Recently transferred Southampton defender Jan Bednarek wasn't far from making the same Premier League error as Jose Fonte did in his final Saints campaign.
In modern day and age, opting to become a Premier League icon at two different clubs is a tempting idea that often fails. Because a division might be familiar, but every team is in a different walk of progress.
Years ago, former Southampton centre half Jose Fonte fell for West Ham's approach which his then 33-year-old self may have felt respectable enough. Let's be honest, a player who made the starting elevens of a European champion wasn't going to be aiming for any other retirement home than the English top-flight.
It's better to skip the outcome part as Fonte had a brush-up with relegation within a year. Had he not wanted out of West Ham, probably his international days would have been over with no real send-off.
Bednarek would had a sorry story to tell like Fonte
A good seven years later, Fonte's centre back successor Jan Bednarek was on the cusp of a similarly catastrophic mistake.
As quoted by Meczyki, Bednarek's agent opened up saying: "There were offers from England and beyond. Leeds United and West Ham also showed interest."
A 29-year-old stalwart grappling with persistent niggle complaints, being brought to cover a defence sitting uncomfortably outside the bottom three, had more than required reasons to end up horribly.
Then replacements will have flooded in, leaving the old guards like Bednarek to rot on the bench. Instead, it's better to be a full-time benchwarmer at an ambitious club that will have atleast trophies to chase, if not playing minutes.
An Aston Villa return will have ticked those boxes, and Porto too is a solid step. In the end, Bednarek will most probably walk away being content.