Five players Europe's top clubs should consider in January
As the January transfer window looms large, traders on Football INDEX will be aiming to get ahead of the curve in an attempt to make a profit over the next couple of months.
With prices rising on players that are rumoured to be on the move, we’ve picked out six players that have enjoyed fine starts to the season and proven capable of making the next step in their careers.
Nicolas Pepe (Lille) - Current share price: £3.90
It’s been an impressive season so far for Christophe Galtier’s Lille, who avoided the drop zone by just one point last season but sit second to PSG in Ligue 1 after 17 games this. Their bid for a Champions League finish has been led by Pepe, who - with 11 goals and five assists - has had a direct hand in 59 per cent of the team’s overall tally.
Operating best from the right wing, the 23-year-old can lead the line if need be and is believed to be on the radar of a number of Europe’s top clubs. He’s just outside the top 50 players on the Football INDEX stock market as things stand but will surely break into it should his fantastic form continue.
Brais Mendez (Celta Vigo) - Current share price: £2.49
Another young right winger enjoying a superb campaign to date, 21-year-old Mendez earned a first Spain call-up last month, scoring the winning goal on his debut against Bosnia and Herzegovina. With four goals and four assists over his last six league appearances for Celta Vigo the youngster is currently up in third in WhoScored.com’s player form rankings and looks destined for the very top.
Whether it’s a move to one of the top teams in LaLiga or abroad, it seems unlikely that the hard-working wide man will remain in Vigo much longer.
Sebastien Haller (Frankfurt) - Current share price: £2.44
There aren’t too many world class target men in the game right now, but Sebastien Haller’s form this season hasn’t been far off that status. The Frankfurt striker endured a difficult start to the year in what was his debut season in Germany but has been a revelation in Adi Hutter’s free scoring side.
The Frenchman has been deadly in front of goal this season, scoring nine Bundesliga goals, but it’s his link play with strike partner Luka Jovic in particular that marks him out as one to watch in the market. Seven league assists is a joint-high in the German top-flight and means that only Lionel Messi (19) has had a direct hand in more goals in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
Teji Savanier (Nimes) - Current share price: £1.84
It’s fair to say Nimes have made an excellent start to life back in France’s top-flight but it’s one that could have been even greater were it not for an incredibly harsh five-game ban for talismanic midfielder Savanier. All six of the promoted outfits league wins have come in the 11 games that the 26-year-old has started, and his influence with and without the ball has been clear to see.
As clubs seek a potential bargain in a market where it’s proving more and more difficult to do so, Savanier could prove just that. N’Golo Kante came through the league system quite late on in France before earning a move to England. There’s little reason why the busy Nimes skipper couldn’t do the same.
Shoya Nakajima (Portimonense) - Current share price: £1.21
Recently linked with a move to Wolves, it’s little wonder that the club’s scouts in Portugal and plentiful knowledge of Liga NOS have been impressed by Nakajima’s exploits. The Japan international was the only player in the Portuguese top tier to reach double figures for both goals (10) and assists (10) last season, and has picked up where he left off this time around.
Said figures are at five and four respectively after 11 league appearances this season, and Wolves aren’t believed to be the 24-year-old’s only admirers as a result. He could prove a snip in the market both in real life and on the Football INDEX next month.
