Get 'Em While You Can

We’re still a fair bit away from the summer transfer window opening, but as per usual, the rumours are flying around about who’s going to be on the move. For all teams, the next couple of months will be crucial in determining whether they’ll be in a strong or weak position to improve their squads. A good end to the season and your transfer strategy is set. Have a bad end to the season and your entire transfer plans can go up in smoke. For this post, I’m going to talk about a few players that will be in the high demand in the summer.

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Jude Bellingham

Jude may be the hottest property this summer. Since his arrival in Germany, he’s been a revelation, going from strength to strength. I’ve said it in a previous post, but when the media started waxing lyrical about him, I assumed he was just another overrated English talent. But having watched him for Dortmund in the Bundesliga & Champions League his talent is undeniable. Every top club in Europe is going to want to sign him. The question is who could realistically afford him? The main candidates for me are City, Real Madrid & Liverpool. I’m not sure I see him going to City as the way they play I don’t think suits his skillset. Real Madrid have recently signed two young midfielders in Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni, but Luka Modric and Toni Kroos aren’t getting any younger. The best fit for me is Liverpool, but do they have the funds to splash £100m+? Better yet, will they even make top 4? If they don’t, let’s be real, they don’t stand a chance in prizing Bellingham away from Dortmund. Whoever does get him could have a world class player on their hands for the next 10 years.

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Victor Osimhen

Victor Osimhen is a bad boy, plain and simple. He’s been tearing up in the Serie A this season He’s a massive reason why Napoli are set to win their first league title since 1990. He’s young, quick, tenacious and is a defender’s worse nightmare. I watched him against Juventus early in the season and I can’t remember the last time I saw a striker dominate three centre-backs like he did. When it comes to selling him, Napoli will play hardball as they have all the leverage. Top strikers are hard to come by, which is why he’s going to have his pick should he want to leave. His choices seem to be the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea. City already have Erling Haaland, so unless they want to play two up top that move makes no sense to me. United and Chelsea are both in desperate need for a striker, and he would be the perfect one for both. Who do I think has the best chance of signing him? Probably United simply because I think they are more likely to be in Champions League next season than Chelsea. The other team I may through in is Real Madrid. With Karim Benzema nearing the end of his career, it might make sense for them to buy his successor.

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Harry Kane

Another striker that could leave his current club is Harry Kane. He’s stated publicly he wants to win trophies and at Spurs, it’s looking less & less likely. We’ve been so infatuated by what Erling Haaland that we don’t realise that Harry Kane is quietly having another top season. Who would want him? Any team really. Who needs him? I’d say Chelsea, United and Bayern. The issue with doing a deal is that Kane is approaching 30 and has a recent history of injuries. Does it really make financial sense to spend £100m+ on him? Also, negotiating with Daniel Levy no cup of tea. He has a history of making it difficult to prize away his best assets (take Gareth Bale as prime example). In terms of who would be the best fit, given the rivalry there’s no way he’d go to Chelsea. United have been interested in a while and he’d work in that system well. Plus staying in England, he’s more likely to break Alan Shearer’s record. However, the only place he’d be guaranteed trophies is Bayern. He’d easily bag 30-40 goals a season if he stayed fit. The time may be running out for him to make that move, so we’ll have to see what happens.

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Joško Gvardiol

Let me show some love to a defender for a minute. The Croatian 21-year-old is one of the best young centre backs in the world right now. His ability to read the game at such a young age is a testament to his footballing IQ and how’s he developed since he made the move to RB Leipzig after initially joining as a left-back. He’s also been doing it on the international stage as well, being in the team of the tournament as Croatia finished third at the Qatar World Cup. He’s been linked with all the top European clubs, names such as Liverpool, City, Chelsea, Real Madrid; the list goes on. He’s got a £98m release clause so whoever gets him will need to go deep into their wallet. You could argue that the strongest case would be for him to go to Liverpool as Van Dijk has shown signs this season that he isn’t the same player he was before and it’s not like Joel Matip is getting any younger. Knowing Todd Boehly and Chelsea, they won’t be deterred from that release clause, even though they’ve signed 3 centre-backs in the last 12 months. Before making that big move, it may be worth spending one more year in Germany.

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This Week’s Hot Take

The four players I mentioned will all be Premier League players come the start of the 2023/2024 season. Granted, one is already (Harry Kane of course) but forget the Super League, the Premier League is the Super League. English clubs have some much more money to play with compared to the other big 5 European leagues it’s a joke. All these players, if they move, will go for big money, which makes me think that Premier League clubs have the best chance of signing them.