With football set to return to pitches across Europe in just a matter of a week or two, we herald in the new season – and the launch of our 2014-15 Euro Fantasy League competition – by taking a look at some of the players who will be pulling on a new shirt this season. We are not of course talking about a club’s new home kit, but those who have swapped employers already in this transfer window and who will be kicking off the campaign wearing the new colours of the club they have joined.
The biggest transfer of the summer would seem to be Luis Suarez departing Merseyside for the sunnier Spanish climate as he completed a move said to be in the region of €75m to Barcelona. This would seem to set him in good stead as a healthy choice for many of our fantasy managers – the guy has proven himself to be among the world’s elite when it comes to talent. He did, however, have something of a controversial World Cup campaign which ultimately saw him given a global ban from all football related activities until November, and so this will probably go some way to explaining why only 5% of our managers have selected him in their squad.
That said, he has proven himself capable enough before, and so if he is able to recapture the form and clinical finishing he displayed in front of the Kop then those missed months could surely just mean the Uruguayan has a bit of catching up to do – he will, when he finally debuts, be turning out alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar week in, week out after all – Barcelona will be dangerous this season.
One of the busiest clubs in regards to transfer activity this year has been Southampton, who have just completed their second season back in the Premier League. However, unfortunately for Saints fans the bulk of the dealings have seen some of their top international stars departing St. Mary’s, rather than a host of talent arriving to join the revolution being enjoyed on the south coast.
England striker Rickie Lambert ended his five-year stint at the club by rejoining boyhood club Liverpool, and his EFL value of €7.00m mean he could prove a popular choice for a backup striker in any squad. He could prove great as a starter, but with Liverpool’s attacking lineup remaining strong despite the aforementioned departure of Suarez he may be a player managers will do well to watch with caution in the early stages until his true status in the squad is better clarified.
He is joined at Anfield by former Southampton team-mate – and international partner too – Adam Lallana, and the former Bournemouth loanee will be looking to establish himself at Anfield and maintain his England berth which he held admirably during the Three Lions’ indifferent World Cup campaign. He is valued in our competition only marginally more than Lambert, at €7.50m, and so the pair could be included for only €14.50m – two great talents for a relatively low outlay.
Another former Saint, Luke Shaw, completed a big money move to Man Utd and has been rated at €5.50m for the purposes of our EFL competition. This is a lovely valuation considering his actual transfer saw him become the world’s most expensive teenager at around £30m, and with the recent departure of Patrice Evra from Old Trafford to Juventus there is certainly room for Shaw to get himself plenty of football – he will surely be a cert to be included?