English football has welcomed many outstanding Spanish players over the years. David Silva, Fernando Torres, Cesc Fàbregas, David de Gea, Santi Cazorla and Xabi Alonso all made a major impact in the Premier League, proving that the transition from La Liga to England can produce memorable success stories.
Not every move from Spain followed the same path, though. Some transfers were sporting failures, while others became difficult to explain even years later. This group includes established names who unexpectedly joined modest clubs, huge talents who never found their place, and deals completed under circumstances that raised plenty of questions.
Here is a ranking of the 15 strangest Spanish signings made by Premier League clubs.
15. Carlos Soler at West Ham United
Carlos Soler was almost entirely associated with Spanish football before his spell at West Ham United. Developed by Valencia, the midfielder made more than 200 appearances for the Mestalla club and also earned caps for Spain.
That was precisely why seeing him in a West Ham shirt felt unexpected. He was not an unknown player discovered in a minor league, but a genuine La Liga midfielder used to the pressure of important matches.
His time in London brought neither major disappointment nor standout moments. Soler was useful in spells, but his Premier League chapter remained quiet and easy to overlook.
14. Ansu Fati at Brighton
By the end of the 2010s, Ansu Fati was regarded as one of the most exciting talents to emerge from La Masia. His Barcelona debut and the records he set at an extremely young age had turned him into a huge name for the next generation of Spanish football.
That is why his loan move to Brighton felt almost unreal. A player once seen as the natural successor to the great stars of Camp Nou ended up at a mid-table English club, in a spell that did not deliver the expected impact.
For many supporters, Ansu Fati’s experience at Brighton remains one of the strangest stories of post-pandemic football.
13. Angeliño at Manchester City
Angeliño came through the Manchester City academy, spent time on loan at several clubs and left permanently for PSV Eindhoven in 2018. In the Netherlands, the left-back performed brilliantly and was selected in the Eredivisie Team of the Season.
Manchester City activated his buy-back clause the following summer, but his return did not go as expected. Angeliño received limited opportunities while Oleksandr Zinchenko was preferred in his position.
In January 2020, the Spaniard joined RB Leipzig, where he became one of the most highly rated full-backs in the Bundesliga. He later spoke openly about his difficult period under Pep Guardiola.
“He killed me,” Angeliño said of Pep Guardiola in an interview with The Guardian in 2021. “Confidence, for me, is everything. And when you don’t have the trust of the coach, it’s everything. I was judged on two games in pre-season, and then I didn’t get my chance for a few months.
“It’s hard to play one game every two months.”
12. Iago Aspas at Liverpool
Iago Aspas was one of Celta Vigo’s key players when Liverpool decided to sign him in 2013. The striker appeared ready for a major step after establishing himself as one of the leading figures in the Galician side.
Things went completely differently at Liverpool. Aspas did not score a league goal, while his poorly taken corner against Chelsea became one of the most talked-about moments of his short English spell.
After an underwhelming loan spell at Sevilla, the forward returned to Celta Vigo in 2016. Going back home revived his career, with Aspas once again becoming the club’s leading scorer and symbol, scoring more than 160 goals for the team he loves.
11. Diego Tristán at West Ham United
In the autumn of 2008, West Ham United urgently needed a striker. The transfer window had already closed, leaving the club with limited options. The London side chose to bring in Diego Tristán, the former Deportivo La Coruña star.
The problem was that the Spanish forward arrived at West Ham long after the best period of his career. During the early years of the new millennium, Tristán had been one of La Liga’s most dangerous goalscorers. Injuries had significantly reduced his influence by then.
Even so, he managed to score two important goals against Tony Pulis’ Stoke City. His transfer remained an emergency solution that came too late to genuinely reignite a once outstanding career.
10. Bojan Krkić at Stoke City
Stoke City tried to change its image in 2014. Tony Pulis had left, Mark Hughes had taken charge, and the club wanted to play more technical and attractive football. That was when the term “Stokelona” emerged.
Bojan Krkić was the signing that seemed to define this new direction. The former Barcelona wonderkid had been the club’s youngest scorer in La Liga and the first player born in the 1990s to score in the Champions League.
However, his spells at Roma, Milan and Ajax had not given him much continuity. There were a few encouraging moments at Stoke, but the story ended without success. The club finished 16th in the Championship table. Bojan was left out of the squad, and the “Stokelona” project faded away without the promised glory.
9. Fernando Hierro and Iván Campo at Bolton Wanderers
Fernando Hierro and Iván Campo had more than 500 Real Madrid appearances between them, along with an impressive collection of trophies. Despite that, both ended up at Bolton Wanderers, a move that seemed unbelievable at the time.
Iván Campo signed first, in 2002, and remained until 2008. He quickly became a fan favourite, so popular that supporters attended matches wearing wigs inspired by his hair.
Fernando Hierro arrived in 2004 for one season. His experience and elegant style gave Sam Allardyce’s side a clear boost in quality. Bolton finished in the top six, level on points with Liverpool, and qualified for European competition.
Looking back, it is difficult to imagine two such major Real Madrid figures playing together for Bolton. At the time, though, it became a special story for the club.
8. Gaizka Mendieta at Middlesbrough
Gaizka Mendieta had played for Valencia, Barcelona and Lazio, so his decision to join Middlesbrough surprised the football world. In 2020, the former midfielder admitted that he heard the same questions from people around him.
