5 players who are at the wrong club

Manchester United v Sevilla FC  - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg
Pogba holds off two opponents as his team surprisingly exited the Champions League after losing to Sevilla

Every transfer windows brings another round of spectacular moves and stunning deals. The big teams in Europe pick their favourites from the lesser teams; sometimes a player will swap his big side for a rival.

While some of the biggest transfers of recent times have been huge successes - think Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid from Manchester United - other footballers aren't so lucky and ultimately find themselves at a team not suited for them.

This could be down to a matter of style, or it could be due to fierce competition for places in the squad. It might be a cause for argument in favour of abolishing the transfer window periods as it would stop talented players being stuck in poor situations.

This article lists 5 current examples of players who are at the wrong club and discusses which outfit would better suit them individually:


#5 Paul Pogba (Manchester United)

Pogba reminded the world of his supreme ability during this week's international break, crashing in a wonderful free-kick from 25 yards out for France, but he's had a far from happy campaign in Manchester so far. An early injury didn't help his progress, keeping him out of the side until November.

Even after his return, United manager Jose Mourinho preferred the inexperienced and inferior Scott McTominay to the Frenchman, a grievous comedown for a player who once held the world's highest record transfer fee.

Perhaps the player isn't going to ever get on well with his tough manager. Mourinho is, of course, a defensive coach, and Pogba's strengths don't lie in this area.

When he thrived at Juventus before returning to Manchester United, he did so by operating in a 3-man midfield, which allowed him the freedom to be an effective box-to-box player.

The difference now is that he's being asked to do too much; Pogba's importance to his team is monumental but he just isn't that type of player. His return to the side of his youth was much-hyped but he isn't a leader, a player like Roy Keane who can guide the young talent around him.

It must be said that he has provided 9 assists in just 18 league appearances, an excellent contribution, and his form hasn't been as dismal as some have made out.

He came to a Manchester United team very much in transition even though he would have been better off either staying at Juventus, where he was adored and the team would have been built around him.

A mooted move to Real Madrid would have made sense as well, as the club, is currently miles ahead of Manchester United.

#4 Isco (Real Madrid)

Eibar v Real Madrid - La Liga
Isco will feel like he has done enough to merit a first-team place

Another who impressed greatly during the international break, Isco, was a delight to watch against Argentina: he was direct, silky, and delivered with a great hat-trick in the 6-1 hammering.

There are few players who are more aesthetically pleasing in world football when he is in top form. 2016-2017 looked to be a breakout year for the midfielder at Real Madrid, as he stepped up in Gareth Bale's absence and produced consistently.

It was his scheming and dribbling from the centre of the pitch that predominantly allowed his team to wrestle the league title back from rivals Barcelona.

Isco's statistics for this campaign are good, yet he's found himself in-and-out of the team, struggling for consistency.

He's had a hand in 10 goals in La Liga in just 18 games but Zinedine Zidane has preferred others like Luka Madrid and Toni Kroos to the Spaniard.

Admittedly, Real Madrid is incredibly well-stocked in the midfield, with even the delightful Marco Asensio managing only 14 starts in the league, but Isco certainly deserves to be a first-team regular.

He's 25 now and coming into his peak, and his form for his country shows this. He's scored 8 goals for Spain in the last 2 calendar years and is easily the best candidate to take over from the majestic Andres Iniesta when he finally retires from international football.

English clubs should be queuing up to bring him to the country and, given he plays similarly to David Silva, it's not difficult to imagine him being a success in the Premier League.

His style would suit Arsenal, certainly, and the player might just relish the opportunity to be the main man at a club, something that just won't be possible at Real Madrid with all their superstars.

#3 Neymar (PSG)

Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg
Neymar tried his best to defeat Real Madrid but it wasn't to be

It might seem shocking to include the world's most expensive player on this list, especially given how well he's performed since joining PSG, but there is a growing number of people who think that the Brazilian will spend only one season in the French capital.

