The transfer window at the start of the football season is about to close and while numerous players have traded in their usual strips for new ones, some have chosen to don older, more familiar strips. After the first international break is over and the players are back playing domestic football, many will be in unfamiliar territory with new bosses, teammates, and fans to please. However, there will also be those who ae going back home, ready to begin a new chapter in a familiar place.
Clubs have gone above and beyond their budgets and status in pursuit of those considered the best, leaving no stone unturned. Here’s a look at five players who have re-signed with their former clubs this transfer window:
#5 Tomas Rosicky
After spending 10 years with Arsenal, Tomas Rosicky has gone done in Gunner folklore as one of their favourites. Following in his father’s footsteps, Rosicky joined Sparta Prague’s youth team and made his first senior appearance in 1998. He was a fresh young talent who spent three good years at the Czech club.
He was part of the team that won the domestic titles in 1999 and 2000. Rosicky was even awarded ‘Talent of the Year’ at the 1999 Czech Footballer of the Year awards. After an impressive start to Champions League campaign in 2000-01, he attracted attention from Borussia Dortmund and soon joined the German side in January 2001.
Known as ‘little Mozart’ for his ability to ‘orchestrate’ in the midfield area for Dortmund, he attracted Arsenal’s interest and quickly moved to the London side. In spite of spending an entire decade at Arsenal, he appeared for the north London club only intermittently as he was plagued by a string of long-term injuries. He won just two titles with the club and announced his decision to leave at the end of the 2016 season following the expiration of his contract. The move was most likely inspired by yet another injury.
However, the Czech midfielder had a very specific plan for his career. He was moving back to his old club, Sparta Prague on a free transfer for a period of two years and he completed the move this transfer window. At the age of 36, it makes sense a player would want to move back to his boyhood club to see out the rest of his playing career.
#4 Mats Hummels
Mats Hummels, despite being one of Borussia Dortmund's most popular and consistent players in the last few seasons, started his career with the Bundesliga giants and bitter rivals Bayern Munich. He started in their youth academy in 1995 and appeared for the Bavarian B team and first team before he moved to Dortmund permanently in 2009. After spending about 8 years with them, he expressed his desire to go back to his former club at the end of the 2015-16 season.
His move to Bayern Munich was made official at the end of May ahead of Euro 2016 on a five-year contract. In spite of providing years of faithful service to BVB, fans of the club were very hostile towards him for changing allegiances. He was whistled at by fans of the Westphalians – a reaction which took the defender by surprise. He had expected fans to be more understanding after giving them 8 years of his career.
#3 Mario Gotze
Fellow German teammate Mario Gotze pulled off the exact opposite of what Mats Hummels did. Gotze joined Borussia Dortmund as an eight-year-old and quickly made his way into the first team in 2010 under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp. He became one of the core players behind the success of Dortmund for the next three years. However, lured by the indomitable success of Bayern Munich, Gotze moved to the Bavarian side in 2013.
However, he was not able to make as many starts for the German champions as he would have liked to. Gotze spent most of his time at the club on the bench, coming on as a substitute and barely getting any starts. His winning goal at the 2014 FIFA World Cup had no effect on his fortunes at the club either.
After a frustrating three years, Borussia Dortmund announced he was moving back to his childhood club for a period of four years. When the move was finalised at the beginning of this transfer window, he expressed his regrets about leaving the club in the first place.
#2 David Luiz
The return of David Luiz to Chelsea happened out of the blue. Amidst all the rumours this transfer window, Luiz’s return was never once featured or even hinted at. Yet, about twenty-four hours before the close of the window, the re-signing of Luiz became the proverbial talk of the town. A move out of left field.
The Brazilain defender left Chelsea for PSG for the sum of £50 million as soon as Jose Mourinho began his second term at the London club ahead of the 2013-14 season. Initially, a regular, Luiz lost favour with the Parisian giants over the years and became an option for Antonio Conte, the new Chelsea manager on deadline day. With a medical on the final day of the window, Luiz’s move to his former club was sealed for the sum of £30 million.
Many Chelsea fans were sad to see the unpredictable Brazilain go after he had helped them bring the Champions League home. Now, he’s back for a second stint at the club under new management and with new teammates.
#1 Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba left Le Havre to join Manchester United’s youth academy in 2009 and was scheduled to make first team appearances by 2011. However, he didn’t play as many games as he would like to under Sir Alex Ferguson and made the decision to leave for Juventus for just £800,000 in 2012.
Since then, Pogba has become one of the brightest talents in the world of football. His creativity and talent as a midfielder made him one of the most sought after clubs and by the end of Euro 2016, it was anyone’s guess which top dog club would land the Frenchman.
At the end of well-recorded and highly publicised transfer negotiations, Pogba made the choice to re-join his former club Manchester United. He signed a five-year contract for £89.3 million breaking all previous transfer fee records. After keeping fans on tenterhooks, the move was complete and Pogba was welcomed back with much fanfare.
He has already started two of United’s games in the league and even though he hasn’t scored or made any assists, he has already started proving his worth as a midfield player.
