Raheem Sterling, once a £50m statement of intent from Chelsea, now finds himself exiled from the first team. The four-time Premier League champion and Euro 2020 star has been relegated to the so-called bomb squad, training separately with limited access to facilities. Five managers and over £500m spent on wingers since his arrival have left the 30-year-old surplus to requirements under Enzo Maresca.
Axel Disasi, a World Cup finalist with France just two years ago, shares Sterling's fate at Chelsea. The £38.7m defender made only 17 appearances under Maresca, with poor defending and a costly error at Ipswich sealing his fate. He now trains with the bomb squad, behind six other centre-backs in the pecking order.
Rhys Williams, once Liverpool's unlikely defensive hero during the injury crisis of 2020-21, has faded into obscurity. After 19 appearances that season, including Champions League nights, four seasons and five loan spells later, the 23-year-old has not made a single first-team appearance since. Many fans may not realise he is still at the club.
Tyrell Malacia was Erik ten Hag's first signing at Manchester United, but the Dutch full-back has managed only 25 Premier League appearances in nearly four years. A serious meniscus injury sidelined him for 550 days, and after a loan at PSV, he returned to find himself in United's bomb squad, the last remaining member after others departed.
Fábio Carvalho, signed by Liverpool for £7.5m in 2022 as a player who could 'bring a stadium to its feet', has yet to fulfil that promise. After a loan at RB Leipzig and another at Hull City, the 22-year-old now finds himself out of favour at Anfield, struggling for game time.
