Loic Remy will most likely return to Crystal Palace after he recovers from injury, if only to avoid joining this infamous list of Houdinis.
For Alan Pardew, who wiled away his summer months scribing endless sonnets to wantaway strikers, the news that injury had forced Loic Remy to return to Chelsea without making a single appearance on loan at Palace must have stung.
Yes, Remy will more than likely return to Selhurst Park upon recovery. But, if not, he won’t be the first player to leave without saying goodbye. Or, for that instance, hello.
Richard Wright
Four years, zero games, and £1.4 million in wages, according to the Sun; Richard Wright finally hung up his gloves this summer, not that he’s needed them for almost half a decade. The Manchester City ‘player’, who featured on the bench just three times for the club, spent the best part of his career collecting splinters rather than footballs. In 22 seasons as a professional career, the twice-capped England goalkeeper played over 30 games in a season just seven times.
Wellington Silva
For every Cesc Fabregas, Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie, there’s a Wellington Silva. According to the Daily Mail, Arsene Wenger plucked the 16-year-old from Fluminense for a cool £3.5 million, beating off competition from Manchester United and Real Madrid. Loan after loan ensued for ‘the new Neymar’, with Neil Lennon publically criticising the prodigious Brazilian during a particularly disappointing loan spell at Bolton. Six years after arriving, Wellington was off having never made his Arsenal bow.
Chris Kirkland
It doesn’t seem long since Chris Kirkland was being talked about as the next number one for both Liverpool and England. Then, on second thought, it almost feels a million years ago. Spells at Wigan, West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday underlined a career that failed to live up to its potential, with Kirkland retiring this summer for family reasons just two months after joining League One Bury.
Didi Hamann
A year after producing an inspirational performance in the 2005 Champions League Final despite the rather substantial hindrance of a broken foot, Liverpool’s ‘Kaiser’ Dietmar Hamann signed for Bolton. For a bit. 24 hours to be precise. After producing a U-turn Lionel Messi would be proud of, the German enforcer rocked up at Man City instead.
Javier Hervas
Some players have a change of heart, decide a club isn’t for them. Others struggle to break through and leave, desperate to restart their stalled career. Javier Hervas, however, did neither of these things. According to World Soccer, he was hounded out of Bosnian side Zeljeznicar Sarajevo by a pack of stray dogs who chased him and his wife while they were checking out their new neighbourhood. Rumours that Hervas later rejected a contract at Barking FC remain unconfirmed.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
