10 Most ‘Frustrating’ Players in Premier League History [Ranked]

There are certain players in football that fans will look at and think, “Why can’t you perform like that every week?”. These are the talents who are virtually unstoppable in some games, but in others, they look like they’ve been replaced by their far less talented identical twin.

To play at the highest level, every footballer will undoubtedly be blessed with a level of skill that has gotten them to the top. That isn’t all that makes for a successful player, though, as consistency and hard work also play a factor. There are some players who simply struggle to find that level of dependability, and these ten names stand out as being the most head-scratching stars in Premier League history. If they had stayed at the heights they showed glimpses of, they could have been among the best players in the world.

10 Granit Xhaka

Premier League clubs: Arsenal

It is clear, based on his role as one of Bayer Leverkusen’s most important players during their 2023/24 unbeaten season, that Granit Xhaka has undeniable talent. Some of his inconsistencies at Arsenal aren’t just down to him; hindsight has told us that perhaps the Swiss international was being wrongly utilised at times, as he wasn’t allowed to impact things in the final third as much as he’s been afforded in Germany.

The main issue with Xhaka that made him so frustrating was his temperament. Too often, the midfielder found himself in trouble for silly incidents that were easily avoidable. Then there was the temper tantrum he threw while being substituted at the Emirates in 2019 against Crystal Palace. He encouraged fans to boo him as he sauntered off the pitch, and then threw his shirt away as he walked straight down the tunnel. This was his nadir in North London, but it was also symptomatic of a turbulent spell with the Gunners.

9 Tanguy Ndombele

Premier League clubs: Tottenham

Tanguy Ndombele is not the only French central midfielder to appear on this list, but for Tottenham fans, he’s the one they will view with the most frustration. Everything about the man who signed from Lyon looked like he was made for the Premier League and Spurs showed immense faith in him by investing £63 million—a club-record fee—to secure his services.

Despite having all the physical attributes and technical skills to succeed in English football, Ndombele was never able to live up to the hype his debut goal promised. His work rate came under criticism from multiple managers, which ultimately led to his return to French football, where he now plays for OGC Nice.

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8 Wilfried Zaha

Premier League clubs: Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Cardiff City

Big fish in a small pond is one way to describe Wilfried Zaha’s Premier League career. The winger was spotlighted early on as a player with immense potential, becoming Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signing at Manchester United. However, when David Moyes took over, things didn’t work out for the Ivorian, which can happen to young players at such massive clubs. Zaha returned to Crystal Palace, where he settled and rebuilt his career.

While Zaha was consistently one of the Eagles’ best players, his lack of consistent end product, tendency to dive in certain areas of the pitch, constant bickering with officials and opponents, and frequent flirtations with top-tier clubs without ever actually leaving Selhurst Park made him a source of frustration for some fans. Despite his natural ability, there was a sense that Zaha carried himself in a way that didn’t quite match his true level. Did staying at Palace stop him from reaching his full potential, or did his talismanic status in an otherwise underwhelming team spare him from scrutiny?

7 Mesut Ozil

Premier League clubs: Arsenal

After years of hovering around fourth place following their move from Highbury to the Emirates, the arrival of Mesut Ozil at Arsenal felt like a statement of intent that the Gunners were ready to climb back up the Premier League table. And what better way to do so than by bringing in a World Cup winner who had previously been one of Real Madrid’s biggest stars?

While the German’s vision was often breathtaking, it only appeared sporadically. Some of his former teammates, like Theo Walcott, even suggested that when the going got tough, players like Ozil would rather not be on the pitch, and that Arsenal might have been better off without them altogether. For such comments to be made about a player of this magnitude speaks volumes about how much Ozil’s mindset could dictate his performances.

Every moment of individual brilliance was mirrored by an anonymous appearance, and ultimately Ozil’s world-class creativity was cancelled out by his inability to contribute in other aspects of the game.

6 Adel Taarabt

Premier League clubs: QPR

Looking at Adel Taarabt’s career on paper, you might be led to believe he enjoyed a successful time in the Premier League since he went on to play for AC Milan and Benfica after his stint in English football. And while his highs were incredible, they were too few and far between, and mixed with some pretty shocking lows.

