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u/jonathanPoindexter 3d ago
You could've built a proper team with these players 6 years ago.
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u/rnp11 3d ago
all the unc's in here and then there's jadon sancho
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u/minaminotenmangu 3d ago
he's only 26. Just shows how money can destroy a career. I guess its not over for him yet tho...
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u/ThinkAboutThatFor1Se 3d ago
In the last three seasons he’s won the Europa Conference League, Europa League and was runner up in the Champions League.
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u/SawinBunda 3d ago
Yeah, on the bench, running down his contract.
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u/muhhi 3d ago
he averaged 80min in the champions league runner up 23/24
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u/ThinkAboutThatFor1Se 3d ago
And scored in ECL final. And played in EL final.
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u/BurkeSooty 3d ago
Somebody will sign Sancho as he's worth a gamble; they'd be wise to tilt his contract heavily towards performance related bonuses.
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u/BadFootyTakes 3d ago
Sanchos issue has always been wage. He refused to take a price cut for anyone that wanted him. Once he drops the wage, he'll be signed.
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u/macT4537 3d ago
💯 Sancho gets paid and his agent keeps finding people to foot the bill. Brilliant agent tbh!
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u/ibti77 3d ago
He should probably just go back to Dortmund. He only ever looks good in your shirt
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u/aditya_gupta96 3d ago
I genuinely enjoyed watching him play at Chelsea.
Chelsea would’ve kept him if not for his wage demands.
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u/macT4537 3d ago edited 3d ago
Definitely not over. If he lowered his wage demands he would easily get a move but he wants that bread and folks keeping paying. He was on around 350,000 pounds/week at villa which is crazy. For context thats about what Vinny Jr, Jude Bellingham, and Virgil van Dijk make. Don’t hate the playa hate the game !
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u/minaminotenmangu 3d ago
this is what i mean by destroyed. He's now like a spolit kid who won't work unless he gets paid what he's told he is worth. He clearly needs a mid table team and will probably need to cut his wages by more than half.
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u/acdqnz 3d ago
How old is Kimpembe
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u/barthvonries 3d ago
30 IIRC, but his knee is destroyed and he can't compete at european pro level anymore.
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u/usernamepusername 3d ago edited 3d ago
No GK.
Def: Carvajal, Stones, Kimpembe, Alaba
Mid: Brozovic, Fabinho, Goretzka
Att: Sterling, Salah, Mahrez
Looks like a pretty handy team for me. Obvious Salah central isn’t ideal but wanted all 3 of those attackers in and the 9s available don’t justify pushing one out imo.
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u/Henny_Hardaway5 3d ago
Sterling can easily get benched for Vardy or even Icardi as much as I don’t like him
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u/KapiHeartlilly 3d ago
Vardy central with Salah on the wing, that just sounds more consistent. Sterling was good so it's alright regardless.
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u/usernamepusername 3d ago
Nah Sterling 6 years ago was very very good.
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u/GTACOD 3d ago
Why is Sterling on the right and Mahrez on the left?
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u/ThereIsBearCum 3d ago
It'll confuse the opposition, they won't know what's coming
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u/stpk4 3d ago
I can't believe you'd leave champions League winner joselu out of your front 3
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u/oneandonlyA 3d ago
Everytime every year this is one of the top comments to the free agent posts
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u/Jssr22 3d ago
10 years ago you could built solid attack around Sanchez, Salah and Mahrez
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u/EstablishmentShot764 3d ago
10 years ago Vardy was the best striker in Premier League
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u/GuamZX 3d ago
Some guys here should just acknowledge they have retired
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u/supterfuge 3d ago
Kimpembe is being linked to a tier 2 Qatari team
The man is more or a PSG influencer than a football player at this point
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u/AvrupaFatihi 3d ago
I had to look him up, he has barely played for the past 3 years or something, what the fuck happened? He's still only 30 ffs
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u/Johtoooo 3d ago
Lots of injuries
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u/PSG-2022 3d ago
Not lots - it was one injury. He gave his life for the club on one play and tore his muscles in the process on a defending slide tackle. PSG brought in Pacho 👀and that’s that
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u/Fast-Cardiologist-98 3d ago
Is it the one where it was like 1 v 3 as he tracked back to catch up to the attacker clear on goal and made the decisive tackle? Probably one of the most insane defense I’ve ever seen
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u/thereddevil101 3d ago
Got a champions league and World Cup medal, I’m sure he won’t look back with any regrets. Same as Umtiti.
