Reus, Pogba, Bale, Vidal; we’ve heard them all so far. The transfer window has barely even begun and the rumour mills are working overtime. Players pushing for a move, agents slipping rumours to the media, it is all happening at a quicker rate every passing window and this summer window seems to be no different.
Chelsea are sharpening their tools for a title defence, Manchester United are planning yet another blockbuster transfer window and City are licking their wounds and setting themselves up nicely in order to reclaim the Premier League crown. Whereas Arsenal are plotting to get one over Chelsea – finally – while Liverpool face yet another season of ‘transition’.
Let’s take a look at 5 of the most exciting players that may head to the PL:
Paul Pogba
We’ll begin with perhaps one of the biggest talents in the world at the moment – Paul Pogba. The highly sought after French midfielder has been rumoured to attract attention of Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City. There is undoubted class about the tireless midfielder who has the skill to run rings around a defender and a deadly eye for goal especially from outside the box. A player capable of wowing the crowd every time he plays, he has the knack of scoring world class goals and providing breath taking assists. Manchester City are preparing an irresistible offer to bring Pogba back to the country. City may part with the mercurial Yaya Toure & the Frenchman would be an ideal replacement for the rampaging Ivory Coast international. Pogba came ever so close to winning the CL last season at the age of 22. He was outscored by Toure by just two goals last season(8) but beat his counterpart by two in the key passes category (34). He also creates more chances per game than Toure which is only good when you have the predatory instincts of Sergio Aguero to feed. He would light up the Premier League if the move does come through, surely!
Gareth Bale
The former Spurs man endured a difficult second season in Spain, consistently booed every time he lost the ball and heckled everytime he left the ground in car. The Welshman earned a record transfer fee when he became a ‘Galactico’ but there are murmurs of him being upset with the fans and a potential move back to England. Manchester United are the one’s in the front row according to the media as they look to flip over their losses by selling Angel di Maria, who struggled with life in the second half of the gruelling 2014/15 season. Bale would suit LVG’s style of play and would provide perfect support for captain Wayne Rooney up front. He could also form a lethal partnership alongside new boy Memphis Depay, add Juan Mata to the equation and the front 4 would send shivers down the opposition spine. Gareth Bale still scored more goals (13) than Rooney and van Persie last season and creates more chances than the current Manchester United duo. He has already proven that he has what it takes to thrive in the PL and a return would mean the league would have back one of its prized gems from a couple of years ago.
Kevin de Bruyne
Another of last season’s Bundesliga stars has been heavily touted to join the blue half of Manchester. KDB, as he is famously known, had his best season last year after switching from Chelsea to VFL Wolfsburg. The Belgian playmaker was key to his side’s impressive 2nd place finish last term and notched up 20 assists. With Nasri not performing at the same level and Navas’ erratic form, Pellegrini’s side need to lift the weight off of Silva’s shoulders and de Bruyne could just be the player to do that. Apart from fuelling the City charge for next season he also would want to prove to his previous London based employers that he can make it big in the English league.
Roberto Firmino
Not that we are done with players with a rumoured move back to England lets look at one of the latest news to creep up this window. Roberto Firmino is attracting suitors from the Premier League with giants Liverpool and Manchester United sniffing around for the Brazilian attacker. He is currently representing the Samba nation at the Copa America in Chile and his agent has come out on record to say that the future of his client will only be discussed after the tournament ends. The Bundesliga hotshot bagged 7 goals last term but also racked up 10 assists which was more than the likes of Hazard, Coutinho and Sterling. He has amazing control with the ball at his feet and a deceptively good shooting ability to match his increasingly high workrate. He may also come at a bargain fee of 15 million euros from Hoffenheim and would spark a war between the top clubs in England. His flair will be his biggest asset and that would be enough for him to make a place in the starting lineup for any of the teams in the league.
Daniele Rugani
Finally an Arsenal target that makes the cut. Rugani had an excellent season for Empoli where he spent the year on loan from Juventus. Arsenal are looking for a replacement for the ever-present Per Mertesacker and the Italian could be the ideal man to replace the towering German. Rugani was at the heart of Empoli’s defensive organisation and helped them avoid relegation from the Serie A. He blocks more shots in a game than the current first choice Arsenal pair (Mertesacker + Koscielny) and makes around 7.39 clearances every game. What is even more impressive is that he hasn’t made a single defensive error last season which is something that Arsenal fans would love to see at the Emirates. He also won a massive 65.56% of the headers he went up for which is just shy of Mertesacker’s (73.42%) and no less than 10% more than that of Koscielny (55.86%). He will definitely be a very exciting player to see in the Italian league but Arsenal will have a massive job on their hands trying to convince Juventus to let go off their youngster.
