Sold too soon? Former Arsenal, Tottenham and Real Madrid youngsters flourishing

Hindsight is 20/20. In football, any team can regret selling a player, particularly if the grass has proven to be greener on the other side. It matters not the stature of the side in question, they'll cash in on players who they believe to be not good enough for the squad, only to see them thriving elsewhere. Take Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah with Chelsea, or Jadon Sancho and Manchester City. The trio were sold off without a fair crack of the whip and are now among the best in the world as they shine with City, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, respectively. North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham feature in this particular countdown, so too do LaLiga champions Real Madrid and Ligue 1 powerhouse PSG, as we take a look at players who left one team last summer to then shine at the next... 

Marcus Edwards - Vitoria de Guimaraes (Tottenham) 

Mauricio Pochettino turned heads when, back in September 2016, the then Tottenham manager revealed Marcus Edwards' nickname at Hotspur Way was 'Mini Messi'. The nippy winger was earning praise in the youth teams and supporters were eager to see more of Edwards. Yet, in the years since, the youngster failed to break into the first team. Excelsior provided the attacker with the chance to showcase his talent before he secured a permanent switch to Vitoria de Guimaraes last summer. 

In Liga NOS, Edwards has been exceptional. He started 23 league matches last season, scoring seven goals and providing five assists, and completed more dribbles (89) than any other Liga NOS player, and that itself more than any other Tottenham player. Jose Mourinho has ample wide options at his disposal at present, yet Edwards could have been an important weapon in Spurs' arsenal had he been handed the chance to impress. 

Ismael Bennacer  - AC Milan (Arsenal) 

So Arsenal didn't strictly sell Isamel Bennacer last summer, but then their midfield could have looked very different had they elected to trigger their buyback clause in the midfielder 12 months' ago. However, the Gunners rejected the chance to bring the Algerian back to north London and the midfielder ultimately left Empoli for AC Milan. The 22-year-old may have had just one goal, and 14 yellow cards, to his name in Serie A last season, yet it was his ball carrying qualities that once again stood out. 

A total of 159 players attempted 25 or more dribbles in Serie A this season, with Bennacer's success rate (79.3%) the sixth best in the division. Arsenal aren't blessed with a player to bring the ball forward from deep and while it remains to be seen just how costly the decision to lose Bennacer will prove to be, the Gunners would certainly have benefitted from a midfielder of his calibre in the immediate starting XI. 

Theo Hernandez - AC Milan (Real Madrid) 

AC Milan have profited immensely from teams prepared to cash in on fringe players with Theo Hernandez excelling on the back of his arrival from Real Madrid. The Frenchman spent last season on loan with Real Sociedad and instead of giving him the chance to prove he was worthy of succeeding Marcelo as Los Blancos' starting left-back, the LaLiga side elected to cash in on the youngster, who moved to Milan for €20m last summer. 

Having spent big on Ferland Mendy a month before Hernandez's switch to Italy, Real Madrid should have perhaps saved on the Lyon left-back and focused on moulding Hernandez into their long-term left-back. The young defender scored six times and provided three assists for the Rossoneri in 2019/20 to help garner a WhoScored rating of 7.19, that enough to make the U21 Serie A Team of the Season. 

Nikola Vlasic - CSKA Moscow (Everton) 

Nikola Vlasic made a handful of Premier League appearances for Everton before he was carted off on loan to CSKA Moscow in 2018. The Croat enjoyed a decent first season in Russia, scoring five and providing five assists for the capital outfit, before his move to CSKA was made permanent for a rumoured £15m last summer. 

That is proving to be a steal in the modern day market. CSKA may have endured a disappointing 2019/20 as they finished the Russian Premier League season in third, yet Vlasic again impressed. A WhoScored rating of 7.50 was second to Artem Dzyuba (7.63) in the Russian Premier League last season as the 22-year-old scored 12 and provided five assists. 88 key passes was more than any other player in the league, while Lucas Digne (72) created more goalscoring chances than any other Everton player, with Gylfi Sigurdsson (51) second. He's a player Carlo Ancelotti would certainly have liked at his disposal, that's for sure. 

Christopher Nkunku - RB Leipzig (PSG) 

PSG eased to the Ligue 1 title in a season that was ended early due to the Coronavirus pandemic, so Christopher Nkunku's sale wasn't exactly one that cost the French side dearly, yet the 22-year-old's performances for RB Leipzig last season may leave them ruing their decision to cash in on the midfielder a little further down the line. 

Nkunku finished the Bundesliga season with 13 assists to his name, that the third best return in Germany's top tier last term, and scored an additional five assists to help garner a WhoScored rating of 7.33 in 2019/20. PSG ended up scoring 75 goals in 27 league matches last season, so they clearly didn't miss Nkunku, but he'd arguably have been a better attacking option than the likes of Eric Choupo-Moting or Julian Draxler in Thomas Tuchel's side. 

Alexander Sorloth - Trabzonspor (Crystal Palace) 

Having joined on loan from Crystal Palace last summer, Alexander Sorloth came close to firing Trabzonspor to the Super Lig title. The Norwegian hitman scored 24 league goals to land the Super Lig Golden Boot and provided an additional eight assists, having a direct hand in 32 league goals in all. For context, Palace just 31 league goals last season. Sorloth's loan exit may have helped permanently secure the services of Jordan Ayew, and his goals certainly helped the Eagles consolidate a Premier League spot, but with Christian Benteke struggling for form, Sorloth could have been a huge help for the south London side. 

The 24-year-old hardly lit up Selhurst Park in his four starts before last summer's loan move to Turkey, yet his performances on the Trabzonspor frontline, where he yielded a WhoScored rating of 7.57, has Palace pondering whether they made the right choice in sending him out for the season. And with ample interest in his services across Europe following his prolific debut campaign with Trabzonspor, Sorloth has already played his last game for Roy Hodgson's side.