Players mostly called flops, disappointments etc. when the team paid big money for a
certain player or expected him to lead the team but he failed. A lot of blogs, sites, journals and papers make every year a least of the 10 most disappointing players in the league, world, country etc. However, what about those players that one on hand the teams didn’t buy them for much but on the other hand, not like the big named flops who most of the cases get a lot of chances because of their big names or tag prices just don’t "appear" to be a part of the team? I would like to take your attention to this subject of the players who flopped so hard they didn't get a chance to play – The Invisible Failures
Bartosz Kapustka – Leicester City
He had a great season at Cracovia Krakow playing 33 games and over 2400 minutes at the ages of 18-19. Adam Nawalka took him to France to be part of Poland's squad at Euro 2016. He has a great tournament playing all 4 games (starting twice). All those achievements brought him to the headlines and from there the new English Champions Leicester City for bought him for 7.5M pounds.
35 game weeks later Kapustka failed to make a single appearance in the league with Leicester. Although being young and coming to current champions by the way, things went for Leicester this season and the last season stars who failed short on expectations you would have expect to give chances to more players but Kapustka didn’t get his.
""Kapustka is a good player, getting better, but I don't know when he will be ready to play in the Premier League" Those words from Claudio Ranieri, ex Leicester manager who bought Kapustka sums the issue up. The teenager played his first game for the senior team just in January. He had a good game against Derby in the FA Cup but didn’t get any chance in the league under Ranieri or Shakespeare.
But maybe Kapustka would be able to bounce back next season, reports suggests that Ronald Koeman wants the player to be part of his project at Everton since the summer of
2016 before he joined Leicester. Only time will tell.
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| A rare Kapustka appeard |
Georges-Kevin N'koudou – Tottenham Hotspur
Not a lot of players tend to move to other teams after one season in their current team. Such thing doesn't happen a lot because it's not so common that player has a good season in a mediocre team that makes a bigger team buy him and there he has even a better season. So good that being only 21 years old he was chosen the 30th best player in Europe by UEFA poll. Those successes brought the spotlight to the player and Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham Cashed in 11M pounds for N'koudou.
239,130 pounds is the price that right to this date Tottenham paid for every minute of N'koudou being on the pitch at the Premier League 6 games- 48 minutes. Things being even worse as the player has a total of less than 300 minutes in all other competition for the team (Cups and Europe) although Tottenham suffered a short squad and few injuries one of Eric Lamela who's somewhat plays at the role of N'koudou and was ruled out of the season few months ago.
"It is normal to need time to adapt,", "Some players need more than others but it is difficult to adapt to our style". Those things were said by Pochettino mid-December and the Argentinian proved himself as someone who knows how to develop young players and work with players that struggle. However, even though N'koudou played a total of 106 minutes in all competitions.
Reports say that N'koudou is heading for White Hart Lane exit in the summer. Few reports also point out that N'koudou was more of Tottenham's chairman Daniel Levy wish then Pochettino's. He'll probably follow the steps of the previous Tottenham's French flop (that he came to replace) and go back to France, reports suggest he'll join Nantes where he started his senior career.
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| Will be always remembered - for this awful hair style |
Rob Holding – Arsenal
There can't be a flop list without an Englishman. However, Rob Holding is a different kind of flop. Being chosen the best player by Bolton's fans, aged 20 after the team was relegated to league one, Holding caught the eyes of a lot of teams in the Premier League had he been a different level compared to his team. This anecdote brought him to the Emirates. The only thing Arsene Wenger likes more than young French players is young cheap players that he could sell in few years with a big profit. Arsenal paid 5M pounds for Holding.
As said above Holding is a different kind of flop, he didn’t play a lot but played way more than N'koudou and Kaputska noted above. 5 Premier League full games (one against Manchester United three days ago), 7 full games in both FA and League cups and 1 full game in the Champions League.