“I knew there was a lot of people saying, ‘Why would you go to Middlesbrough? You’ve been to Valencia, Barcelona, Rome, why go to Middlesbrough?’”
The move was not an unhappy one, though. Mendieta helped Middlesbrough win the League Cup in 2004 and played an important role in a team that attracted plenty of attention during that era.
7. Víctor Valdés at Manchester United and Middlesbrough
Víctor Valdés left Barcelona after a decade as the first-choice goalkeeper for one of the greatest teams in football history. In 2014, he joined Manchester United at a time when David de Gea was heavily linked with Real Madrid.
The plan did not work. Valdés played very little, became involved in a public dispute with Louis van Gaal and left for Standard Liège in January 2016. David de Gea remained the undisputed number one at Old Trafford.
Just a few months later, Valdés returned to England with Middlesbrough. He made 28 appearances, but Aitor Karanka’s team was relegated. For a goalkeeper with Champions League, World Cup and European Championship honours, his spell in England fell far short of expectations.
6. Antonio Núñez and Josemi at Liverpool
Antonio Núñez and Josemi arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 2004. Núñez had been included in the deal that took Michael Owen to Real Madrid, while Josemi joined from Málaga.
Neither became an important player for Liverpool. However, both were part of the squad that won the Champions League in 2005, meaning they each have one more winners’ medal than the legendary Gianluigi Buffon.
5. Roberto at West Ham United
Roberto’s career suggested he would be a reliable signing when he joined West Ham in 2019. The goalkeeper had previously played for Atlético Madrid, Espanyol, Benfica and Olympiacos, and Manuel Pellegrini believed he could be a good option for the London club.
Reality was harsh. Roberto made several obvious mistakes and West Ham acted quickly. The goalkeeper was sent to Alavés at the earliest opportunity after one of the most unfortunate spells by a West Ham goalkeeper.
4. Marcelino Elena at Newcastle United
Newcastle United paid £5.8 million for Marcelino Elena in 1999. For a defender, that was a major fee at the end of the 1990s, so supporters expected a lot.
The Spaniard failed to establish himself. During four years at Newcastle, Marcelino made just 22 appearances, with injuries becoming the main theme of his time in England.
A report published by The Guardian in 2005 perfectly summed up the situation. “[Marcelino] was generally injured, with scans on the affected areas occasionally declared to be inconclusive. A finger problem kept him out for months, although there was no shortage by then of fans who would happily have given him two fingers.”
Marcelino has remained in touch with Newcastle and occasionally returns to the city. He is friends with Derek Wright, the club’s former head physio.
3. Iago Falqué at Tottenham Hotspur
By the age of 20, Iago Falqué had already been associated with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Villarreal and Juventus. Tottenham Hotspur paid around £1 million for him in 2011, during Harry Redknapp’s time in charge.
The Spaniard made only one Premier League appearance for Spurs. He was loaned to Southampton, where he played once, and he never appeared on an English football pitch again.
Falqué rediscovered his form in Italy, where he enjoyed better years. In 2018, he spoke honestly about his decision to join Tottenham.
“Maybe the move to Tottenham, it was not a wise decision on my part. It was the only step back I made in my career.
“In the end, bad experiences also help you to grow, to mature. It was the momentum in my career that made me sign and the competition was very hard.
“Now my priorities are more about the sport rather than the financial side. Money comes later, after games, goals and good performances.”
2. Raúl Bravo at Leeds United
Raúl Bravo spent only six months at Leeds United on loan from Real Madrid in 2006. His time on the pitch was not memorable, but his name later returned to the headlines for far more serious reasons.
In 2019, the former defender was arrested in a case involving corruption and money laundering linked to match-fixing. A year later, a Serbian newspaper reported that he had allegedly hired a professional hitman to kill former Olympiacos teammate Darko Kovačević.
Raúl Bravo denied the allegation. His post-football story, though, made his loan spell at Leeds look like just the first chapter of an extremely unusual path.
1. Xisco at Newcastle United
Xisco’s transfer to Newcastle United became a symbol of the chaos at the club in 2008. Kevin Keegan had returned as manager and hoped to build a squad capable of challenging higher up the table.
The coach wanted players such as Luka Modrić and Bastian Schweinsteiger. On deadline day, Newcastle signed Xisco and Nacho González instead. The latter arrived on loan, but Xisco cost around £6 million.
Keegan claimed that he had not asked for either player and had not even seen them play. Dennis Wise reportedly suggested that he should look them up on YouTube, an episode that became famous for illustrating the split between the manager and the club hierarchy.
Keegan left, Joe Kinnear took over, and Xisco and Nacho González made just seven Premier League appearances between them, four of them as substitutes. Newcastle went through one of the darkest periods in its recent history, amid internal conflict and a financial crisis that also affected shirt sponsor Northern Rock.
It was later suggested that Xisco’s transfer had been completed more as a favour to an agent. It was not the Spanish forward’s fault, but it remains one of the strangest transfers ever seen at Newcastle.
In 2020, Xisco and Nacho González crossed paths again in Uruguay. Xisco was playing for Peñarol, while Nacho represented Montevideo Wanderers. They probably had plenty of memories from that turbulent period at Newcastle.
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