Playing in the Premier League is a dream for almost all footballers, but sometimes, it turns out to be a nightmare when they finally get the chance. Some struggle to adapt to the high-pressure game while some just get benched as they never manage to settle into the squad.
There are a lot of players who have immediately jumped ship and moved to save their career. A few players have managed to rejuvenate their career and manage to be a top player at their new club.
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Here's a look at the Premier League flops who have been on top of their form elsewhere, this season:
#5 Iago Aspas
Liverpool fans, remember him? The striker Brendan Rodgers signed to partner Luis Suarez up front turned out to be a big time flop at Anfield. Signed for a fee reported to be around £8 million, Aspas played 15 matches for the club. Notched up one goal in his nine months in England, before being loaned out to Sevilla.
Aspas flopped at Sevilla as well and was sold back to his former club, Celta Vigo in the summer of 2015. He has since then rejuvenated his career and got it back on the same track as it was before he joined Liverpool.
The Spaniard has been in fine form this season and has already scored eight goals and assisting two in his 14 appearances for the La Liga side. He has also made his way into the Spanish national squad in the latest international friendlies. He ignited Spain's late comeback with a sublime strike in the 89th minute against England in their 2-2 draw at Wembley.
Leaving Liverpool has surely done him a lot of good and one might just wonder if he regrets leaving Celta Vigo for a move to England in 2013.
#4 Mohamed Salah and Edin Dzeko
This slide had to have two players; it just had to. Both these AS Roma stars have been in such a good form that they can't be separated. The duo have been in good sync and have complimented each other on the pitch.
Salah and Dzeko were used more as a super-subs and not key players in the Premier League by their respective clubs, but at Roma, they have stolen the limelight. They have cemented their place in the starting XI and have been ever so consistent now.
They have scored 18 goals and assisted six this season and are the main reason for AS Roma’s 2nd place position in the Serie A. The Giallorossi have continued the same form in the Europa League as well and are on top of their group.
#3 Angel Di Maria
When Di Maria joined Manchester United, many expected him to replicate what Ozil was doing at Arsenal. But to everyone's surprise, he just did not manage to find his feet. Louis van Gaal would have to take the chunk of the blame as he kept playing the Argentine is different positions.
The Red Devils paid a then-record fee of £59.7 million for the former Real Madrid winger but sold him a year later to PSG for £44 million. The Ligue 1 has suited him well, and he is back to his best and found the form he had at Real Madrid and Benfica.
This season, Di Maria has stepped up his game even more. He, along with Cavani, are trying to fill the void left by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The winger has only managed five assists and one goal in the league this season but his contribution has been way more than what his statistics suggest.
#2 Radamel Falcao
He tried at Manchester United; he failed. He moved to Chelsea; he failed there as well. Radamel Falcao just could not adjust to the Premier League. Adding to that, he kept getting injured and sadly, he will make it to the list of Premier League flops for the same.
Fast forward a few months, and Falcao is in red hot form in the Ligue 1. Back at AS Monaco, the Colombian has found his confidence once again and is scoring at will. He's made just seven league appearances for the French club this season but has already notched five goals - the same number of goals he scored at Manchester United and Chelsea combined.
Apart from his good form in the league, Falcao has also managed to find the net two times in his 3 Champions League appearances this season. It looks like the striker has finally managed to get back the form he had at FC Porto and Atletico Madrid.
#1 Mario Balotelli
Ligue 1 looks like the ideal place for Premier League flops to rejuvenate their career. Balotelli is the 3rd player on the list who moved from the Premier League to Ligue 1 and has become a star performer. The Italian tried his luck in Serie A last season but could not do anything significant.
It was in the summer of 2014 when Luis Suarez left Liverpool to sign for FC Barcelona that Brendan Rodgers set his sights on signing Mario Balotelli. The striker had Premier League experience, and for £16 million, the former Manchester City man looked like a bargain signing.
Very soon, everything just started to fall apart. Balotelli ended up making just 28 appearances for the Anfield club, scoring just four times. Rodgers left, and Klopp came in, but things only got worse for the striker. The manager straight away informed him that he was not in his plans and he was asked to leave the club.
Balotelli moved to Nice, and he has got his goal scoring form once again. The striker has helped the club climb to the top of the table with six goals in as many matches. His goals have earned the Ligue 1 leaders five points - without which, they would be sitting 3rd in the table.
Honourable mentions:
Suso - Flopped at Liverpool; Shining at AC Milan.Andrej Kramari - Flopped at Leicester City; Doing well for Hoffenheim.Brendan Rodgers - Does he need an explanation?
