The 30 Worst Premier League transfers ever made

Chelsea's Spanish striker Fernando Torres gestures during the pre-season football friendly match between Chelsea and Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge in London on August 12, 2014. AFP PHOTO/BEN STANSALLRESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR LIVE SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 45 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images) /

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Chelsea’s Ukrainian Striker Andriy Shevchenko, match goal scorer, eyes the ball during their Premiership match against Aston Villa at home to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge football stadium, 26 December 2007. AFP PHOTO/CARL DE SOUZA Mobile and website use of domestic English football pictures are subject to obtaining a Photographic End User Licence from Football DataCo Ltd Tel : 44 (0) 207 864 9121 or e-mail accreditations@football-dataco.com – applies to Premier and Football League matches. (Photo credit should read CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images) /

23. Andriy Shevchenko

Andriy Shevchenko is one of the finest strikers of all time. In his time at AC Milan, he demonstrated that he was one of the deadliest finishers in European soccer, while winning several personal and team accolades. This made his 2006 move to Chelsea seem like a no-brainer.

Shevchenko joined the Blues for around £30 million and his arrival must have had Chelsea fans ecstatic. But it didn’t work out. To say the least. In his time at Stamford Bridge, the former Ukraine international only managed 16 goals in 69 appearances.

Shevchenko’s failure to succeed is a hard one to understand, though. There were no reasons he should have failed in the Premier League yet he could not find his feet despite his indisputable class. There’s something about England’s top flight that can turn even the world’s best into shells of themselves.

Shevchenko returned to his boyhood club Dynamo Kiev in 2010 and enjoyed three successful seasons before retiring. He was briefly involved with the Ukraine international side in a coaching role before quitting soccer for a career in politics.

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