1) Emerson (Real Madrid to Milan) – The whole world was puzzled when Milan announced the signing of the once-great but now overweight Brazilian last summer. During his days at Roma he was world class, his decline had already began when he joined Juventus, and by the time he moved on to Real Madrid he was most certainly past it. So why should this descent not continue at Milan? Well it didn't.

2) Tiago (Lyon To Juventus) – There are two words to describe Tiago and they are – ‘no personality’. Tiago has never been a top-class midfielder, this was proved conclusively at Chelsea. The player’s sympathisers can argue all they like about the fact that Claudio Ranieri’s 4-4-2 formation doesn’t suit him, which is true to an extent. They can also point to his limited first team opportunities. The truth however is that Tiago is not up to the standard of a huge club like Juventus.

3) Alvaro Recoba (Inter to Torino) – I have always admired Recoba, ever since he single-handedly saved Venezia from relegation in the late 1990s. Such a naturally gifted player, it is a shame that the best years of his career coincided with a time when Inter were being run like a circus. Nevertheless he is nearly 32 now, and his best years have gone. His loan move to Torino just hasn’t worked out, and he has scored just one Serie A goal in 17 appearances this term.

4) Joaquin Larrivey (Huracan to Cagliari) – Was labelled as the “new Gabriel Baristuta” by some after his summer move from Huracan to Cagliari. Never has the saying “couldn’t hit a barn door” ever been so relevant. The Argentine has not scored in his 24 games, and the only thing he shares with Batistuta, other than the same nationality, is a cool hairstyle.

5) Mauro Esposito (Cagliari to Roma) – Players both departing and arriving in Cagliari last summer have not had the best of luck. David Suazo has struggled at times at Inter, while Esposito, who had formed a deadly partnership with the Honduran in Sardinia, has been a catastrophe since moving to Roma. He has made just eight Serie A appearances, and is way down the pecking order behind the likes of Mancini, Taddei and Giuly.

6) Nestor Muslera (Nacional to Lazio) - Muslera was signed as a replacement for the retiring Angelo Peruzzi after problems arose with the transfer of Juan Pablo Carrizo. Muslera was handed the goalkeeping jersey in Serie A, but he was so bad that the 44-year-old Marco Ballotta, who had already been playing professional football for four years by the time Muslera was born, was soon recalled. A horror-show in the 5-1 defeat to Milan particularly sticks in the memory.

7) Bosko Jankovic (Mallorca to Palermo) – Has improved a little lately but the Serbian has been a real disappointment. Jankovic was hailed as one of the best youngsters in Europe after some fine displays at last summer’s European Under-21 Championships in Holland. However the midfielder has scored just once in 19 Serie A games.

Sergio Almiron (Empoli to Juventus) – Another of Alessio Secco’s masterful buys for the Bianconeri. Labelled as the “new Juan Sebastian Veron”, all that he shared with the ex-Lazio star were negatives, i.e. no pace, and a bald head. Was soon shipped out to Monaco in January, and will certainly be sold permanently this summer.

9) Stephan Makinwa (Lazio to Reggina) – Reggina hoped that Makinwa would be the man to replace Rolando Bianchi, but they were very wrong. The Nigerian has made just eight Serie A appearances, four of them starts, and has scored no goals. Was once a highly rated youngster, his top-class career is now in serious danger.

10) Maniche (Atletico Madrid to Inter) – When Maniche joined Inter on-loan in January they were running away with Serie A, were still unbeaten, and were still in the Champions League. They have since (not including Coppa Italia) won six, drawn five, and lost four. They are out of the Champions League, and now hold just a four-point lead over Roma. Maniche was perhaps not a bad signing, but he was certainly a wrong signing. By this I mean that he may not be personally to blame for Inter’s problems, but for sure he was not what the club needed.

goal.com