Five football homecomings we’d like to see this summer | OneFootball

Footballers and managers are often told to ‘never go back’ to former clubs, amid the risk of tainting previous legacies.

Seconds spells do not usually end up quite as successful, but there are plenty that have bucked the trend. We’ve looked at five players who we’d like to see return to their former clubs in the summer, including potential fairytale finishes and those in need of a career reboot.

Five football homecomings we’d like to see this summer

Jack Grealish to Aston Villa

Jack Grealish became the Premier League’s first £100m footballer in 2021, with Manchester City activating the winger’s release clause at Aston Villa. Though a wretch to leave his boyhood side, the transfer provided Grealish the chance to compete for – and win – the game’s biggest prizes.

Grealish has won three league titles and was part of City’s 2022/23 treble-winning team, but has failed to command the universal appreciation he had at Villa Park. Villa, with the help of a record-breaking windfall from Grealish’s sale and Unai Emery’s shrewd management, have gone from strength to strength in his absence.

This season, Villa reached the last eight of the Champions League and are pushing for qualification to the tournament again. Having made just seven league starts this season, a return to the Midlands could suit all parties.

Villa appear capable of ending a 29-year wait for a trophy, and how Grealish would love to be a part of a potential success. In a World Cup year, he needs regular minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo to Sporting Lisbon

Sporting Lisbon look set to lose Europe’s leading scorer in the summer as clubs circle for Viktor Gyokeres. What better way to replace the Swedish striker than to sign perhaps the greatest goalscorer of all time?

Ronaldo left Sporting as a teenager, and the Portuguese side has no doubt been proud to watch him shatter records on route to becoming an all-time great.

He might be 40, but Ronaldo still knows where the net is. He’s netted 97 times in 109 games for Al-Nassr since his money-spinning move to the Middle East.

It would take a monumental wage cut for Ronaldo to return to the Estádio José Alvalade, but he’s not exactly short of a few quid. A romantic return to Lisbon could be the perfect final chapter.

Kalvin Phillips to Leeds United

Kalvin Phillips finds himself at a career crossroads, with the midfielder’s career having nosedived since leaving Leeds for Manchester City in 2022. He made just two league starts in 18 months at the Etihad, while loan moves to West Ham and Ipswich Town have failed to be the restart required.

Still just 29, Phillips needs his next move to be the right one. It wasn’t so long ago that the midfielder was a crucial part of an England side that reached a major tournament final. A return to home comforts at newly-promoted Leeds could be an ideal option.

Federico Chiesa to Fiorentina

When Liverpool snapped up Federico Chiesa in a cut-price deal last summer, it appeared a low-risk deal. One of Serie A’s best wingers at his best, Chiesa was allowed to leave Juventus for just £10.9m after an injury-hit period. The 27-year-old has failed to break into the Liverpool team, however, totalling just 41 minutes in the Premier League all season.

Chiesa came through at Fiorentina before joining Juventus in a big-money deal, a transfer that soured his relationship with La Viola. However, the Fiorentina fans would let bygones be bygones if Chiesa rediscovered his finest form in Florence.

Richarlison to Everton

Richarlison might not be a Scouser by birth, but there’s plenty of mutual appreciation between the Spurs forward and his former team. The Brazilian has made a regular point of saluting the Everton fans whenever he has returned and has been tentatively linked with a return.

The 28-year-old is not an automatic starter at Spurs and will want regular football in a World Cup year, as he looks to ensure his place in Brazil’s plans. With Everton in search of a striker and about to move into an exciting new era at Bramley-Moore Dock, he could be the statement signing to further lift the mood.

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