Brits Abroad: Coral’s lowdown on four ex-Premier League stars

There has been a lot of call for English-based players to head over to the continent to ply their trade, in the hope it will improve the standard of their national team, on a technical level.

Coral, therefore take a look at how a contingent of Britons are doing in their respective European leagues, starting with arguably the most famous.

Gareth Bale
Like Cristiano Ronaldo before him, who swapped the Premier League for Spanish giants Real Madrid, Bale is going from strength to strength. Already he has netted four in seven La Liga appearances so far this term, and has established himself as a pivotal part of the Real Madrid team. His goal in extra time of the Champions League final against rivals Atletico will put him down in history (Los Blancos are 7/2 favourites to retain the trophy), with Bale a 25/1 shot to be top scorer.

Micah Richards
At one point, the 26-year-old was tipped as one of the next big things for England, and his decision to join Fiorentina on loan from parent club Manchester City could well resurrect his career. In the two league matches he has played in so far, Viola have conceded just once, and are 25/1 fifth-favourites to win Serie A.

Jermain Defoe
Former Premier League favourite Defoe has been linked with a move back to England since his switch from Tottenham to MLS outfit Toronto FC; however, his new surroundings don’t seem to have distracted him doing what he does best. The Three Lions international has struck 11 times in 16 league appearances so far in the current MLS campaign.

Ashley Cole
The ex-England full back moved to Roma after his contract with Chelsea came to an end, and was part of the squad that earned a point against Man City in the Champions League. In the league games he has started this term, he hasn’t conceded, and will be a vital part of the Rome outfit’s title challenge, with them second favourites at 5/2 to win Serie A.