Green Grass

I was thinking about Juventus and the young players they brought in, particularly Chiesa and McKennie. The point being they were at struggling clubs in their respective leagues and have hit the ground running at Juve. This is not uncommon, as players deemed "good value" are usually either in a random lower league team or at a struggling side begging for a new team to unlock them. Underdog stories like Antonio and Vardy, who were playing non-league in England at one point or another, are really hits, while the normal success story is more what I was saying before. Another obvious one is Andrew Robertson, who was relegated at Hull, picked up by Liverpool, and the rest is history, as they say. Thus, my idea and what I'll be doing in this piece is taking a look at four players from the "top" leagues I watch (Bundesliga, La Liga, Premier League, Serie A) that I feel need a change of scenery.

Criteria: this is kinda where I'm unsure about things. I don't want to set an age limit, per se, but I usually focus on young players, so I'll start out looking for those. Every year since I started doing this type of thing I've had in mind a few players from the struggling clubs, AKA relegation candidates. This year you'd have Belotti as probably the best one, in my opinion. But I don't want to feature him here because it's too obvious, and I've mentioned him before. I also think there's something to be said about letting a player stay at a club before trying to ship him off. Take Kai Havertz. New country, new team, higher level, limited chances to adapt. No point trying to move him already. There's also the issue of "big clubs" hoarding all the talent, meaning if the guy is playing it'll be quite costly and honestly unlikely that he moves. A better way of saying this, after further thought, is I'm looking for players at clubs that are struggling OR stagnating, which are different things.

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Andrej Kramaric. CF. TSG Hoffenheim. Age 29

Why he's here: Not sure I'll actually pick him, but he fits the criteria for what I'm looking for. At a club that's not taken seriously, in what should be his prime, had a chance in a "big league" when he was at Leicester, killer in front of goal when fit, when fit being the key aspect here. For me, he has to be either competing for a starting role or the clear backup at a serious club. That Leicester situation was and still is a mess, and by that I mean they STILL haven't found a backup/replacement for Vardy. That spell shouldn't count against him. A kinda funny but accurate pick is Brighton. Maybe they can get a decent haul in the few games Kramaric and Welbeck are fit in a season. I'd like to see him at Lazio if Immobile were to leave, or Atleti as the actual Suarez backup once Dembele goes back to Lyon after his loan.

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Nahitan Nández. CM. Cagliari. Age 25

He's only been in Italy since 2019, but I need to include him. Cagliari is a mess and I could include Joao Pedro, Pellegrini (on loan), and Cragno, but I'm going with Nández. What I like is his tenacity and versatility. He's basically a "mezzala" in Italian, or a half-winger. He has technical ability, runs for days, and is tough. What else do you want in a hard-working CM? He's like a budget Sabitzer, if I were to compare him. Better defensively but worse on the ball, though that shouldn't be a huge knock given how good the Austrian is. Nández is on the smaller side at 5'7", but like I said, he's a bulldog. If I were to pick a team in each league I'm including here, they'd be... Napoli, Betis, Wolves, and Gladbach. Those might seem random, so I'll explain why for each. Napoli, to me, need a long-term Allan replacement. Betis have a plethora of left-footed number 10 types, but lack bite outside of that one guy whose name escapes me, I think it's Rodriguez. I went back and forth with Leeds vs Wolves, though I picked Wolves because that's the one thing the midfield sorely lacks. Same with Gladbach. I watch them and see a lack of heart. Kramer and Zakaria seem to have injury issues, and neither is particularly intense like Nández is.

Federico Bernardeschi. Winger/#10. Juventus. Age 27

If there was ever a guy in Serie A that needed a fresh start, it would be him. I won't pretend to have been a diehard Juve watcher when he moved there from Fiorentina, but it seems clear to me that it was the wrong move, or at least the wrong time. You then look at Chiesa, see how well he's doing, and wonder why it didn't work for Bernie. I saw him as a number 10 rather than a winger, hence why Juve was not a good choice. He's also not that explosive, which couldn't be more different compared to Chiesa. He'd be a good fit for a mid-table club in Italy, maybe even Spain. Think Sassuolo if Berardi were to leave, Verona, even a Fiorentina return (doubtful). It's interesting that he's been playing as a left back/LWB at times, given his prior roles closer to the goal. If his work rate can stay high, that would be an option going forward, either at LWB or a defensive winger at a lower level.

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Dwight McNeil. LM. Burnley. Age 21.

This one is a slight jump, if I can say that. The point here is I see a player here that can reach a certain level, and that will not happen at Burnley with Sean Dyche there. It's just not happening. They have one player capable of creating offense, and it's him. Like Getafe with Cucurella. I've seen slight glimpses of Gareth Bale in this young man. Part of that is obviously being left-footed, able to dribble, sometimes a decent shot. I think he needs to be coached by someone that can actually coach attackers, not a lump the ball forward "Brexit ball" trying to keep a shoestring budget squad up each year. Put another way, I see the limitations put on the careers of Grealish and Zaha simply because they were THE MAN at a "small club" with players nowhere near his level, and I don't want that to be the case with McNeil. Even worse would be to never reach that level because of the style Dyche has them playing. In terms of a fit, that's a good question. You'd have to find a club that could afford him, hence why I mention the Grealish and Zaha situations, and where he'd be coached and actually play. Leicester, maybe? They have Cengiz, who's not played this season, which I don't really get. He must be really bad. That said, they severely lack left-footed players, and McNeil would clearly alleviate that issue. You could play him on the right, allowing him to cut in, with Barnes on the left, or you could have them play as traditional wingers. Or, you could play him as a wing back, though I think that's a waste of his ability unless you're crossing to a big man. Like what Filip Kostic does. If he were to play that role, two clubs for him could be Atleti and Lazio. I look at what Carrasco does, and how important he is to that side, and I don't think Lodi or Saul can properly cover that role. McNeil could. Same with Lazio. They have Fares, who hasn't cut it since his move from SPAL, at LWB, as well as the right-footed Marusic. Lulic is old and can't run as much. As a more attacking winger, I could see McNeil at Wolfsburg. Baku and Steffen aren't that good, so he could fit on either side.

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Fran Beltran. CM. Celta Vigo. Age 22.

I haven't watched that much of Celta this season, and I certainly didn't last campaign. Thus, I don't know what's happened to this guy. The one obvious downside to him is size, at 5'5" 146 lbs. That's less than ideal, but, if you can surround him with more physical players it can work. He's a typical Spanish player. The reason I think Celta hasn't worked as of late is the system. It went from "good football, to rather defensive and boring, and now gung ho attacking. Tapia is the anchor, so to speak, and going forward they play with like 5 out and out attackers, so the balance isn't there. It's like a 4-1-3-2, with Suarez as the other CM, two wingers, and two strikers. Thus, no room for Beltran as Tapia is better as the shield role. I don't have a specific club in mind, but Fran needs to be supported so he can spray the ball around like he does. I actually think Lazio could be a shout, as random as it is. The reason I say that is Alberto is the main creator, and he can't play every game. Also, I could see him being sold sooner or later (or SMS, though SMS is younger and rarer). Another random destination is Hertha. That club desperately needs creativity in midfield, as they have various "enforcer" types, but nobody to distribute the ball to the forwards.