There are plenty of foreign signings who fail to make the grade in the Premier League and this past season was no different.

While players like N’Golo Kante and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have thrived since moving to England, most players are not as lucky and often quickly move on as a result. With the World Cup in Russia only a year away, consistent playing time is at the forefront of every international player’s mind and will likely be the primary reason for plenty of moves this summer.

The Premier League is arguably the most difficult league in the world and not every player can cut it at that level.

Many clubs buy players who have excelled in leagues across Europe who can’t replicate their form in England, and so those players often move back to where they have excelled, whether that be purely for their footballing career or for their own comfort.

Here are five player who moved to England last summer but should pursue moves away in July…

NOLITO

Nolito was supposed to be a bargain buy for Manchester City last summer, costing only £13.8 million after scoring 39 league goals in three seasons for Celta Vigo and impressing in Spain’s Euro 2016 campaign.

One of City’s cheapest transfers in recent memory also came at the expense of Pep Guardiola’s old club, as Barcelona were also in the running for the 30-year old winger. Nolito started in City’s first Premier League game of the year and picked up his first Sky Blue goal three days later in the Champions League qualifying win over Steaua Bucharest.

The Spanish international’s City career was off to a great start before a red card against Bournemouth for head butting Adam Smith halted his progress. After returning from suspension, he picked up three yellow cards in six appearances as he continued to lose his temper and with that, Pep’s trust.

The Spaniard was fazed out of the team in the new year and appeared in only five league and four FA Cup matches, starting once in the cup and scoring no goals.

He has spoken of his desire to leave Manchester City and appears set to return to La Liga when the transfer window opens up on July 1.

GEORGES-KEVIN NKOUDOU

Georges-Kevin Nkoudou was brought in from Marseille as part of a swap deal involving Spurs flop Clinton N’jie but ended up playing the exact same role as the Cameroon international.

N’jie moved to Spurs two summers ago after scoring eight goals in his first full season with Lyon but couldn’t find the back of the net in 14 appearances, totalling 386 minutes, at White Hart Lane. French youth international Nkoudou scored 10 goals for Marseille in 2015/16 and drew the admiration of the Premier League, culminating in his move to Tottenham.

However, the 22-year old appeared in only 17 games for a total 323 minutes under Mauricio Pochettino this season and only six times in 2017, all without ever scoring a goal.

If Nkoudou wants to return to playing consistent first team football, a move back to France or to one of the Premier League’s mid-table sides is needed.

BORJA BASTON

Swansea City purchased two Spanish strikers last summer in an effort to improve on the maddeningly inconsistent Bafetimbi Gomis, and one helped the club avoid relegation. The other was club-record signing and utter flop Borja Baston.

After scoring 18 goals in 36 La Liga appearances while on loan at SD Eiber, Swansea and Francesco Guidolin shelled out £15.5m to bring the Atletico Madrid man to the Liberty Stadium.

In response, the 24-year old scored only one goal, against Arsenal in Bob Bradley’s first game, and started only four league games all season. Fernando Llorente proved to be a more capable Premier League striker and as a result, Baston played only 79 league minutes in 2017.

The Spanish youth international is a proven goalscorer in his homeland but doesn’t seem to fit well in England, so a return to Spain could be on the cards this summer.

SOFIANE BOUFAL

Another club-record signing who doesn’t appear up to snuff in the Premier League, Sofiane Boufal struggled at Southampton after his £16m move from Lille.

The French-born Morocc0 international scored 12 goals for the French side two seasons ago and made his international debut in March 2016.

The left-winger missed the first four games of the season with a knee injury but worked his way back into the first team, scoring his first and only league goal in the 1-0 win over Middlesborough in December. 15 of his 29 total appearances last season came as a substitute under Claude Puel and the Frenchman’s expected departure from Southampton could open the door for Boufal to leave.

With a World Cup coming in a years time and Morocco very capable of qualifying, playing time should be at the top of Boufal’s summer wish list, whether that be back in France or with another English club.

