There’s no better way for a player to engineer a move to a bigger club than by showcasing his talent in a major international competition. Here we look at ten players from Euro 2016 that will surely be of interest to any clubs who’ve been watching the tournament.
Hal Robson-Kanu
Robson-Kanu is without a club after being released by Reading at the end of the season. This surely won’t be the case come the end of the summer. His turn which fooled the Belgian defenders will have been noted and although he was released by a Championship club, he could well have earned himself a move to a Premier League club ahead of the start of next season.
Aron Gunnarsson
Gunnarsson’s throw ins were a major factor behind Iceland’s victory over England. The Cardiff player’s missiles into the box caused all kinds of chaos for both the English and French defences. Long throws are an unfashionable tactic in football nowadays, but they are effective and are a good way of unsettling unorganised defences. Tony Pulis employed Rory Delap’s long throws at Stoke. Is a move to WBA over the summer out of the question for Gunnarsson?
Nani
The Portuguese player was an unfancied winger at Old Trafford and was eventually sold to Fenerbahçe. He’s been off the radar since then, but this tournament has seen him reinvented as a striker. Both Stoke and Valencia are rumoured to be interested in a player who’s found the back of the net twice in the tournament so far.
Ivan Perisic
The Inter Milan player was the least fashionable of the Croatian midfielders, but he arguably made the biggest impact. He found the back of the net twice and made an assist for his teammates. His haircut will be remembered for a while and it’ll be fascinating to see if any clubs will be tempted by the 27 year old this summer.
Vladimir Weiss
The Slovakian winger was a constant threat to opposition defences throughout the tournament. Opposing teams may have given the former Manchester City player more respect if he wasn’t plying his trade in Qatar. By playing in such a league, he’s an easy target for sides wanting to secure a good, relatively unknown player.
Michael McGovern
The Northern Ireland goalkeeper was released by Hamilton Academical at the end of the season, but his 16 saves against Germany will have raised interest. Whether he’ll be a first choice keeper is dependent on where he goes, but he won’t be without a club for long.
Adam Nagy
Hungary’s unexpected progress to the last 16 won’t have gone unnoticed by European club scouts. 21 year old Nagy was one of their stars in the tournament and it’s been rumoured that Southampton are in advanced talks to sign the midfielder. Leicester are also said to be interested.
Emanuele Giaccherini
Giaccherini was bought to Sunderland by Paolo Di Canio, but he spent last season out on loan at Bologna. Sam Allardyce is yet to see him at Sunderland, but the Italian won’t be short of offers if he’s deemed surplus to requirements.
Bartosz Kapustka
The Polish 19 year old midfielder would have attracted a lot of interest after his consistent performances at Euro 2012. He plays for Cracovia in Poland and he’ll have won some admirers during the competition. He might not move this summer, but he’s one to look out for in the future.
Jeff Hendrick
The Republic of Ireland midfielder was his nation’s star man in Euro 2016, showing both tenacity and quality on the ball. He currently plays in the Championship for Derby, but he’s been tipped to make the step up to the Premier League with Middlesbrough and Burnley both interested in him.