The English Football League (EFL) is always viewed by many as a less classy football league. It is no wonder when a player makes the switch to the EFL from the premier league, and many people receive this news with a lot of scepticism. In this post, we look at some world-class players who made shocking moves to teams in the EFL.
1. Wayne Rooney – Derby County
Not many people expected that Wayne Rooney would make the switch to Derby County. The England and Manchester United top scorer and the former captain made the switch after a stint in the MLS. Rooney left Manchester United at the end of the 2017/2018 season. He then had a stint at Everton before moving to the MLS with DC United and finally making the switch back to English football with Derby County.
2. John Terry
Many expected that John Terry would end his career at Chelsea where he had become a legend during his playing days. However, things would not work out as planned, and he made the switch to Aston Villa at the end of the 2017/2018 season. He stayed on as player-coach for that season before becoming part of the coaching staff a season later. He is now a coach under Dean Smith with Aston Villa playing in the Premier League.
3. John Mikel Obi
This Nigerian midfielder is synonymous with the Jose Mourinho reign at Chelsea. Mikel left Chelsea at the end of the 2017/2018 season to join Tianjin Teda in China. A year later, he made his return to English football this time with EFL side Middlesbrough. Mikel was a regular starter for Chelsea, and he even won a Champions League medal with them. He left Middlesbrough to join Turkish side Trabzonspor. He, however, remains one of the most surprising former EPL player signings by an EFL club.