Ex- Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Charlton Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur players will be on show this summer.
Not everybody is cut out for the Premier League, indeed sometimes players leave for better opportunities and greater success elsewhere.
International tournaments are often a reminder for us of the stars we used to see week in week out. Here are 10 who enjoyed mixed fortunes in England, and who will hope to play a big part for their countries this summer.
Andriy Shevchenko
Shevchenko was Roman Abramovich’s biggest folly at Chelsea, costing £30 million. He was a world class striker when he was signed from AC Milan, but at Stamford Bridge it never clicked for him, scoring just nine goals. Since 2009 he has been a Dynamo Kiev player, and he will lead the Ukrainian attack on home soil. He is far from the goal-getter he once was, but he is a national hero in his country, and at 35 still has his finishing ability. England’s defence will have to be wary not to give him any gold-plated chances.
Johan Elmander
Bolton Wanderers lost Elmander to Turkish side on a free Galatasaray after a mixed spell at the Reebok. When he left last summer it was on the back of his most impressive season to date, where he scored 10 goals, and this season he bagged 12 for his new side. He is part of a Swedish squad which sees its attack built around Zlatan Ibrahimovic and may have to hope for his chances off the bench.
Khalid Bouhlarouz
Dutch defender Khalid Bouhlarouz is another ex-Chelsea player who travels to Euro 2012. He will face a battle to start matches for his country, but remains a reliable go-to man for his coach. The 30-year-old right-back now plays for German club Stuttgart, making 22 appearances last season, scoring twice. His time at Chelsea last just one season in 2006-07 and 23 appearances.
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Cristiano Ronaldo
It did not seem possible for Cristiano Ronaldo to get better when he left Manchester United, but he has managed it. His price tag of £80 million almost seems undervalued for a man who scored an incredible 60 goals this season. His big challenge is to produce in a major international tournament. After promise on home soil at Euro 2004, he has flattered to deceive ever since, and he will know at 27 this is time to make his mark.
Jerome Boateng
Manchester City had the services of Jerome Boateng for just one season before selling him to Bayern Munich. Boateng wanted to play centre-back rather than as full-back and the move suited both parties for a player who never totally established himself at City. He nearly ended the season a Champions League winner too, missing out with Bayern, and will hope for better luck this summer. His brother, Kevin-Prince will watch on, as he is a Ghana international.
Christian Poulsen
No Liverpool fan was unhappy to see Christian Poulsen moved on this summer, in fact many found it appropriate a midfielder dubbed a ‘water-carrier’ moved to French side Evian. The 32-year-old played 24 times for the French club this season and remains very much a part of the Danish international set up. He will have quite a job anchoring the midfield in a group which contains Holland, Portugal and Germany.
Cesc Fabregas
After an excellent start to his Barcelona career, Cesc Fabregas’ form trailed off slightly, but nevertheless he proved many doubters wrong who said he would struggle for starts after leaving Arsenal, being selected from the kick-off 37 times. With Spain high on midfielders and low on strikers, he may be asked to play an attacking role this summer, but like 2008 and 2010, we will see plenty of him, just perhaps not from the start.
Dennis Rommedahl
Former Charlton Athletic attacker Dennis Rommedahl remains highly valued by his country, as he showed at the last World Cup. Now 33, he plays for Danish club Brondby. He made 75 appearances for the Addicks between 2004 and 2007, scoring nine goals, and has played for Ajax and Olympiakos since then. This could be his last major tournament.
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Tottenham fans will raise a wry smile if Roman Pavlyuchenko stars this summer for Russia after an underwhelming time at the Lane. He was finally sold to Lokomotiv Moscow in January where he scored twice in eight games. Russia are most likely to use him off the bench, and he could be a difference maker in a very evenly contested Group A, featuring Poland, Czech Republic and Greece.
Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso is another of Spain’s embarrassment of midfield riches, with England struggling for midfielders it seems ridiculous to think Alonso has to fight for a starting spot for Spain. Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets are at times preferred but after a title winning season with Real Madrid he will hope this is the year his luck changes. Liverpool have desperately missed him since he left, and he would have been the perfect man to implement Brendan Rodgers’ passing game.
Which of these 10 will be the standout players this summer? Will any of them return to the Premier League one day?
image: © Jan S0L0
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