11 Premier League players who looked set for summer moves

The 2019-20 Premier League season ended in conditions nobody expected. A compressed calendar, financial uncertainty and a short turnaround into the next campaign pushed clubs into difficult decisions, but the transfer logic around certain players still felt obvious.

Some were too good to follow relegated teams into the Championship. Others had clearly reached the end of a cycle and needed a different setting. A few were caught between talent and circumstance, waiting for the right club to take the risk.

Here are 11 Premier League players who looked primed for a move, and why their profiles made sense for clubs shopping smart.

Emiliano Buendia

Norwich City went down, but Buendia emerged with his reputation enhanced. In a side that often lacked cutting edge, he still looked like a creator capable of surviving and thriving at Premier League level.

His value was not only aesthetic. The underlying numbers pointed to a player generating chances at a rate his teammates could not fully convert. Buendia's expected assist figures, passing into dangerous areas and shot-creating actions all suggested a high-level chance maker stuck in a low-output team.

At 23, he had room to grow and enough technical quality to attract clubs in need of invention between the lines. Whether the next step came in England or Spain, the broader point was simple: he looked far too advanced for a Championship season.

Potential destinations: Everton, West Ham United, Leeds United, Real Betis.

Wilfried Zaha

There are players who outgrow a club emotionally before they leave it physically. Zaha felt like one of them.

His importance to Crystal Palace was unquestioned across several seasons, but the 2019-20 campaign often carried a sense of fatigue. He remained the opponent every defence feared, yet the spark did not consistently translate into production. Four league goals was a disappointing return by his standards, and there were long stretches where frustration seemed to define his game.

That does not erase his level. Zaha still offered elite ball carrying, one-v-one threat and the ability to force defensive structures backward on his own. For a club seeking immediate attacking punch, that profile retained huge value.

The question was less about whether he was good enough to step up and more about what kind of project fit him best. A side in transition in England was one option, but a move abroad to a stronger competitive environment may have made even more sense.

Potential destinations: Arsenal, Everton, Leicester City, Borussia Dortmund.

Jack Grealish

If Aston Villa stayed up, Grealish was a central reason why. He was their captain, their reference point and often their only reliable source of progression under pressure.

There were matches in which he appeared to carry the attacking burden almost alone. He drew fouls, drove the team forward and created a sense of control in moments Villa otherwise lacked it. Even when questions surfaced over his consistency after the restart, the broader body of work still pointed toward a player operating above the level of the team around him.

At 24, he was not a raw prospect. He was entering the stage where top clubs could reasonably expect production as well as flair. Villa surviving added complexity, because one more season in familiar surroundings also had a strong developmental argument. But survival was never going to stop the speculation.

Potential destinations: Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United.

David Brooks

Brooks was one of the more difficult evaluations on the list because the talent was clear but the season was heavily disrupted by injury.

When fit, he offered a rare kind of gliding creativity. He could carry the ball in tight spaces, shift defenders onto his stronger left foot and create chances without needing high-volume touches. That blend of balance and attacking subtlety made him one of Bournemouth's most intriguing assets.

The concern was obvious. Long absences and multiple ankle issues are enough to make any buyer pause. But that is also what can create market opportunity. For the right club, Brooks looked like the kind of player worth backing before his value surged again.

Potential destinations: Manchester United, Leicester City, Sheffield United, Everton, Wolves.

Jesse Lingard

Lingard's season became an easy target for ridicule, but the surface narrative never fully captured the football case for him.

He was not productive enough for Manchester United, and that part is unavoidable. But he also remained a tactically useful player whose best qualities depend on structure and trust. Lingard is at his most effective when his pressing, movement and quick combinations are treated as core functions rather than extras.

That profile can still be valuable. He covers ground, links phases and can help teams defend from the front. For clubs needing energy and intelligence between midfield and attack, there was still a player to recover.

A move away from Old Trafford increasingly felt likely, especially with his role shrinking and competition rising around him. Sometimes the right transfer is less about star quality and more about finding a system that remembers what a player actually does well.

Potential destinations: AC Milan, Inter, Leicester City, Wolves.

Todd Cantwell

Cantwell's rise was one of Norwich's few bright notes. He brought confidence, personality and enough final-third output to turn attention into genuine transfer interest.

