The 2019/20 season of the Premier League sprung many surprises as we saw the rise of some talented young players and, at the same time, some veterans redeemed their careers as well.
However, there were some players who had a pretty poor outing and looked like shadows of their former selves. We look at three Premier League players whose stocks took a hit this season.
Paul Pogba
After scoring 13 goals and assisting 10 times in the 2018-19 Premier League, Paul Pogba looked all set to have yet another stellar run at Old Trafford in the 2019-20 season as well. His early-season form seemed to indicate that too as he supplied two assists in Manchester United's opening victory against Chelsea by a 4-0 margin.
However, a foot injury forced him to a long layoff until October 2019, and even though he made a successful return, he was forced on to the sidelines after just two games, due to an ankle injury which needed surgery.
Pogba didn't make any further appearance for the club until the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, but the performances of other midfielders like Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic, and with the arrival of Bruno Fernandes in the meanwhile, saw Manchester United enjoying a great run of form even without the Frenchman.
Paul Pogba was worth a lot last summer but his stocks are certain to take a dive this season. United probably won't get anywhere near the sum of £89 million they paid to bring him to Old Trafford and will likely be forced to let him go at a cheaper price.
Alexandre Lacazette
It is quite hard to understand what exactly has gone wrong with Alexandre Lacazette this season. He had a stellar first season in the 2017-18 Premier League, when he scored 14 goals and five assists for Arsenal after being bought for a fee of £46.5 million, and followed that up with another good outing during the 2018-19 season, racking up 13 goals along with 12 assists.
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However, Lacazette has had a very tough time in the 2019/20 season, with just seven goals and four assists to his name despite playing 20 games in the Premier League. In fact, he wasn't even first-team material this time around. His finishing seemed to have deteriorated and that has significantly affected his stocks as a player. It will remain to be seen whether he stays at the Emirates Stadium next season.
Ryan Fraser
Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Fraser emerged as one of the most dangerous attackers in the 2018/19 Premier League as he racked up seven goals along with 14 assists. That saw him being linked to big clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal in the following transfer window but the move didn't pan out eventually.
In fact, according to Fraser's own admission, the rumours of his move to a top-six club was the reason for his undoing in the 2019/20 season, during which he scored just a single goal along with five assists.
In an interview with BBC, Fraser was quoted as saying that he had been affected by the links made to the league's top clubs and he stopped giving his 100 percent to Bournemouth when the transfer didn't materialise. Fraser's contract with the cherries, though, is supposed to expire this summer and although a move to another club might still be possible for him, his dream of making it to the Premier League's top six clubs looks quite far-fetched.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Paul Ellis
