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#7: Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool)
Three Lions right-back Nathaniel Clyne ended a disappointing season with EPL champions Liverpool after having made no appearances for the club in the entirety of the 2019-20 campaign.
It was largely due to Clyne's persistent injury problems and the rise of Trent Alexander-Arnold from the youth ranks who was a revelation this season.
Clyne joined Liverpool from Southampton in 2015 on a 5-year contract. In his first two seasons, Clyne played a total of 93 games in all competitions. As a reward for his consistent club performances, he was capped 12 times for England during this period.
He was an integral part of Liverpool as a right-back during his first two seasons. However, before the 2017-18 season, Clyne unexpectedly suffered a back injury that ruled him out till February 2018. The right-back made his comeback in April 2018 against Everton in the Merseyside Derby.
On 20 July 2019, Clyne suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury in a preseason friendly against Borrusia Dortmund. He suffered various other injuries during the course of the season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has cemented his position as an important cog in Klopp's team and youth player Neco Williams has been preferred by the manager as the deputy. Hence, it was in the best interests of both Liverpool and Clyne to part ways at the end of the season.
Once established as the first-choice right-back for the England national team, Clyne's career seems to be hanging in the balance. However, the 29-year-old still has time to resurrect his career at a different club.
#6: Joe Hart (Burnley)
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart has been released by Burnley after his contract expired at the end of June. Hart, who was formerly at Manchester City, was unable to make a substantial impact at Burnley during regular keeper Nick Pope's absence.
Joe Hart is a two-time winner of the EPL with Manchester City and is also the recipient of the Premier League Golden Glove Award on a record four occasions.
In February 2015, Hart was hailed as a 'phenomenon' by six-time Ballon D'or recipient Lionel Messi after his breathtaking performances against Barcelona in the Champions League. The City shot-stopper made 10 saves in the match, including a penalty, which is a record for the most saves made by an English goalkeeper in the Champions League.
The 2016-17 season, though, marked a new era for the Manchester City when new manager Pep Guardiola arrived at the Etihad from Bayern Munich. With the arrival of the former Barcelona manager, Hart saw his career go downhill.
Guardiola didn't favour the goalkeeper and made it clear that he was looking for other options. The new City manager wanted a goalkeeper who was adept with his feet and could fill in the role of a sweeper-keeper.
Hart was sent out on two unsuccessful loan spells, first to Serie A side Torino and then to West Ham.
In 2018, Burnley came calling for Hart's signature following injuries to both their goalkeepers Nick Pope and Tom Heaton.
However, Hart conceded a disappointing 41 goals after playing in the first 19 games for Burnley before being replaced by Tom Heaton.
In 2019-20, Hart had his chances hard to come by with regular keeper Nick Pope being crucial to Sean Dyche's team. With Hart only making three appearances in Cup competitions, Burnley decided not to renew his contract.
#5: Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur)
Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the departure of veteran Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen.
The centre-back, who is also capable of playing at left-back, arrived at the London club from Dutch side Ajax in July 2012 for a fee of €12 million.
In his first season in the EPL, Vertonghen became a hit for Spurs, making 34 appearances, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year alongside Rio Ferdinand, Leighton Baines and Pablo Zabaleta in defence.
In the 2015-16 season, Vertonghen was joined by former Ajax teammate and fellow Belgian Toby Alderweireld.
The two Belgian defenders made a formidable partnership at the heart of the Spurs defence. In 2016-17, the centre-backs were part of the Spurs rearguard that conceded only 26 goals in the EPL, marking the best defensive record for the club.
The 2018-19 season was another good one for Spurs. Vertonghen was a crucial cog in manager Mauricio Pochettino's side which reached the Champions League final after defeating Manchester City in the quarterfinal and Ajax in the semifinal.
Spurs, however, could not get past Liverpool in the final, losing 0-2. For his solid performances, though, Vertonghen was rewarded with a mention in the Champions League Team of the Season in 2018-19.
Jan Vertonghen's 8-year stay at the North London club finally came to an end this season. The veteran defender's opportunities were limited under new manager Jose Mourinho, and Spurs decided not to renew his contract.
After making more than 300 appearances, Jan Vertonghen seemed to be emotional and looked like he will miss the Spurs team when he left a tweet saying goodbye to the club and the fans.
#4: Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth)
Bournemouth have been disappointing this season and despite a 3-1 win on the last day against Everton, they were unable to avoid the drop from the EPL.
To add to insult to injury, Ryan Fraser, one of the key attacking players for the Cherries, declined a contact extension when the league restarted in June.
Ryan Fraser joined Bournemouth from Scottish side Aberdeen in the 2012-13 season when they were in League One. Fraser oversaw the meteoric rise of Eddie Howe's Bournemouth from League One to Championship and then getting promoted to the EPL in 2015-16.
However, he was loaned out to Ipswich Town in the same season after getting promoted. After returning from his loan spell in 2016, Fraser joined Howe's side and remained an integral part of it.
A rumoured target for Arsenal last season, Fraser was at the peak of his powers in the 2018-19 season, scoring seven EPL goals and assisting 14. Fraser took 1.3 shots on target and made 2.4 key passes a match.
He remained a key player going forward for Bournemouth this season. However, post the lockdown, he refused to sign a new contract extension and became a free agent even before the season ended owing to his wish to move to another club.
At a press conference before the first game after lockdown, Eddie Howe confirmed that the Scottish winger would not play another game for the EPL club.
"I only want players who are fully focused on the relegation battle we have ahead, and I'm looking forward to doing that with my squad." - Eddie Howe.