Six goals and two assists in a struggling side was a respectable first Premier League return, but the appeal went beyond numbers. He played with self-belief, attacked space aggressively and showed a willingness to demand the ball even when matches were turning against Norwich.

That sort of mentality, especially in a young attacking player, tends to travel well. Clubs looking for a mobile, progressive wide midfielder or attacking midfielder could see a player with developmental upside and immediate usability.

Potential destinations: Newcastle United, Leicester City, Everton, Southampton, Sheffield United, Bayern Munich.

Josh King

King's situation had market logic written all over it. Bournemouth were down, he had prior links to bigger clubs and his profile remained useful in a number of systems.

He was never going to be the headline striker of an elite side, but that is not the only role worth buying. King could stretch defences, run channels, play across the front line and offer depth without needing a team to be built around him. For clubs balancing multiple competitions, that versatility mattered.

His previous Manchester United connection only added intrigue, particularly with the club having already looked at him earlier in the year. Even beyond Old Trafford, he felt like the kind of forward several Premier League teams would consider practical business.

Potential destinations: Manchester United, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur.

Nathan Ake

Ake looked like one of the clearest transfer candidates on the board. Relegation sharpened the expectation, but even before that he had the profile of a defender ready for a higher level.

He was quick, front-footed, comfortable defending space and capable of playing on the left side of central defence, a combination that always carries premium value. His final contributions for Bournemouth also reflected his mentality. He defended with urgency and commitment, often covering for structural weaknesses around him.

For clubs wanting a centre-back better suited to aggressive defending and build-up play, Ake made sense immediately. His age and experience sat in a useful middle ground too: developed enough to trust, young enough to improve.

Potential destinations: Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United.

Ismaila Sarr

Few relegated players carried as much explosive upside as Sarr. His season started slowly, but by the end he had shown enough to convince most observers that the Championship would be a level below his ceiling.

The performance against Liverpool became the signature moment, but the broader picture mattered more. Sarr offered direct running, strong dribbling volume, recovery speed and the ability to attack defenders repeatedly without losing conviction. He was still refining his decision-making, yet that is normal for a 22-year-old adapting to a new league.

What clubs were really buying was the threat profile. Defenders do not enjoy facing wingers who can beat them outside, drive inside and sustain intensity over distance. Those players are expensive once fully polished. Sarr still looked attainable before that final jump.

Potential destinations: Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool.

Jamal Lewis

Lewis fit the modern full-back template well enough to generate attention on his own. He was athletic, aggressive in support and comfortable covering large distances down the left.

Norwich's open style did not always help their full-backs. They were often exposed in transition, but that was as much a structural issue as an individual one. Lewis still showed enough pace and technique to suggest he could function far better in a more stable team.

Because left-back is a position where quality depth is difficult to find, his profile had obvious market value. Younger, Premier League-tested and still developing, he looked like the sort of player bigger clubs target before the price rises.

Potential destinations: Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves.

Lloyd Kelly

Kelly was easier to miss because injuries interrupted his momentum, but the talent remained worth monitoring closely.

He brought versatility across left-back and centre-back, along with the physical profile clubs usually want from a modern defender. He was tall, mobile and comfortable enough on the ball to fit teams that ask defenders to build rather than simply clear.

That blend gave him different pathways. He could stay and play regularly in the Championship, which might have accelerated his development through minutes, or he could become a value signing for a Premier League club willing to look beyond a stop-start season.

For recruitment departments searching for upside rather than instant headlines, Kelly looked like one of the more interesting names in the relegation market.

Potential destinations: Liverpool, Leicester City.

What linked these 11 players

The common thread was not just talent. It was timing.

Relegation pushed some onto the market. Squad planning pushed others. In several cases, the player-club relationship had simply reached the point where a move suited everyone. That is usually where the best transfer business happens: not in abstract rumor, but where need, opportunity and profile all align.

Some of these names looked like immediate upgrades. Others felt more like strategic bets. But each had a believable path to a transfer because the football reasons were visible.

That is what makes these windows interesting. The market is not only about superstars. It is also about identifying players whose context has changed before their quality does.