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There’s nothing like a World Cup to get the transfer rumours going, and many a big move has been made off the back of a good tournament showing.
With performances like the one against Türkiye, there’s a good chance some Socceroos will be the next to cash-in on the World Cup and get on the move.
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As one of the youngest sides in the tournament, with an average age of just 26.8, some of Australia’s young guns will be on the lists of big clubs this summer.
So, who could be on the move and where should they be looking to make their mark?
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NESTORY IRANKUNDA
Linked clubs: Everton, Crystal Palace, Fiorentina, Villareal, Bayer Leverkusen, Norwich City, West Ham United
If there’s one thing that will almost surely land you a big move after a World Cup, it’s scoring an incredible goal.
And Irankunda’s effort against Türkiye was just that. It announced a potential world star coming from the Socceroos. It was everything that you’d expect from the Socceroos flyer, a burst of pace and strength to go past his man, before unleashing a strike with his cannon of a right foot into the bottom left corner.
Things always looked like they would go this way for the attacker from his early days at Adelaide United.
“It is like a piece of gold, gold already exists, you just have to find it… But you do have to remove some dirt and stones along the way to make sure the gold can shine,” his former coach Airton Andrioli told CODE Sports,
As a result of this and his fine form out wide for Watford, Irankunda has been quickly linked away with a move from the Hornets to several clubs around Europe. Able to play off both wings, and with excellent set piece ability, he’s the ideal profile for a side looking to add dynamism to its attack.
However, for his sake and the Socceroos’ he’ll have to choose his next club carefully.
His current reported market value is currently listed as between eight and 11 million euros ($AU13-18 million) according to FotMob and Transfermarkt.
However, given that Bayern Munich currently has a 50 per cent sell-on clause in his deal with Watford, as well as a rumoured buy-back agreement, it would not be surprising if the Aussie flyer went for far more than that if he does leave the Hornets, with his price tag potentially hitting around the 20-million-euro mark. Indeed, 20 million euros ($AU33 million) is said to be Watford’s asking price.
Given the veritable army of reported suitors, Watford could see a bidding war drive his fee up even further.
Fox Sports’ tip: Everton
The Toffees had a frustrating finish to a mostly satisfying season in the brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium. But their left winger position represented a problem for most of the season. A high profile loan for Jack Grealish from Manchester City didn’t go well, nor did talented youngster Tyrique George’s from Chelsea.
The Toffees need a starter at left wing, not a rotation option. This is exactly what Irankunda can provide and needs for his development, not a place on a substitutes bench waiting for opportunity.
If he moves to the blue half of Merseyside he would have a chance to make a place on the left wing his own at an ambitious Premier League side. He’d have time to bed in, a loyal and patient supporter group and with Tim Cahill so embedded in their history, supporters with a lot of time for a fiery Australian forward in their ranks.
Socceroos defender cops training injury | 03:54
ALESSANDRO CIRCATI
Linked clubs: Internazionale, Juventus, Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid, PSG
A name that has been on the lips of Italian and Australian football fans for years, this World Cup could be seen as a coming-of-age moment for the 23-year-old Parma and Socceroos defender.
Playing on the right side of Tony Popovic’s back three, he helped shut down some of Europe’s premier attackers in the Socceroos’ win over Türkiye off the back of a stellar Serie A campaign.
Socceroos teammate and fellow defender Milos Degenek has nothing but praise for his young teammate.
“There’s probably Australia’s future right there with Ale,” the veteran said.
The young defender has modelled himself on some of Italy’s great modern centre backs with Circati taking advice from legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon on how to emulate titanic figures like Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli.
Now he’s being linked with some of Europe’s finest clubs and could well be on track to break the highest fee paid for a Socceroo (17 million euros, or $AU28 million, for Harry Souttar by Leicester City).
His transfer value is estimated to be between 12 and 13.9 million euros ($AU20-23 million) by FotMob and Transfermarkt, however given his age and potential, expect the fee to be much higher.
A fee of 25 million euros ($AU41 million) has been touted, and he’ll not come cheap for any of his suitors. Circati however, like Irankunda will have to be very careful with his next destination, as it could be the difference between establishing himself as an elite player, or being stuck on the fringes waiting for a chance.
Fox Sports’ tip: Juventus
The Old Lady are one of several Italian giants whose lustre has waned in recent years. Circati is already making a big step and staying in Serie A will be ideal for him to lessen the amount of change he’ll have to face.
Juventus also play in a back three, which will suit Circati, being familiar with playing in a similar system with club and country. They’re also one of the few Italian sides who can justify a 25-million-euro purchase for a defender. And for the romantics out there, he’d be following the path of his friend and mentor, the great Gigi Buffon.
Swiss seal top spot by beating hosts | 01:28
LUCAS HERRINGTON
Linked clubs: Barcelona, Liverpool, Everton, AC Milan, Napoli
Calling Lucas Herrington’s rise meteoric is a serious understatement. The ex-Brisbane Roar youngster has gone from an A-League prospect to now being linked with some of the world’s biggest football clubs. The 18-year-old left Brisbane to move to the Colorado Rapids and now has Barcelona among other major clubs on his tail.
Ex Brisbane Roar coach Ruben Zadkovic was full of praise for the 6’4” prodigy when speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I just hadn’t seen anything like the level of detail of Lucas on the ball, and his understanding, his technical ability – and also the way he defended moments was something that I hadn’t seen in nearly any player,” Zadkovic said.
