Predicting 20 Surprising 2015 Summer Transfer Window Signings
Let's try and predict 20 surprising transfers for the 2015 summer window.
The idea is to come up with hypothetical transfers which have not been regurgitated by the media.
The 20 footballers will be subjectively ranked via a combination of current playing ability, upside, transfer stock and potential money involved in the deal.
Surprising Prediction Honourable Mentions
- Esteban Alvarado, 25, AZ's Costa Rican goalkeeper → Granada.
- Yassin Ayoub, 21, Utrecht's Dutch central midfielder → Southampton.
- Thievy Bifouma, 22, Espanyol's Congolese centre-forward → Lille.
- Caio, 20, Kashima Antlers' Brazilian left-winger → Eintracht Frankfurt.
- Alex Gersbach, 17, Sydney FC's Australian left-back → PSV Eindhoven.
20. Bebe (Benfica)
1 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Benfica → Lorient.
Portuguese right/left/centre-forward Bebe, 24, is the ultimate hot-and-cold footballer.
When he is on form, he is scoring outrageous goals, which makes his maligned move to Manchester United seem less bizarre.
On bad days, he plays like one of those gym enthusiasts, who tries to ram his way past opposing players in recreational five-a-side.
Bebe's career is defined by small club → big club → small club, rinse and repeat.
He is 706 minutes and counting without a goal or assist in La Liga on loan at Cordoba.
Trust his representatives to get him another shot in a top European league.
Maybe with Lorient where he can team up with compatriot Raphael Guerreiro.
19. Massimo Luongo (Swindon Town)
2 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Swindon Town → Schalke.
Australian central midfielder Massimo Luongo, 22, is a box-to-box runner, who can score and create.
He has Premier League ability but is honing his craft at Swindon Town, a club that evidently scouts very well (they have another gem in Yaser Kasim).
Schalke's midfield depth is thin, so signing Luongo would be a smart investment and would bolster their squad.
He could be on a long-list of secondary options if Sami Khedira does not end up moving from Real Madrid to Schalke.
18. Vitinho (CSKA Moscow)
3 of 20
Surprising Prediction: CSKA Moscow → Shanghai SIPG.
A year and six months ago, Brazilian central attacking midfielder Vitinho, 21, was the €10/£7.1 million man expected to light up Russia with his array of tricks.
He scored one goal from 421 minutes of Russian Premier League play over 15 games.
On loan at Internacional to get his match fitness up, Vitinho is at career-crossroads.
Does he work his way back to form or chase the money in the Chinese Super League?
Dario Conca earned his second eight-figure contract signing for Shanghai SIPG (his first was at Guangzhou Evergrande).
If Shanghai SIPG come calling, can Vitinho resist the temptation?
Probably not, since he signed for CSKA Moscow in 2013, presumably due to financial incentives.
17. Tommy Oar (Utrecht)
4 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Utrecht → Koln.
Australian left-forward Tommy Oar, 23, revealed he is moving on and looking forward to football post-Utrecht, per Ben Somerford at FourFourTwo.
Dusan Svento and Daniel Halfar have been unconvincing on Koln's left side, which means there is an opening starting spot for Oar if he can prove his worth in training.
He has recorded seven assists and created 57 scoring chances in 17 Eredivisie games this season.
16. N'Golo Kante (Caen)
5 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Caen → AC Milan.
Caen's French central midfielder N'Golo Kante, 23, seemingly always wants to make decisive plays, whether it's a key pass or a crucial interception.
He is not content with passing the ball sideways or just jockeying opposing players.
Kante is the type of bargain-basement acquisition AC Milan should be looking at.
15. Fabian Schar (Basel)
6 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Basel → Hertha Berlin.
Rather than Swiss centre-back Fabian Schar, 23, making the jump to sign for a major European club, he could use Hertha Berlin as a stepping stone.
Having conceded 42 goals in 24 Bundesliga games, Hertha Berlin need an upgrade.
Maybe Schar fits what Hertha Berlin want.
His transition will be made easier by compatriots Fabian Lustenberger and Valentin Stocker.
14. Jordan Amavi (Nice)
7 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Nice → Juventus.
Patrice Evra and Simone Padoin are squad players while Kwadwo Asamoah is a utility player, whose best role is in a central position.
This is why Nice left-back Jordan Amavi, 21, can play a pivotal role on the left for Juventus as it's his natural position.
