AMFOOTBALL
The Most Wasted Talents in Modern Football
Over the past 10 years we have certainly seen many players fulfill their full potential. However, we are here to talk about the ones who didn’t meet the standards they were supposed to.
Bojan Krkic:
The first player on this list is Bojan Krkic, the Spanish international who shinned in the Barcelona academy from 2005-2011 was compared to Barcelona FC legend Lionel Messi, and many said he could have been better than the Argentine captain. However, in 2011 he was sold to AS Roma for 12 million where he would go on to play 37 games scoring in 7 and assisting 3 in all competitions.
Bojan would then go on to be loaned to fellow Italian giants AC Milan for the 11/12 season where he impressed many people/clubs, which caused Barcelona to buy him back in 2012 for 7 million. Sadly, things did not work out for him back at his childhood club again so he was eventually loaned to Ajax for a season then sold to Stoke City for 4.5 million, where he would go on to show potential for a few years until their drop down to the championship, where it all went wrong from there on for Bojan.
After spending 3 years at Stoke City the Spaniard was loaned out twice in the space of a few months from German side Mainz to Spanish side Alaves. With either move not working for the player, the English club decided to sell him to MLS team Montreal who paid 1.35 million. One year was all he lasted in the MLS before Montreal released him making the ‘future Messi’ a free agent until Japanese side Vissel Kobe signed him for this season 21/22 season.
When you look closely at where he started to where he is now you must admit things didn’t go to plan for Bojan with him spending 4 seasons on loan at small clubs just to get game time and then even being a free agent at one point as well. Its such a shame seeing players like this fail when fans and managers see so much potential in them, but they just never reach the standard they were expected to.
Dele Alli:
Some footballing fans might see this as a controversial one, but Dele Alli has not reached the potential that all footballing fans wanted him to. The Milton Keynes born started at his childhood club MK Dons where he quickly shone in the academy getting him a first team call up in 2013 from the u18s squad. With just 2 years going buy Tottenham Hotspur came in for Alli in 2015 paying 5.97 million all together for him but loaned him straight back to them for that season.
Alli would go on to score his first goal for the club away at Leicester City to make the game 1-1, scoring a total of 10 goals in his first season the Englishman started to show promise. The attacking midfielder would go on to shine for around 3 years before his lack of discipline in training caused him to become less of a starting position favorite. Alli’s lack of effort in training would go on to show this in games where he was constantly poor and lazy, not only causing the manger to fall out of love with him but also the Spurs fans too.
Amazon Prime released a documentary called “All or Nothing” where they would show what goes on behind the scenes at the English club. Jose Mourinho was manger throughout this and clips from training supported what previous managers had said and the press about Alli’s poor effort in training.
After totaling 265 apps for Spurs the Englishman has tallied up 42 goals and 43 assists, now from somebody who was seen as the next big thing close to Gerrard, Lampard, and Scholes, Alli has not
lived up to those expectations. Now at the age of 25 he is in his prime but is sat on the bench every week with new manager Antonio Conte not being a fan of him and has plans to sell up on this wasted talent in the January transfer window.
Jack Wilshere:
The Stevenage born midfielder was seen as one of the bright future stars in world football, but due to high amounts of injuries he never reached the level people desired.
Wilshere started his career at Luton Town where he was at their academy until his release in 2001, where he was snapped up by Premier League giants at the time Arsenal. Playing in their youth team for 7 years Wilshere was finally called up to the main team in 2008 being the youngest ever league debutant for the club.
After just 1 year in the first team the Englishman was loaned to Bolton where he spent the season and claimed he gained lots of experience at the club which helped him grow as a player. In 2009 his loan spell ended which left him back at Arsenal, where he would continue to impress manager Arsene Wenger, but due to injuries after injuries, the club loaned him to Bournemouth. According to reports the cherries were so concerned for Jack’s fitness they treated him like glass, with lack of training and game time due to this.
With 11 years spent at the club Wilshere was sold to fellow Premier League club West Ham in the 18/19 season for a free transfer. Whilst he was at the Hammers Wilshere impressed in a few games he played but again, injury held him back from playing every game, this occurred for 2 seasons until one of the former “brightest young stars” in London was released from the club in 2020.
Following Wilshere’s release a familiar face to the player came calling, recently relegated side Bournemouth. With the Cherries having anew face at the club after Eddie Howe’s departure they were keen to bring the Englishman on board. Like his time at the club before he was treated like a “breakable object” with them limiting training time for him and this resulted in lack of game time, but when he played, he impressed. After just 1 season at the club Wilshere was released from his contract in the 21/22 season and is now a free agent training at his fellow boyhood club Arsenal but in talks with multiple lower league sides, including none-league.
Ravel Morrison:
Probably the biggest disappointment on this list is Ravel Morrison who was seen as one of the brightest starts with mass potential with his time in the Manchester United academy. Morrison was with United in the u18 squad in 2012, before he was sold to West Ham for £707 later in 2012. This came as a shock to fans as he was described as the future at the Manchester club.
Following his time at West Ham he was loaned out 3 times to Birmingham City 12/13 season, QPR 13/14 season and Cardiff City 14/15 season. After these poor loan spells and lack of potential and game time at the Hammers he was released from the club when he returned from the Welsh club in the 14/15 season.
After not finding any luck in England the Englishman was signed by Italian side Lazio for the 15/16 season where he lacked that flare and ability he showed whilst in England. For the 16/17 season Morrison was loaned back to QPR for a season and then Mexican side Atlas, and after failing at both clubs he was sold for free to Swedish club Ostersund in 2018.
Having spent 2 seasons with the Swedish side Morrison was again sold for free back to English football to Sheffield United in 2019 and after 6 poor months at the club was loaned out yet again to fellow
English side Middlesbrough where he spent the remaining 6 months of the season. Sheffield United were not impressed by the failed ‘future star’ so he was yet again sold to Dutch side ADO Den Haag where he failed to impress and was released after just 4 months at the club, leaving this failed talent a free agent for 1 year before Wayne Rooney’s Derby County came calling when they needed help for this 21/22 season, and Morrison has impressed so far at the club sat bottom of the championship with him showing that flare once again to try and help them survive.
Overall, these 4 stars could have been the future of football in their respected positions at the time they played, but they never reached that potential. This was either through injury, laziness or they were just not managed/treated well by their clubs at the time.
Alex Webster