It’s this sort of testimony that has got the likes of Barcelona watching Herrington, and while he may not break the Australian record fee now, given his age and profile, it’s very likely it could happen in the future. He would still have a long way to go to start with the Blaugrana, but in Socceroos manager Tony Popovic, he has a coach ready to champion him.
“When I saw him train, I thought ‘yes, he’s 18, so you can find an excuse not to play him if you want’, but… then you go out there. He’s quite young isn’t it, you’ve got [Alessandro Circati] next to him, so two young players together there,” he said. “Hopefully, that’s a sign of the future for the national team at the back.”
A five million euro ($AU8.2 million) offer from Barcelona was reportedly rejected by the Rapids but expect the Blaugrana to return with a bigger offer soon. If the star does go to Catalunya, he has the chance to establish himself as one of the finest defenders in La Liga and world football.
His value is listed by Transfermarkt at 4.5 million euros ($AU7.4 million), but you can be sure he’ll be going for more than that if he does leave Colorado this transfer window.
Fox Sports’ pick: Barcelona
Interest from Barcelona is something that simply can’t be turned down, and if they can agree a deal with Chicago Rapids, Herrington will have the perfect place to continue his development with Barcelona.
Unlike the previous two players, Herrington doesn’t necessarily need to be a constant starter. A year or two to bed in could be a bonus for him to become accustomed to the higher level in Europe. But the Catalans aren’t against playing young stars early on, with Spain defender Pau Cubarsi, also aged just 18 and a regular for club and country, a perfect example.
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A-LEAGUE STARS ON THE BRINK
Two young A-League guns have performed in exemplary fashion at this World Cup, with Patrick Beach and Paul Okon-Engstler going from bench options to nailed-on starters. Respectively 22 and 18 years old, together they are the next Australian young guns looking set to make the move overseas.
In a world where $250 million bids are being made for the likes of Elliot Anderson, Okon-Engstler in particular, represents incredible value. Valued at 1.2 million euros ($AU1.9 million) on Transfermarkt, if he doesn’t return to a European club this summer, you can expect it will happen in the near future.
While his value is relatively low, it has jumped by almost 600 per cent in the last year. That sort of meteoric rise looks set to continue, especially if he’s picked up by a major European club soon and follow in the steps of his father.
Former Sydney FC coach Ufuk Talay was quick to heap praise on the young midfielder, saying: “He’s a fantastic young talent with a huge future ahead of him.
“Paul has excellent positional awareness, a real calmness in possession, and can break up play while also building from the back.”
Inside the Socceroos World Cup hotel | 03:21
Formers Socceroo goalkeeper Mark Bosnich has confirmed that he has been contacted about the possibility of a move for Melbourne City goalkeeper Beach. The 22-year-old’s outing against Turkey is one of the all-time great goalkeeping displays for the Socceroos.
However, the ex Manchester United and Aston Villa goalkeeper has urged caution over a move.
“People have already contacted me,” laughed Bosnich when asked whether Beach could now be set for a move overseas.
“Obviously, we’ve got a great tradition with goalkeepers from the past, and we have produced very good goalkeepers.
“But I think the most important thing for him, and I’ve said this all along to people that I’m close with, we’ve got to be careful with this young kid.
“I know it’s understandable, because eyebrows have been raised. There’s no doubt about that. I’ve had calls already. (But) we’ve just got to try to make sure the ones that are in positions of influence, we don’t want to go overboard, because there’ll be plenty of time for that afterwards.
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Who else could be in line for a big move for the Socceroos?
Harry Souttar may be looking unlikely to break his record transfer again, but he is another one who should be in line for a move this summer.
“An exceptional box defender, he’s more than capable of playing at a higher level than league one, where current club Leicester City will be playing their football. Only a series of injuries including a rupture to his achilles tendon have stopped his progress so far, and if he does get a move, it’ll be done through sheer willpower to recover.
“The physios that I worked with were amazing, Niall [Stevens] and Phil [Pomeroy], two great guys, unbelievable,” Souttar said. “They put so much work and hours into me. But also, it obviously helped to have [the World Cup] as the goal as well. I’d have liked to be back a little bit sooner than I was but knowing that this was a carrot at the end that I was working towards to get fit for, obviously, there’s no bigger competition in the world, so I always had that at the back of my mind.”
Despite having a reasonably low value of 3.5 million euros ($AU5.7 million), if he does manage to rediscover his best form, expect that to rise back towards its previous high of 15 million euros ($AU24.7 million).
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While there are no concrete destinations at this stage, one player whose value is certainly on the rise is Cristian Volpato. The recently confirmed Socceroo attacker is currently listed with a value of 10 million euros, but given he’s only 22 and no longer distracted by questions over his national team allegiance that will surely rise.
He is somewhat unfortunate that as a right sided attacker, he is positioned as a substitute behind Domenico Berardi, one of Sassuolo’s greatest ever players. So, to reach his full potential, a move may be needed.
As with other talented Socceroos, this is a player in need of starts, and regular football. Just 1,163 minutes of football in Serie A is simply not enough for a player of his talent. Socceroos fans will hope that with more regular minutes, he can cement himself as a core element for club and country in the near future.
