The 14 Aston Villa transfer flops that failed to make the grade at Villa Park

Aston Villa have had their fair share of bad signings over the years.

Not necessarily bad players, just players that haven't worked for whatever reason.

Looking back over the years here’s a few who failed to make the breakthrough after joining the club:

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Ivo Stas

You might not remember him because he never actually kicked a ball. Signed from Czech side Banik Ostrava for £750k in 1990, the stopper picked up an injury in his first training session and never featured again.

Tony Cascarino

Became the club’s record signing at £1.1 million in early 1990 but never hit it off. Cascarino scored 11 goals in 46 appearances and moved to Celtic a year later.

Bosko Balaban

One of Villa’s biggest-ever flops. He cost the club nearly £6million in 2001 but managed just two starts and seven substitute appearances during a two-and-a-half year spell. There were no tears shed when he finally departed.

Sasa Curcic

How can such a talented player forget how to play football after completing a £4m move from Bolton to Villa in 1996? Ask this man because that’s exactly what happened. The madcap Yugoslav was quickly moved onto Crystal Palace.

Giles De Bilde

This former loanee was more interested in his dogs than Aston Villa as Paul Jewell recalled. After he had demanded a move to the Premier League from Sheffield Wednesday, Jewell said: “I fixed him up with three months on loan at Aston Villa. But when I called him in to tell him, he said: ‘I’ve got a problem. I’ve got nobody to look after my dogs if I go there’. I said, ‘Give us your house keys, I’ll feed the bloody dogs’. That was the sort of thing I was up against.” It made no difference as he failed to make an impact in the Midlands.

Eric Djemba Djemba

In truth, signing Djemba-Djemba was bad management. The world had already been warned that he was useless during his disappointing time at Manchester United. Why on earth did Villa bother wasting £1.5m on his services?

David Unsworth

In the mid 1990s the defender was one of the most promising stoppers around. Reliable at the back, solid and dependable. He left West Ham for Villa for £3m, hoping to make a fresh start at a bigger club. Unfortunately his family hated Birmingham and less than a month into his Villa career he signed for Everton.

Habib Beye

Three seasons at the club earning £40k-a-week and Beye made just nine appearances. Waste and space, time and money. Enough said.

Charles N’Zogbia

We’ve saved the biggest flop until last. This wasteful Frenchman promised so much but offered so little. In five years at Villa, he earned around £17m in wages and chipped in with just four goals. He even refused to accept a pay-off in the final months of his contract as he was happy to sit on his £66k-a-week wages. Good riddance.

AND LET’S NOT FORGET

Curtis Davies

Seen as one of England’s brightest young talents, the £9m signing would go on to describe himself a ‘pub player’ after one disappointing display for Villa.

Stephen Ireland

A makeshift in the James Milner to Manchester City deal. More remembered for his pink cars than his on-field display.

Jean Makoun

Remember that bright jumper he wore when he arrived? That’s as good as it got.

Robert Pires

Arrived at Villa about five years too late and made just 12 appearance.

Aleksandar Tonev

The £2m flop from Lech Poznan was tasked with finally replacing Ashley Young. He liked to shoot and miss the target.