5 relegated players Premier League clubs should sign

Each summer, certain relegated players sign for Premier League clubs after proving their ability in the top flight.

Burnley, Watford and Norwich all suffered relegation this season. However, that does not mean the members of the squad are necessarily bad. Most will feature for those sides in the Championship. Yet, certain standout performers deserve a spot in England’s top flight.

These three clubs have quality players in their respective squads. While we might see quite a few players quickly sign back with Premier League clubs this summer, here are five of the best players from recently relegated clubs.

Relegated players Premier League clubs should sign

Maxwel Cornet

The Ivory Coast international was one of the few bright spots for Burnley. Cornet scored a team-high nine Premier League goals, while adding an assist, and also winning two penalty kicks as well. The versatile midfielder/winger/striker is currently available for just $23 million. The Clarets had a clause in his contract that triggered the number courtesy of relegation.

Despite the relatively low release clause, Burnley will still make a profit on the former Lyon player. After all, Burnley brought him over to England for just  as he was brought to England last summer for just $16.5 million. Cornet is just now entering his prime and would be a smart buy for a perennial Premier League club such as West Ham or Everton.

Nick Pope

Now 30, Pope will surely want to remain in the Premier League to help tie down a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad heading into the World Cup. Burnley being relegated could force the club to go into a complete rebuild. They have six players out of contract and three more with options to extend for a further year that have yet to be taken care of yet. The Clarets also have players like Cornet and Pope that will bring in significant money if sold this summer.

Although Burnley was relegated, it wasn’t because of poor goalkeeping. Pope had the fifth-highest save percentage in the Premier League this season at 73.6%. This was actually higher than Ederson, David de Gea and Aaron Ramsdale. Pope serves any club, particularly one like West Ham, well should they seek his services.

Emmanuel Dennis

Yet another West Ham target this summer, Dennis was easily Watford’s best player during the 2021/22 campaign. The Nigeria international scored 10 goals and added six assists for the Hornets this season. Ex-Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips has claimed that the Watford star can score 15-20 goals for West Ham, should the Hammers pry him away from his current club. With creative players such as Jarrod Bowen, Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals, and Said Benrahma, it’s hard to disagree with Phillips.

Dennis may have fallen off a bit as the season progressed, but the forward still racked up an impressive 91 shot-creating actions. This was more than Raheem Sterling, Diogo Jota, and Cristiano Ronaldo. With his current contract running until 2026, Watford will surely be asking for a pretty penny for Dennis.

Max Aarons

Norwich was undoubtedly the worst team in the Premier League this past season. However, Aarons, along with Teemu Pukki, put together a relatively strong season despite the relegation. Still just 21, Aarons has plenty of Premier League experience and also will clearly have better days ahead. A potential bidding war could happen, which the Canaries will certainly welcome. Manchester United, Fulham, Arsenal, and Tottenham all expressed interest in signing the England U-21.

Despite being a part of the worst defense in the league, Aarons was fairly solid at right back. His impressive 63.8% tackle success versus opposing dribblers was good for fourth-best in the entire Premier League. Aarons also had the fourth-most blocks in the league as well.

James Tarkowski

This is perhaps the easiest call of the entire list. Tarkowski is now a free agent after his contract with Burnley expired following the completion of the 2021/22 campaign. A reliable mainstay in defense, the central defender has played an impressive 175 Premier League matches since the start of 2017/18. This is an average of 35 league matches per season. Although he hasn’t featured for the England national team since 2018, the now 29-year-old defender is undoubtedly a quality Premier League player.

Tarkowski is almost certain to have a host of suiters this summer. Fulham, Aston Villa, Everton, and you guessed it, West Ham, are all possible landing spots for the center back.

PHOTO: Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images