Wastage of talent is a recurring theme in every sport and is similarly very often seen in the world of football. For every prodigy stepping up to his anticipated level, there are many more who fail to do so.
Sometimes a player may just not come to terms with the pressure and demands expected of him at the top level. But sometimes, a final push, the last hurrah before his fate is sealed can turn his life around.
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Also read: 5 players who need to leave Barcelona to progress
As evidence, look no further than the outcasts of Pep Guardiola’s reign at Manchester City – Joe Hart and Samir Nasri. Shipped out on loan to Torino and Sevilla respectively, the pair have revived their careers in different surroundings this season. The resurgence in their form will most likely not have any significant impact on their career at City in the future, but at the very least, it has boosted their stock and highlights their ability to continue at the top level.
Similarly, this article states the five players in desperate need of a geographical change to reinvigorate their careers. For some, it could lead to a better future at their current clubs itself, and for the rest, it would be a good career move to boost their value and more importantly, their confidence and form.
#1 Phil Jones
It is unimaginable that a few years ago, based on potential, he was heralded by Sir Alex Ferguson as possibly one of the best players to play for Manchester United and while watching Phil Jones, Sir Bobby Charlton was reminded of another United legend, Duncan Edwards.
Purchased for over £16 million, he displayed his potential in his early United career as a ‘jack of all trades’ with excellent performances even against the likes of Real Madrid. With his reputation burgeoning as the replacement for United’s defensive duo Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, frequent injuries and a dramatic dip in performance stalled his career.
Fast forward to 2016, and he is still on the fringes of the squad competing with the likes of academy graduate Axel Tuanzebe for a spot in the line-up in the Europa League.
With starting XI chances hard to come by, it is time for Jones to grab any sort of chances that may come his way to get one final chance before he is shipped off to a mid-table Premier League team.
But instead of hoping to get a game in the League Cup or Europa League, it would be highly beneficial for him to gamble by going out on loan for the rest of the season in January. Hull City and Sunderland, with two former Manchester United staffers at the helm, would be ideal for Jones, but both clubs seem doomed to relegation. Instead, Swansea and Stoke City both require additional talented bodies at the back and could provide Jones with a decent setup until June 2017.
Ideal destinations – Stoke City and Swansea.
#2 Oscar
Two seasons ago, Oscar was the darling at Stamford Bridge. Given the impetus to be the creative centerpiece over the likes of Juan Mata and Willian, he was ready to step up from being a Brazilian wonderkid to a world class playmaker.
Instead, lack of consistency has derailed those visions. The manager who entrusted him with the freedom, Mourinho, has since swapped London for Manchester after his sacking and the manager at the helm currently, Antonio Conte, doesn’t necessarily have the same expectations from Oscar. So far this season, Chelsea have gone from astoundingly poor against Arsenal to majestic against Manchester United.
That transformation has been due to the efforts at changing the formation and tactics by Conte. Coinciding with it is the demotion of Oscar. He began the season with five uneventful starts and has since played just 10 minutes over the course of five games, a run that also included a leave on compassionate grounds.
Akin to de Bruyne, Oscar needs a fresh environment to showcase his talent and gain some much-needed confidence as well. The likelihood of a loan move is significantly low, as Oscar and Fabregas are the only two experienced options in the middle of the park that could be introduced from the bench.
If a loan move is in fact sanctioned, it would be difficult to see a mid-table English team getting the signature. Instead, he should target a team that should be angling for a top four or top six league position and are in dire need of creativity.
Inter Milan and Schalke are ideal, as they both languish in their respective leagues at the 12th position but have the potential to aim much higher. Both the clubs have recently filled their squads with immense talent with acquisitions like Brael Embolo at Schalke and Joao Mario at Inter Milan. And with a core of young attacking talent, both the clubs offer a good challenge for Oscar to bring experience and mature into a world class talent.
Ideal destinations – Inter Milan and Schalke
#3 Alberto Moreno
In the past decade, it has been difficult to remember Liverpool possessing a genuinely talented left-back amongst their ranks. John Arne Riise held the position moderately well till 2008, and Jose Enrique managed to perform at similar levels, but none including them have matched the quality found in the rest of the defence.
In 2014, Liverpool acquired Moreno from Sevilla for a £12 million fee, a player they envisaged a great future with. But keeping up with the trend of this article, Moreno has significantly disappointed the Kop with his erratic performances. Thierry Henry compared his initial promising performances to Roberto Carlos, but his stock has fallen so severely that opposition fans enjoy the prospect of their team having a go at him whenever he’s named in the starting XI.
Having lost his place in the team to James Milner, a central midfielder, and with a total of 200 minutes of playing time under his belt in the league this season, it is clear that he has lost the trust of Jurgen Klopp.
With Liverpool constantly being linked to new left-back options, most recently being Sead Kolasinac of Schalke, it is imperative that Moreno acclimatizes to the situation and prove his worth. To do so, Moreno should head back to his homeland, Spain on loan to gain first team opportunities and some momentum to rebuild his form.
Ideal destinations – Malaga and Villareal
#4 Isco
Full of promise in his early years, Isco was touted to be Spain’s next big talent and earned the Golden Boy award in 2012. With the world at his feet, he traded the shores of Malaga for the dreamland for all footballers, Santiago Bernabeu.
Unlike the other players on this list, Isco cannot be considered an uninspired signing for Madrid, nor can the critics say that he has not shown his abilities during his tenure at Madrid. But there seems to be that one last step that Isco has not been able to take, he remains on the cusp of it, and he has been decently consistent around world class players, but expectations of improvement remain to be fulfilled.
On the other hand, being a part of the Real Madrid squad poses its limitations in the form of world-class competition. With Benzema, Bale and Ronaldo immovable from the line-up, along with Kroos and Modric in the center of the park, only one other spot remains up for grabs and is currently held by Casemiro, when not injured.
In such a case, squad rotations against smaller oppositions and substitute cameos become the only chances for him and James Rodrigues. Matteo Kovacic finds himself in a similar spot at times, but the likelihood of him being sold are lesser than Isco.
Similar to Oscar’s situation, the best case scenario here would be to get a loan move until the end of the season amongst a talented squad with the potential to improve significantly.
Ideal destinations – Valencia and Inter Milan
#5 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
A massively talented English youngster, Chamberlain sprung to the scene with an inspiring performance against Manchester United in his first start in the Premier League. Ever since, he’s been categorized as a pacey winger with an eye for goal, with bags of potential, almost identical to his Arsenal team-mate Theo Walcott.
Five years on from his move to Arsenal from the shores of Southampton, there is still a lot of the early promise left to be fulfilled but unfortunately for ‘The Ox,' injuries have plagued his playing career.
In the current attacking and midfield setup at Arsenal, every position is being contested for by two or more capable players. Besides Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, all the players ahead of the defence are playing for their respective spots.
While in recent weeks, Chamberlain has been brought back into the first XI due to injuries, his playing time is set to be limited to substitute appearances and based on Arsene Wenger’s rotation policy. To counter the heavy competition at Arsenal, Chamberlain should look forward to a temporary move to another Premier League squad for regular game time similar to Wilshere’s move to Bournemouth at the start of the season.
Although Southampton have stocked their attacking berths with good talent, an opportunity to rekindle the early beginning of Chamberlain’s career can be influential for all the parties involved.
Ideal destinations – Southampton and Bournemouth
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