Newcastle United, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Norwich City, Wolves, and Bolton Wanderers players all feature in our list.
Joining a new club should be an exciting new opportunity for players, so it is even more galling when they suffer injuries preventing them from impressing their new fans. Here are seven who we hope will get back to their best.
Sylvain Marveaux
Left-winger Marveaux was signed by Newcastle United on a Bosman transfer last summer from French club Rennes. Sadly for him he has barely had a chance to impress on Tyneside, making as little as six appearances. He is yet to complete 90 minutes in the Premier League, with his last league appearance in a 2-1 win over Everton in early November. The injury he is suffering is a recurring groin problem and he underwent hip surgery last year, and there is little expectation that he might be back before the end of the season.
Andre Santos
Arsenal really missed their new left-back when both he and Kieran Gibbs were out injured in January. The Brazilian was injured in a dead-rubber Champions League group stage clash late last year, just when he seemed to be getting into the groove at his new club. The deadline day signing from Fenerbahce scored in the 5-3 win over Chelsea last Autumn, but is yet to make an appearance in 2012. He is nearing a return, featuring for the Gunners’ reserve team in midweek, and will hope to play an important part in the final 10 games of the season.
Jermaine Jenas
Jenas signed on loan at Aston Villa in the summer transfer window after falling out of favour at Tottenham. He was hoping to re-energise his career but injury has meant the move has been a waste of time for all parties. He has only made three league appearance all season for Villa, the longest of which lasting just over an hour in a 1-0 loss to Manchester United in December, but has not featured since thanks to an achilles injury. Villa have given up on him for this season, and he has returned to Tottenham.
Daniel Ayala
Norwich boss Paul Lambert was thrilled to sign Daniel Ayala from Liverpool’s reserves in August, but after just one game he picked up an injury which meant he missed 16 league games, and did not return until January. He went straight into the starting line-up and was a regular for a month, being part of the defence which helped keep a clean sheet against Chelsea at Carrow Road. He soon picked up a hamstring injury in early February which has ruled him out ever since, and he will hope for better luck when he regains fitness.
James Vaughan
Norwich knew what they were getting when they signed James Vaughan from Everton, the young striker is a natural goalscorer, but has had terrible luck with injuries. His fortune has failed to improve at the Canaries, featuring as a substitute in just three league games in September before suffering a knee injury. He came back in February, scoring for the club’s reserves, and came on in the club’s 2-1 FA Cup loss to Leicester. He since suffered a recurrence of the knee problem, but is hoping to be back later this month.
Emmanuel Frimpong
Outspoken young Gunner Emmanuel Frimpong was thrown into the Arsenal side at the start of the season but struggled to hold down a place. So when he was sent to Wolves on loan it was a great chance to gain experience. He played five league games for the club before suffering a serious knee injury which would rule him out for the season. It is a tough blow for the 20-year-old who may have to go out on loan again next season to get games under his belt if Arsenal make more midfield signings over the summer.
Tyrone Mears
Bolton full-back Tyrone Mears has been the unluckiest of the lot. He had been at French club Marseilles earlier in his career before joining Burnley, and Owen Coyle raided his former club in July to sign him for £3 million. He broke his leg in early August, recovering enough to start in the club’s defeat to Norwich in February, only to suffer a groin problem. He has been out ever since although his boss hopes he will be back at the end of this month to help his club in their relegation battle.
Which of these players has been the biggest loss to their club?
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
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