Steven Gerrard and 15 Other Players Who Should Have Transferred but Didn't
Before facing Real Madrid in the Champions League last week, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard revealed that he has turned down a move to the current European champions "several times" during his career in order to stay with his boyhood club, Liverpool, as detailed here by The Independent.
Gerrard also admitted that he might come to regret not joining Real when he retires and looks back on his career, given would surely have elevated the game of one of the greatest midfielders of his generation to an even greater level.
Plenty of factors have to combine for a transfer to come off and be a success, of course, but whether it is to move to a higher level, to switch in order to get some first-team football or move to regain some form, sometimes a transfer really is for the best.
Here are 15 players who really ought to have moved when they had the chance.
Matt Le Tissier
1 of 15
Perhaps the most famous example of a player who should have moved, Matt Le Tissier remained loyal to Southampton despite being one of the best players in the Premier League throughout the 1990s.
Remaining as a one-club man is hugely admirable—especially when that club is struggling at the wrong end of the table, as opposed to Gerrard's Liverpool—but many wonder just what would have become of Le Tissier had he joined a more traditional "big" club, especially given that he won just eight England caps.
Alan Shearer
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After winning the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers in 1995, Alan Shearer moved home to Newcastle United a year later and stayed at the club for the next nine seasons.
A former England captain and the Premier League's all-time record scorer, Shearer could have famously joined Manchester United on two occasions during his career. The former forward told Sky Sports that he has no regrets about snubbing Sir Alex Ferguson, but his medal collection would certainly be a lot greater if he had the move to Old Trafford.
Paul Scholes
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This is a controversial one, as Paul Scholes was immensely successful during his career as a one-club man with Manchester United, but given the legions of foreign players who are often queuing up to praise the former England man, such as Xavi in the Daily Mail, is it not tempting to wonder just what could have been had he left Old Trafford?
United fans would disagree, but for neutrals it would have been fascinating to see.
Wayne Rooney
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A couple of famous contract disputes could have led to Wayne Rooney leaving Manchester United, and although he's now got the captaincy at Old Trafford, he might well end up wondering just what might have been had he left the club.
Last summer, the current England captain was the subject of strong interest from Chelsea, according to the BBC, but the move never materialised. You have to now wonder whether Rooney will end up seeing out his career at United, despite many feeling that a move in these later years of his career would do him good.
Anderson
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At the other end of the spectrum to Wayne Rooney is his Manchester United team-mate Anderson.
Many thought that the Brazilian would never return to Old Trafford when he left for Fiorentina on loan last season, but he remarkably still finds himself on the books at United under Louis van Gaal, who has used him off the bench in a goalless draw against Burnley and started him in the disastrous 4-0 League Cup loss to the MK Dons this season. He is unlikely to be seen again until the January transfer window.
Fabio Borini
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Another player being used sparingly at a big club is Liverpool's Italian forward Fabio Borini, who could have left for either Sunderland or QPR this summer, as detailed here by the Daily Mail.
The forward came off the bench in the Reds' opening Champions League game of the season against Ludogorets and started the defeat at West Ham, but even with Daniel Sturridge still out injured, he is finding opportunities tough to come by.
Lucas Leiva
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There's a similar situation a little further back in Liverpool's team, where Lucas Leiva struggles to get a game in a midfield featuring Gerrard, Joe Allen, Jordan Henderson and new signing Emre Can.
The Brazilian has been a stalwart for the Reds since joining the club from Gremio in 2007, but there is a belief that injuries have slowed his progress and that a move away from Merseyside might not be too far away.
Wilfried Bony
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Before they signed Mario Balotelli this summer, Liverpool were reportedly confident of wrapping up a deal for the Swansea and Ivory Coast forward Wilfried Bony, according to Metro.
The forward ended up staying with the Welsh club and has slowly started to find some form this season, so much so that it wouldn't be a surprise if a club on the lookout for a forward made a move for him in January.
Pedro
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Now that Luis Suarez is finally allowed to play competitively for Barcelona, Pedro must surely feel that his place in Luis Enrique's plans is under threat.
Aged 27 and with just one goal to his name so far this season, it is surely time for the 46-times capped Spain international to spread his wings and forge a career as a starter at another club, and there would be plenty willing to take him on.
Xherdan Shaqiri
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After impressing at the World Cup for Switzerland—during which he scored a hat-trick in a win over Honduras—Xherdan Shaqiri was linked with a move away from his club, Bayern Munich, most notably to Liverpool, as reported by The Independent.
Shaqiri stayed in Germany, but would he have been better off moving to a club where he was guaranteed to play more first-team football? Reds fans would surely agree.
James Milner
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James Milner always seems to play well for Manchester City whenever he's picked by Manuel Pellegrini, but the England midfielder must wish that those times were not so few and far between.
The former Leeds United and Newcastle man was linked with a move to Arsenal by The Guardian in the summer, with it becoming clear that Milner was unhappy with his situation at the Etihad Stadium. If he does eventually move to Arsenal, it is not difficult to imagine him becoming a hit in a Gunners midfield that needs some strengthening.
Nani
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He's left Manchester United on loan for Sporting Lisbon now, but winger Nani really should have departed Old Trafford a long time ago in order to resurrect his once promising career.
David Moyes awarded the Portuguese a new contract not long after he arrived at the club last summer, only to then frequently overlook him as his struggling side failed to live up to the huge expectations of the club. Nani will hope that his move back to his former club gets him back in form, and then he could even try and move to another elite side.
John Obi Mikel
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These days very much a squad player at Chelsea and nothing more, John Obi Mikel is merely the understudy for Serbian defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic.
Such has been Matic's excellent form—particularly in the big games—that the Nigerian really doesn't get a look in from the start under Jose Mourinho, but he's still young enough to go and do a job for another club if the opportunity arises, even if his style isn't the most spectacular.
Roberto Soldado
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Sometimes players should move simply because they're having nightmares at their current clubs, and that is certainly the case for Tottenham's Roberto Soldado.
The forward was regarded as a prolific forward when he moved to the Premier League in the summer of 2013, due to his stellar goalscoring record in Spain with Valencia, but he has proved to be an expensive flop who has failed to fire the goals that Spurs fans would have expected of him. A return to his homeland is surely imminent.
Fabio Coentrao
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It must be a huge decision to leave Real Madrid, simply because of the stature of the club and the thought that you might not ever get the chance to reach those heights ever again.
For a player such as Portugal's Fabio Coentrao, though, the knowledge that he'd get more game time pretty much everywhere else must make it hugely tempting for him to exit the Spanish capital some time soon, especially as the form of Marcelo makes it difficult for him to get a look in.
