A £27 million striker, a 37-year-old goalkeeper and Liverpool’s youngest ever goalscorer. Here are ten player you can’t believe are still contracted to Premier League clubs.
Runar Alex Runarsson – Arsenal
When the news broke in September 2020 that Arsenal were signing Dijon’s back-up goalkeeper, you’d have been forgiven for assuming Runarsson was a fresh-faced up-and-comer. A promising teenager with a handful of senior appearances under his belt.
Imagine the surprise, then, when it emerged that Runarsson was not 19 but 25. Surely, if he was good enough for a club like The Gunners, he wouldn’t be sitting on the bench for a side who had finished 16th the previous campaign in Ligue 1.
The Iceland international joined OH Leuven on loan after one error-strewn campaign at Arsenal.
Lovre Kalinic – Aston Villa
Another goalkeeper with a seemingly ironic take on the term ‘shot-stopper’, big things were expected of Kalinic when Croatia’s number one joined a play-off-chasing Aston Villa side for £7 million midway through 2018/19.
But Villa’s eventual promotion came about despite, rather than because of, a man who struggled to cope with the physical demands of the Championship, even at a sky-scraping 6ft 7ins.
Tommy Elphick, Alan Hutton and Glenn Whelan were among Kalinic’s team-mates the last time he played for Villa.
Charly Musonda – Chelsea
While Runarsson and Kalinic just didn’t perform in English football, Musonda’s story is one of ill-fortune rather than ineptitude. Now 25, the forgotten wonderkid of Stamford Bridge – Antonio Conte once called Musonda a ‘talented’ player – the Belgium U21 international hasn’t kicked a ball in a professional outing since August 2019 due to a series of injuries.
“It’s been a difficult one,’ Musonda told The Beautiful Game Podcast. “I spoke with Petr Cech in August on the phone and after those talks, I knew straight away, okay, I’m going to leave in August. There is nothing else I can do.
“After the phone call, I was literally crying for a long time. Even now, it’s going to take some time to get around it. It is still mentally difficult.”
Here’s to hoping Musonda can get his once promising career back on track away from West London.
Baba Rahman – Chelsea
Kalinic hasn’t played for Aston Villa since 2019. But it’s even longer since Rahman pulled on a Chelsea shirt. 2015/16, to be precise.
A £14 million signing from Augsburg, the one-time Bundesliga whizzkid has had loan spells at five different clubs in five different countries since falling out of favour, and was most recently spotted at Reading.
Cenk Tosun – Everton
Sam Allardyce thought Everton had pulled off a real coup when they landed Tosun for a cool £27 million back in January 2018. His excitement was understandable. The Turkey star had scored four times in six Champions League games during the first half of that campaign after all.
It’s telling, however, that a series of managers – Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez and Frank Lampard – have all turned their back on Tosun. He’s played six minutes of Premier League football this season.
Laurens de Bock – Leeds United
“I really wanted to come back to Belgium and when Essevee (Zulte Waregam) knocked on the door, I didn’t hesitate for a moment.”
That was De Bock, last year, explaining why he jumped at the chance to leave Leeds United on loan after forgettable stints at Sunderland and ADO Den Haag.
One of a hatful of left-backs who have flopped at Elland Road since the turn of the century, even relegation to the Championship won’t be enough to secure De Bock a second chance in West Yorkshire.
Eldin Jakupovic – Leicester City
Last week, Brendan Rodgers dropped Kasper Schmeichel after 149 consecutive games between the sticks. But it was Danny Ward who started in his place, rather than Jakupovic. In five seasons, the 37-year-old veteran has played just twice in the Premier League and it seems highly unlikely that he’ll add to that tally any time soon.
The former Hull stopper has, at least, earned a spot a couple of times this term.
Ben Woodburn – Liverpool
Remember when Ben Woodburn became Liverpool’s youngest ever goalscorer, breaking Michael Owen’s record and earning praise from Ian Rush? Well, that was six years ago.
Woodburn hasn’t scored for the Reds since that famous night against Leeds United in the EFL Cup and, in truth, he hasn’t exactly been prolific for any of his many loan clubs in the intervening seasons either.
Woodburn has, at least, found a loving home at Hearts.
“He is a top player,” beams manager Robbie Neilson. “We see that every day in training.”
Josip Drmic – Norwich City
Norwich are by far and away the lowest scorers in the Premier League but that a damning lack of cutting edge still hasn’t led to any questions about the whereabouts of a striker who was once linked with Arsenal after exploding onto the Bundesliga scene.
Drmic, in his defence, has scored 24 times in 36 games on loan at Croatian outfit Rijeka in 2021/22.
That was not enough to earn him a fresh start at Carrow Road, however. Norwich have confirmed the Switzerland international will be released in July.
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Leo Bonatini – Wolverhampton Wanderers
An honourable mention to Patrick Cutrone, the £16 million Italian who joined Wolves from Serie A giants AC Milan. But Cutrone looks like a prime-era Raul Jimenez when compared to Leo Bonatini.
He may have scored 12 times as Wolves earned promotion from the Championship but the Brazilian has barely kicked a ball in Old Gold since then.
After an ill-fated stint at Nottingham Forest, Bonatini is now plying his trade on loan at Wolves’ sister club Grasshoppers.
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