Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has revealed that signing Nigerian striker Ade Akinbiyi was the biggest regret of his tenure at the club.
Jordan, who was in charge of the Eagles from 2000 to 2010, called Akinbiyi “useless” and the “worst signing” he ever made during his time as chairman.
Jordan became the youngest chairman in the Football League when he bought Crystal Palace at 32, then signed Akinbiyi in his second year in charge.
The England-born Nigerian striker arrived for a hefty £2.2 million from Leicester City but failed to live up to expectations.
Akinbiyi managed only three goals in 24 appearances for the Eagles, a far cry from what was anticipated.
Worst signing ever
In an interview on talkSPORT, Jordan did not hold back in expressing his disappointment.
“Ade Akin Bad guy (Akinbiyi). He just was useless. I wasted my time and money, and he wasted his own time.
The reality is, how weak one can be when you say ‘I don’t want to do this’ but get worn down by the processes of the manager, eventually knowing something is wrong but you continually do it and then you’re surprised by the outcome,” Jordan lamented during the interview.
Akinbiyi was purchased from Leicester City, but his performances at Palace quickly made him a subject of frustration.
Despite the poor return, Jordan admitted that the disastrous transfer wasn’t solely the player’s fault.
“It was on the player, the manager, and me. I should have said no, but the problem is when you’re the owner of a football club you have to back him or sack him.
I’m in a situation where this is my champion and he says he wants him.
Jordan recalled a vivid memory of how conflicted he was over the signing:
“I remember standing on a pier in the south of France next to Eddie Jordan, looking at the boat he was buying and thinking,
‘I could buy that boat if I wasn’t buying this club-footed clown who I knew wouldn’t be of any use to me.
And that’s what I ended up doing and so he proved to be. I got neither the boat nor a decent player.”
Akinbiyi’s failure at Crystal Palace not only frustrated Jordan but also hindered the player’s international ambitions.
Despite being capped once by Nigeria, Akinbiyi’s inconsistent performances at club level meant he never solidified his place in the national team.
