5 Little-Known 2013 Summer Transfer Window Prospects You Must Know About
Here are five little-known 2013 summer transfer window prospects you must know about.
Take a break from reading the constant transfer rumours involving Luis Suarez, Gareth Bale, Yaya Toure, Falcao, et al. and expand your footballing knowledge.
Feel free to comment below with other lesser-known footballers, who could be on the move this summer.
5. Marco Rojas, DLF, Melbourne Victory
1 of 5Meet the A-League's most chased after transfer prospect—Melbourne Victory's New Zealand international Marco Rojas.
He's a lock to win the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award; is in the running to claim the Golden Boot; has the capability to finish with the most assists; and may take home the Johnny Warren Medal and the Alex Tobin Award.
Tom Rogic, now with Celtic, had the swagger but he was never as productive as Rojas.
Marco is the most exciting young talent I've ever seen come out of the A-League.
He is quick; skillful; creative and a make-something-happen type of footballer.
Ange Postecoglou, the most respected domestic manager in Australia by quite some distance, pulled off a masterstroke by giving Rojas the freedom to play all over the field.
He went from an inconsistent youngster to one of the best players in the league.
Will Marco be as successful in a more rigid system? No.
One significant concern with Rojas in his Gervinho-like tendency to miss clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.
Instead of jetting off to Europe, perhaps stay one more season to continue his development, because he's only 21 years old.
4. Cyril Thereau, CF, Chievo Verona
2 of 5There's a lot of Graziano Pelle in Cyril Thereau in that the Frenchman can hold up the ball; lead the line and is technically proficient.
Pelle went from Serie A flop to Eredivisie sensation.
Cyril has outperformed Graziano in Italy, so maybe the Frenchman has the potential to improve 10-fold (like Pellè) for a bigger team than Chievo next season.
Thereau, who has scored against Juventus and Napoli, recently said (from RMC via Forza Italian Football): "I want to play for a big club like Fiorentina, Lazio or Roma—although I want to clarify how much I have liked it in Verona."
How about Marseille?
3. Pirmin Schwegler, DM, Eintracht Frankfurt
3 of 5Sebastian Rode has received most of the plaudits for some imperious midfield performances.
But what about Pirmin Schwegler?
He leads Eintracht Frankfurt in tackles and interceptions per league game.
Schwegler, a 26-year-old Swiss international, would be perfect in a 4-4-2 as a box-to-box midfielder.
Alas, the large majority of teams play a 4-2-3-1, meaning he is limited in a defensive midfield role where his positional discipline is lacking.
He constantly leaves his back four exposed either trying to score or make a flashy interception.
With Eintracht still in position to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, the club (in theory) will be able to hold on to the core of their squad.
2. Alfred Finnbogason, CF, Heerenveen
4 of 5If you want an Eredivisie forward—not named Wilfried Bony—then Heerenveen's striker Alfred Finnbogason is your man.
It isn't just the prolific goalscoring that catches your attention but the ability to do it in crunch-time.
For example, netting a 90th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw versus VVV-Venlo or scoring a brace between the 82nd and 85th minute to snatch a 2-1 win over NAC Breda.
This season, Alfred has scored 20 league goals (Bony and Graziano Pellè have 26 and 21 respectively).
1. Wahbi Khazri, WAM, Bastia
5 of 5Wahbi Khazri loves playing Lyon, having netted a brace and created another two in two league games.
He was only on the field for 10 minutes against Paris Saint-Germain but still managed to produce a moment of magic.
Khazri can play either side or through the middle; he works really hard without the ball (wins back possession 2.5 times per Ligue 1 game); and there's an unpredictability element to his game.
Perfect transfer target for a mid-tier Premier League side and would be an invaluable impact sub at one of Europe's major clubs.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com and Squawka.com.
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