With a constrained budget, Liverpool, Tottenham and Atletico Madrid are the kinds of clubs that prefer well-scouted bargain buys as it seems to work wonders for them as against the big money recruits who invariably succumb to the pressure of living up to their billing. TheHardTackle takes a look at the quality players valued under £25 million that these three sides could target in the ongoing transfer window.
The summer transfer window represents the most intriguing, yet important few months for any football club. In between transfers, managerial shuffles, pre-season training and match time, and international tournaments, the three months between the end of a campaign and the beginning of a new one can quite easily make or break a team’s season.
A case in point would be Chelsea. Having marked their 2014/15 season with a domestic double securing the league in dominant fashion in addition to the English League Cup, the Londoners led by Jose Mourinho suffered a dramatic fall from grace as a horrific start to the new season saw them flirting with the prospects of relegation only two months into 2015/16. The likes of Liverpool, Tottenham and Atletico Madrid, no matter how big they are, always face crucial summers trying to keep their star players away from the claws of cash-rich giants and also find viable replacements for those who have left.
Big money signings have rarely worked in the favour of the aforementioned trio with the players often either proving to be an improper addition to the side or those that suffer from the burden of expectations that come with the pricy billing. That said, TheHardTackle will now take a look at five players valued at or under £25 million that the three sides could target in the ongoing transfer window.
1. Leroy Sane (Winger – Schalke 04)
FC Schalke’s Leroy Sane has had a remarkable couple of seasons in the German Bundesliga for Die Königsblauen that has enabled him to break into the German national squad for the European Championships in France. With a Liverpool side that suffers from a dearth of quality in the wings, a player of Sane’s ability could fit right into the mix for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Jordan Ibe looks to be forcing his way out of Merseyside this summer, which means that the Reds are left with Sheyi Ojo as the only wing option with first team experience in the squad.
At a £15 million market valuation, Liverpool could bring in a youngster with Champions League experience into fellow countryman Klopp’s set up. Sane’s swiftness, dribbling and tackling proficiency could give the Reds more edge in their high pressing game and an eye for goal makes the 20-year-old a potent goal threat as well. Sane has scored 9 goals and assisted 7 others in a season where he made 42 appearances for Schalke 04 as he helped them secure Europa League qualification for the 2016/17 campaign.
The 20-year-old has a contract with Schalke that runs upto 2019 but with a desire to move forward to bigger adventures, Sane could be enticed by a move away from the club earlier than his contract expiration. With Atletico Madrid looking to strengthen their line-up for the new season to mount a title challenge and another shot at securing the Champions’ League, Sane would come as a welcome addition to Diego Simeone’s side. Simeone, like Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino, prides himself in blooding youngsters in his squad and that could bode well for Sane who’ll be looking to make big strides in the years to come. And with Saul Niguez being targeted by a number of big names, Sane could fill in should the Spaniard be priced away from the Vicente Calderon.
Both Tottenham and Atletico have Champions’ League football to offer the youngster who’ll be in the Europa League next season with Schalke. While Liverpool, with no European adventure on offer next time around, have Jurgen Klopp as the only possible magnet for players on the move and will be forced to shell out a few more bucks than the market valuation if they are to beat other clubs to Sane.
2. Samuel Umtiti (Defender – Olympique Lyon)
Reported Barcelona target, Samuel Umtiti has had a terrific season with Olympique Lyon in the French top flight division which has warranted him a place in France’s national squad for the Euros in the absence of Raphael Varane, Aymeric Laporte, Mamadou Sakho and Jeremy Mathieu. A ball playing center-half, Umtiti is solid at the back, strong in the air and likes to be a part of build-up play stitching up neat passes going forward. Defence is an area a side like Liverpool could definitely use upgradation and with the arrival of Joel Matip highlighting their desire to revamp their back-line, Lyon’s £20 million rated defender would come as a solid addition to the Reds’ defence.
Tottenham completed an absolute bargain in securing Toby Alderweireld from Atletico Madrid in a £12.5 million move and could use someone of the talent of Umtiti in their squad to compete with an aging and injury-prone Jan Vertonghen. Atletico Madrid had the stingiest defence last season keeping an astonishing 24 clean sheets out of 38 league games owing to an air-tight back line and a terrific shot-stopper in Jan Oblak. With that kind of defensive record, there isn’t much more Diego Simeone could ask for. A potential investment in Umtiti will only mean the Frenchman could be a back-up to the Rojiblancos‘ first choice center-halves.
