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The current transfer window closes today, and while there have been a handful of moves, the Premier League’s big clubs certainly haven’t been as active as they usually would be.
Only a couple of sides have moved to bring new stars in, and a lot of the transfers we’ve seen have been loan moves. However, a handful of big-name players have still departed the Premier League.
Whether some will be back – primarily those on loan moves – is a big question mark, but for now at least, the following five stars are no longer Premier League players.
#1 Mesut Ozil – Arsenal to Fenerbahce
When Mesut Ozil was frozen out of Arsenal’s squad by boss Mikel Arteta last summer, the writing was always on the wall for the German.
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It only seemed like a matter of time before he found a transfer away from the Gunners, with the only question being whether the transfer would come before his contract with the club expired in June.
However, after agreeing to cancel his hefty £350k-per-week deal with Arsenal – losing around £7 million in the process – Ozil has been able to find a transfer away from North London.
Last week saw him sign with Turkish club Fenerbahce as a free agent, inking a three-and-a-half-year deal that should keep him there until he’s 35 years old.
The transfer should theoretically suit Ozil well. He comes from a Turkish background, speaks Turkish as his first language and was known to follow Fenerbahce as a child.
After seeing his Arsenal career end in such a sad way, fans who followed the German World Cup winner for so long will hope that this transfer reignites his career.
#2 Fikayo Tomori – Chelsea to AC Milan
The case of Fikayo Tomori’s Chelsea career is a pretty strange one. The Blues academy product returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2019 after an impressive season on loan at Derby County and instantly found himself thrust into the first team by new boss Frank Lampard.
Tomori enjoyed a fantastic first-half season in 2019-20, starring for Chelsea and making his senior England debut in the process. However, after an injury midway through the campaign, the central defender was unable to regain his place and found himself frozen out.
Quite why Lampard choose to treat such a talented player this way is anyone’s guess, particularly as his teammates like Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen were hardly in good form.
At any rate, Tomori was rumoured to be considering a loan move to West Ham during the summer transfer window, but it never panned out. Now though, he’s found a move that does suit him – a loan to Italian giants AC Milan.
Tomori has already made two appearances for his new club since arriving in Italy and reportedly played excellently in Milan’s 1-2 win over Bologna this weekend. With the Rossoneri currently at the top of Serie A, there’s even a chance the 23-year old could win the Scudetto this summer.
Considering the £30 million option to purchase in his loan deal, there’s also a chance that if he proves to be a hit, Tomori could end up staying in Milan for good come the summer.
#3 Conor Hourihane – Aston Villa to Swansea City
A number of Premier League players have made the move down to the EFL Championship during this window. However, one of the more interesting of those moves has seen midfielder Conor Hourihane switch from Aston Villa to Swansea City in a loan deal.
Despite Villa’s massive struggles in the 2019-20 campaign, Hourihane was one of the few performers to come away from the season with some credit.
He made 27 appearances in the Premier League, scoring three goals and registering five assists, usually thanks to his pinpoint left-footed delivery from set-piece situations. In fact, he set up three of the goals that kept Villa in the top flight.
Hourihane even started the current campaign as a first XI mainstay, scoring in Villa’s second match against Fulham.
However, the arrival of Ross Barkley on a loan deal meant that he lost his place. When Barkley was shelved due to an injury, both Marvelous Nakamba and Jacob Ramsey somehow moved in front of the Ireland international in the pecking order.
When Villa then parted with £14 million to bring in Morgan Sanson from Marseille last week, the writing was on the wall for Hourihane, and his loan to Swansea was finalised quickly.
The Irishman has already taken to his new surroundings well. He’s scored two goals in his first two games and was named Man of the Match in the weekend’s win over Rotherham. A permanent move in the summer definitely seems likely.
#4 Sebastien Haller – West Ham to Ajax
One of the few Premier League stars to make a move away from the league for an actual transfer fee during the current window was Sebastien Haller. The striker made a €22.5 million move from West Ham to Ajax on January 8th in the early part of the window.
While it was surprising to see any club throw around a semi-large fee during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was hardly a surprise to see Haller leave the London Stadium.
Signed from Frankfurt in the summer of 2019 for a club-record fee of around £45m, the Ivorian struggled throughout his time with the Hammers and ended his first campaign with the club with just seven Premier League goals to his name.
Fans had gotten used to the odd flash of brilliance from Haller – like his overhead kick goal against Crystal Palace in December – but overall, he simply didn’t seem to fit into boss David Moyes’ gameplan all that well.
West Ham have taken a financial hit on the striker with this transfer, but thankfully, things seem to be going well for Haller thus far.
Since arriving at Ajax, he’s made six appearances and has already scored twice while registering four assists. With West Ham also flying high in the Premier League in his absence, this looks like a move that’s suited all parties.
#5 Demarai Gray – Leicester City to Bayer Leverkusen
Over the last few seasons, we’ve seen more and more English players heading abroad in search of success. With the likes of Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and Stephy Mavididi already playing in Europe, they are now joined by winger Demarai Gray.
A former England U-21 international, Gray was once considered one of the hottest prospects in English football.
However, over the last couple of seasons, he’d fallen out of favour with Brendan Rodgers, and his spot as Leicester City’s young, exciting winger had been usurped by Harvey Barnes.
While Gray made 21 appearances in the Premier League in 2019-20 – primarily from the bench – this season had seen him restricted to appearing in just 18 minutes of action. So, with his 25th birthday approaching this year, it was definitely time for a change.
Gray has moved to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for around £2 million and should be with his new club until the summer of 2022. If he can reignite his career there, he’ll definitely be a player worth watching.
Coincidentally, Gray wasn’t the only Premier League player to move to Leverkusen during this window. The Bundesliga side also signed Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah for a fee of £1.75 million.