Amavi has accumulated 4.2 tackles and 3.9 interceptions per game this season.
13. Mark Uth (Heerenveen)
8 of 20Surprising Prediction: Heerenveen → Borussia Monchengladbach.
Yes, Borussia Monchengladbach signing German centre-forward Mark Uth, 23, who failed to make the grade at Koln, would be a left-field choice.
However, Uth has improved exponentially since being a backup to Lukas Podolski.
While Podolski's career is in free-fall, Uth is playing the best football of his life, scoring 13 goals and registering seven assists in 25 Eredivisie games for Heerenveen.
Borussia Monchengladbach need to adapt and start playing a No. 9, rather than two deep-lying forwards, since neither Max Kruse (seven goals) or Raffael (five goals) have reached double figures this season.
12. Danny Ings (Burnley)
9 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Burnley → Borussia Dortmund.
Burnley's English deep-lying forward Danny Ings, 22, is technically gifted, possesses the calmness to finish chances and the ability to create them for his team-mates.
He can operate as a No. 9 or No. 10, which is why he could be an option for Borussia Dortmund, a team that needs an alternative to Ciro Immobile, who is often too stagnant.
Considering Borussia Dortmund once signed Paul Lambert from Motherwell and are known for their expansive scouting network, Ings should be a target.
11. Marco Sportiello (Atalanta)
10 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Atalanta → Chelsea.
Italian goalkeeper Marco Sportiello, 22, is keeping Atalanta afloat with his 95 saves from 26 Serie A games.
If Petr Cech wants out, Chelsea need a quality backup and Sportiello could be that man.
Atalanta have had a myriad of top prospects in the past, but it remains to be seen if Sportiello's path will take a Massimo Donati-like turn or end up being a champion like Filippo Inzaghi.
10. Nikola Maksimovic (Torino)
11 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Torino → Liverpool.
Torino's Serbian centre-back/right-wingback Nikola Maksimovic, 23, is not a finished product.
Maksimovic is majestic when he carries the ball into midfield and hits a crisp pass to his team-mates.
Completing 86.4 percent of his 53.6 passes per game (jumps to 70.5 in the UEFA Europa League), Maksimovic at times operates as a quasi-midfielder.
How is he defensively? He can cut off passes, but he is not a rambunctious tackler.
At times, he has been caught out of position and is a step behind play, a la Dejan Lovren.
But Liverpool are known for taking calculated gambles, having signed Emre Can—rated by Kicker as the 104th-best Bundesliga footballer during the 2013-14 season—so targeting Maksimovic could be on the cards.
9. Abdul Rahman Baba (Augsburg)
12 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Augsburg → Real Madrid.
Fabio Coentrao has yet to play out an entire season for Real Madrid without getting injured.
At times, he is a part-time player because he spends portions of the campaign recovering from injury.
This is why Real Madrid going for Ghanaian left-back Abdul Rahman Baba, 20, one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga, would be a solid insurance plan.
Baba is a warrior on the field, he is constantly jostling to win back the ball, he launches himself into aerial contests and he has been durable for Augsburg, playing 21 out of 24 Bundesliga games.
8. James Milner (Manchester City)
13 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Manchester City → Valencia.
English utility player James Milner, 29, seems too competitive to end his European career by moving to Asia and earning a lucrative living.
Milner is open to playing outside of England but wants to stay in Europe, per Jamie Jackson at the Guardian.
Valencia should be on his list.
Why?
Valencia owner Peter Lim is still in the honeymoon period of owning a football club, so Milner could profit big-time while still playing on a competitive team.
7. Morgan Sanson (Montpellier)
14 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Montpellier → Manchester City.
Montpellier utility player Morgan Sanson, 20, is one of the most versatile footballers in Ligue 1.
Playing across midfield while burdened with defensive and attacking responsibilities, Sanson has been excellent.
He would be a like-for-like replacement should James Milner leave Manchester City.
6. Fabinho (Monaco)
15 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Rio Ave → Manchester United.
Brazilian right-back/central midfielder Fabinho, 21, has been impressive on loan at Monaco.
He is agile, tall and can interchange from defence to midfield.
Having been on loan to Real Madrid and Monaco, it appears Rio Ave are a holding club, meaning he will be sold to the highest bidder.
Given there are question marks over Rafael Pereira's standing with Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal and Antonio Valencia being an incompetent right-back, theoretically signing Fabinho would be a logical move.
