While the football continues to excite and the goals continue to
flow, so do the gossip columns, with a number of those on show having
been linked with a move to England. Whoscored.com look at a handful of
players who could be making the move to England upon their return from
the World Cup.
Alexis Sanchez (Chile)
With Luis Suarez all-too familiarly making the headlines for all of
the wrong reasons, Liverpool have been hit with the news that a third
ban of his career for biting an opponent will keep him out of their
opening 14 games of the season in all competitions. Rumours circulated
prior to the Uruguayan's moment of madness that a move to Barcelona was
on the cards, with Alexis Sanchez potentially being used as a makeweight
in the deal. Though it has been confirmed that Suarez can still
transfer away from Anfield despite his suspension from FIFA, the Reds
are thought to be keen on the Chilean regardless.
Why wouldn't
they be? On the back of an excellent goalscoring campaign in La Liga in
which he netted 19 times and picked up ten assists, Sanchez has starred
for a side that truly thrilled the fans. With a WhoScored.com rating of
8.17 in his four World Cup appearances, the forward scored twice and
picked up an assist, but couldn't prevent Chile's exit at the hands of
holders Brazil, missing in the penalty shoot-out. Meanwhile, Sanchez has
completed more dribbles than any other player at the World Cup at the
time of writing (22), while his threat was evident in the fact that no
player has been fouled more times (24).
Serge Aurier (Ivory Coast)
Also heavily linked with a move to the capital this summer, Ivory
Coast's Serge Aurier did his reputation no harm whatsoever despite the
Africans' early exit. The right-back emerged as the highest rated player
(7.65) in his position during the group stages according to WhoScored,
continuing his excellent form from Ligue 1 with Toulouse. The defender
picked up two assists in his three appearances, which is something that
only two players could better in the initial phase, whilst also
averaging 2.7 tackles and three interceptions per game.
Mario Mandzukic (Croatia)
Another man linked with a move away from one of Europe's powerhouses is
Mario Mandzukic, who looks set to be frozen out at Bayern Munich due to
the signing of Robert Lewandowski. The Dortmund forward was the only
Bundesliga player to net more goals than the Croatian last season (18),
so the fact that he's on the radars of Arsenal and Chelsea should come
as no surprise. The target man exhibited his abilities in an excellent
performance against Cameroon in the group stages, scoring twice from
four shots and winning five aerial duels to earn WhoScored.com's
man-of-the-match award with a rating of 9.20.
Bruno Martins Indi (Netherlands)
One of a number of Dutch players linked with a move to Manchester United
following the confirmation of Louis van Gaal's appointment, Bruno
Martins Indi has had an eventful World Cup campaign, including injury
and, at times, ill-discipline. The centre-back, nevertheless, proved his
quality as part of a solid back three that kept the holders Spain at
bay - bar a Xabi Alonso penalty - in a thrilling opening encounter. The
fact that United are being linked to centre-backs is no shock given the
departures of the old guard (Ferdinand and Vidic). After a season that
saw him play at both centre and left-back with Feyenoord, earning an
average rating from WhoScored.com of 7.00 in the process, his
versatility would certainly come in handy.
Enner Valencia (Ecuador)
Perhaps the most unheralded and unheard of out of the five here prior
to the World Cup, Enner Valencia gave English fans a glimpse of his
ability when scoring an impressive header in a pre-tournament friendly
against the Three Lions. His aerial threat in the box has been evident
in the finals too, despite standing at just over 5'8", with an
exceptional leap in his armoury. The 25-year-old's pace and finishing
ability has also caught the eye, netting three times in Ecuador's
opening two matches, recording a conversion rate of 37.5% and
WhoScored.com rating of 7.50 in turn. There's always one player that
emerges out of the blue from a major international tournament, and with
Tottenham and Everton both touted with an interest, that man could be
Enner Valencia this time around.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find yet more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings.
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