After Barcelona were humiliated in the Champions League once again, Lionel Messi has handed in a transfer request. With PSG and Manchester City interested, could he really leave Barcelona?
Following the Coronavirus outbreak, football clubs’ finances have taken a huge hit, demonstrated by clubs as large as Manchester United and Tottenham taking out loans in order to assist with running costs and the unfortunate news that Wigan Athletic has entered administration. For this reason, we have decided to produce a list of five players that appear to be undervalued in the current market as clubs aim to maximise the impact of any funds they are able to invest in the transfer market.
After the completion of the January transfer window, we look back and assess the business conducted by Club's over the season and the key dealings which took place.
When Gabriel Barbosa (Gabigol) burst onto the scene as a 16 year old at Santos, many of Europe’s largest clubs began tracking the young Brazillian. The forward eventually joined Inter in the Summer of 2016, which was regarded as somewhat of a coup for the capital Club. However, any initial excitement generated by this signing quickly turned to disappointment. After returning to Brazil, his form has rebounded, once again drawing attention for the player from Europe, with a host of clubs again beginning to circle for his signature.
An exodus in Naples appears likely after a disappointing start to the season for Napoli, which has already seen Carlo Ancelotti replaced by Gennaro Gattuso. A consequence of the Neopolitan’s poor start to the season is that De Laurentiis is rumoured to be ready to let many of the team’s star players leave the Club. One such player is centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly. Previously one of the most sought after defenders in European football, the Senegalese captain now appears free to move in the upcoming January transfer window. But where is he likely to end up?
Jadon Sancho may have had a short career so far but he has already become one of the most sought after players in world football, with a host of high profile clubs looking to prize him away from Borussia Dortmund. The 19 year old was recently left out of the Dortmund squad to face Borussia Monchengladbach and fined a weeks wages after returning late from England duty, as well as being benched for their Champions League clash against Barcelona for turning up late to a team meeting. These issues have meant that clubs across Europe are now queuing up to try and secure his signature.
Despite only being 19 years old and still in his first season in Serie A, Sandro Tonali is already being linked with a host of top European clubs. The 19 year old defensive midfielder is currently playing for Brescia Calcio, who he joined in January 2018 and is already considered one of the most exciting talents in Europe.
With the Summer Transfer Window now complete, it's time for our annual review of the business conducted. Which Club spent the most efficiently and which was the most inefficient? Which player proved to be the best value? The review also looks at Leagues as a whole and a new feature for this year, efficiency tables, which ranks each Club in the seven European leagues considered by transfer efficiency?
Just one season after moving to Turin from Liverpool on a free transfer, it seems that Juventus are now keen to offload Emre Can. Last season the German midfielder made 37 appearances and scored 7 goals for the Old Lady, proving to be a key part of the team as they pushed for another Serie A title and hoped to capture the Champions League. However, after the arrival of Maurizio Sarri and after a busy summer which saw the arrivals of fellow midfielders Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot it seems that Can has fallen down the pecking order.
After a breakout season for Villarreal, in which he helped them to avoid relegation and finish in 14th place with 7 goals and 2 assists in 24 La Liga appearances, Samuel Chukwueze seems to be attracting a lot of attention from other European clubs. Aiding this interest is the fact that at just 20 years old he has already been crowned Nigerian young player of the year back in 2018 and is already getting regular game time for the Nigerian national team.