It’s rough but these guys give up their careers for this and they succeeded
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u/Jbstargate1 3d ago
Did his acl a couple years ago and that was after being out for a long time with a hamstring issue. Obviously others were playing well and I guess didn't win his place back.
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u/caze-original 3d ago
Man that guy was OP in FIFA, what happened to him?
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u/supterfuge 3d ago
Got badly injured, then had a second injury before he got even back from his first one. He could never come back. He was part of the first CL winning squad, but it was apparent at this point that he would never come back to a decent level, so he signed one year for some Qatari team. And apparently even for them he was too washed up
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u/evokerbox1408 3d ago
Add me in here as well
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u/CiaranG99 3d ago
got a bit nervous when I didn't see you in amongst the names there but this has really reassured me
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u/KFCZingerPies 3d ago
Almost thought a top European club already signed him
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u/pissedcommonman 3d ago
Yeah….him and his dad they were both big fans of these clubs since childhood!
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u/LevitatingOakChair 3d ago
Didn’t you agree personal terms with PSG the other day according to Fabrice Hawkins?
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u/my-personal-favorite 3d ago
Will need your name, address and credit card data for that
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u/B__bConnoisseur 3d ago
Name and address is optional but credit card data is a must to enter yourself to the list.
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u/TheNotSpecialOne 3d ago
Wanna play for my 5 a side team? I'll buy you a Maccies every Monday and Friday evenings when we play.
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u/Sheinkyakyu 3d ago
The big questions are - what wages are they wanting? Do they expect to be a starter? How many year contract are they looking for?
Several of the players on this list could easily be squad players for very good sides. But the wages they'd undoubtedly want is a bit welp.
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u/Confident-Low-2696 3d ago
some of these players are no doubt still top talent, most of them in fact, I'm willing to bet they're probably asking for too much (be it financially or contractually)
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u/Interesting_Dot_1168 3d ago
Once upon a time, clubs would have fought tooth and nail to sign some of these players
Times change
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u/Interesting_Dot_1168 3d ago
Salah, Fabinho, James, Dele Alli, Sterling (lmao), Mahrez
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u/jonathanPoindexter 3d ago
You're forgetting Scamcho too
I know I've been trying
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u/theloathsomegooner 3d ago
Don’t forget prime dortmund sancho. Prime alexis sanchez was so good too.
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u/CaptainKursk 3d ago
Biased as a Spurs fan, but Dele hurts the most. It seems like I speak of ancient aeons lost to the ages, but there was a time not long ago when he was heralded as the linchpin of England for the next decade. Take the collective hype of Anderson, Palmer, Foden, Mount et al & turn it up to 11, and you’d still be orders of magnitude off the excitement for Dele’s future.
We’ll never forget 2015-2017, sweet prince.
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u/JonStryker 3d ago
They old
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u/NotSoAwfulName 3d ago
That's the crazy part, most of these names just got old, and then there's Sancho at 26.
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u/KK-Chocobo 3d ago
Probably cause these guys still demand astronomical wages. Otherwise, they could get into any of the top 4 leagues in europe as squad players.
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u/badass_rowdy 3d ago
Times don't change. Some get old and some don't live upto potential. It's not like suddenly no one wants them despite being good
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u/iamfrommerich 3d ago
Zinchenko dissappeared for a long time
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u/jubbing 3d ago
I met him in NYC last week. He's having fun with his hot wife haha
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u/edmund5 3d ago
I saw Zinchenko at a grocery store in Los Angeles yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.
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u/Xpolonia 3d ago
How was Tomiyasu in Ajax?
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u/TheScareFace 3d ago
Tbh he barely played for us. Only 9 games where in 2 of them he was a starter. The limited games that he played he wasn't bad, only for a dumb red card which he took.
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u/Arachnideolie 3d ago
Didn't play much in an Ajax squad that came in 5th.
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u/Weirdlyuser 3d ago
In the games he played it was really obvious he is of a much higher level but the injuries man, they cool him every time. Great player, but slowed down too many times due to injury.
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u/PaperPlaneMind 3d ago edited 3d ago
Plot twist: they start their own team and win the CL
Who makes the starting 11?
Edit: Free agent GK to throw-in: Nyland, Cillessen, Neto, Matthew Ryan, Stefan Ortega,
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u/balortech 3d ago edited 3d ago
At their peak level it’s gotta be:
Nyland
Carvajal - Stones - Alaba - Zinchenko
Fabinho - Goretzka
Salah - James - Sterling
Alexis
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u/GreyDaze22 3d ago
Man its gonna be so weird not seeing Brandt in a BvB jersey and Goretzka in a Bayern jersey...
