10 expensive foreign players who flopped in the Premier League

Italy striker Mario Balotelli completed his transfer back to Serie A club AC Milan this week after an unsuccessful stint with Liverpool. The Italian, however, was not the only casualty of a foreign talent failing in the most competitive league in the world.The sheer pace, physicality and work ethic of the Barclays Premier League is enough to flatten even the best in the world and players need to adjust to these aspects as quickly as they can if they aim to be successful in England. Despite Balotelli’s stint previously in the league with Manchester City, he still found it difficult to adjust. It is a testament to the always evolving EPL that seems to inevitably become increasingly difficult to navigate for teams and players every year.It was absolutely normal that transfer records were broken on numerous occasions in the past to bring in the most sorted international players to the country. But not all those deals went according to the script.We take a look at some expensive foreign imports, which went awfully wrong in the Premier League.

#10 Gervinho

The talented Ivorian signed for Arsene Wenger's side for a fee of £10.8m in 2011 to partner prolific Dutch international Robin van Persie. Gervinho's Premier League career, however, did not get off to an ideal start as he was sent off in his very first match against Newcastle United. He started finding his feet as the season progressed, but he never reached the levels he achieved at his former club Lille.

Scoring just nine goals in forty-six appearances for the club, the Ivorian international signed for Italian side AS Roma in 2013 to reunite with former boss Rudi Garcia. Arsene Wenger suggested the reason for his sale was the lack of confidence Gervinho had in himself and believed that a new challenge would be an ideal scenario for him.

Gervinho himself lashed out of Wenger insisting he never got proper guidance under the French boss and that Le Professeur failed to interact with the players other than his playing XI.