The attacker's statistics are ridiculous: 19 goals and 13 assists in the league as well as 6 goals and 3 assists in their UEFA Champions League campaign. Yet that campaign ended prematurely, at the last-16 stage against Real Madrid, and the desire to win this competition was the primary reason behind him joining the club.

The league was always likely to be PSG's to lose and this has continued to be the case, but the challenge in France isn't enough for a player with his talent. It was always going to be a risk moving to the club in the hopes of winning European club football's biggest trophy, for PSG are still a work-in-progress.

Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani, and Adrien Rabiot are world-class players but Unai Emery isn't good enough a coach to put it all together into a cohesive unit. The ability of those on the pitch is good enough to easily help PSG stroll past the French league, but against Real Madrid, they were deservedly beaten over both legs.

Coincidentally, it's this same club that most think Neymar will join, and the talk about a move to Madrid hasn't ceased since he moved to France. With Cristiano Ronaldo ageing, it might be the perfect time for Neymar to succeed him as the leader of their attack.

It would also, crucially, pit him directly against Lionel Messi, the man he hopes to succeed as the world's best player. It will take another world-record transfer fee to remove him from the club he's only just joined, but Zidane and Madrid would be fools not to try.

#4 Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

Atletico Madrid v CD Leganes - La Liga
Griezmann is a player who favours a move away from Atletico Madrid

This choice must be prefaced by saying that Griezmann has been an unbelievable success since he arrived at Atletico Madrid. He's been their star, scoring 106 goals in 198 total appearances.

A move, however, has been touted for over a season now, specifically to Barcelona, and with reason. He stayed at Atletico to help them during the transfer embargo but a high probability remains that he'll move to the Camp Now for this coming season.

His style, simply, fits that team more. He's a silky dribbler, with brilliant link-up ability, and the thought of him combining with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Ousmane Dembele is frightening.

It's why he performs so well with his country, where he links superbly with players like Olivier Giroud, Dimitri Payet, and the aforementioned Dembele.

He's too small and slight to be a main forward and this is what has been lacking with Atletico; it's noticeable that Griezmann only started hitting top form this season when Diego Costa joined him in attack from January.

With that tough battler beside him, he now has 17 league goals and seems to be enjoying his football again. When Atletico dramatically won the league title in 2013/2014, a massive part of the success was down to Costa's incessant bullying and harassing of defensive lines, and when he does depart, the team's attack will be in good hands.

In this case, Griezmann's dependence on Diego Costa or any other bullying strikers simply underlines the fact that Atletico isn't the best fit for him. It may undoubtedly be an excellent club, and he may have thrived during his time at the club. However, the mere thought of him donning a Barcelona jersey is bound to send shivers down most spines.

#5 Daniel Sturridge (West Bromwich Albion)

Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion - Premier League
Sturridge chases a ball shortly before picking up his injury

Sturridge's case gets sorrier by the week. When it became clear that his time at Liverpool was finally up, where he moved to on loan in January was vitally important, especially in a World Cup year.

In a choice between Rafael Benitez's Newcastle United and Alan Pardew's struggling West Brom, he chose the latter, and many bemoaned his choice. In just his third appearance, he had injured his hamstring against Chelsea and is only expected to make his return to the pitch in 2 weeks time.

One has to feel for the Englishman because he is a supremely gifted player on his day. When fully fit, he formed an incredible partnership with Luis Suarez in 2013/2014, and his 21 league goals deserved a title medal. Unfortunately, few Premier League players have suffered as many injuries as possible.

Sturridge is 28 now and should be enjoying his peak goal scoring years but his future remains uncertain. West Brom are certain to be relegated and Sturridge is simply too good to play in the Championship, but he's also got no chance of making it into Jurgen Klopp's plans for Liverpool next season, given their glorious forward line of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, and Sadio Mane.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it may have all been different had he moved to Newcastle instead; Sturridge is a player who thrives on the adoration of fans, and he would have been sure to have received this in front of Newcastle's famous supporters.

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Edited by Aakanksh Sanketh