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Matching expectations and demands is a vital aspect of club football, especially if things aren’t going in the right direction. If a player matches a club’s expectations, a lot will be done to acquire his services and rope him in from his own club. But if the player feels that his club doesn’t match his standards, he will definitely be looking for greener pastures elsewhere.
And this usually is one of the prime reasons for as to why players look to switch clubs when they end up improving oneself at a lesser known club. There’s no real shortage of such players, who always prove their mettle for their club so much that they end up assuming the form of a big fish in a small pond.
As the new Premier League season draws near, we take a look at players who are bigger for their current clubs. Or in other words, we run the rule over players who are big fishes in small ponds at their current clubs.
#5 Virgil van Dijk
It would be fair to say that if not for Liverpool themselves, Virgil van Dijk would have been a Liverpool player already. Mauricio Pellegrino has made it clear that the Dutchman wants to move and he could still move to Anfield nonetheless.
Currently 26, Van Dijk is one of the best defenders in the Premier League and has earned a reputation for being so ever since he joined from Celtic back in 2015. However, despite being a top player, Van Dijk hasn’t finished above sixth in the Premier League and hasn’t won a single trophy. His ability to dominate games and bully forwards is well known and it seems like a matter of time before he departs St.Mary’s.
More so, demands pertaining to the fact that he wants to move seem justified enough, as things stand.
#4 Riyad Mahrez
It’s becoming more obvious with every passing day that Riyad Mahrez won’t be a Leicester City player when the summer transfer window slams shut in early September.
The winger has long been one of Leicester’s brightest superstars, but the team's 12th placed finish last season saw Mahrez’s output fall to less than half of what he gave in their miraculous title winning campaign in the 2015-16 season. While he was a regular, it seems as if Leicester’s ambitions don’t match his quality and what he is capable of. He was one of the reasons why the Foxes won the title and things have gone downhill for the club since.
With Roma said to be chasing him, it’s only a matter of time before Riyad Mahrez leaves the club for greener pastures.
#3 Gylfi Sigurdsson
Gylfi Sigurdsson is probably the reason why Swansea City are still in the Premier League, as things stand. The Iceland superstar has been their best player since rejoining from Tottenham back in the summer of 2014.
Someone with an eye for a key pass and blessed with impeccable vision, apart from excellent set-piece taking abilities, Sigurdsson assisted 13 times last season and racked up a tally of nine goals too. There has always been a consistency in his performances and he always does well when Swansea are in need of match-winners and those who can influence games. It goes without saying that the Swans would want to keep him at the club.
And that’s probably the reason why they are demanding around £50 million for any club that wants to sign the former Spurs star. Everton and Leicester are after him and they do match his standards.
#2 Mesut Ozil
Before 2013, Mesut Ozil was one of the best midfielders in the world and was a regular face in the Champions League semi-finals. Four years on, he hasn’t won the domestic title even once and despite having won the FA Cup twice, he deserves more.
Players like him are supposed to be at their prime at his age and even if he is in his prime, he doesn’t deserve to play the Europa League. He is one of Arsenal best players, but it isn’t entirely his fault if the team doesn’t come close to winning the title or doesn’t go further than the Round of 16 in the Champions League.
As brutal as this sounds, Mesut Ozil is meant to play for a club that belongs to the top four of Europe. It doesn’t seem as if he would leave, but the man up next may well do so.
#1 Alexis Sanchez
The similarities in the cases of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are stark. Both are world-class players and should be winning titles regularly. Much like how players like Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, Alex Song and Cesc Fabregas left, Sanchez’s reason for departing the Emirates could be the search for silverware.
Much like Ozil, Sanchez has won two trophies at Arsenal as well and both have been FA Cups. He has been one of the Premier League’s best players ever since he joined from Barcelona in 2014, assuming the form of a consistent goalscorer and assister for Arsene Wenger’s men. His usage as the sole striker helped him find the back of the net more, but a player such as him would unlikely be satisfied with just that.
The likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Paris-Saint Germain are after him and it won’t be a surprise if the mercurial Chilean leaves this summer.