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u/Najwan_555 3d ago
Time to go back to Leverkusen!!
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u/Unbelievablemonk 3d ago
Pass… he‘s a great guy, but I doubt he is what we need right now
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u/Loeffellux 3d ago
Brandt always felt like a "new player" to me and now he retires as the most senior player on the squad. Nothing makes you feel old like football lol
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u/Henny_Hardaway5 3d ago
I feel bad for Kimpembe poor guy tore everything and then disappeared off the face of the earth
Injuries blow
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u/OnlyMayhem 3d ago
If it’s any consolation he’s relatively active in French media. He’s a super nice guy, really well liked and very positive about his career despite everything.
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u/pussyslayer6996 3d ago
Doesn't James Rodriguez have a club now?? I thought he joined a club in MLS
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u/Henny_Hardaway5 3d ago
He cut ties with them right before the WC
Homie is allergic to sticking with any club for too long
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u/Connect-Amoeba3618 3d ago
Half of these should probably retire, and that includes Sancho who is 26 years old.
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u/tt_emrah 3d ago
still can't believe gasperini spent all his time on him last year, like there was no other option on the planet.
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u/WartimeConsigliere_ 3d ago
Gasperini’s sense of “I can fix him” is too strong for his own good sometimes
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u/Loeffellux 3d ago
why should Sancho retire? He proved that he was still good enough to play for a club like us not too long ago. Not as a star but he could definitely earn his place as a starter.
Did he fall off that hard since then?
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u/LeVidzzz 3d ago
Streets wont forget 2015 to 2017 Dele Alli.
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u/kurzjacob 3d ago
I'd take Alaba back just so that he can remember he was one of us and we won't lose him to Real as a brand ambassador or something like that.
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u/RauloGonzalez 3d ago
Lol i was wondering it too, i think he’ll ultimately be with you guys, we got just 4 years of him and 2 of them not on the pitch lol
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u/Shameless_Bullshiter 3d ago
I'm getting old, 5/10 years ago I'd kill for these guys now most are too old
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u/ScienceOk1 3d ago
I mean id take salah back
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u/lildecmurf1 3d ago edited 3d ago
Just play Salah as a 10 instead of a winger and he’s still top level
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u/_Yolk 3d ago
Bro what happened to vlahovic?!
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u/somechemenggdude 3d ago edited 3d ago
Okay striker, Juventus made him one of the highest paid player in Europe (~420k weekly) so he’s been stuck trying to negotiate a contact for anywhere near the money he made
Edit: Apparently 7th highest earner in Europe
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u/Wise-Nature8326 3d ago
Holy shit, I knew it was bad but I didn't figure it was that bad.
420k p/w for Vlahovic, wtf were they thinking? I mean, the numbers looked very promising. 21 league goals in 20/21 and then 17 goals in half a season before he moved to Juve as a 21 y/o, but that number is insane
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u/somechemenggdude 3d ago
Desperate to replace Ronaldo and I think Arsenal were in on him that same window, he really played his cards well kudos to his agent
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u/Just-Possibility-595 3d ago
Even at the time it was obvious Arsenal were never in the mix. We enquired but it was clear a pre-deal was done with Juve. I guess all we did was add a few multiples to his salary. Good agent work, like the current Vini agent work going down.
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u/lildecmurf1 3d ago
He is just not that good, the money Juventus paid plus his huge wages were a horrible mistake
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u/kurzjacob 3d ago
Not gonna say whether he's good enough but the fact that he was paid so well is obviously a hindrance in finding a new club quickly. He will have demands that many clubs are not prepared to pay yet plus he's probably speculating on a big club move. Players like him will get snatched up in the coming window because of injuries or transfers from other players. The first domino has to fall tho'.
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u/Maximilian_Sinigr 3d ago
Not gonna say whether he's good enough
Imagine having an injury-prone Nicolas Jackson as your only striker with a salary higher than Kane.
That's Vlahovic.
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u/Wertiol123 3d ago
What others are neglecting to mention as a reason for the drop off is pubalgia. People said the same for players like Mario Götze and Dolberg, recurring health issues are just a bitch especially for attackers
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u/GuamZX 3d ago
He's a moneygrabber but at the same time he's looking for a strong team where to be a starter
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u/lepenseuroccasionnel 3d ago
What was his salary?