Taarabt became a star at QPR under Neil Warnock, who recognised the Moroccan’s incredible talent and allowed him to be a free spirit on the pitch – even fining any player who passed him the ball inside their own half. However, Taarabt’s lack of professionalism kept him from reaching true greatness. He once reportedly made up a story about his best friend being shot just to skip training, in an indication of his mentality. Instead, the playmaker falls into the ‘streets will never forget’ category for the mesmerising moments he did occasionally deliver.

Taarabt is remembered fondly for his moments of genius, but he could have been so much more.

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5 Anthony Martial

Premier League clubs: Manchester United

There was a clause in the deal that saw Anthony Martial join Manchester United from Monaco which stated that the Red Devils would have to pay an extra installment should the French wonderkid go on to win the Ballon d’Or. That’s how highly he was thought of when he arrived at Old Trafford in 2015.

While the Stretford End would sing that his arrival was not ‘£50 million down the drain,’ even they couldn’t help but be perplexed as to what version of Martial they would get on a game-by-game basis. In some fixtures, the striker would look deadly; in others, he seemed completely disinterested. Over his near decade-long Manchester United career, he had, at best, two full seasons of consistent form, with the rest being completely hit or completely miss.

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4 Craig Bellamy

Premier League clubs: Coventry City, Newcastle, Blackburn, Liverpool, West Ham, Manchester City, Cardiff City

In terms of what he could do on the pitch, Craig Bellamy was truly one of Wales’ greatest ever wingers. A rip-roaring forward with pace to burn and a direct nature that could frighten any defence, the now national team boss was someone who had the world at his feet. However, his issues off the pitch are what made him so infuriating.

Whether it was falling out with managers, threatening to break a teammate’s legs with a golf club, or other disciplinary issues, when the red mist came, it completely overshadowed everything Bellamy could do on the pitch. After retirement, he admitted that he had gone bankrupt as his personal demons continued to cast a dark cloud over him. Perhaps without these, things could’ve turned out differently.

3 Mario Balotelli

Premier League clubs: Manchester City, Liverpool

“Why always me?” Mario Balotelli would ask. There’s a good probability fans were asking the same thing. Very few players were so drawn to controversy in their careers, but for the Italian, it seemed to stick to him like a magnet.

All this did was distract the player from producing his best on the pitch, despite being an incredible talent when in top form. A Champions League winner as a teenager, his incredible Euro 2012 displays showed exactly what he was capable of when he was in the right headspace. However, for every positive, there seemed to be another three negatives that would come his way by the time both Manchester City and Liverpool were ready to wash their hands of him.

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2 Hatem Ben Arfa

Premier League clubs: Newcastle United

Scorer of one of the greatest individual goals in Premier League history, Hatem Ben Arfa’s magical run – where he picked the ball up inside his own half, broke a defender’s ankles with an outrageous first-time Ronaldo chop, and then remained calm once in shooting distance – is the epitome of what the Frenchman could do.

For all that talent, though, Ben Arfa could never find the consistency to reach the heights that someone of his ability could have achieved. The fact he was only capped 15 times for his country is a sad story, as he quite easily could’ve been a key player for Didier Deschamps’ World Cup-winning side had he kept his head screwed on. Ben Afra struggled for consistency and fitness and after the bizarre end to a Hull City loan spell in which Steve Bruce openly admitted he had no idea where the winger was, he disappeared into French football.

1 Paul Pogba

Premier League clubs: Manchester United

How did it go so wrong for Paul Pogba at Old Trafford? When it was announced that the world-beating midfielder would be making his triumphant return to Manchester United in 2016, many rivals feared that the Red Devils were well on their way to returning to the very top of not just English football, but world football. Pogba had transformed himself into an unmissable talent at Juventus, who could play in a variety of midfield roles and do just about anything on a football pitch.

Yet, back in England, it never clicked. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it; his form when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer first took over proved that he could. But whether it was injuries, bust-ups with managers, or demands to leave the club, the man who should’ve become United’s next big hero turned into a villain that fans became sick of pandering to. In the end, he became the epitome of everything wrong with United in the post-Ferguson era, and eventually left (for a second time) on a free transfer.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt – accurate as of 03/11/2024