Father Time takes no prisoners, but, sometimes, there are footballers who have the appearance of declining in quality but have the capability of returning to a high level of football in a different setting.
The Premier League is particularly unforgiving to veteran players, especially in comparison to some of the other top five leagues in European football, and in light of Kevin De Bruyne’s move to Serie A champions Napoli, let’s take a look at a handful of other stars in the English top flight who could rebound with a change in scenery.
Manchester City LW Jack Grealish
The most obvious name on the list is Jack Grealish, and while he’s been linked to a desperate Tottenham Hotspur as his only concrete suitor thus far in the summer transfer window, a move outside the Premier League may be best for the 29-year-old.
What’s tough is that players like Grealish at elite clubs like Manchester City get paid so much in wages that it’s difficult for them to find suitors outside historic names in England, and Grealish, for example, earns more than 15 million euros.
That’s untenable for a player who barely starts, and you can see why Man City want to move on from the talented winger. But Grealish isn’t yet 30 and hasn’t had much wear and tear on him in recent seasons, so in a playmaking role with more action on the ball on a lesser team than City, as was the case at Aston Villa when he was an even more productive player, you have to think that he can still shine.
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Tottenham ST Richarlison
Like Grealish, Richarlison was a more effective player when he was a big fish in a small pond, carrying Everton to maintain relevancy at a time when their squad was somehow even weaker than it was last season.
The Brazilian international even made a name for himself with the Selecao, scoring a bicycle kick at the last World Cup that will live on as one of the best moments in the tournament’s recent history.
Although Richarlison has been an unmitigated flop for Tottenham, his goal-scoring record at the end of the 2024/25 season when he was healthy was pretty good. Spurs have been actively shopping him but have found nobody interested, making it likely that Thomas Frank will deploy him as a key part of a striker rotation next season.
But if, say, Everton wants to bring the band back together and sign Richarlison, the 28-year-old could have plenty to give the Toffees if healthy and may benefit from the positive attention focused on him as their savior.
Manchester City CM Ilkay Gundogan
Ilkay Gundogan was never going to last with Barcelona, but his return to Manchester City has been far from a triumphant one. The iconic German has been part of the problem at Man City, perhaps the most egregiously declining midfielder in a unit filled with players who are over the hill.
Manchester City already shipped Kevin De Bruyne out to Napoli, but Gundogan was even less effective last season. Honestly, he was better at Barcelona in 2023/24 than at City in 2024/25, and, like KDB, he could benefit from a move away from England entirely.
Liverpool LB Andrew Robertson
Liverpool won the Premier League last season and were one of the three best teams in European football alongside PSG and Barcelona, but they had one starter in their XI who wasn’t holding up his end and that was the usually reliable Andrew Robertson.
It may just be that all the years of tireless running down that left flank are costing Robertson, and while he can work out for Liverpool as the experienced back up to new starter Milos Kerkez, he may still feel that he has something to contribute at the highest level.
A move to a league like Spain or Italy where Robertson can start with less pressure and against less athletic opponents could help. Robertson may be a nice fit for Serie A, which is a league that is kinder to players who are losing their legs.
West Ham CM James Ward-Prowse
James Ward-Prowse went from being a set piece maven at Southampton to offering absolutely nothing to West Ham, other than taking a paycehck and getting overrun in a shambolic midfield that offers no real cover for the fact that all JWP can do is cross or shoot.
Again, Serie A looks awfully enticing for Ward-Prowse, as he has a high technical level and wouldn’t be taxed as much in terms of the ground he’d be asked to cover, and his chance creation chops could stand out more. West Ham has never looked like the right fit for him.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2011. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has contributed to sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. Joe’s work has appeared in ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Sports Illustrated. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling, respectively.