10 players who did nothing for the club they signed for

It's still unclear what Victor Valdes was doing at Manchester UnitedEvery club looks for that one player that can change their fortunes. Over the years, there have been some brilliant signings who have transformed a club's fortunes dramatically.

Great names like Eric Cantona, Dennis Bergkamp, Henrik Larsson and Didier Drogba all have produced moments of true quality over a consistent period of time helping their respective clubs win titles and reach milestones.

But of course, there are times when a signing doesn't work out and he ends up warming the bench or taking a nap! Some players come with a high reputation but underperform. Others arrive as exciting and unknown quantities but lose the 'exciting' tag after just a handful of appearances.

Here is a list of 10 players who had almost pointless stints at their clubs.

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#1 Victor Valdes - Manchester United

We start off with one of the more recent flops, Victor Valdes. Poor old Victor, as his stellar career at Barcelona was coming to an end he suffered a tear in his anterior cruciate ligament, prematurely ending his last season with the Catalans. In October that same year, Manchester United offered him a chance to play for the club and rehabilitate from his injury.

He ended up making only 2 appearances in the last year and a half, recently going out on loan to Standard Liege. During his time at Old Trafford, he let in an own goal on his debut against Arsenal and refused to play when asked to by Louis Van Gaal which led him to be placed on the transfer list.

He also didn‘t receive a squad number for the 2015/16 season. After failing to agree personal terms with Besiktas, he finally found an escape route in the 2016 January transfer window. Safe to say David De Gea’s position was never under threat

#2 Julian Faubert- Real Madrid

Real Madrid is a club every player wants to play for. Of course, there are several who could never fulfil their potential. Faubert was one who never had the potential to play for the famous white of Madrid.

So it was bizarre in the extreme when Los Blancos signed him on loan from West Ham with an option to buy him at the end of the season.

Faubert’s stint at the club was a comical one, as he missed training thinking he had a day off and was caught sleeping while on the bench at a game against Villareal.

He only made two appearances by the end of the season and Madrid made the easy decision of sending him back to West Ham.

Here is the video of Faubert sleeping:

#3 Papy Djilobodji - Chelsea

The only thing harder than pronouncing his name is to understand why Chelsea signed him. The defender arrived only in the summer of 2015 on deadline after the club's failed attempt to sign John Stones. Djilobodji has played only ONE MINUTE of football all season!

Jose Mourinho publicly stated it wasn’t his signing. He wasn’t named in the Champions League squad and was only named thrice on the team sheet in the Premier League. Papy has been given a second chance after recently signing on loan for Werder Bremen.

#4 Bebe - Manchester United

A name all United fans would want to forget. Dubbed the 'homeless footballer’ he was an unknown quantity in Portugal when Manchester United scooped him up. He went on to make seven largely forgettable appearances before being loaned out to several clubs.

United finally got him off their payroll after selling him to Benfica. Sir Alex Ferguson has moulded some of the greatest talents at Manchester United, but he couldn’t do the same with Bebe, probably because he lacked it in the first place.

Bebe recently claimed his playing style was similar to that of Cristiano Ronaldo. I think most would agree the only thing the two have in common is their nationality.

#5 Kim Kallstrom - Arsenal

The story of Kim Kallstrom’s injury is a tragic one...for Arsenal. In search of a central midfielder Arsene Wenger decide to bring in the Swedish international on loan from Spartak Moscow in January of 2014, only to realize he had a fractured back which kept him on the sidelines for most of his six-month spell.

He eventually made his debut in March in a 2-2 draw against Swansea City. He went on to feature only three more times for the Gunners.

Kallstrom wanted to continue at the club and make his move permanent but Arsene Wenger understandably decided against it. He is now retired.

#6 Iago Aspas - Liverpool

When you’re a striker, playing in the same team as Luis Suarez and a fit Daniel Sturridge you know you’ll have a lot of time for your hobbies.

That was the case for the unfortunate Iago Aspas when he signed in the summer of 2014 from Celta Vigo for a fee reported to be in the range of 7 to 9 million pounds.

In his 14 appearances for the club, he scored only one goal. That goal came in an FA Cup match against Oldham Atheltic. Although these days he seems to be in good scoring form back at his old club Celta Vigo.

#7 Antonio Cassano - Real Madrid

Cassano is a player who is associated with good technical ability and wonderful midfield play. But he came with an attitude, one which led him to have a spat with his ex-Roma teammate Francesco Totti. This led him to sign for Real Madrid in January of 2006.

Four months into his Los Blancos’ career he started gaining weight and was being fined for every gram over the accepted standard at Madrid. His next act was to insult his manager Fabio Capello.

That proved to be that last nail in the coffin as he was benched after the incident and ended up moving back to Italy with Sampdoria.

#8 Marko Marin - Chelsea

Dubbed as the German Messi, Marin arrived at Chelsea from Bremen where he had moments of brilliance mixed with periods of inconsistency.

He was bought in the hope he would go on be as good as Robben. But injuries plagued his first season at Chelsea and he spent more time on the treatment room than on the pitch.

When he did play he was a disaster. He ended being loaned out to Sevilla.He then had loan spells at Fiorentina and Anderlecht with both having the option to buy him at the end of the season.

Neither team utilised that option which has resulted in him being loaned out to Trabzonspor. As a Chelsea player, he made only six appearances in the league for the club.

#9 Keirrison - Barcelona

When a team like Barcelona have spent €14 million on a 20-year-old you expect him to stand out from the rest. Sadly the only thing that was unique about Keirrison was never donning the famous Red and Blue jersey.

He was loaned out to Benfica within a month of his transfer and had a series of loan stints at several clubs as Barcelona were working very hard to get rid of him.

They finally got him off their books in 2014 after he sealed a move back to his parent club Coritiba after his contract was terminated.

#10 Richard Wright - Manchester City

Richard Wright is not a familiar name with most Arsenal or Manchester City fans even though he has represented the former and is part of the latter.

He was initially bought by Arsenal with the idea he would become a long-term successor to David Seaman. A combination of errors and injuries meant he ended up becoming a third choice keeper for Arsenal making only 12 League appearances.

But his Manchester City story is a fascinating one mainly due to the fact he hasn’t played a single game even though he is currently in his fourth year at the club.

But apparently, he was happy being third-choice at the club. Who wouldn’t you be when you’re earning £350,000 a year and jetting around for world tours while not making a single appearance!