It’s always exciting when a young talent breaks through the ranks, and for a youthful player it can be life changing as big clubs begin to swarm.
Anthony Gordon is a topical example of that, as the 21-year-old has attracted bags of attention following his rise through the Everton academy, and Chelsea have just seen a bid of £45million rejected for the winger. Everton aren’t a stranger to seeing young talent thrive but then leave, with Wayne Rooney perhaps the best teenager to ever come through their academy.
Rooney’s early move to Manchester United was a masterstroke, but not every player enjoyed the same success as the all-time England top goalscorer, and sometimes a premature move can ruin a career before it’s really begun.
Here Daily Star Sport take a look at five instances a big-money move went south, as Chelsea weigh-up whether to submit a new bid for Gordon…
Jack Rodwell
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Jack Rodwell is very relevant in this scenario, and the former Everton midfielder was also 21 when a bigger club came calling. Rodwell was thriving at Goodison Park when an offer from Manchester City came in, and he couldn’t refuse.
Rodwell was placed on significantly higher wages at City, but the move was a disaster as he only made 16 Premier League appearances in the two seasons that followed before he was sold to Sunderland. Rodwell became an enemy later on into his Sunderland career too, as he refused to lower his wages once the Black Cats were relegated.
The midfielder is now playing in Australia, and is still chasing finances as after a solid year at Western Sydney Wanderers he has joined rivals Sydney FC. Rodwell has adapted to life in the A-League, and scored three goals in 14 appearances from midfield.
Wilfried Zaha
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Wilfried Zaha is a unique inclusion on this list, as he has still enjoyed a fantastic career despite not making it at the very top level. The Ivorian is already a Crystal Palace legend, but it seems as though the forward can’t handle playing away from South London.
Zaha has always been Palace’s standout player ever since breaking into their side back in 2010. And Zaha has been linked with a move away from Palace almost every summer due to his performances, although clubs have held back after his failed move to United.
The forward joined United in 2013, but only made two appearances before being loaned back to Palace not once, but twice, and he later rejoined his former side on a permanent deal once more. Zaha has remained at Palace ever since, but his big-money move set him back a good two years before finding his feet once more.
Jadon Sancho
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The jury is still out on Jadon Sancho, but his two major career moves have completely contradicted one another. Sancho was a fantastic talent within the City youth academy, but stunned fans as he forced a move away from England at the age of just 17.
Sancho wanted minutes, and broke away from the security of City to join Borussia Dortmund, and the gamble paid off as he quickly became one of the most desired talents across Europe. United came calling, and Sancho returned to England in a £73m move, although it’s been a disaster thus far.
There is still lots of time for Sancho to put things right, but he looks like a completely different player to the one that lit up the Bundesliga. Sancho is one of the many United deals that hasn’t worked out, as poor recruitment continues to haunt the club.
Jack Clarke
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Jack Clarke was starting to make a name for himself at Leeds United, but after just one season in the Championship he was picked up by Tottenham Hotspur. Leeds were furious to lose their star, and although he was loaned back for their title-winning season, he only made one appearance.
Clarke has since spent every season on loan, and is yet to make a league appearance for Tottenham, and although still only 21, you can’t help but wonder if sticking with Leeds would have furthered his progression. The forward is taking the Harry Kane approach by getting lots of experience on loan, but it’s hard to see a way into Antonio Conte’s Tottenham side.
The youngster has re-joined Sunderland on loan this season, and has already scored as the Black Cats are finally back in the second tier after achieving promotion from League One. Sunderland are looking to secure back-to-back promotions and return to the top-flight for the first time since 2017.
Julian Draxler
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Julian Draxler was one of the most talked about midfielders in world football a decade ago, after bursting onto the scene with Schalke. The German was one of their most exciting talents after joining their academy aged 8, and announced himself on the main stage by scoring four goals in one Champions League campaign at the age of just 20.
Draxler was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League, with Arsenal once leading the chase. But fans were stunned when he decided to join Wolfsburg instead, with the German side reinvesting the money raised from selling Kevin De Bruyne to City.
The midfielder struggled to fit in, and was shipped off to PSG just two seasons later after managing just five goals in Wolfsburg colours. Draxler has been a regular feature at PSG over the past five seasons, but the exciting spark that was once inside the German hasn’t been seen since his younger years.
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