Joe Cole for Modric, Aquilani for Alonso, Squillaci for Gallas: it’s football’s rubbish replacements

The transfer rumour mill has taken a sharp turn and, unfortunately for Spurs fans, they could be on the blunt end as Joe Cole has been linked to White Hart Lane as a replacement should Luka Modric somehow force a transfer to Chelsea. 

Even the prospect of Modric being replaced by the injury-prone, erratic Cole would be enough to send shudders down the spine of most Tottenham supporters, but there is plenty of precedent for clubs recruiting less than reputable replacements when a star player is sold…

Alberto Aquilani TO REPLACE XABI ALONSO

When Liverpool's midfield master Xabi Alonso moved to Real Madrid for £30m in 2009, fans were initially relieved to see Rafa Benitez act fast to replace him. Just two days after Alonso bid farewell, Alberto Aquilani was signed. The Italian, bought for £20m from Roma, was greeted by Benitez with these words: "Alberto has a winning mentality and great experience in both Serie A and the Champions League." But Aquilani was struggling with injury when he arrived and didn't make his debut until October, struggling to find any form in a Liverpool team clearly on the slide and was sent on a season-long loan with Juventus. Liverpool tried to come to an agreement to sell their unwanted midfielder, but the Turin side turned their noses up at a £14m price tag. With Charlie Adam joining an already packed Anfield midfield roster, it's difficult to see how Aquilani can turn round his Liverpool career and rumours persist that the club are keen to use him in transfer deals for much-needed wide men, including Tottenham's Aaron Lennon.

MASSIMO TAIBI TO REPLACE PETER SCHMEICHEL

After eight years every major trophy in the game, Manchester United's greatest goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel bowed out of Old Trafford, leaving a great Dane-sized gap to be filled in the starting line up. Fergie's initial replacement for Schmeichel was Aussie 'keeper Mark Bosnich, but he was far from convincing and so Sir Alex swooped for Italian Massimo Taibi. After a string of relatively unsuccessful stints at clubs across Italy, Taibi had enjoyed a great year with Venice club Venezia, prompting the United boss to sign him for £4.5million. On his debut he let in an absolute howler at home to Man United, fumbling like someone had turned the light switch off, and things went from bad to worse. Taibbi made just three further appearances for the club and his final match was a 5-0 defeat to Chelsea. Something tells us that, while David De Gea may not instantly prove to be as commanding as Edwin van der Sar, he will do a lot better than old Massimo.

ERIC DJEMBA DJEMBA TO REPLACE ROY KEANE

Fergie doesn't make too many transfer errors, which is probably why when he makes a mistake everyone remembers it. Cameroon defensive midfielder Eric Djemba Djemba was bought in July 2003 for £3.5m and hailed as a future replacement for the ageing Roy Keane. The man so bad they named him twice was an instant flop on the pitch, while off it he was spiralling in to debt, after buying ten 4x4s and shipping tonnes of furniture back to Africa. Djemba Djemba was sold to Aston Villa in January 2005 for £1.5m where he didn't fare any better, followed by loan spells at Burnley and a stint in Qatar – he is now playing at Danish club Odense and reportedly still paying off his tax debt in the UK. Ferguson, meanwhile, tried to replace Keane with Celtic's Liam Miller, before eventually finding success with Michael Carrick.

SEBASTIEN SQUILLACI AND Laurent Koscielny TO REPLACE William Gallas, SOL CAMPBELL, MIKAEL SILVESTRE AND PHILLIPE SENDEROS

Last summer Arsene Wenger shipped out an entire back four of ageing defenders. Gallas, Campbell, Silvestre and Phillipe Senderos – who between them had 45 years' worth of Premier League experience under their belts – were replaced by two relatively unknown Frenchmen. Koscielny, a 24-year-old from Lorient who cost £9million, had a mixed season; a solid performance against Barcelona in the Champions League was overshadowed by a shocker in the League Cup final where he was at fault for Birmingham's comical winning goal. Squillaci, a more experienced French International, joined from Sevilla, but proved even less reliable as he looked utterly out of his depth, while Gallas had a much more impressive season at Spurs. It's saying something when the fading Campbell, Silvestre and co. would probably have been just as good, if not better than their replacements, bringing some much needed experience to Arsenal's dodgy back-line.

Michael Owen TO REPLACE CARLOS TEVEZ

After his two years with Manchester United, formidable Argentine striker Carlos Tevez moved to rivals Manchester City. Tevez scored 34 goals and won a Champions League title with United, but in 2009 the Red Devils lost him to their noisy neighbours, who have reaped the benefits as he led the club to FA Cup glory and a Champions League place. Meanwhile, United drafted in the injury-plagued Michael Owen from Newcastle, beating off competition from Hull City for his not particularly sought-after signature. While Tevez has banged in 52 goals for City, Owen has only managed 14 goals, mostly in the League Cup and three in a Champions League group game after United had already qualified. His best moment in a red shirt came when he scored a dramatic late winner against City in 2009/10, but United relinquished their Premier League title that season without Tevez and crashed out of the Champions League in the quarters, but the signing of Javier Hernandez last summer and Wayne Rooney's good form helped them regain the championship last season.

SHEFKI KUQI TO REPLACE Andy Carroll

The shock transfer of St James' Park's star number nine Andy Carroll to Liverpool on the final day of the January 2011 transfer window left Newcastle manager Alan Pardew in a difficult situation. With little time to identify and sign reinforcements, Pardew was forced to look at the released players bargain bin. Still, when Pardew moved to replace £35m England striker Carroll with 34-year-old Finnish striker Shefki Kuqi, Toon fans couldn't help but feel deeply underwhelmed. In his prime a good five years ago, Kuqi was signed by Crystal Palace for £2.5m and has played for nine different English league clubs, but at Newcastle he managed just six substitute performances with no goals and was subsequently released at the end of the season.

Who do you rate as the worst replacement in football history? Has your club ever sold a star and signed a dud to replace them? Let us know by commenting below…