His first game at Arsenal was one to remember. He saw how the ball got behind him and Arsenal's defense four times as the Gunners lost 4-3 in a horrendous defensive performance against Liverpool in the season opener where Wenger threw the young lad to the deep water.
So how did he actually "flopped" this season being only 21 in such big team in his first season? Considering Per Mertesacker missing the whole season and Gabriel Paulista being a player that has little to do with football Holding could’ve play some more and get into the rotation with the giant names of Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny.
But as mentioned few times already in this piece about him, Holding might've flopped but not like the players mentioned above him he could be a big player for Arsenal in the future as Arsene Wenger said he could be Arsenal's captain in the future (where Wenger is still the manager) ” He has leadership qualities because he’s intelligent". On that high note it must be reminded that Holding can still fail in the future just as Carl Jenkinson did as the worst case, a mediocre case to compare would be Callum Chambers and the best "unsuccessful" case of Isaac Hayden. One thing is for sure – as long as Wenger is the main man Holding won't stay at the club either he succeeds or fails.
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| Next Arsenal captain? Not when Gabriel is part of the team |
Jonathan Benteke – Crystal Palace
Yes, there is such a player and yes, he is the brother of Palace's main man Christian Benteke. No he's nothing like him when it comes to the ability to play football. There's really not a lot to tell about J.Benteke, he has a poor record way before his switch to London. Zero goals in his senior career as a striker, a total of 394 minutes in his 2 seasons at Zulte Weregam. Being included once in Palace's squad he came off the bench against Middlesbrough on September to make his only appearance for Palace in all competitions. Oh, and he came on for his big brother of course. "Christian Benteke insists brother Jonathan is in the Crystal Palace team on merit after Premier League debut" is the title of a post in the Daily Mail on September 13th. I won't add anything more, I'll just let you keep laughing.
Yes, there is such a player and yes, he is the brother of Palace's main man Christian Benteke. No he's nothing like him when it comes to the ability to play football. There's really not a lot to tell about J.Benteke, he has a poor record way before his switch to London. Zero goals in his senior career as a striker, a total of 394 minutes in his 2 seasons at Zulte Weregam. Being included once in Palace's squad he came off the bench against Middlesbrough on September to make his only appearance for Palace in all competitions. Oh, and he came on for his big brother of course. "Christian Benteke insists brother Jonathan is in the Crystal Palace team on merit after Premier League debut" is the title of a post in the Daily Mail on September 13th. I won't add anything more, I'll just let you keep laughing.
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| Christian Benteke and a legend |
Before we go to the cream of the crop, there are some honorable mentions to... mention (in the parentheses the # of Premier league games the player had and the number of minutes he played):
Gokhan Tore – West ham (5, 241), Brandon Galloway – West Brom (3, 248), Brice Dja Dje Dje – Watford (0, 0), Will Keane – Hull (282, 5).
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| Dja Dje Dje's only picture in a Watford game, HOW? |
Alvaro Arbeloa – West Ham
Round of applause for the biggest invisible flop! Yes, he was injured for a few months in this season and yes, he is way over his best being 34 years old but Alvaro Arbeloa the ex-Liverpool, Real Madrid and Spain National team had a symbolic failure at the Hammers as the team had poor season after last surprising season and the move to London Stadium.
Three games, it's more than few players mentioned here but it’s a pity for a player of such caliber as he was included in 24 squads for Real Madrid in the La Liga last season and only 5 times for West Ham in the Premier League. It's hard to check but Arbeloa might be the player with the highest rate of yellow cards per game. Can you guess? 3 games, 3 cards rate of 1.00 for the player who used to be scolded by Real Madrid fans for recent years and be known as a weakling although his love and hard work towards the club. "'Hopefully I'm going to see the stadium full with all our fans and I'm really happy to be here." He did see a full stadium (to the amount of seats west ham was allowed to have in a game) but most of the time from the seats themselves
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| This smile of "Shit I fucked up |
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ReplyDeletegood writing! keep do more posts on other players:)
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