5. Rafael Pereira (Manchester United)
16 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Manchester United → Bayern Munich.
The reason why Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal prefers Antonio Valencia over Brazlian right-back Rafael Pereira, 24, probably comes down to coachability.
You assume Valencia will nod his head to whatever Van Gaal says, whereas you cannot envision Rafael staying tight-lipped over his game needing changes.
Van Gaal will limit Rafael, but he could blossom as a right-back/right wing-back for Bayern Munich in a more flexible system with an open-minded manager in Pep Guardiola.
4. Radamel Falcao (Monaco)
17 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Monaco → Shanghai Greenland Shenhua.
Colombian centre-forward Radamel Falcao, 29, has lost his instant acceleration, his first touch is unreliable and he is devoid of confidence.
Given Falcao's injuries, you can only presume his body is still adjusting, which has hindered his playing style, thus why he has been so ineffective on loan at Manchester United.
Scoring four goals from 17 Premier League games with a 48.4 percent shooting accuracy is unacceptable.
Costing €8.4/£6 million on loan and earning around €265,702/£190,000-a-week, Falcao should be thankful his agent Jorge Mendes is at the top of his game.
Before Falcao completely de-values his transfer stock Fernando Torres-style, expect Mendes to secure another absurdly inflated contract.
Perhaps Giovanni Moreno can help recruit compatriot Falcao for Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, which is looking to clean up the club's reputation having lost face due to the autocratic and drama-filled reign of Zhu Jun.
What are Shanghai Greenland Shenhua's plans?
Splashing the cash, per Daniel Ren at the South China Morning Post.
3. Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)
18 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Napoli → Manchester United.
Jonny Evans' six-game suspension for spitting provides Manchester United with a reason to further evaluate what he brings to the team.
Yes, he is loyal, but he is an average and serviceable centre-back.
Manchester United buying the best defender available in the summer transfer window is a likely scenario.
Napoli's French centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, 23, has world-class upside.
Some days, he is Jaap Stam-like. Other days, his positioning is all over the place like Evans.
The inconsistency in Koulibaly's performances means Manchester United would be basing their investment in him on his athleticism, his potential and his age.
In other words, Manchester United risk an Eliaquim Mangala situation at Manchester City.
2. Pedro Obiang (Sampdoria)
19 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Sampdoria → Manchester City.
When you think of Manchester City finding a successor to Yaya Toure, Paul Pogba is the natural answer.
But if Pogba stays at Juventus, Sampdoria's Spanish central midfielder Pedro Obiang, 22, could be a top alternative for Manchester City.
Obiang is a prolific ball-winner (3.2 tackles, 1.7 interceptions per game), he has flashed box-to-box moments and has the ability to complete incisive passes.
1. Yaya Toure (Manchester City)
20 of 20
Surprising Prediction: Manchester City → Guangzhou Evergrande.
Ivorian central midfielder Yaya Toure, 31, is paid around €307,303/£220,000-a-week to be a dominant footballer on both sides of the pitch.
He commits more fouls (1.2) than tackles (1.1).
When he does tackle, he is a liability, only completing 50 percent of his challenges.
There is no point asking him to defend.
When you watch him, you see laziness, you see a lack of urgency and there is no real leadership by example.
Aside from his surging runs (completes 82.6 percent of his dribbles), Toure has been average.
Considering this is the same guy that had his feelings hurt over a cake, you can only surmise he is playing within himself to prove a point to management.
He needs to score or create more goals (seven goals, one assist from 21 Premier League games this season), to cover up what has been a disappointing campaign from him thus far.
This is why a major European club might avoid Toure given his inconsistent form, his emotional instability (I want a cake, oh no, it was a little joke!) and his agent Dimitri Seluk always wanting to be in the power position.
Hence the door opening for Guangzhou Evergrande.
Four years ago, Dario Conca was earning eight figures at Guangzhou Evergrande.
Having convinced Alan Carvalho to abandon his European career while persuading Ricardo Goulart and Elkeson to postpone playing for a UEFA Champions League/UEFA Europa League team, Guangzhou Evergrande want to be a dynasty.
As Marcello Lippi and Fabio Cannavaro will probably tell you: Money talks.
Toure could become the highest-paid footballer in history should he and his representatives play their cards right and invite an offer from Guangzhou Evergrande.
When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