MICHY BATSHUAYI

The most difficult decision from this list belongs to league winner and £33m man Michy Batshuayi. The Belgian striker scored the goal that won Chelsea the 2016-17 Premier League title but arguably the bigger story this season was how Antonio Conte played him.

The 23-year old scored nine goals in 28 total appearances for Chelsea this term but only played 702 minutes — a fantastic return of a goal every 78 minutes. He didn’t make his first league start until the penultimate game of the season when the title was already wrapped up.

Batshuayi played single-digit minutes in 11 league games as he was unable to move past Diego Costa.

The Belgian recently spoke about his future and his desire for playing time with the World Cup next summer, and with Romelu Lukaku rumoured to be on his way back to Stamford Bridge, Batshuayi may have to force a move, likely on loan, in order to play a starting role.

Former Newcastle United player Micky Quinn has not held back in his criticism of Chelsea youngster Tammy Abraham.

The England Under-21 international was heavily linked with a loan switch to the Magpies in order to boost his development.

However, the Daily Mail reported last week that the 19-year-old will agree to join Swansea City on a temporary deal for the 2017-18 campaign.

Abraham is expected to link up with manager Paul Clement, who he is already familiar with having worked within Chelsea’s youth systems.

Quinn believes that Abraham has made the wrong choice, stating that Newcastle is a much bigger club and playing under Rafael Benitez would be invaluable experience.

In his column for the Chronicle, Quinn wrote:

“I have to say I am extremely disappointed in Tammy Abraham. If he really is set to choose Swansea City over Newcastle United, I would seriously question his decision. It shouldn’t take me to tell him that Newcastle is a far bigger football club than Swansea.

“This claim that Abraham rejected Newcastle because of the nightlife seems pathetic to me as well. What frustrates me about this situation though is it strikes me as a football failing to think for himself.

“Undoubtedly an agent has got into his ear and wrongly advised him that Swansea is the club for him next season. That is total rubbish. Rafa is the manager who can make Abraham realise his potential. Paul Clement seems to be a decent coach, but Rafa is on a different level altogether.

“I don’t know Abraham personally and I don’t know his exact reasons for choosing Swansea over Newcastle but, quite frankly, any excuse would be weak in my eyes.”

Abraham has been in Poland with the international team competing in the Under-21 European Championships, but the campaign has ended in disappointing fashion.

The teenager scored in the semi-finals against Germany on Wednesday, but a 2-2 draw in normal time resulted in a penalty shootout.

Despite being one of the scorers on the night, Abraham missed from the spot as England were beaten 4-2 by Germany.

Felix Wiedwald may not exactly be a household name in Yorkshire, but that could soon change according to recent reports from the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Leeds United have reportedly made an approach for the 6 foot 3 goalkeeper, who is seemingly being pushed out of current club Werder Bremen after they agreed a deal to sign Jiri Pavlenka from Slavia Prague earlier this week.

There are already two senior goalkeepers on the books at Elland Road but Marco Silvestri’s contract is due to expire and the end of next season, suggesting he could move on this summer, and Rob Green, in spite of his regular heroics last term, will turn 38 in January.

Currently, however, Wiedwald is a relative unknown, one who may or may not prove a superior option to Green and Silvestri. So in a bid to familiarise the Leeds fan base with the 27-year-old, who Transfermarkt value at £1.7million, here’s a look at his form in the Bundesliga last season.

Despite Bremen more than holding their own to finish in eighth place, Wiedwald only managed five clean sheets, conceding almost exactly two goals per game and one goal every 1.5 saves. His distribution, as well, was a little disappointing at 60%.

Overall, those returns will concern some Leeds fans. But the quality of the Championship is less than that of the German top flight and whilst Bremen struggled defensively last season, Leeds conceded the fourth-fewest goals of any side in the second tier – suggesting Wiedwald would be much better protected behind the Whites backline.

According to reports in The Sun, Liverpool are leading Chelsea in the race to sign £65m-rated Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, although the Reds have been put off by the asking price and the player’s £180,000-a-week wage demands.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sun says that the Premier League rivals have made contact with the Gabon international’s representatives over a move to England, and they are both willing to offer £65m for the 28-year-old.

