What Could Have Been...

There are those situations in football where a player makes that dream move, but for whatever reason, we end up questioning whether it really was the right move for them. Especially when you’re a world class talent, there is pressure to hit the ground running and ultimately become a success. However, the move ends up being a failure. I want this week’s post to centre on some of those transfers that we end up thinking to ourselves “what could have been”.

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Eden Hazard: Chelsea to Real Madrid

Let’s get something straight, Eden Hazard is one of the most naturally gifted footballers to ever grace the Premier League. There was a period in the mid to late 2010s where he was clearly the best player in the league, almost unplayable. During his time at Chelsea, he basically won it all, Premier League winner, Champions League winner, Europa League winner. You name it, he won it. But his famed £130m transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid in 2019 was really the nail in the coffin when it came to the Belgian’s career.

It was never going to work when he arrived in Madrid overweight, the height of unprofessionalism if you ask me. I mean, how can you arrive on your first day at the world’s most prestigious footballing institution and not be in shape? It was inexcusable. From them, it only got worse. He was plagued with injuries whilst at Madrid. Inheriting the famous no.7 shirt that Cristiano Ronaldo wore before him was always going to be a burden that was too heavy to bear. In four seasons, he only managed 76 games in all competitions, scoring 7 goals. He recently announced his retirement from football at the age of 32, and football fans are now left wondering, if his Madrid move turned out differently, what more he could have achieved.

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Alexis Sanchez: Arsenal to Manchester United

I remember being in disbelief when I heard the news that Sanchez was arriving at Old Trafford and United were sending Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the opposite direction. We’ve talked about Eden Hazard earlier and I’d say that after him, Sanchez was the best left winger in the league at the time. He had been tearing up for Arsenal and it seemed strange that they were willing to let him go to a rival for next to nothing. In hindsight, they must have known something that we didn’t! It’s hard for me to pinpoint the exact reason why the move didn’t work; it just never felt like the right fit.

One thing that I do remember was that he wasn’t the same player physically at United that he was for the Gunners. He used to be so dynamic, always going at his defender. But then when he came to United, he became very passive, often taking the safe option and at times occupying the same spaces as Paul Pogba on United’s left-hand side. Once more, he was never able to nail down a position, as both Martial and Rashford were vying for a starting spot. It meant that he would play some games up front or even on the right, which were obviously not comfortable for him. He has never been able to create the magic in London, which is a shame because I feel he had so much more to give.

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Phillipe Coutinho: Liverpool to Barcelona

At Liverpool, Coutinho was in many respects the main man (before a certain Egyptian started taking over), pivotal in how Klopp wanted his team to play. However, when he made the move to Barcelona, that’ was never going to be the case because of a certain Argentine gracing the pitch. Additionally, I believe prior to his move, he wasn’t quite as good as some of the others on the list and in terms of longevity, he wasn’t quite up their either. But still, I thought he’d do well in that environment, but in turns out that wasn’t case.

This was a certain expectation that Coutinho would fulfil the Iniesta role while in Catalunya, being that elegant, fluid link between the defence and the attack, the midfield maestro that kept the team ticking over. However, he never was able to rediscover his Liverpool form and more time played a bit part role at the club. Sure, whilst there he won two La Liga titles, a Copa Del Rey and a Champions League (which technically he won at Bayern whilst on loan from Barca). His move never lived up to the hype, and efforts to resurrect his career since then have not worked out too well.

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Fernando Torres: Liverpool to Chelsea

We’ve got to go a bit further back in time for this move, but it was one of the most dramatic deadline day transfers in Premier League history when Torres made the move to Merseyside in January 2011. To this day, there aren’t too many strikers in Premier League history that were as feared as El Niño. At Liverpool, the partnership he developed with Steven Gerrard was as deadly as it was dangerous. But having engineered the move to West London himself, we thought he’d continue to tear apart defences. Well…

The ironic thing is his first game for his new club was a 1-0 defeat against his former employers. Not the most ideal start, right? And as it would be, his time at Chelsea ended up being a nightmare. He did have a few iconic moments such as that goal against Barcelona at the Nou Camp in the Champions League semi-finals. But he was a shell of his former self at Chelsea. He always looked a yard slower and a touch heavier, completely devoid of confidence in front of goal. Was Chelsea the right club for him? Probably, but he may have already reached his peak by the time he made the move, and Chelsea were always going to getter a less version of the Spaniard.

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This Week’s Hot Take

Focusing on Eden Hazard, I think he is the most natural gifted player in Premier League history. That’s a pretty bold statement to make given the talent that has graced the English top-flight. The man was a wizard with the football, so silky, so smooth so fluid. He was so breath taking to watch and would leave fans mesmerised by his ability. There was simply nothing he couldn’t do with a football.