5 players destined to thrive at their new clubs

Every player who moves to a new club wants to hit the ground running and make a significant impact. If that doesn’t happen, then chances are that they’ll soon be labelled a flop which can affect their morale severely.

That being said, not all transfers work out perfectly. Transfers can turn out to be a game of hits and misses but with the amount of groundwork being done these days leading to a transfer, it would be embarrassing if a major one doesn’t work out.

The ongoing summer transfer window has been nothing short of crazy and most of the European giants have been signing top players for huge fees.

It remains to be seen how many of these big signings will thrive at their new clubs but some of them will definitely enhance the quality of their respective sides. Here are five players who are destined to thrive at their new clubs.

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#5 Nemanja Matic - Manchester United

It’s shocking that Chelsea willingly sold a key player to their rivals Manchester United knowing that Matic played superbly under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.

Matic was a crucial part of two title winning seasons for the Blues of which the first was under his current manager Mourinho. The defensive midfielder made an immediate impact at Chelsea when he joined as he adapted to Mourinho’s ideologies like a fish to water.

At Man Utd, Mourinho had quality midfielders at his disposal but he didn’t have the perfect midfield destroyer he needed which often restricted the creative outputs of Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera. This was evident as the Red Devils struggled to score freely throughout the season and drew far too many games.

With Matic in the team, Pogba’s defensive duties are reduced and that could spell doom for other teams especially if he forms a potent partnership with Romelu Lukaku.

In short, Matic was the missing piece in the Manchester United team and Chelsea gladly handed him over to their former manager.

#4 Youri Tielemans - AS Monaco

Tielemans was named the best player in the Belgian league last season

AS Monaco have become the breeding ground for some of the best talents on the planet. In the last two years, they’ve sold players like Anthony Martial, Bernardo Silva, Tiémoué Bakayoko and Benjamin Mendy for huge profits after signing them at very young ages for nominal fees.

One of Monaco’s recent acquisitions, Youri Tielemans, cost the club much more than the players mentioned above but the Belgian is well worth the money. During his time with Anderlecht, he was named Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year twice, the Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year in 2017 and in the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season for 2016-17.

The 20-year-old was on the radar of many top clubs but he opted to join a club where he will get regular playing time and also the chance to grow as a player.

Following the departure of Bakayoko to Chelsea, a spot opens up in midfield at Monaco and Tielemans will have no trouble making it his.

#3 Federico Bernardeschi - Juventus

Bernardeshi refused to take the Number 10 kit to avoid comparisons to Roberto Baggio

Federico Bernardeschi’s name on this list might surprise many considering the number of big signings that have happened this summer.

Juventus opted to sign Bernardeschi ahead of Domenico Berardi even though it was easier for Juve to sign the latter due to his buy back clause. This is down to the incredible growth the former showed in the last two seasons.

The 23-year-old winger was one of the standout performers in the league and easily Fiorentina’s best player last season. He scored 13 goals and provided five assists for the Viola in a season where they finished eighth.

Juventus are easily one of the best sides on the planet but the team didn’t have enough natural wingers last season and were forced to play Mario Mandzukic out wide on the left side. Despite that, Juventus won the domestic double and reached the UEFA Champions League final.

The addition of Bernardeschi will surely make Juve stronger and more fluid in attack as he created 52 chances and completed 60 take-ons in Serie A last season.

#2 Mohamed Salah - Liverpool

Salah has been impressive during preseason, scoring four goals

Liverpool broke their transfer record to sign Mohamed Salah, making him the most expensive African player but considering the inflated transfer market, Liverpool may have got a bargain.

Salah was one of the best players in Serie A last season scoring 15 goals and providing 11 assists, both more than what any Liverpool player managed in the league last time around. This also made him one of only seven players in Europe’s Top 5 leagues to score at least 10 goals and also assist at least 10.

The Egyptian winger brings a lot of pace and flair to Liverpool and the Reds desperately need that as Sadio Mane is the only other player of a similar mould in the squad.

Salah has already shown promising signs during preseason, scoring four goals and also excellently linking up play with Philippe Coutinho. Against Bayern Munich, Liverpool played Salah and Mane together for the first time and the result was frightening as the Bavarian club couldn’t deal with the pace and trickery of the duo.

Knowing Jurgen Klopp’s love for attacking football, Liverpool fans might be in for a treat this season now that Salah has joined the likes of Coutinho, Mane and Firmino.

#1 Neymar Jr - PSG

Neymar made a record breaking move to PSG this summer

Neymar’s transfer to PSG is without a doubt the craziest and biggest transfer in the history of football.

The Brazilian spent four seasons at Barcelona scoring 102 goals and providing 63 assists while also winning all possible honours at club level, including a treble in 2014/15. Along with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, he formed arguably the greatest attacking trio of all time and in the space of three seasons, the trio amassed 364 goals and 171 assists!

At PSG, Neymar will get the chance to be the biggest star in the team and that was something he couldn’t achieve at Barcelona as long as Messi was in the side.

The Ligue 1 club have an excellent squad with the likes of Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria, Julian Draxler, Blaise Matuidi, Marco Verratti, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva and Marquinho among several others. There is a perfect balance of youth and experience in the side and the addition of Neymar will not only take the team to a whole new level but also play a big role in boosting the morale of the side.