3. Mahmoud Dahoud (Midfielder – Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Syrian-born German international, Mahmoud Dahoud has just had a break-through season with Gladbach in the Bundesliga. Clocking 41 appearances all season for Andre Schubert’s men, Dahoud has been a massive part of his side’s campaign enroute to Champions’ League qualification in the league. While his partner Granit Xhaka has sealed a move to the Premier League with Arsenal, Dahoud is expected to stay for a year or two at the German club before taking further strides.
At a £12 million valuation, Dahoud can operate as a box-to-box midfielder and possesses good ball control and passing range to go with his defensive proficiency. A similar player in many ways to Emre Can at Liverpool, Dahoud could prove to be an ideal partner to the German in midfield for the Reds especially considering the doubts over the long-term future of Jordan Henderson and James Milner.
Spurs, with a lot of attacking flair going forward and defensive stability, were in the midst of a title challenge last season but they lost their way towards the end of the campaign owing to a lack of control in midfield. Not that it is a sign to do away with the existing crop of players, but bringing in a player like Dahoud for back-up could help avoid such lapses in the upcoming season in which Tottenham will be competing in the Champions’ League.
Meanwhile in Tiago and Gabi, Atletico Madrid have an aging center-midfield duo who may not stick around for long and it is only a matter of time before Simeone begins to dig into the transfer market to find a player in that area of the park. In such a scenario, Dahoud will come in as a viable option to replace either of them. He provides midfield stability while also carrying out the defensive duties that Simeone’s tactics demands of him and has the passing range to spark the occasional counter-attack.
4. Domenico Berardi (Winger – Sassuolo)
Sassuolo have had an extraordinary season in the Serie A finishing in 6th spot and securing European qualification in only their 3rd season in the Italian top-flight. One of the players that forged this remarkable transformation was Domenico Berardi. The player who left Sassuolo for Juventus in 2013 returned back to the club last summer from the Italian Champions owing to a lack of playing time and has since worked wonders with the Neroverdi.
One of the promising wingers up for grabs in the market that Liverpool could bolster their line-up with, Berardi offers a wide passing range, ball delivery going forward and bankable quality on set pieces. The Reds haven’t particularly made full use of the alarming number of set-piece opportunities they get throughout the course of a ninety minute match and Berardi could help provide that edge to the side in such situations.
The player has reportedly been a transfer target for Tottenham this summer, who are looking to inject more quality in the wings with the signing of the Italian. The 21-year-old surprisingly missed out on a place in the Italian squad for the ongoing European Championships. With Juventus and Inter Milan also eyeing the star valued at £20 million, Spurs will have to step up their chase if they want to lure him to the Premier League.
Atletico Madrid as mentioned earlier boast immense quality in their wings with the presence of Saul Niguez and Yannick Carrasco and with the latter being heavily linked with a move away this summer, Simeone could bank on Berardi to fill into the shoes of the Spaniard.
5. Jonas Hector (Left Back – FC Koln)
A pivotal part of FC Koln’s top-half finish in the Bundesliga in the 2015/16 season, Jonas Hector has established himself as Germany’s first-choice left back over the past year. A member of the World Champions’ Euro squad, Hector has embraced and carried out his full-back duties in a fashion reminiscent of that of Phillip Lahm. A Liverpool target, Hector could help fill-in for a much maligned Alberto Moreno whose inconsistency has cost the Reds many a game over the past season.
Moreno’s attacking runs often leaves Liverpool exposed and his inability to tackle attacks from his side of the flank makes him a vulnerable position to exploit for their opponents. In light of his short-comings, Moreno could use the presence of someone as experienced as a 26-year-old Jonas Hector who’d instill a sense of competition in the Spaniard and force the best out of him.
Danny Rose has undoubtedly had a great season for Spurs in the 2015-16 season featuring in a title run that they eventually lost out on to Leicester City. However, there’s no denying the fact that Rose can often be reckless going forward conceding the ball in compromising positions handing the initiative to the opponent’s attackers. And with only Ben Davies to fall back on in Rose’s potential absence, Pochettino wouldn’t mind signing a player of Hector’s quality to boost his back-line ahead of a Champions’ League campaign next season. As observed in the comparison matrix below, Hector proves to be an upgrade on Rose boasting better defensive attributes in terms of interceptions and blocks which will be key in a Premier League ecosystem.
Atletico Madrid housed arguably the best full-backs in Europe last season in Felipe Luis and Juanfran. However at the age of 30 and 31 respectively, it is about time Atletico look for potential future replacements for their full-backs and Hector will be more than an effective replacement for Luis.
