We are at the bottom of all three European cup competitions this season, with the semi-finals in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League starting this week.
There’s plenty of top talent on the way for the UEFA Champions League semi-finalists, but aside from a small list, there aren’t many players who can be expected to be available on the transfer market in the summer.
This is where the Europa League comes into play.
The semi-finalists of the Europa League are almost entirely made up of players who could change.
Here’s who might end up in the Premier League…
Possible destinations: Liverpool
Teun Koopmeiners is a name that will be very, very familiar to Liverpool fans for two reasons:
- He made mincemeat of Liverpool’s midfield in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
- He has been in touch with your club at least twice a day for about a year.
The Dutch midfielder has been absolutely brilliant since joining Atalanta, scoring double figures in each of the last two seasons with the Serie A club.
Considering Liverpool need to sign another midfielder in the summer, Koopmeiners could be the perfect choice.
Possible destinations: Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd, Tottenham
At a time when players like Mykhailo Mudryk are aiming for €100 million, it’s fair to say that it’s quite remarkable that a player like Paulo Dybala has a release clause of just €12 million (10.3) in his current contract with AS Roma million pounds).
Of course he’s very injury-prone, but when he’s fit he’s as good as ever.
The fact that he has scored 25 goals this season alone is proof of this.
He’s still a world-class player when he’s available.
Possible destinations: Arsenal, Man City
11 goals and 15 assists.
No, these are not the numbers of a striker, but the statistics of left full-back Alex Grimaldo for the 2023/24 season.
No wonder Bayer Leverkusen is so damn good, right?
Grimaldo’s performance should alarm the Premier League’s top clubs, particularly Arsenal, who have had a bit of a problem at left-back this season.
Possible destinations: Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal
Florian Wirtz, undisputedly the best footballer you will see playing in the semi-finals of the 2023/24 Europa League, is becoming a real megastar under the guidance of Xabi Alonso.
Wirtz was the deciding factor in Leverkusen’s Bundesliga-winning team – as evidenced by his hat-trick in the mid-April game that secured the title – and he would improve on any major Premier League star if he moved this summer.
Possible destination: Chelsea
Yes, another Bayer Leverkusen player.
The towering defender, like every other Leverkusen player, has been damn good this season and has therefore been linked with a big move to the Premier League.
The biggest interest is reportedly in Chelsea, who are likely to need a few new defensive players in the 2023/24 season after conceding 63 goals in 33 Premier League games so far.
Potential targets: Any team in the lower midfield of the table desperate to score goals
Back again?
The now very old (34) striker has enjoyed a spell in the Premier League (Arsenal) and another spell (Chelsea). But considering his form with Marseille this season (27 goals in all competitions), we wouldn’t be particularly surprised if another English team made a move on him this summer.
His age may not make him attractive to a top club at this stage of his career, but a lower midfield team desperate for goals might be inclined to make an offer.