5 transfers that left fans scratching their heads
The ongoing summer transfer window has been one of the most entertaining ones in recent memory, with a host of elite footballers signing for new clubs. More recently, Serie A winner Romelu Lukaku is reportedly set to return to Premier League football with his former club Chelsea.
Earlier in the transfer window, Manchester United signed two of the best in their positions - Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho. Manchester City acquired Jack Grealish for over £100 million to aid their title defence. However, the unthinkable happened in this transfer window when Lionel Messi parted ways with Barcelona, despite his willingness to stay at the club.
On that note, let's take a look at the five transfers over the years that left fans scratching their heads.
#5 Papy Djilobodji to Chelsea (2015)
Papy Djilobodji had an extremely short-lived career of just 59 seconds at Stamford Bridge, following his move from Ligue 1 side Nantes.
After Chelsea failed to land their primary defensive targets - Raphael Varane and John Stones - they went in for a panic buy in the 2015 summer transfer window. Chelsea agreed a £4million deal to bring Senegal's Papy Djilobodji to English shores, but he made just one 59-second substitute appearance against Walsall.
The transfer made very little sense, and Jose Mourinho admitted he had never heard of Djilobodji before the player arrived in London. The centre-half failed to gain his manager's trust in his six-month stay in London.
Djilobodji was loaned out to Werder Bremen in the 2016 winter transfer window before he was permanently shipped to Sunderland ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.
#4 Jonathan Woodgate to Real Madrid (2004)
Jonathan Woodgate lasted only one season in the all-white of Real Madrid, who signed him despite the player's persistent injury issues.
While he was one of the finest Premier League defenders at the time, several top clubs were put off by the Englishman's woeful injury record. Woodgate missed half of Newcastle's season preceding his £13.4 million move to the Santiago Bernabeu. He also missed the European Championship that year because of a torn thigh muscle.
Somehow, Woodgate managed to pass his Real Madrid medical, but was sidelined because of injury for the first month after his arrival in the Spanish capital. Woodgate would eventually make his debut against Athletic Bilbao in what was one of the worst debuts in Los Blancos' history.
The then-24-year-old scored an own goal 25 minutes into his first appearance, and was then sent off after getting booked twice. Woodgate redeemed himself with a goal in the Champions League, but would spend most of the season on the sidelines due to many injuries.