However, Liverpool are in pole position after Jurgen Klopp instructed the Reds to make a move for the prolific Dortmund striker in April, although The Sun says a move has hit a snag over the Merseyside outfit’s refusal to meet the price tag or the player’s personal terms.

That news has given Chelsea renewed hope that they could yet sign the centre-forward, with Antonio Conte looking for a new attacker after losing out to Manchester United in the battle for Romelu Lukaku, having already told Diego Costa that he is no longer part of his plans.

How did Aubameyang do last season?

It is no surprise that the Premier League duo are keen considering that the 28-year-old has just enjoyed the most prolific season of his career to date.

While the Gabon international has regularly found the net ever since moving to Dortmund from Saint-Etienne in 2013, he took his goalscoring to a new level last term after scoring 40 goals in 46 appearances for the Bundesliga giants.

Would he be a good signing for Chelsea/Liverpool?

He certainly would be.

While the two sides would probably prefer to sign a younger striker for the reported £65m fee, Aubameyang looks to be well suited to the Premier League and is in the form of his life right now.

The 28-year-old has scored 120 goals in 189 appearances in total for Dortmund and both clubs are crying out for a prolific centre-forward ahead of the new season.

The Reds were playing Roberto Firmino up top last term and there is little doubt that Klopp would prefer a more natural option there, while the Blues need to find an alternative to Lukaku with little chance of a u-turn for Diego Costa at Stamford Bridge.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, there is no doubt that Aubameyang would strengthen both Chelsea and Liverpool, but it remains to be seen whether either club will match the financial terms required to sign him.

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When Sam Allardyce took over at Bolton Wanderers in 1999, football was a different place.

The North West club had been relegated from the Premier League in 1998, but had failed to bounce straight back, missing out in the play-offs at the end of their first season back in the Football League, then started the next season out of form, winning only three of their first 10 games.

A frustrated Colin Todd put that down to a lack of funds made available to him in his pursuit of promotion and he resigned in protest. If Bolton regretted the position their former manager had left them in, they had no need to worry: his unilateral decision paved the way for a modern golden era for the club as Allardyce was appointed in his stead.

Another play-off defeat was endured in Allardyce’s first campaign, but two remarkably promising cup runs would serve as an omen for what was to come. Despite being a second tier club, Bolton reached the semi-finals of both the League Cup – disappointingly losing to Tranmere Rovers over two legs – and the FA Cup – where they lost to Aston Villa – as well as making the top six in the First Division. The next year, Allardyce’s first full season as Bolton manager, was to see those near misses turned into a more tangible success: play-off success and promotion back to the Premier League.

Winning promotion as a manager is the kind of thing that can get you a reputation, especially if you do it more than once. Coaches can become typecast as promotion specialists, and Allardyce was to be enlisted by West Ham United later in his career when the Hammers found themselves relegated to the Championship.

But Allardyce’s reputation isn’t so much for getting teams into the Premier League but for keeping them there. The ‘Fireman Sam’ tag gained for his ability to come into a struggling team and stave off the drop is surely an unfair one for a man who has been at the forefront of the English managerial world since that promotion back in 2001, but there is a reason for it. It all started with Bolton.

In the glory years at what was, back then, the Reebok Stadium, people will remember long balls to Kevin Davies, Kevin Nolan getting stuck in, and Allardyce sitting in the stands with an earpiece. European football arrived at Bolton, and although the manager’s other reputation – for particularly unattractive football – was forged, it was actually his more cosmopolitan traits which brought Wanderers to such dizzy heights.

The first two seasons were struggles, though. Finishing just above the relegation zone twice, safety wasn’t always a given. Although the first season saw Bolton finish in 16th place, the second one saw them drop to 17th, despite winning more games and gaining four more points. Even if the position didn’t improve, there was definitely progress.

In the 15 years since then, English football has changed quite a bit, and quite a lot of that has to do with Allardyce’s strategy for keeping his team in the Premier League.

The first season, Bolton’s most expensive signing was Danish forward Henrik Pedersen. Bought for £650k, the Dane went on to make 143 appearances for the club in the Premier League, and it’s a similar story with other players from around Europe. Foreign imports into the Premier League were seen as exotic signs of wealth and intent, but that’s not really what Allardyce was doing.

