English Premier League: Players that need to be sold by their clubs
The Summer transfer window has been open for what seems like forever now. Most teams have had players coming in for almost every possible position that anyone can think of. And almost all talk has been about the players that need to be brought into the team to make an impact on the side or what player could fill the missing void to help steer the team to success.
While the addition of some players would make a significant change to the side, the exclusion of some players could prove to have almost the same impact on the side. Here is a look at players that teams could do without and would most probably even perform better without.
Maxi Rodriguez: Maxi Rodriguez was brought into Liverpool from the same team that Fernando Torres was signed from, that team being Athletico Madrid. The player had had a phenomenal run in of games with Athletico and was on the back of a fantastic World Cup performance.
Rodriguez was brought into the team to help fill the missing void that Rafa Benitez felt existed between the midfield and the striker. Rodriguez didn’t have a very impressive debut nor did he manage to pick up form as his career progressed at the team. It was initially thought that this was due to the fact that he was adopting to the game in England. However two seasons in the player has not managed to pick up on his form nor has he looked like being the threat that he once was.
If anything Rodriguez has arguably been one of the worst signings in the history of the Premier League. The smartest thing to do for would be to get rid of the player. Rodriguez hardly ever features in any game and is like a money guzzler for the management. If they got rid of the player, they would easily have the wages to lure in other players to the side.
Manuel Almunia: There is not a single person in the world other than the Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger who feels that Manuel Almunia should be staying at The Emirates. The player has been nothing but a disappointment ever since making his first big game appearance for the Gunners.
Almunia first appeared on the big screen when he replaced Jens Lehmann for Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final. Arsenal were on course to win the game, till Almunia pulled off one of his specials. The keeper charged off the line with his legs split wide open and Henrik Larsson didn’t think twice before slotting the ball between his legs to score Barcelona’s match winning goal.
If that sign wasn’t enough then Almunia proved to the world as to how bad he really is in the coming season. Almunia has managed to single headedly cause Arsenal to lose countless games. Last season alone Arsenal dropped twenty one points in the Premier League, to nothing more than goal keeping errors.
The highlight of Almunia’s career were the opening forty minutes against Barcelona last season. In the 2009-2010 term of the Champions League, Arsenal faced Barcelona in the knock out stage of the Champions League. Almunia made some miraculous saves during the opening half of the first leg. Those forty five minutes were easily the keepers best. He didn’t manage to have the best game of his life since the keeper managed to pull off some more spectacularly bizarre keeping antics and allowed Barcelona to score twice in the second half. It was almost as though he forgot who he was in the first half and actually decided to goal keep.
Arsene Wenger has identified that he needs a new goal keeper and the timing to do that won’t get any better. The new season has just kicked off quality keepers are available for sale and Almunia is definitely a player Arsenal can do without.
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