15 Great Players Who Need to Play in 2015/16 Champions League
Playing in the Champions League seems to consume some footballers, with the desire to perform at the highest level something that all of them share.
For some young players, that desire can lead them to seeking transfers elsewhere if and when their current clubs don’t quite live up to the highest standards, but while the argument is there that those players should stay put and get some more minutes under their belts, time is against others.
There are plenty who both deserve and need to be on the Champions League stage in 2015/16, and here are just a few of them.
Gonzalo Higuain
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Missing a crucial penalty in Napoli’s final-day Serie A showdown with Lazio was a cruel way for Gonzalo Higuain’s season to end, and it effectively cost his side Champions League qualification in the process.
The former Real Madrid man could never win the competition when he was at the Bernabeu, but he might now entertain thoughts of a move away to a club who’ll be playing in Europe's elite competition next season having now missed out on the group stages for two years in a row.
Radamel Falcao
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It remains a curious anomaly about Radamel Falcao’s career that his experience of European competition has been conducted away from the Champions League despite high-profile moves to Porto, Atletico Madrid, Monaco and Manchester United.
As he showed at the latter during what was an underwhelming season at Old Trafford, the Colombian is far from the deadly forward that we saw fire in the goals on the way to Porto’s Europa League success in 2011 and Atletico’s in 2012, and with a move away from Monaco on the agenda again, perhaps Champions League football is the stimulus he needs to get going.
Marco Reus
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He signed a new contract during Borussia Dortmund’s underwhelming season, and he still appears to be committed to the club, but with the absence of Champions League football next season and the departure of Jurgen Klopp from the Westfalenstadion, will Marco Reus be pondering his future?
A regular name in the football-gossip columns and a player who is highly prized by plenty of the elite, the 26-year-old would certainly light up the competition should he find himself back in it in 2015/16, even though Dortmund fans will hope that doesn’t become the case.
Morgan Schneiderlin
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Having come up through the leagues with Southampton and excelling at St Mary’s through their last two impressive seasons, Frenchman Morgan Schneiderlin has now set his heart on a move to Manchester United, according to a report in the Daily Star.
The elegant midfielder came close to leaving the south coast club last summer only to stay and become an integral part of Ronald Koeman’s side, but you get the feeling that the 25-year-old is destined to move on and experience the highest level of the club game.
Mats Hummels
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Another player who features on Manchester United’s shopping list—at least according to the Daily Mail—is Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels, who will be eager to once again prove that he is one of the very best centre-backs around in 2014/15.
Many will believe that he needs to be in the Champions League to do that, and with United securing a spot back in the top four of the Premier League,, they would appear to be in the perfect position to get the deal done.
Dries Mertens
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Napoli’s lively Belgian winger Dries Mertens is another one of the club’s top talents who won’t be featuring for them in the Champions League next season following their narrow failure to qualify for it this time around, and the quicksilver 28-year-old is certainly a loss to the competition.
Formerly of PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Mertens would be a good asset to any Champions League team seeking to add pace, goals and dynamism to their side, and who doesn’t want that?
Hugo Lloris
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The last line of Tottenham Hotspur's defence wasn't able to help them into the Champions League for next season, but there is every reason to believe that Hugo Lloris will find himself lining up in the competition in 2015/16.
As ever with goalkeeper transfer movement, a switch for the Frenchman will depend on deals elsewhere, but it would be interesting to see what would happen if a club registered their interest in one of European football's best stoppers currently, particularly with Euro 2016 in his homeland to prepare for next summer.
Andre-Pierre Gignac
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Marseille's Andre-Pierre Gignac had his injury problems in 2014/15 but outscoring Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a Ligue 1 season is no mean feat, and he was one of only two players to do it.
For a while it looked as though the 29-year-old former Toulouse man's 21 goals were going to propel Marseille toward an unlikely league title—something they've won only once in the last 23 years—but l'OM eventually fell away and finished the season outside of the Champions League places in fourth position.
With Gignac out of contract this summer, he'd make a handy addition for any Champions League club looking to increase their goals return.
Andre Ayew
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Another impressive Marseille player leaving the club on a free transfer this summer is Ghana international Andre Ayew, who departs after 10 years at the club where he came through the youth system.
Corriere dello Sport (h/t Goal) has reported the 25-year-old is set for a move to Roma, where he would play Champions League football next season. If the Serie A giants are to snap up the 62-times-capped attacker, they'd be getting a lively presence guaranteed to add both goals and assists to Rudi Garcia's side in 2015/16.
Luiz Adriano
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Still contracted to Shakhtar Donetsk until December, it is something of a surprise that no one has yet made a move for the gifted Brazilian forward Luiz Adriano this summer following his Champions League exploits this season.
Adriano was the top scorer throughout the group stages, equalling both Cristiano Ronaldo's record of nine goals in the six matches and Lionel Messi's record of five goals in one game, and he has attracted a series of admirers—including Arsenal according to the Metro. Wherever he goes, though, he deserves to be on the Champions League stage.
Marek Hamsik
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After eight seasons at Napoli and the club missing out on the Champions League again, is it time for their Slovakian skipper Marek Hamsik to move on?
The 27-year-old would certainly be a terrific addition for any club seeking a dynamic, creative and goalscoring midfielder, as well as leader from the centre of the pitch. Hamsik wouldn't look out of place among the performers in European football's elite competition, which he reached the second round of with Napoli in the 2011/12 season.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
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Despite pushing Real Madrid all the way in the last 16 of this season's Champions League, Schalke ultimately finished in a disappointing sixth place in the Bundesliga—having to settle for a spot in the Europa League as they did so.
Forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has been used to making his name in the more prestigious competition throughout a career that has always featured goals wherever he's been, and so a return to the Champions League would certainly be welcomed by the Dutchman, who is a regular name in the transfer-gossip columns.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
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Armenian star Henrikh Mkhitaryan suffered a second season to forget at Borussia Dortmund, and like many players there, he now faces an uncertain future at the club following the departure of Jurgen Klopp.
With no Champions League football to look forward to in 2015/16, the 26-year-old might well see his future elsewhere having got used to performing on that stage while at previous club Shakhtar Donetsk.
As an attacking midfielder of terrific quality, he is certain to be in demand should he look for a move, although new Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel says he's staying put, as noted by Bild (h/t ESPN).
Yevhen Konoplyanka
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The driving force behind Dnipro's run to the Europa League final, Ukrainian winger Yevhen Konoplyanka has come close to leaving the club in the past but now seems certain to do so on a free transfer.
Heavily linked with a move to Liverpool by publications such as the Daily Star (h/t Metro) in the past, Konoplyanka might feel as though he needs to play in the Champions League as soon as possible as he continues to develop an exciting career, with the possibility of next summer's European Championships doubtless crossing his mind.
Jeremy Menez
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AC Milan endured a disappointing season, during which they never really got close to qualifying for the Champions League, but there were glimpses of quality throughout it from their enigmatic French star Jeremy Menez.
The 28-year-old averaged a goal every other game during his first season back in Serie A following a three-year spell at Roma, but with question marks over his future and Milan struggling to keep wantaway players happy, the temptation to move on again could prove to be too great.
