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The UEFA Champions League is one of the most important tournaments for any footballer playing in Europe to feature in. The most elite and competitive clubs engage in a fiesty race to the title with several of the best players facing each other. Many young players who start emerging from different leagues in Europe harbor the ambitions of playing in the Champions League.
Several exciting players have yet to play in the Champions League
There are also players who remain devoid of Champions League football due to lengthy and complicated transfer sagas or disagreements over terms. Some great talents have proven that they are ready to compete with the best in the world but their current clubs do not compete in the Champions League. Here are the five most valuable players of 2021 who have never played in the Champions League:
#5 Richarlison - £55 million
Everton's European ambitions have taken a big blow in the past few years. The club last competed in the Europa League in 2017-18 and their last appearance in the Champions League was way back in 2005-06. In 2019, Everton made a statement signing by bringing Richarlison on board.
The Brazilian arrived at the age of 21 for £35.3m and became their second most expensive signing of all time. Richarlison has since been a key figure for the Merseyside outfit and the change in managers hasn't threatened his game time. The Brazil international can play in all three positions in a front-three and in his 125 appearances for Everton he has scored 44 times and assisted another 11,
It was reported in the summer that Carlo Ancelotti wanted to bring in Richarlison to Real Madrid but the deal didn't materialize. If a deal could have been struck, the striker would have had an opportunity to feature in the Champions League. Under new boss Rafa Benitez, Everton made a bright start to their Premier League campaign but couldn't keep the momentum going.
The Toffees have lost their last three games and a Champions League spot does not look like their cup of tea in the long run. Richarlison is currently valued at £55 million.
The Brazilian signed a contract extension with Everton in 2019 that will keep him at the club until 2024. However, if a suitable offer arrives with the opportunity to feature in the Champions League, Richarlison will almost definitely be on the way out.
#4 Bukayo Saka - £65 million
At just 20 years of age, Bukayo Saka has seen himself become the focus at Arsenal who are going through a transition period. For the first time in 26 straight years, Arsenal are not competing in Europe. They lost their top-four status and the right to compete in the Champions League with their last appearance coming in 2016-17.
Saka, who made his debut in a Europa League match in 2018 has showcased with his performances that he is ready for the big step. He cemented his place in Gareth Southgate's England side on his 20th birthday in September and won man of the match award against Andorra.
Arsenal were the highest spenders in the Premier League this summer. The Gunners' fanbase will hope their team can make a comeback in the Champions League. Saka is the most priced asset in Mikel Arteta's Arsenal squad, with a market value of £65 million.
He has a very strong link-up play and has been appreciated for selflessly teeing up his team-mates. Saka has often expressed his love for the club and that indicates he won't leave the club for financial reasons at all. He has managed 100 appearances for Arsenal so far and has scored 13 times and provided 23 assists.
But one can't deny that he is a very talented player and deserves to be playing for a team that offers Champions League football. The hopes from Arteta are high and he will have to ensure that Arsenal finish in at least the top-six to play in the Europa League.
#3 Florian Wirtz
Another teenager who has tested the waters of the Europa League and has proved he is all ready to get into a Champions League side. It's not your fault if every Bundesliga headline leads you to Robert Lewandowski or Erling Haaland, but Florian Wirtz is one of the brightest in the Bundesliga right now.
Bayer Leverkusen trusted Wirtz to fill in the boots of Kai Havertz at the age of 17 and that speaks a lot about his caliber and potential. At the age of 17 years and 15 days, he became the youngest Leverkusen player ever to play in the Bundesliga.
Wirtz might soon follow in the footsteps of Havertz in search of Champions League football. He has great ball control and distribution ability and plays both as a box-to-box No.8 and an attacking No.10.
He continued to be decisive and productive in the final third and has already bagged four goals and six assists in nine Bundesliga games. Wirtz has also scored thrice in the Europa league.
Champions League clubs like Manchester City and Manchester United have been linked with Wirtz. One cannot also rule out Bayern Munich's influence to lure him away. Hansi Flick handed the youngster his Germany debut and has described him as the 'total package'. The midfielder is valued at £65 million but it could take more than that to sign someone of his pedigree.
Rumors suggest that with their new owners at the helm, Newcastle United are also willing to splash the cash to bring in Wirtz from Germany. It would be a great option for the 18-year old from a financial point of view but it won't provide him with Champions League football.
#2 Mikel Oyarzabal
Spain are blessed with lots of young and promising talent emerging from their domestic setup and getting a chance to prove their value to the national side. One such find has been Mikel Oyarzabal, who featured regularly for Luis Enrique's side last year.
The Real Sociedad player has a market value of £70 million and deserves to be playing in the Champions League. Oyarzabal has made it a habit to rise to the biggest occasions for both club and country. He scored the winning goal in the 2019-20 Copa del Rey final against bitter rivals Athletic Bilbao to hand Sociedad their first piece of silverware in 34 years.
He also scored the only goal for Spain in the Tokyo Olympics final against Brazil. The Spaniard brought a creative spark playing from the flanks and displayed his class by setting up Ferran Torres twice against Italy in the Nations League semi-final.
Oyarzabal has rejected a move to Manchester City in the past and with that he said goodbye to an opportunity of playing in the Champions League as well. The 24-year old is on the verge of making his 250th appearance for Sociedad and has scored 70 and assisted a further 46 since making his debut in 2015.
He is playing in his third Europa League campaign this year and Real Sociedad sit top of La Liga having played one more game than Sevilla and Real Madrid. If by the end of the season Oyarzabal fails to qualify for the Champions League, it wouldn't be wrong on his part to look for a bigger club.
#1 Declan Rice
David Moyes has rediscovered his mojo at West Ham United after leading them into the Europa League this year. Declan Rice, the team's young captain, has been very crucial to their promotion and has showcased that he deserves to be playing for a Champions League club.
Manchester United and Chelsea have frequently been linked with the English midfielder and he himself has admitted that he wants a move. However, his £70 million evaluation in the market has been quite a roadblock for interested teams trying to sign him and fulfill his Champions League ambitions.
Rice is arguably among the best midfielders in the Premier League right now. The 22-year old has justified his captain's armband at every opportunity. He has shown his versatality playing both as a holding midfielder and a centre-back. Rice has not missed a single minute in this year's Premier League. If West Ham cannot make it to a Champions League spot, he will try to force a move out.
He has also shown his adventurous side this year as he has been making run-ins from the deep quite frequently. In fact, he has been successful in adding a final product to his attacking game, having contributed one goal and three assists.
Rice got on the scoresheet on his European debut in the Europa League. Moyes has hailed his captain as one of the best in Europe in his position. It seems fair on Rice's part to look for a move to a Champions League club.
