When it comes to football, one cannot overlook the Premier League, a stage filled with stars. Each season, clubs spend heavily to scout talent in an attempt to claim the championship trophy. In this context, many football prodigies join the Premier League.
However, players who were invincible in other leagues seem to struggle upon arriving in the Premier League, eventually becoming known as "flops" among fans. This season has seen four such forwards, but fortunately, three have redeemed themselves through their actions. Only one, the "Hundred Million Mr.", remains neglected.
Let's take a look at the four flops of the Premier League this season and see how the ambitious change their situation while the mediocre remain stagnant.
After joining Chelsea, Enzo Fernandez's every move caught the attention of fans. During his time at Benfica, Enzo had an outstanding performance, showcasing his superior attacking and defensive abilities that won over countless fans.
In this scenario, Chelsea acquired Enzo, and fans eagerly anticipated his future performances. However, Enzo turned out to be quite disappointing.
Every time Enzo played, he was unable to lead the team in launching fierce attacks or provide a barrier for the backline. His record could be described as "dismal," greatly disappointing fans. Faced with fan criticism, Enzo began to doubt himself.
Fortunately, starting from 2024, Enzo seemed like a changed person. The sleeping lion suddenly awoke, once again demonstrating his powerful offensive capabilities.
In the match where Chelsea made a comeback against Manchester United, Enzo's performance was undoubtedly the brightest. He displayed exceptional skills, completing three key passes and one assist. This season, Enzo also achieved seven personal goals. If he can maintain this state, Enzo is sure to lead Chelsea further.
For a price of 75 million euros, Hojlund transferred from Atalanta in Serie A to Manchester United. Compared to other players, Hojlund's height of 1.92 meters is undoubtedly a significant advantage. Combined with his explosive power, Hojlund possesses strong impact on the field.
Many fans believe that the 21-year-old Hojlund is a rising star in football and the future successor to Haaland. Upon joining Manchester United, however, Hojlund seemed to deflate, with significantly reduced performance.
During teammate passes, Hojlund was not focused, allowing the ball to be taken away by opponents right under his feet. Such an absurd scene actually occurred with a professional player, leaving fans somewhat unable to accept it. After several consecutive matches without any goals, Hojlund was labeled a flop by fans.
Although there was the reason of a recurring back injury, fans still could not forgive him. It was only during the match against Bayern that Hojlund gradually adapted to the game rhythm and scored his first goal for Manchester United.
Despite Manchester United finishing at the bottom of the Champions League, Hojlund proved his ability with five goals.
Subsequently, Hojlund continued to adjust his state and shone brightly in the Premier League. Taking the match between Manchester United and Aston Villa as an example, Hojlund completed a decisive goal in the 82nd minute, scoring his first goal in the Premier League.
Gradually, Hojlund regained his form and became more natural on the field. Manchester United fans even cheered, seeing him as the hope for the club's revival.
Richarlison joined Tottenham in the summer of 2022, facing the biggest challenge of his career. As Brazil's center forward, Richarlison's achievements are unquestionable, with 53 goals in 152 games, making him the backbone of the team.
Richarlison is undoubtedly a well-rounded player, possessing good strength in running speed, ball skills, and power. This made him favored by Tottenham, who acquired him for a price of 58 million euros.
However, Tottenham is not like the Brazilian team, with many top players in the squad. Last season, Kane's position as center forward remained unshakable, even for Richarlison. Son Heung-min is also a top forward, resulting in Richarlison playing as a rotational forward.
Perhaps feeling somewhat awkward about his status, Richarlison's state was affected. Although he played in 35 matches in the 22-23 season, he only scored three actual goals!
The data is indeed striking, and it seems unsurprising that Richarlison was labeled a flop. For a long time afterward, Richarlison's state did not improve, and he spent more time on the bench.
It was only after personnel changes at Tottenham and Richarlison receiving psychological treatment and actively adjusting that his state quickly changed. Richarlison performed exceptionally in this season's Premier League, scoring nine goals in ten matches!
With the support of data, Richarlison finally escaped the bench and frequently started as a player. Now, who would dare say Richarlison is a flop?
After being labeled a "flop," the players are actively proving themselves. Only "Hundred Million Mr." Antony seems to remain stationary, showing no signs of movement.
Antony's transfer fee was nearly 100 million euros! Yet, after joining Manchester United, Antony seemed like a tiger without sharp claws, unable to keep up in speed and lacking basic concentration during matches.
In the 22-23 season, Antony was entrusted by the coach, playing a total of 44 matches. The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment, as Antony ended up with a record of 8 goals and 3 assists. Compared to his performance at Ajax, this result was simply a mess.
Fortunately, Antony's coach still had confidence in him and gave him many opportunities this season. However, Antony still could not regain his form, scoring only one goal in 25 matches.
This performance is somewhat unworthy of the team's investment in him, and it seems that Antony's coach has decided to give up on this former football prodigy. There are even recent rumors that Manchester United is preparing to sell Antony!
Antony's personal value has fallen to the figure of 35 million euros, yet despite this, his ownership remains neglected. After all, no one wants to accept a player who fails to find his form, causing all investments to go down the drain.
For players, experiencing a low point is normal. However, when problems arise, they must actively adjust their state and return to the field as soon as possible. Otherwise, the label of a flop will accompany them throughout their entire career.