5 players who are too good for their current clubs

There are a lot of world-class players plying their trade in Europe's top leagues. But a few have 'outgrown' their current clubs and deserve to move on to bigger teams.

These players have been consistent performers for their clubs over the years, making them deserving of plying their trade at some of the elite teams in the continent.

On that note, here's a look at five such players, in no particular order, who are too good for their present clubs, and may not stay there for too long:

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#5 Declan Rice

Declan Rice has been a solid performer for his club over the years.

Declan Rice is one of the most promising young English players at the moment. After rising through the ranks at West Ham United, Rice has become one of the standout players for the first team.

He may only be 22, but has already made over 100 Premier League appearances for the Hammers, impressing with his ability to break up play and also scoring the odd goal. Rice recently featured at Euro 2020 for England, where the Three Lions lost to Italy in the final.

Reportedly one of Chelsea's most sought-after targets, he started his club's 2021-22 season-opener against Newcastle United. But it remains to be seen how long Rice will remain at West Ham as he has the game to flourish at a bigger club.

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#4 Son Heung-Min

Son-Heung Min (in blue) has been a standout player for Tottenham Hotspur.

Son Heung-Min has blossomed into a world-class winger during his six-season stint at Tottenham Hotspur.

Last season, the 29-year-old enjoyed a career-best campaign, scoring 21 goals and registering 15 assists across competitions. Heung-Min in particular formed a lethal partnership with Harry Kane as Spurs briefly surged to the Premier League summit before fading away to finish a lowly seventh.

Yet to win a title in six years at North London, the South Korean started his 2021-22 campaign on a bright note, scoring the winner as Spurs downed holders Manchester City in their season opener.

Considering what Son Heung-Min brings to the table, he deserves to move away from Spurs, who are not one of the contenders in the Premier League this season. However, the latest reports suggest that the South Korean is likely to accept a contract extension at Spurs and stay on for a while.

#3 Harry Kane

Harry Kane showing his 2020 Premier League Golden Boot off

Harry Kane has been a prolific scorer for club and country over the years. Last season, the Englishman enjoyed one of his career-best campaigns, topping both the goalscorers and assist charts with 23 goals and 14 assists.

Despite his exploits, Tottenham Hotspur had another trophyless campaign, failing to qualify for the Champions League or Europa League after briefly leading the Premier League early on.

The Englishman, who scored four times for England at Euro 2020, has registered an impressive 221 strikes for Spurs. The 28-year-old didn't feature in Spurs' season-opening win against holders Manchester City, whom he is likely to join in the next few days.

City have reportedly had an opening bid for Kane rejected by Spurs. But after landing Jack Grealish on a big transfer, it remains to be seen if the Cityzens make another run at Kane before the transfer window closes.

It would make sense to do so, because despite having a star-studded squad, City, who have not scored in their last three games, lack a consistent world-class goalscorer like Kane.

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#2 Richarlison

Richarlison - a key member of the Gold-medalist Brazilian contingent at Tokyo 2020

Richarlison is one of the most exciting young Brazilian forwards in the game at the moment.

However, the Tokyo Olympic gold-medal winner could do better than a return of 43 goals in 120 games for Premier League side Everton. The 24-year-old opened his account in the 2021-22 Premier League, but considering his quality, Richarlison could flourish at a bigger club with better teammates around him.

Richarlison, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid this summer, had a big-money bid from Barcelona rejected by his club last year. However, it remains to be seen how long the Brazilian will continue to stay at Goodison Park if Everton, who didn't qualify for Europe this season, do not fare better this campaign.

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#1 Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland is one of the most lethal and dominant young strikers in the game

Erling Haaland has been on fire since arriving at Borussia Dortmund in January last year.

The 22-year-old, regarded as one of the finest young strikers at the moment, has scored an impressive 62 times in as many games for the Bundesliga club. He has also left his mark on the Champions League stage since announcing himself with a dazzling hat-trick in 2019-20.

Last season, Haaland netted an impressive 41 times across competitions, but Dortmund only won the DFB Pokal, finishing third in the Bundesliga and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals.

There is no doubt Dortmund are a top club in the continent and have a rich history, but they haven't won the league in a decade and the Champions League since the mid-90s.

Considering his pedigree, Haaland is being touted as a future Ballon d'Or winner and is expected to dominate the game for the next decade or so with Kylian Mbappe and others. So it makes sense that he should be playing for a club that regularly contends for league titles and goes deep in European competitions.

Strongly pursued by Chelsea this summer, with Liverpool and Manchester United also in the fray, it remains to be seen if the Premier League is the next destination for the prolific striker.