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With financial turmoil taking over the footballing world, clubs had no option other than to release some players into the wilderness. Nevertheless, there has been no shortage of high-profile deals in the market. Presently, a total of 13 players have been bought or sold for over €20m in this summer transfer window alone, with Jadon Sancho commanding the highest fee among them. To expedite this expenditure of €84.5m, Manchester United released as many as 8 players from their ranks.
In a similar fashion to United, several clubs chose to cut their losses rather than prolonging the stay of certain employees. Arsenal confirmed in a statement that David Luiz would not be continuing at the Emirates stadium, come next season. The aforementioned Manchester club decided to release goalkeepers Sergio Romero and Joel Pereira, along with six other academy graduates.
Other notable players to have been released include Yanick Bolasie from Everton, Willy Caballero from Chelsea, Marcel Schmelzer from Borussia Dortmund and many more.
In the midst of multiple pre-eminent transfers and the exhilaration of two fascinating international tournaments, the Euros and the Copa America, many such releases went unnoticed. Here, we take a look at 5 players you may not know were ostracized from their clubs in 2021.
#5 Ezgjan Alioski from Leeds United
A regular starter at Elland Road, Ezgjan Alioski was recently let go by Leeds United, after 4 years and 171 appearances for the English club. Alioski was instrumental in the Whites' return to the Premier League after 16 years in the Championship. It was also quite obvious that the Macedonian international had Marcelo Bielsa's complete faith, playing 36 times in Leeds' first campaign back in the top flight.
However, due to contractual disagreements, the two parties were not able to concur an extension to his current deal, resulting in the defender's departure. Following this, Leeds released a club statement, saying:
"Whilst the club made offers for Gjanni to stay, we have been unable to reach an agreement with his representatives and his existing contract expired last week."
Signed for a nominal fee of €2.3m from FC Lugano, Alioski's commitment to the club made him a fan favorite during his stay at Leeds. The 29-year-old left-back's offensive threat combined with his knack for putting in constant tackles made him a dangerous prospect. Bielsa exploited this trait to the maximum as 'Gjanni' contributed 5 goal involvements in addition to his average of 2.1 tackles per game in his maiden Premier League season.
Alioski has been heavily linked with Galatasary ever since rumors of a contract dispute first surfaced. Having been released by the Yorkshire club, Alioski is currently without a club. On the flip side, Leeds have already announced the signing of Junior Firpo from Barcelona as his replacement.
#4 Patrick van Aanholt from Crystal Palace
Patrick van Aanholt officially became a free agent on July 1st, after being released by Crystal Palace. Having been a serial-loanee during his time at Chelsea, Van Aanholt played for 5 different clubs in as many seasons. He ultimately left Stamford Bridge with just 2 league appearances for the London club to join Sunderland in 2014.
The Dutch defender played some impressive football at the Stadium of Light, which prompted the Eagles to fork out an initial €10.4m for his services. Van Aanholt went on to play 134 games for Crystal Palace in the subsequent 4 years, mustering 20 goal involvements in that time.
The 30-year-old left-back was called up for Euro 2020 and ended up playing in each of Netherlands' four games at the tournament. Known for his crossing and ability to hold the ball, Frank de Boer deployed him as a left wing-back in his 3-4-1-2 system.
Since being released from Selhurst Park, Van Aanholt has been linked with a possible move to Inter. The Nerazzuri recently sold Ashley Young to Aston Villa and Achraf Hakimi to PSG, respectively.
#3 Aleix Vidal from Sevilla
Former Barcelona right-back Aleix Vidal has been released by Sevilla, the club confirmed in an official declaration. His contract was due to expire in 2022 but owing to a mutual agreement between the player and his team, Vidal departed the Andalusian side a year earlier.
Born in Catalonia, Vidal was part of Barcelona's youth setup for a brief period of time in 2001. However, he was released a year later, at 13 years of age. Having spent some time with Barcelona's two fiercest rivals, Real Madrid and Espanyol, Vidal finally found his stride in Almeria and went on to make 130 appearances for the club.
After a solitary season at Sevilla, the 31-year-old defender was signed by Luis Enrique's Barcelona for €18m. Brought in to be a squad player, Vidal could never make his mark at the Camp Nou and a long-term injury in 2017 eventually forced his return to Seville. The Spaniard possessed frightening pace and was adept at providing pin-point crosses but injuries prevented him from reaching his true potential.
With his injury record, it would be very difficult for the once-capped Spanish international to find a top-tier club willing to provide him consistent playing time.
#2 Max Meyer from FC Köln
Considered a prodigy in his younger years, Max Meyer has been dumped by FC Köln, after making a paltry 12 appearances for the club. He only joined the club on a short 6-month deal in January 2021 but it soon became painfully obvious that the German was nowhere in coach Steffen Baumgart's plans.
Capped 4 times by Germany, Meyer played his first senior game for Schalke at just 17 years old, catching the eye of multiple heavyweight clubs due to his splendid performances. However, the playmaker-turned-defensive midfielder stayed put in the Bundesliga.
Meyer's attitude towards the game has been his biggest adversary. While still contracted to Schalke, Meyer publicly criticized Christian Heidel, the German club's sporting director at the time, and stated that Heidel's constant bullying was the reason behind his departure. However, a bumper €190k per week deal with Crystal Palace caused people to speculate that Meyer's main motivation for leaving might have been money after all.
Still just 25 years old, Meyer is not linked with any club at the time of writing. Being released by two clubs in succession will definitely hurt his reputation, but the midfielder still has time to revive his career.
#1 Franck Ribéry from Fiorentina
The best of the lot, Franck Ribéry has been consistently brilliant for over 15 years now. The French maestro left Bayern Munich in 2019 to join Fiorentina on a two-year contract. After 51 appearances with La Viola, it was announced that Ribery has been released by the club.
Having won 24 trophies in his illustrious career, Ribery still hasn't declared retirement at the age of 38. He formed a formidable partnership on the wings with Arjen Robben during his Bayern days. The duo were fondly called 'Robbery' by their fans. Ribery famously provided the assist to Robben's goal in the 12/13 Champions League final, which ended up sealing the elusive 'treble' for his team. Indeed, the French winger's 12-year stay in Bavaria has inarguably attained legendary status in the books of football.
Ribery has been an excellent dribbler throughout his career, dazzling his audience by dint of his artistry on the ball. The winger has made over 688 appearances for both club and country in the 21 years of his senior career. While his on-field friend Robben announced his retirement at the end of last season, Ribery still hasn't revealed any concrete plans for his future.
