5 ‘highlight merchants’ who look better in clips than in Premier League games

Some Premier League players dominate TikTok, YouTube compilations and Twitter highlight reels… yet somehow vanish the moment the actual match kicks off.

They are called the highlight merchants, the kings of deceptive editing, the players who look like Ballon d’Or contenders on your phone but mid-table squad-fillers on the weekend.

Here are five current and former Premier League players who look world-class in clips and often painfully ordinary in 90 minutes.

5 – Antony (Real Betis – formerly Manchester United)

Antony, even when Manchester United signed him for such a massive fee, never quite convinced the Old Trafford faithful.

Often times he would pop up with a big goal or some flashy assist. Other times, he would even bring out some unbelievable Brazilian skills.

Unfortunately, none of that really matters when you talk about a 90-minute game in the Premier League. Antony would often disappear on the pitch, remain uninvolved and fans would forget that he was even playing.

But, then, right after the full-time whistle, some compilations would emerge. Antony doing some five-star skills and everyone would just be shocked if they were watching the same game or not.

4 – Xavi Simons (Tottenham Hotspur)

Having missed out on Eberechi Eze, Tottenham signed the promising Dutchman, Xavi Simons from the Bundesliga.

Unfortunately, the 22-year-old is yet to score a goal for his new team, having made 17 appearances since his transfer.

When you watch Spurs play, there are a number of issues and bedding-in concerns after Thomas Frank was brought in. But, you also don’t really see Simons’ influence on the game.

Yet, similar to Antony, you are very likely to come across a 3-minute compilation of Xavi Simons looking fantastic.

3 – Jeremy Doku (Manchester City)

Arguably the best dribbler in world football, Jeremy Doku, is often labelled as a highlight merchant.

The unfortunate truth is that, Doku deserves that reputation. Since breaking out as a young superstar, the Belgian became known for his incredible burst of pace and rapid dribbling skills.

But for all that advantage, Doku rarely scores and assists on a consistent basis. Pep Guardiola has improved him signficantly over the last couple of seasons but the 23-year-old still has some way to go to remove that tag.

2 – Adama Traore (Fulham)

Quite possibly the biggest beneficiary of the social media era, Adama Traore is the perfect example of a highlights merchant.

All that content about baby oil being rubbed over his body, and his frightening pace, but Traore is all bark and no bite.

Extremely quick, and an insanely fantastic dribbler, Traore offers next to nothing in the final third. As per Transfermarkt, over the last three seasons, the Spaniard has made more than 60 Premier League appearances but only has four goals in that time.

1 – Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)

One of the most expensive transfers of all time, Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz for just under £120 million.

Unfortunately for the Kop, Wirtz simply has not hit the ground running in the Premier League. It’s gotten to a point where Liverpool fans tune into German national team matches to catch a glimpse of their no.7 but he rarely translates that magic in the Premier League.

In fact, Wirtz in 17 appearances for Liverpool has only got 3 assists, with zero in the Premier League. For what it’s worth, he does look great on the ball and that makes for wonderful compilatons. Unfortunately, when you cost that much money, you need more than just reels.