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The Premier League is the richest and arguably the most competitive football league in the world.
It is no wonder that some of the finest players in the game ply their trade in the Premier League, while earning wages that most top clubs outside the English top-flight cannot possibly offer.
The lure of the Premier League is such that many a good player doesn't mind joining one of the supposedly lesser clubs in the competition, or one that is not a regular in the Champions League.
Five Premier League players who are too good for their present clubs
Undoubtedly, the Premier League features many good players, but the performances and pedigree of a few are such that they deserve much more than what their present clubs have to offer.
In other words, these players deserve to be playing at a bigger club in the country or beyond that competes for domestic honours and are regulars in the Champions League.
On that note, let us have a look at five such Premier League players (in no particular order).
#5 Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
Jack Grealish has been a standout player for Aston Villa for quite a while.
The 25-year-old midfielder played over 30 Premier League games for Aston Villa last season, garnering eight goals and six assists, after helping the club gain promotion from the 2018-19 Championship.
This season, Grealish has been in blistering form. He has already scored four times and produced six assists in eight Premier League games. Grealish particularly starred for Villa in their 7-2 humbling of defending champions Liverpool earlier in the season.
Thanks to his exploits, Grealish made his England debut this year. Though he is yet to score a goal, he has already provided two assists.
If he continues his good form for club and country, it may not be too long before Jack Grealish is snapped up by a bigger club.
#4 Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Wilfried Zaha has been a key player for Crystal Palace in the Premier League over the years.
The 28-year-old Ivory Coast striker has had at least ten goal contributions in three of the last four seasons of the Premier League, performances that drew the attention of top clubs in the competition.
Zaha was strongly linked with a move away from Palace in the summer, but it did not happen as no club apparently came close to meeting Crystal Palace's asking price for the player.
This season, Zaha has already scored five goals and provided two assists in eight Premier League games for Crystal Palace, who sit ahead of the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City in the league table.
Strongly rumoured with a move to a bigger Premier League club in January, Wilfried Zaha may not stay at Palace for too long, despite the club's reluctance to let go one of their most prized assets for cheap.
#3 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been one of the standout players for a largely mediocre Arsenal side since he arrived at the Premier League club in 2018.
The former Borussia Dortmund player did not take time to hit the ground running for his new side, scoring ten goals in the second half of the 2017-18 Premier League.
The Gabon striker racked up 22 goals in the competition next season to win the Golden Boot, and followed up with an identical haul in the next season too. However, despite Aubameyang's exploits, Arsenal failed to finish in the top four on both occasions.
Simply put, the 2016-17 Bundesliga top-scorer is too good a player to be languishing at a club that has not been able to offer him Champions League football.
After nine games, Arsenal are in a lowly 11th place in the Premier League this season. Despite the player recently agreeing a new contract extension with the club, he is unlikely to stay at Arsenal beyond this season if the London club does not qualify for the Champions League yet again.
#2 Danny Ings (Southampton)
It would be an understatement to suggest that Danny Ings has been a key player for Southampton in the Premier League.
The 28-year-old centre-forward scored almost 50% (22) of Southampton's 51 Premier League goals in 2018-19, almost singlehandedly keeping the goal-shy club afloat in the Premier League for another season.
Ings has hit the ground running this season as well, racking up five goals and two assists in seven games to help Southampton to a credible fifth place in the Premier League table after seven games.
With league leaders Tottenham Hotspur reportedly interested in the player's services, it could be time for Danny Ings to ply his trade at a bigger club with more ambitions than modest Southampton.
#1 James Rodriguez (Everton)
Real Madrid-reject James Rodriguez received a new lease of life when he was reunited with his old manager Carlo Ancelotti at Everton this summer.
The Golden Boot winner at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil has hit the ground running in the Premier League, racking up three goals and as many assists in eight games, after falling out of favour at the Spanish giants.
Understandably, the 29-year-old player, who is still in his prime, is delighted to play regular first-team football after a long stint on the Real Madrid bench.
“Both (Everton and Ancelotti) trusted me when nobody did. I’ll forever be grateful to the club and to Carlo. That’s why I try to show my best in every game, that’s why I try to play at my highest level. This is what I want to do for the club," said Rodriguez after his arrival at Everton.
If he continues his exploits at Everton, who were one of the early pacesetters in the 2020-21 Premier League, it may not be too long before James Rodriguez is courted by some of the bigger clubs in the continent.