He wasn’t spending big money, even then, but instead bringing in players he knew would add to his squad and would cost less than British players of an equivalent standard. Bruno N’Gotty, was a player who had played for some big clubs, but cost only half a million when Bolton signed him from Paris Saint-Germain. He went on to play nearly 150 Premier League games for the club, too, and it was these sorts of bargains coupled with Allardyce’s coaching prowess that would see Bolton rise up from the reaches of the relegation zone to the European places.

For all the accusations of Allardyce being a throwback to an old style of football with his teams’ directness and physicality, it was actually his modern outlook that made his sides overperform. His espousal of stats and technologies to aid his understanding of the game, not to mention his own players’ abilities, was a key factor, as was the fact that Allardyce kept abreast of the European transfer market in order to buy the best players he could within his own budget.

That didn’t just extend to relative unknowns either. Youri Djorkaeff, a French international and World Cup winner signed on a free transfer and scored 20 goals in 75 appearances for Bolton. Jay-Jay Okocha was arguably one of Africa’s greatest footballing talents arrived on a free, too, as did Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro.

Allardyce also worked the loan market. Former Real Madrid defender Ivan Campo joined for a season before signing permanently and was possibly one of the reasons Hierro joined Bolton at all, as did Bernard Mendy from PSG. They didn’t all work out, but it was Allardyce’s willingness to look abroad for hungry players eager to make a name for themselves in the Premier League, and who didn’t cost huge fees, that helped Bolton climb into a team capable of competing in European competition.

That’s not a trait which left Allardyce when he left Bolton. His spells at Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United, Sunderland and Crystal Palace were all characterised by astute signings geared towards solving key weaknesses in his squad. And the proof was in the pudding: when Big Sam left Bolton, they pottered around midtable before finally plummeting as far as League One.

The idea isn’t that Allardyce brought top quality players to the Reebok Stadium to bring Bolton from obscurity to Europe, it’s that he bought players to plug the right of gaps in his squad. The result of that was a rise in prestige.

If football in England has changed since Sam Allardyce took over at Bolton in 1998, it’s in no small part down to the man himself.

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere looked to have revived his career during a loan spell at Bournemouth last season.

After lengthy spells on the sidelines with injury, the England international made 27 Premier League appearances, 22 of which were starts.

However, injury struck once again during the closing stages of the campaign, and Wilshere ended his spell at Bournemouth suffering a broken leg.

The 25-year-old has since recovered and is working his way back to first-team fitness by playing for Arsenal’s Under-23s, but with two weeks of the transfer window remaining, the midfielder’s future remains uncertain.

Earlier this week, manager Arsene Wenger told reporters that Wilshere is part of his plans, but it is difficult to envisage the England star playing every week.

Numerous clubs have been linked to the player’s signature, including Italian outfits Sampdoria and Juventus.

According to the bookmakers, though, Newcastle United have a good chance of sealing his signature, with Sky Bet slashing its odds to 5/2.

Arsenal are evens to retain Wilshere’s signature, but it is worth noting that the midfielder has just one year left on his current deal.

If the Gunners opt against selling him in this window, then they risk losing him for free at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez has recruited six players so far in this window following the club’s return to the top flight.

If Wilshere can stay fit, then having a player of his calibre in the side would only boost the Magpies’ chances of survival.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that he is open to listening to offers for Jack Wilshere, reports The Guardian.

What’s the word?

Doubts have been shrouded over the midfielder’s future at the Emirates ever since he was allowed to leave to join Bournemouth on loan last summer.

Injuries have hampered the England international’s career for the last few years, which has resulted in a fall down the pecking order at Arsenal.

Wilshere is currently working his way back to fitness after recovering from a fractured leg, which he suffered at Bournemouth during the closing stages of last season.

However, judging from Wenger’s comments, he may not be working towards a return to the Arsenal team.