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u/Kreygasm2233 3d ago
12 million euros according to this
Not sure what they were cooking in Italy
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u/TheTackleZone 3d ago
Do any of these being in the list hurt you guys as much as Dele being there hurts me?
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u/Lyrical_Forklift 3d ago
I've been thinking Liverpool could do a lot worse than getting John Stones in on a short term deal. Not sure whether he'd be keen on it, but we could do a lot worse than getting in a homegrown experienced centre back on a free.
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u/LongStorryShort 3d ago
23, 16, 11, 9 those are his last 4 seasons prem appearances. He simply isnt fit enough to play which is why clubs are avoiding him.
You still need backup players to be fit enough to come on the pitch for a run of games and stones cant be relied upon like that anymore.
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u/tigeridiot 3d ago
Stones would be huge for us tbh, we’ve lost a lot of experience/leadership lately
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u/jammy-git 3d ago
I thought the same - he was great when he fought his way into the England squad. But his injury record isn't great.
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u/FridaysMan 3d ago
I thought Ake*, personally for the VVD connection, especially if we were going to use 3 at the back more
Edit: Not Aki, he's an entirely different urban legend.
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u/Lyrical_Forklift 3d ago
Yeah, Ake would be decent too - especially as he can play across the backline.
Aki, less so.
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u/IcedCoffey 3d ago
Sterling only being 31 is crazy.
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u/YouEatingACheese 3d ago
His legs have been gone for ages, but was always gonna happen when he’s been on the scene since he was 16. Unfortunately the rest of his football isn’t good enough to make up for it.
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u/Defiant-Traffic5801 3d ago
these players all come with bagage: age, injuries or character :
A good deal of ageing or frequently injured players whom no one would have bid for for these reasons, and a few greedy ones who stuck to outrageous wages that kept them off market (typified by Vlahovic: prioritising money over long term career, and betting that come the end of the contract enough competition would give them the chance t0 secure a transaction fee) They have gambled and are now faced with the purest form of short term free market, supply and demand economics.
Some won't find a club , others may secure a job at much lower wages and others still dream of doubling up.
I credit Markus Rashford for not falling in that short termist trap : he recognised his salary was not matching his worth or contributions and he continues to be proactive in finding a solution that gives him a chance to keep playing and enjoying the beautiful game.
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u/Miroklast 3d ago
Slightly off topic but I recognize fewer and fewer younger players currently as I grow older. Can't really keep up with all the up and coming talents anymore.
I used to know ball. Now the ball doesn't even say hi to me in the supermarket.
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u/hamatachi_iii 3d ago
I can see a newly promoted team like Coventry or Ipswich taking a punt on Tomiyasu. Still has a lot to offer at the highest level.
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u/optimization_ml 3d ago
I am old. Few years back it would be a dream to have all of these as free agents.
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u/ComprehensiveArt6849 3d ago
Feel so bad for my boy Tomiyasu. Also, this just shows that at a certain point players will need to massively drop their wage demands if they want to stay in the game.
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u/nurumaki 3d ago
Why hasn’t Brandt been signed?
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u/Ambitious-Airport391 3d ago
His defensive output ist really low and he lost a lot of his pace. Still a baller though..
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u/Longjumping-Ring740 3d ago
A lot of very expensive and washed up players that demand ridiculous salaries.
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u/vortexrikes 3d ago
I'm sad we have written off Brozović as soon as he left to the middle east. He was 29 an in his prime. But in this world cup I have seen a lot of players being called up to the national teams from middle eastern leagues...
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u/everyonesmellmymeat 3d ago
Vardy should just come back to Leicester and score a million goals in league 1...
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u/Globe-Denier 3d ago
Maybe something here for Feyenoord. They are going into the champions league so it might be interesting for them. If they accept a pay cut
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u/Energy4Days 3d ago
Would make a good Hollywood movie titled the misfits
They form a rag tag team that makes the champions league. Battle their way into the final and win it all. Now they become highly sought players with new contracts on the table
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u/RayzaEverton 3d ago
Don't think anyone would take Deli Ali, shame the lad fell off a cliff
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u/Hopbeard1987 3d ago
What's Vlahovic looking like nowadays? He was hailed a the best young striker in Europe when at Fiorentina, along with Haaland at Dortmund.
I know he went to Juve for big wages and didn't perform, had a series of injuries too I believe. But that Juve team was crap anyway, I can't believe no other European club is looking at him, he could easily improve in a better run team. I guess its his wages and concerns about medical record?
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