The new European soccer season is almost upon us but some of the game’s biggest names are facing the danger of being left out in the cold.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar, Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale and Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho have spent the past few weeks flirting with moves away from their respective clubs to rejuvenate their careers.
To many, it seems absurd that such a talented trio should be struggling to attract the right suitor given their status.
The problem for a number of big name soccer stars is that there’s seemingly nowhere for them to go. Whereas once upon a time the world’s leading clubs would be falling over themselves to keep hold of star names, now they’re struggling to offload them.
“Neymar’s move to PSG two years ago has permanently disrupted football’s labor market ensuring that he is now a victim of the situation he helped create in the first place,” Simon Chadwick, professor of sport enterprise at the University of Salford, told CNN Sport. Read more