For all movements traded in the European summer movement market of $3 billion, paying nothing for players was an option.
Lost Paris Saint-Germain players allowed Manchester United to point to Edinson Cavani while Thiago Silva moved to Chelsea. The Royal Society has picked up David Silva for losing after the end of his manchester city career.
And even if the movement window closes in major European leagues, loose agents remain important to be signed through groups in search of reinforcements. Some are recognizable names whose careers have stagnated:
BY MARIO GOTZE
Clubless since leaving Borussia Dortmund in June, the player who scored Germany’s winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final must prove that he still has something to offer. He had been fighting for a first-team spot for years, first at Bayern Munich. And then in Dortmund. The usual injuries and a metabolic disease he suffered in 2017 did not help. Even at just 28, Gotze played 21 games last season, but that number was complemented by brief cameos on the bench. He’s only spent 609 minutes in the area. and has not played 90 minutes since October 2019. German media have reported an interest in hertha Berlin’s Gotze, but are expected to fight for game time. Hertha has signed a number of forwards so far in 2020, adding Jhon Córdoba, Matheus Cunha and Krzysztof Piatek.
JACK WILS HERE
In 2011, he remained opposed and beat Barcelona’s star midfielder in a Champions League match. Just two years ago, he was part of the England national team. Wilshere is now out of action after West Ham terminated the contract of former Arsenal midfielder. two years after a three-year contract. And he’s not satisfied with that. Wilshere, 28, said he was “convinced that I can still contribute to the most sensible part of the game,” despite a series of injuries that seem to be wreaking havoc. “I’ve been in a wonderful way for a long time at the club. . . I exercise hard every day, but unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to play,” Wilshere wrote on Twitter.
DANIEL STURRIDGE
England’s former bookmaker has been clubless since March after leaving Trabzonspor in Turkey, and that time he served a four-month global penalty for violating betting rules. Recently, he trained with a Team Kidsgrove outside the league, eighth in England, in To stay alert in the hope of getting a transfer. Just two years ago, he scored for Liverpool in a Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain and played for England in 2017.
MARIO BALOTELLI
A league-cup winner with Inter Milan and Manchester City, the Italian striker is best known for his off-field antics than for scoring goals. Injured by injuries, a return to Italy at AC Milan did not work. After a failed season, in Liverpool, he tried to resurrect his career in France in Nice and Marseille. After coming and going among the most sensitive groups in the Italian, English and French leagues, Balotelli returned in 2019 to Brescia, the city where his adoptive family grew up. The emotional return ended with the consequences with the club.
HATEM BEN ARFA
Called in the afterlife the Frenchman Lionel Messi, the former French foreigner has struggled to live up to the bill of a turbulent and hectic career. He spent the first part of this year playing in Spain at Valladolid, whose main shareholder is former Brazilian forwarder Ronaldo. He was the eighth club in a third country for the offensive midfielder of 33 years after his time in Lyon, Newcastle, Hull, Marseille, Nice, Paris Saint-Germajor and Rennes, considered the most talented player in France. Ben Arfa did not live up to the high expectations he had raised with his exceptional speed and talent in haggling when playing for Lyon, the club where he fed.
POTATO ALEXANDRE
With the joy of gambling in Europe for AC Milan, Chelsea and Villarreal, the 31-year-old striker would be looking for another opportunity outside Brazil’s gates. After another disappointing season with Sao Paulo, he broke away from the club’s tactic in 19 August International, where he excelled in 2006, first interested in signing him to upgrade the injured Paolo Guerrero, but no agreement was reached.
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AP Sports editors Steve Douglas, James Ellingworth, Rob Harris and Mauricio Savarese contributed to the report.
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