In regards to VdV, there's a reason he wasn't so crash hot in Spain this season and there's a reason one of the brightest young prospects in world football went to a mid-table German club rather than a big club. When he was 19/20ish he was the brightest wing prospect in Europe, lightning quick and amazing control on the ball, could play either flank or through the middle and carved up for Ajax, every big club was tracking him, then he did his knee...
A full reconstruction later all the big clubs went cold because he lost his first step and acceleration, and can't play wide anymore (effectively anyway). Now he's a sit on the ball merchant he can push forward but isn't classy enough pace wise to play the position he's most naturally skilled for, so he eventually went to Germany, then to Madrid on the serious cheap (there's an obvious reason behind why he was so cheap) and apart from a few games here and there against poor opposition like Sporting Gijon he did sweet fuck all for Madrid.
Because he's too slow, and would be a pedestrian in England.