Summer of 2016/17 was a telling one for Premier League as it saw most of the big teams sign world class players to bulk up their squad.
While the newcomers have a lot to prove in their first season in England, there are several stars whose time in Premier League may be coming to a premature end.
We take a look at five such players who could be having their last season in Premier League before seeking a move elsewhere in January or next summer.
5. Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United)
Jose Mourinho has frozen the former German skipper out of his starting XI which has brought a lot of criticism to the ‘Special One’ and the Old Trafford outfit. To his credit, Basti is determined to stay in Premier League this season and force his way back in to Mourinho’s plans.
However, one does not see him keep fighting on next summer when he will have an opportunity to quit Man United and move elsewhere. PSG and Inter Milan were in talks with Schweinsteiger earlier this summer but the player made it clear that United will be his last club in Europe.
MLS remains an option for the former Bayern Munich man which can become a possibility in January or he will have to wait until the end of current season to force his move away from Manchester United.
4. Yaya Toure (Manchester City)
Like Schweinsteiger, Manchester City’s Yaya Toure is also getting a similar treatment by his new manager Pep Guardiola. The big Ivorian man has been left out of City’s Champions League squad and he has even failed to get a place on the bench in Premier League this season.
Toure’s agent spoke with Sky Sports last night and claimed that his client has offers from MLS and Chinese League and expects the Man City star to sign a pre-contract with a club in January next year.
3. Matteo Darmian (Manchester United)
Matteo Darmian arrived with a huge reputation when he joined Man United in an €18m deal last summer but the Italian international has been caught out in the important games and looked out of place throughout the last season.
Mourinho is yet to pick Darmian in a competitive game which can only signal towards the player’s exit with Juventus and Inter Milan chasing after his signature. Darmian may have decided to stay for one more season but I do not see him continue to fight for his place at Old Trafford beyond the current season.
2. Olivier Giroud (Arsenal)
After three straight forward calls, we decided to bring in a controversial name to the list of fiver players who will not be in Premier League next season. Arsenal have relied on Olivier Giroud for last 3-4 seasons and despite scoring a bulk of their goals, Giroud is not the answer to Arsenal’s title hopes.
On his day he can be one of the better strikers in Europe but when it comes to carrying Arsenal’s attack throughout the season, Giroud is not the right option.
Arsene Wenger cleared his intent by signing Lucas Perez earlier this summer and we could see Gunners get an even better striker next season which could bring an end to Giroud’s time in Premier League.
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Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea)
The Spaniard was tipped to quit Chelsea this summer with Inter Milan and Real Madrid rumoured as his potential destinations. Despite the strong link-up, Fabregas remained at Chelsea this summer but has not been able to play regular football under Antonio Conte.
Fabregas may have to decide on his future next summer if he fails to break in to Conte’s starting XI. Fabregas’ style of play is not suited to the more combative nature of Conte’s management. We may see Fabregas head back to Spain or prefer a move to Serie A next season.