sub appearances during Newcastle’s 2015-16 relegation campaign implied that the game’s creators may have overdone it.
7. Alexandre Pato
Chelsea began 2016 facing the threat of relegation and were connected with a potential transfer for Jamie Vardy during the January window.
Fortunately, that romance-destroying action never took place. However, we still find it hard to believe Pato’s performance at Stamford Bridge (two appearances, one goal)wasn’t hallucinatory.
6. Renato Sanches
Sanches emerged as the standout player for Portugal’s team that won the European Championship, securing a significant €35 million transfer to Bayern Munich.
Within less than two years, Sanches found himself at Swansea, kicking the ball towards a promotional billboard. He remains just 28 years old.
5. Borja Baston
Swansea City’s investment of £15.5 million on Baston was yet another indication that 2016 was an anomaly, a sign that the world had descended into chaos.
The Swans were a well-known top-tier club a decade ago, yet this costly failure (20 games played, one goal) contributed to their relegation in 2018 and they have not made a comeback since.
4. Alvaro Negredo
Middlesbrough made a comeback to the Premier League following a seven-year gap and entered the transfer market with wild enthusiasm and unpredictable behavior.
Victor Valdes? Of course. Gaston Ramirez? Why not. Marten de Roon? It would be impolite to leave out.
The major move was attracting Negredo to the Riverside on a temporary contract, even though his 10 goals did not align with Aitor Karanka’s strategy of achieving 38 goalless draws. Middlesbrough were easily relegated.
3. Joe Cole
One of England’s greatest fantasy footballers, Cole’s calm walk towards retirement included 22 matches at Coventry during the latter part of the 2015-16 season.
Unlike the current Premier League promotion hopefuls, Coventry were competing in League One with a home crowd of 12,000.
Fortunately, both of Cole’s goals for the Sky Blues came from long-range free kicks. Talent remains constant.
2. Alvaro Arbeloa
West Ham supporters have more cause than most to long for 2016 – Bilic on the bench,Payet on the pitchand the last months at their cherished Upton Park.
A shipment of unremarkable players – Jonathan Calleri, Simone Zaza, Sofiane Feghouli – were brought in during the summer, but one name continues to raise eyebrows.
Arbeloa’s stint in East London lasted three games, sufficient to publicly indicate he should have retired rather than signed with the team.
The man who looks most like Real Madrid was made to appear as if he were playing in the Sunday League by Accrington Stanley, so the sentiment was shared.
1. Steven Caulker
When Jurgen Klopp is nearing the end of his life, about to enter an afterlife where the taps flow with Erdinger, we hope someone will ask him to clarify the Caulker deal once more.
Since defeating Southampton 5-1 (with Caulker defending), bringing him in on an emergency loan, and using him as a forward is beyond our understanding.
On the plus side, his three appearances enabled Liverpool to score one last-minute equalizer and one last-minute victory. It’s still theirs.most bizarre Premier League transfer.
TRY A QUIZ: Can you list all the athletes who were shortlisted for the 2016 Ballon d’Or prize?
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