According to The Guardian, when asked about Wilshere’s future, the manager said:

“I’m open with Jack. We have honest conversations. I’m open to what is the best for him. He is at the stage of his career where he needs to play and I can’t guarantee him that today. I think I’m quite open on that.”

Wenger added that it is up to the 25-year-old to prove that he deserves another contract, as his current one has just 12 months left to run.

Who wants to sign him?

There has not been a flurry of interest in the injury-plagued star, but Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce told talkSPORT on Thursday that he would like Wilshere in his squad.

The coach did add, though, that he was unsure how likely it would be to get a deal over the line.

Aside from Bruce’s admission, Italian club Sampdoria made an initial £6m bid plus £1.5m in add-ons last month, according to Sky Sports.

Despite that, there has been no movement and it is still uncertain what Wilshere wants to do, as he has remained relatively quiet on the situation.

The midfielder will surely want to attract Gareth Southgate’s attention ahead of England selection for the 2018 World Cup, but that will only happen if he is playing regularly.

Although, even if he is getting minutes under his belt at a lower league team, if a rival is performing in the Premier League, then Wilshere is likely to miss out.

The biggest problem for the midfielder is his injury record, and that understandably would make a club hesitant to sign him.

Perhaps the best thing for Wilshere is to get his head down and work on his fitness, but not at Arsenal.

Fans of the Premier League’s elite were all looking forward to Thursday’s Champions League draw, but some were left feeling deflated after the groups were decided.

Tottenham Hotspur have arguably been handed the toughest draw out of their fellow English clubs.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side will face Borussia Dortmund, Apoel and reigning champions Real Madrid.

It is important for the North London club to have a positive run in the tournament having failed to progress past the group phase last season.

However, the task has been made even tougher now that they have to take on one of the Spanish greats and 2012-13 runners-up Dortmund.

Another potential problem for Spurs is their record at Wembley, where they will be playing all of their home games in domestic and European competitions this season.

In four matches at the stadium in the 2016-17 campaign, Pochettino’s men managed to win just once, so they will need to break the Wembley hoodoo in order to progress in Europe.

As expected, Tottenham fans were glued to the draw as it was taking place, and many would have had their head in their hands once the group was finalised.

Some chose to express their disappointment in gifs after Tottenham confirmed their opponents on Twitter.

Liverpool are already in danger of being cut adrift from the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United at the top of the English Premier League after they failed to win again on Saturday.

Having previously drawn with Watford and losing to City themselves, Liverpool haven’t been at peak form at the start of this season and that continued at Anfield against Burnley.

Labouring to a 1-1 draw with Sean Dyche’s men, the Reds couldn’t find that cutting edge in the final third to pick up the win. Mohamed Salah did quickly equalise after Scott Arfield’s opener, but their visitors held on for a big point.

One of the Liverpool supporters’ big problems on the day was Jurgen Klopp’s insistence of playing Roberto Firmino out wide on the left hand side instead of playing him through the middle as a central striker, or even behind Daniel Sturridge.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts about the issue…

The Bet365 Stadium has proved a difficult environment for the Premier League’s top clubs this season, Stoke already earning a home win over Arsenal and a bitter-fought point against Manchester United, but it wasn’t a hurdle in Chelsea’s title defence on Saturday as the Blues bagged an incredibly convincing 4-0 victory.

Summer signing Alvaro Morata inevitably stole the headlines, producing a hat-trick the game after Chelsea confirmed the departure of his centre-forward predecessor, Diego Costa, to former club Atletico Madrid.

But scratch a little deeper and the Spain international’s compatriot Cesar Azpilicueta was the real star of the show, not only playing a pivotal role in a clean sheet away from home as the most experienced member of a relatively unfamiliar Chelsea back three, but also making huge contributions at the other end with four chances created – two of which Morata converted.

Also weighing in with the third-most touches of the ball of any Chelsea player, it was a performance that highlighted how underrated the 28-year-old, who wore the captain’s armband on Saturday, is in the grand scheme of European football.

Capable of playing any role in a back three (including the wing-back slots) and a back four, impeccable defensively yet also comfortable and sometimes even creative on the ball, is there a team in the world that couldn’t find room for Azpilicueta in their defence?