Analysis

West Ham made headlines in the Premier League by signing a new No. 9 this summer, pivoting quickly from the increasingly frustrating pursuit of Aston Villa striker prospect Jhon Duran to inking AC Milan target Niclas Fullkrug of Borussia Dortmund (and Werder Bremen) fame. The German international is coming to London at a 27 million euro fee, joining a long list of well-known strikers around European football to make a big-money move to West Ham just when they were starting to get some hype. Let's take a closer look at Fullkrug as a player and make sense of why the Hammers are signing a player past the age of 30 who has never scored 20 goals in a Bundesliga season. Why he left Dortmund Niclas Fullkrug only spent one season at Borussia Dortmund after Edin Terzic advocated to sign the...

Barcelona have just signed one of the most talented players on the transfer market and one of the most impressive performers at Euro 2024, yet they are being roundly criticized by even their own fans for the move. Dani Olmo is headed to Barcelona from RB Leipzig for a 60 million euro transfer fee after weeks of negotiations, and his signing comes in the aftermath of a failed pursuit of Athletic Club star Nico Williams, who has been one of LaLiga's best wingers over the past two seasons. Williams was an even bigger part of Spain's Euro 2024 triumph and tabbed by Barcelona star and national teammate Lamine Yamal as a dream signing for Barca; the two formed an unstoppable winger partnership this summer. Olmo could be faced with the task of being the next starting left winger for Barc...

The left back position is one of the most talent scarce in world football by virtue of the fact that fullbacks are difficult to find, and especially left-footed fullbacks who can fulfill all the duties a modern-day LB is expected to perform. Although the Bundesliga don't have a great left back for every team in the league, they have quite a few talents at the top who are among the best left backs in all of European football. So here is a look at the 10 best Bundesliga left backs heading into the new 2024/25 season, with breakout stars joining familiar faces like Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and RB Leipzig's David Raum. 10. Phillipp Mwene, Mainz After two seasons of starting in the Europa League for PSV, Phillipp Mwene returned to man the left back position for Mainz. The 30-year...

Atalanta have been fixtures in European football since Gian Piero Gasperini arrived in Bergamo in 2016, and La Dea will be headed to their fourth Champions League appearance under the leadership of the Italian manager after winning the Europa League over a previously undefeated Bayer Leverkusen and holding off a challenge from fairytale side Bologna. With smart transfer business and a fluid tactical system, Atalanta often unearth some of European football's most exciting players and biggest gems - stars like Rasmus Hojlund that go on to play for Manchester United. The 2024/25 Atalanta side is no exception and may be their most gifted in years. Here are five players on La Dea you need to know before the next Serie A season kicks off. Note: Teun Koopmeiners would be on this list but...

Perhaps no league in the world is more famous for creating quality goalkeeping talent than the Bundesliga, and that goes beyond the obvious fact that the literal GOAT of goalkeepers, Manuel Neuer, was made in the Bundesliga at Schalke and became a legend at Bayern Munich. Keepers like Kevin Trapp, Koen Casteels, Peter Gulasci, Lukas Hradecky, Oliver Baumann, Yann Sommer, and now Gregor Kobel have been operating at the highest level for years in the Bundesliga, ranking themselves among the best on the continent. But who are the best Bundesliga goalkeepers heading into a fresh season? Here is a ranking of the top 10 shot-stoppers to know. 10. Alexander Nubel, Stuttgart Alexander Nubel is a pretty recognizable goalkeeper in German football because he was Schalke's captain before movin...

Addressing the topic of a player's value is extremely difficult in world football, especially when comparing across positions and even ascribing value to a player specific to the team they play for. One way to define "value" is an equivalence to importance. That is to say, a player is valuable because he is important to his team, and the "Most Valuable Player", which is the phrasing Serie A uses for its annual award in a hearken to American sports, is therefore the player who helped his team the most. But in this article ,I'd like to discuss value in a less nebulous but equally challenging realm, which is a player's financial value on the transfer market in a perfect vacuum in which leverage, contract, and overall situation are taken out. Let's take a look at the most valuable pla...

As a position, center backs are underrated in general, because they have to do so much heavy lifting to stop the opposition's best attackers and are being tasked with more playmaking and on-the-ball ability under pressure - even moreso in modern football than ever before. Here are 10 center backs who are especially underrated. These are young players who haven't yet been picked out as top transfer targets, or they are more experienced players in their primes who have somehow flown under the radar, largely because they star for clubs outside of the spotlight. Joachim Andersen, Crystal Palace Even though Joachim Anderen has been operating at the highest level while starting for Crystal Palace in the Premier League, the vast majority of fans around the world don't know how good he is. ...

The 2024/25 Serie A season will kick off on Aug. 17 with the likes of Inter Milan and AC Milan in action, and after winning the league by nearly 20 points, the Nerazzurri will be out to achieve even more, perhaps looking to get back to the Champions League Final. Serie A underwent a lot of turnover this past summer, mainly from perennial disappointments Juventus, who finally axed Max Allegri and replaced him with Thiago Motta - the darling manager who nearly led fairytale side Bologna to the Champions League. Although the summer 2024 transfer window in Serie A is far from settled with players like Federico Chiesa and Tammy Abraham mired in intraleague transfer rumors, enough deals have been made so that we can fairly take stock of the window thus far. Here is a look at every team'...