5 of the most improved players in Europe this season

#4 Malcom

Malcom has attracted interest from a few big clubs

Many in Ligue 1 circles have waited for Malcom to explode into life and if the latter half of 2017 is anything to go by, now is the Brazilian’s time.

Bordeaux were seemingly on the edge of a team that could challenge for the Champions League places, with a good young manager, but just needed a star to rise. Up stepped the 20-year-old, who took the team by the scruff of the neck and dragged them through some encounters this season.

Seven goals and four assists say plenty but the attitude he showed in the club’s 3-3 draw said everything. After he scored his first, he grabbed the ball and gestated at his teammates that they needed to now get their head in the game and start believing.

Even if they aren’t, given their current struggles, he certainly is. The only worry for Les Girondins is someone may be eager to take him off their hands if they keep sliding before January and they cannot afford to lose someone capable of changing games for them.