5 High Profile Players Who Flopped In The Premier League (PART TWO)
After starting our series looking at some of the biggest names who failed to make the grade in the Premier League last week, we now profile another set of players who struggled in this country.
The physicality and speed of English football has been known to catch out even the most technically gifted footballers, and some simply can’t adapt to the fast-paced nature of the game.
Out of those who have made our list today, the majority were at the wrong end of their careers, so there are some mitigating circumstances for why they failed to set the Premier League alight.
Press the next page as we look at five more high-profile players who flopped in England.
Falcao
The Colombian international had been smashing in the goals for the likes of Porto, Atletico Madrid and Monaco on the continent but his two spells in England with Manchester United and Chelsea were very disappointing.
A knee injury had preceded his time at Old Trafford and that can explain why he did struggle at United but, after seeing him toil with the Red Devils, it was a perplexing decision by Chelsea to give him another season in the Premier League.
Patrick Kluivert
It may simply be the case that the Dutchman had run out of steam by the time he arrived at St James’ Park. He was only 28 but he had already spent a decade playing top-flight football.
During Kluivert’s only season at Newcastle, he scored just six league goals, which was a stark contrast to his prolific form at Ajax and Barcelona.
Angel Di Maria
It does seem as though the Argentine never really wanted to move to England. Real Madrid needed the money to raise funds to sign James Rodriguez so they were keen to offload Di Maria when United came calling.
The winger only scored four times in 31 appearances for the Red Devils before he was shipped out to PSG after just one season. He soon rediscovered his form in France.
Davor Suker
The Croatian was a deadly striker for both club and country, but he was already in his 30s when he made the switch to Arsenal in 1999.
Suker did score eight Premier League goals in 22 games, but he didn’t have the quality to be a regular starter anymore. He made the move to West Ham just a year after arriving at Highbury but his poor fitness record meant he only played 13 times for the Hammers.
Maicon
The Brazilian was widely regarded as the successor to Cafu during his prime and he had an excellent six-year spell at Inter Milan.
However, Maicon was clearly past his best when he made the switch to Manchester City in 2012. He made only nine league appearances before returning to Italy.
You may also be interested in reading:
5 High Profile Players Who Flopped In The Premier League (PART ONE)
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Five Players Who Signed For Clubs But NEVER PLAYED A Single Game
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