This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
There are few players who have left Liverpool that have gone on to bigger and better things.
Arguably only Luis Alberto, who left Liverpool for £4.3m in 2016 and is now valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, has improved since leaving Anfield during Jurgen Klopp’s reign – he’s racked up nine assists in Serie A this term. The others have either fallen by the wayside and are long since forgotten, or are struggling to make an impact at their new, albeit big, clubs.
Emre Can falls into the second of those two categories. The Germany international left the Reds in the summer of 2018 after failing to sign a new contract on Merseyside. He said that he completed the switch to Juventus to compete for more trophies. Whilst he has picked up a Serie A medal, he would surely swap that for the Champions League one he would have picked up had he stayed with the English team.
Not only that, he will have been hoping to play a far bigger role in that league title victory. He made just 20 starts for the Old Lady in Italy’s top-flight last term, compared to 24 in his final season in the Premier League. This season, he has once again had to make do with a reduced role, with just one start under Maurizio Sarri.
Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
The 25-year-old has been complaining about his situation in Turin, telling Kicker (via The Daily Mirror):
“I’m just an ambitious guy who always wants to compete at the highest level, but I’m also learning from this tough time when things are not going the way I was hoping. I’m not playing games from the start, so I’m not happy, but I will stay strong and keep working on myself. I’m often in the gym before or after training, doing extra shifts. I want to be ready.”
Now, the £29.7m-valued former Bayer Leverkusen man is even being linked with a move back to these shores. He’s reportedly been offered to Manchester United.
Whilst everything is clearer in hindsight, Can will surely be regretting his move south of the continent. Had he stayed at Liverpool, he would have given himself the chance to conquer all of Europe, writing himself into the folklore of one of the biggest teams in the world in the process.
Now, he will have to face the consequences of his decision, one which will presumably see him stay on the bench for the foreseeable future.
