Whether farmed out on loan, dumped in the reserves or simply omitted from the 25-man Premier League roster, don’t expect to see these 10 players coming to a stadium near you anytime soon.
Alex Runarsson – Arsenal
Ok, with hindsight, the logic of signing Dijon’s second-choice goalkeeper and expecting him to become a reliable No. 2 for a Premier League giant may have been, well, somewhat lacking.
Written off by many after that EFL Cup blunder against Manchester City, Runarsson is hoping to rebuild his reputation at Alanyaspor with Matt Turner now performing back-up duties at Arsenal instead.
Frederic Guilbert – Aston Villa
The seldom-seen right-back might have been included in Aston Villa’s 25-man Premier League squad but his recent removal from the club’s official website – and Guilbert’s understandably irate reaction – tells it’s own story. After missing out on a return to France, he is training with Villa’s reserves these days.
Nikola Vlasic – West Ham United
Vlasic has scored more league goals since joining Torino in August than he did throughout the entire 2021/22 campaign at West Ham. In fact, the Croatian has been so impressive that Torino are already planning to trigger the £12 million option-to-buy clause in his contract (Tuttosport).
“Vlasic is a very strong player,” beams president Urbano Cairo.
“He has already scored three goals. I didn’t know him. (His arrival) is all thanks to (sporting director Davide) Vagnati and (head coach Ivan) Juric, who knew him very well.
“He has great quality and intelligence. Spectacular.”
Giovani Lo Celso – Tottenham Hotspur
It seems highly unlikely that Napoli will trigger the £25 million purchase clause in Tanguy Ndombele’s contract. In contrast, after an impressive return to the Castellon coast, don’t be surprised if Villarreal are already saving up to secure Lo Celso’s signature in 2023.
The Argentine’s style and skill is a major reason why Unai Emery’s side have enjoyed such a promising start to the La Liga season.
Phil Jones – Manchester United
It’s tragic really that news of Phil Jones’ omission from Manchester United’s 25-man Premier League squad barely merits a mention these days. Now 30, the former England international has played just six top-flight games since 2019/20.
Who, if anyone, will take a punt on him when Jones’ contract expires next year?
Helder Costa – Leeds United
It’s easy to forget just how excited many Leeds supporters where when news of the winger’s arrival filtered through back in 2019. You could barely move for Costa Coffee gifs. Three years on, Leeds would snatch your hand of for even a minuscule return on that £15 million investment.
The one-time Wolves whizzkid is on loan in the Middle East with Al-Ittihad. There is an option-to-buy clause in his contract. But if he performs like he did at Valencia in 2021/22, Leeds may soon be spending another sjmmer desperately trying to find someone, anyone, to take Costa off their hands.
Terence Kongolo – Fulham
Four years ago, Huddersfield Town splashed out nearly £20 million to bring Kongolo to England. Imagine that. Huddersfield spending £18 million on a single player. At least Fulham can take some consolation in knowing that they only paid a seven-figure sum for a man who’s played just two league games in three years.
Like Josh Onomah, Ivan Cavaleiro and Anthony Knockaert, it became quickly apparent that Kongolo was not part of Marco Silva’s Premier League plans. He looks set for a season of dust-gathering after a deadline-day West Brom move collapsed.
Leo Bonatini – Wolverhampton Wanderers
Last week, Wolves released a photo on Twitter. One showing the shirt numbers of every member of their squad for the 2022/23 season. From No 1 Jose Sa to Chem Campbell all the way down in 77. But Bonatini, despite technically still being a Wolves player, was nowhere to be seen.
The last time Bonatini was playing regularly in Old Gold, he had Roderick Miranda, Alfred Ndiaye and Nouha Dicko as team-mates.
Dele Alli – Everton
It took just seven months for Frank Lampard to give up on Dele Alli. A la Phil Jones, this is a sorry tale of wasted potential; one of the most promising homegrown youngsters of his generation descending into irrelevance.
Alli joined a host of fellow Premier League misfits in Turkey last month.
Arthur Masuaku – West Ham United
Among Alli’s team-mates at Besiktas this season, Masuaku has a £2 million option-to-buy clause in his Besiktas contract. Whether the Turkish giants trigger it, however, depends on whether the DR Congo international can do what he failed to do throughout most of his West Ham career and stay fit.
Lyle Taylor – Nottingham Forest
With 22 new faces at the City Ground, there was always likely to be the odd casualty. And Lyle Taylor, despite an eye-catching performance or two in pre-season, joins the similarly out-of-favour Cafu in being left out of Steve Cooper’s Premier League squad.
With his contract expiring next summer, Forest’s fourth-choice striker is unlikely to pull on Garibaldi red again.
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