10 Worst EPL Transfers of 2009-10

Any coach, player or owner will try and put a positive spin on their bad buys, but when they can't even get in the team, fail to live up to their price tag, don't fit into the tactical set-up or even end up lasting less than a season, it's time to admit these players are over-rated and a failure.

10. Gabriel Obertan (Manchester United) - Hailed as the next big thing to come out of France, United fans have barely had the chance to see Obertan in action with just six league games under his belt. At £3 million it's hardly the flop of the season, but after all the hype, United fans will be wondering when the young Frenchman will make an impact.

9. Stewart Downing (Aston Villa) - Constantly lauded as 'England's next big left midfielder' it's a surprise to see that Downing is now 25 and no longer a fresh-faced youngster. With Middlesbrough's demise a £12m move to Aston Villa seemed like the perfect answer - but the winger has been poor for the Villans and often lost out to James Milner and Ashley Young in the Villa midfield.

8. Nikola Kalinic (Blackburn) - Perhaps harsh to include a forward who plays for the team that struggles to score goals, but just two league goals, all season is a poor return by anyone's standard. Even Tommy Smith has scored more. The Croatian has looked neat but way too ineffective, and is a flop at the kind of cash - £6m - that Blackburn can't exactly afford to waste.

7. Kamel Ghilas (Hull) - Have you heard of Kamel Ghilas? No? Neither have most fans, but the Frenchman persuaded Hull to spend nearly £2m on him in the summer. A return of one solitary goal from 16 games is relegation form for sure. Apparently Hull was relegated.

6. Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Liverpool) - Kyrgiakos became the first ever Greek player to play for Liverpool when he completed a £2m move in August, but it's unlikely they will be heading back to southern Europe any time soon if the defender's performances are anything to go by. Clanger-prone and fan of the odd rash challenge - just ask Everton's Marouane Fellaini who still hasn't recovered from Kyrgiakos' studs in the Merseyside derby.

5. Jason Scotland (Wigan) - Roberto Martinez must have run out of first-choice targets in July, as he dipped into the Championship to sign Swansea's Jason Scotland for £2m. Wigan fans had to wait ten staggering months for the Trinidadian to net his first league goal. £2m well spent? Hardly.

4. Patrick Vieira (Manchester City) - Not the sort of signing City fans had in mind when the Abu Dhabi millions were transferred to the Eastlands coffers, the aging Frenchman was Roberto Mancini's first new face after taking over from Mark Hughes. The former Arsenal captain has looked sluggish and uninterested since arriving, and managed to get sent off in his first few games.

3. Mido (West Ham) - If you've ever wondered why Mido plays like he doesn't care, it's because he comes from a very rich family and it doesn't really matter where his next contract comes from. Indeed, he is currently playing for £1,000 a week at West Ham, making him the lowest paid Premier League footballer by some way. He made the gesture because he wanted to "prove himself" back in England, but has been awful.

2. Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City) - It is no secret that you have to pay through the nose for top class quality these days, but for £17.5m you'd expect better than four goals in 19 games. While Tevez - at an even more costly £40m - has been banging in the goals for City, Santa Cruz has looked a shadow of the striker who scored 29 in 69 for Blackburn Rovers. Like someone on their last roll at Vegas, Santa Cruz has been an expensive gamble which failed.

1. Alberto Aquilani (Liverpool) - The Italian's summer signing was supposed to soften the blow of losing Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, with a large chunk of the £30m the Reds received for the Spaniard splashed on bringing Aquilani from Roma. He is prone to injury and only started a handful of games and played mostly as an expensive substitute. He rarely shows his flash of brilliance or performance to suit the price tag even when the chances come along. Too pricey for a substitute who didn't live up to the expectation.