Transfers don't always go as planned. When a player arrives and fails to make an impression for whatever reason, it is agreed that it is better for all parties to split ways.However, there are a number of odd acquisitions in which the player never makes a professional debut.
We'll take a look at five instances in today's list. It can happen for a variety of reasons, including work permits, loans, and panic purchases.
On the next page, we'll look at the players that were signed but never played a single game for their teams.
Arsenal's William Saliba
Arsenal paid £27 million to Saint-Etienne for the centre-back in 2019. The Frenchman was loaned back to the club for the remainder of the season in the hopes of making the first-team squad for the 2020/21 season. During that time, though, Mikel Arteta was named manager.
Saliba was loaned out to Nice in the January transfer window of 2021 after a six-month layoff, before heading on a third loan spell to Marseille last season. While the Frenchman might still play for Arsenal this summer, all indications are that he is pressing for a permanent move away from the Emirates.
Liverpool defender Ben Davies
Davies, Ben
When the Reds had an injury crisis in the center of defense in the January transfer window of 2021, the 26-year-old was a panic buy. His contract with Preston was about to end, so they paid £500,000 for him.
Jurgen Klopp chose to use the inexperienced Rhys Williams instead of Davies in the second part of the 2020/21 season. Last summer, Sheffield United offered him a season-long loan, and he is expected to return to Merseyside in the coming weeks, with his future uncertain.
Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz
Manchester City does sign a lot of young players that never make it to the first squad. Luiz, on the other hand, was an outlier, having been signed from Vasco da Gama and immediately loaned out to Girona. He spent two years in Spain before being sold to Aston Villa for a profit in 2019.
The Citizens apparently had a £25 million repurchase clause on Luiz that expired last year, but they still have a sell-on clause that might be activated this summer, with Arsenal showing interest in the Brazilian.
Chelsea's Matej Dalec
Despite not having featured for the first team, the Croatian was once the Blues' longest-serving player. He went out on loan TEN times after arriving at Stamford Bridge from Inter Zapresic in 2010.
Vitesse, SK Dynamo Ceske Budejovice, Vitor Guimaraes, Inter Zapresic, Vojvodina, FK Sarajevo (three times), Arles Avignon, and Mouscron were among Delac's previous clubs. In 2018, he moved to Danish club AC Horsens, where he has spent the following four years.
Liverpool's Taiwo Awoniyi
This is a significantly different situation from Ben Davies, who was unable to secure a work permit after arriving in the summer of 2015 from Nigeria's Imperial Soccer Academy.
Awoniyi spent time on loan with six different teams before joining Union Berlin on a permanent basis last year. The Reds received £6.5 million for the forward, with a 10% sell-on clause.
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