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Some months ago, it looked like Philippe Coutinho and Eden Hazard were destined to move to the Spanish League to be acquired by Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. However, the deals did no go through as Liverpool refused to let their star man leave the Anfield despite three hefty bids from the Catalan giants and Real Madrid also cooled off their interest in Hazard.
Ever since then, more of Premier League's top talents have continued to be linked with a move to Spain. Names like Dele Alli, Alexis Sanchez, Kevin De Bruyne and Mesut Ozil have all been mentioned. After Harry Kane's heroics in September where he scored lots of goals and dominated the headlines, bringing about comparisons with two greatest footballers of the current era, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a move to Real Madrid was mentioned of.
If you're performing exceptionally well for a consistent period of time, you inevitably get linked with a move to Real Madrid or Barcelona. It is pretty disappointing to learn how the Premier League has always lost its biggest stars to the Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Despite the fame, money and popularity of the English League, it is quite obvious that the clubs have been really helpless when it comes to retaining their main stars in the league. While Manchester United did break the transfer record last year, Real Madrid held the record twice for signing players from the Premier League- first Cristiano Ronaldo and then Gareth Bale.
After David Beckham became Premier League's most valuable player gaining recognition all over the world for his stellar performances, there was nothing Manchester could do to stop the winger from joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2003. Similarly, Ruud van Nistelrooy whom at his time at Manchester United was the best striker in the English league scoring 150 goals in 219 appearances for the Red Devils, was also sold to Real Madrid in a similar fashion.
Furthermore, Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry was also signed by Barcelona in June 2007. Cristiano Ronaldo followed in 2009 when the Ballon d'Or winner, arguably the greatest player to play in England was snapped up by Real Madrid for a world record transfer fee that shocked the whole football world.
As if that was not enough, Barcelona came again in 2014 and raided Liverpool of their star man, Luis Suarez. Now they are here again for the Premier League's top stars, Eden Hazard, Philippe Coutinho, Dele Alli, Kevin De Bruyne and Harry Kane. Nobody knows what will happen yet if these players continue to be tracked.
Before the ongoing Champions League started, quite a few fans complained that the performances of the Premier League teams had declined in the UEFA Champions League. However, we should not forget that there is no way these teams will compete at Europe's highest level if they continue to lose their star players to their direct rivals.
Therefore, the Premier League teams must adjust their transfer policies and ensure that they do not lose their prized assets to their top enemies. If not, they will only be serving as training grounds where talents are detected and developed only to be exported to Spain.
