Aston Villa have signed their fair share of duds over the years.
In recent memory, the likes of Ross McCormack and Scott Hogan – who cost an eye-watering £24m combined – have been shockers.
From Nicklas Helenius to Jose Angel Crespo, some transfers just haven’t made any sense whatsoever.
Here, we’ve listed a dozen players that supporters might have even forgotten donned the famous claret and blue of Aston Villa.
We’ve tried to keep it as high-profile as possible, including some foreign imports that performed wonders before their time in B6.
Stefan Beinlich, 1991-1994
Big Ron signed German duo Stefan Beinlich and Matthias Breitkreutz in 1991, but it was the former who’d make a better impression.
Beinlich, a former midfielder, scored a consolation goal in a 5-1 drubbing by Newcastle United before departing in 1994.
Now 48, the ex-German international is currently academy manager at former club Hansa Rostock.
Frank McAvennie, 1992
Another Atkinson signing here – and it was a huge name at the time given McAvennie’s goal-scoring antics at West Ham and Celtic.
The Scot signed on a free in 1992 but, with Dalian and Deano striking up such a partnership, McAvennie headed back to Parkhead.
Dariusz Kubicki, 1992-1994
Now here’s an obscure footballer for you, Dariusz Kubicki, capped 46 times by Poland.
The right-back was signed from Legia Warsaw and made 25 appearances at Villa Park before making his name at Sunderland in the north-east.
Kubicki, who also played for the Wolves, is now managing Olimpia Grudziadz in Poland.
Nii Lamptey, 1994-1995
The Ghanaian was a star player for PSV at the time but opted to sign a loan deal at Villa Park instead.
Lamptey, though, failed to impress and made just one Premier League start before signing for Coventry for £150,000 a year later.
Najwan Ghrayib, 1999-2001
(Image: Sunday Mercury)
A £1m signing under then-boss John Gregory, the Israeli defender made just six appearances in two years at Villa before returning to his homeland.
Didier Agathe, 2006
Agathe was a cult-hero at Celtic and it was his former boss Martin O’Neill who came calling back in 2006.
The French full-back’s better days were behind him with Agathe managing just six substitute appearances before retiring from the game.
Phil Bardsley, 2007
A January loan signing from Manchester United at the time, a young and energetic Phil Bardsley made 13 appearances in B6.
The right-back would feature heavily for Sunderland afterwards before moving to Stoke City and, lastly, Burnley where he’s still playing today.
Habib Beye, 2009-2012
Villa paid Newcastle United just over £2.5m for their then-skipper and a lot was expected of the cultured French-born full-back.
Beye made 11 appearances in his first year and got sent off away at West Ham during a 2-1 defeat.
The Senegal international left for Doncaster Rovers in 2012.
Robert Pires, 2010-2011
Bobby Pires signed a six-month contract in November at the grand old age of 37.
The Invincible had been let go by Villarreal and had been training at Arsenal before then Villa chief Gerard Houllier signed him.
Pires made his Villa Park debut from the start against Arsenal on November 27, before being taken off at half-time.
The Frenchman would make 12 appearances in claret and blue – scoring once – before calling time on his decorated career.
Jermaine Jenas, 2011
Jenas arrived on-loan from Tottenham the same day as Alan Hutton, yet it was the Scot who’d go on to become a Holte End hero.
Once described as a teen sensation, Jenas played just three times for Villa and made just one start in the 1-0 defeat against Manchester United.
He sustained an Achilles tear, though, which would rule him out for six months and so his loan deal was abruptly cut short.
Brett Holman, 2012-2013
A free signing from AZ in Holland, big things were said about Aussie winger Brett Holman when Paul Lambert snapped him up.
What a stinker this deal turned out to be, though, with Holman struggling to live up to the hype.
(Image: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
The man from Bankstown did make 30 appearances in his one and only season at Villa Park and scored twice at QPR and then Norwich.
Holman departed for Saudi Arabia afterwards before seeing out his career at Brisbane Roar.
Jores Okore, 2013-2015
Another signing billed with a lot of potential, Danish centre-back Jores Okore was full of himself and reportedly refused to play for Villa at a time of real need.
The Dane, now 27, cost Villa £4m in 2013 before he left to play European football with FC Copenhagen three years later. He’s currently with Aalborg.
12 players you"ve probably forgotten even played for Aston Villa - Birmingham Live
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