World Cup 2022 Stars That Premier League Clubs Should Take A Chance On

It's been a while! Life has got a bit in the way in the last 18 months, but hopefully I can get back to maybe a once every 2-3 months schedule with this blog! Anyways, I digress! With the World Cup in Qatar in full flow and currently at the quarter final stages at the time of writing, I thought it might be interesting to see which stars from the tournament could have potentially earned themselves a move in January or next summer. I'm going to try and avoid the big names like Cody Gakpo of The Netherlands, Croatia centre back Josko Gvardiol, Argentina's Enzo Fernandez or England's latest midfield starlet Jude Bellingham. (Though of course we know all four should join Mikel Arteta's mighty Arsenal.) I do want to give some credit to Joao Felix who has shown this tournament why Atletico paid as much as they did to get him out of Benfica, and is clearly trying to put himself in the shop window to save him from his Simeone nightmare. in addition, Yunus Musah could be an interesting pick up for any clubs needing depth in midfield. I also think many of the Moroccan players have shown themselves to be interesting options too, including Sofyan Amrabat and his midfield partner Azzadine Ounahi, as well as their star man Hakim Ziyech who needs saving from his Chelsea hell. If Ziyech can't get his reported AC Milan move over the line, I think Newcastle should come swooping in, but alas let's get into the other players that Premier League clubs could pick up over the next few months.

[Note/Spoiler: I've realised that after writing each of these sections that I've suggested Leicester City as a destination for most of these players, so I might as well change the title! In my defence, their squad is a bit of a mess at the minute so there's worse they could do than sign some of these players!]

The Goalkeepers

I think this has truly been a great World Cup from a goalkeeping perspective. Croatia's Dominik Livakovic and Morocco's Yassine Bounou have earned their plaudits alone from two outstanding penalty shootouts that saw their respective sides progress past the round of 16. Both are currently outperforming their post shot expected goals (PSxG), a measure of how many goals they are expected to prevent, with Bonou outperforming his by 0.9 and Livakovic by 0.7. Bounou may want out at his club Sevilla with their decline in 2022. His availability may also be helped by the fact that he may be one of their few sellable assets too. Livakovic might want to test himself out in a top league and so could move on from Dinamo Zagreb. (As I come to edit this just before publishing it, Livakovic has just had the game of his life in the quarters against Brazil making 11 saves and saving the first penalty in the shootout against Brazil. Unreal stuff!) The Netherlands' Andries Noppert also deserves a mention, with his 88% save percentage the second highest at the tournament, as well as outperforming his PSxG by 2.3, also the second highest outperformance at the tournament. The Dutch stopper, despite being 28 years old however, has only 50 senior appearances as a professional after impressing following a recent move to Heerenveen - two years on from nearly quitting football to join the police. As such, I would be reluctant to suggest a move for him despite his impressive performances.

However, the most outstanding (and obtainable) goalkeeper for me this tournament has been the Poland number 1, Wojciech Szczesny. Without a doubt, Poland were the least impressive of the 16 sides to make it out of the groups, and it could be argued that he is the main reason they made it out. Despite losing 3-1 to France, the Juventus shotstopper can be proud of his performance in the game, making 5 saves from 8 shots on target. Szczesny also made two penalty saves during the group stage, making an impressive double save in the game against Saudi Arabia with the other save coming against the great Lionel Messi vs Argentina. That Argentina game was his particular standout game making a huge 8 saves against a dominant Lionel Scaloni side. Across the World Cup, Szczesny had an 82.1% save percentage after facing the most shots on target, 28, of any goalkeeper at the tournament (the third most per 90 for keepers that played at least 2 games) and outperforming his PSxG by a huge 2.8 goals (0.7 per game, which is the same as Livakovic across the entire tournament so far at the time of writing).

The Polish keeper probably wouldn't have been expectant of a move ahead of the tournament, but given the threat of Juventus being relegated to Serie B after financial issues under the old board of directors, who resigned en masse last week, I would imagine most of the Juventus squad may be eyeing up a move away from Turin. He's also been in good form for the Old Lady so far this season preventing 2.3 more goals than expected across 9 Serie A games so far this season as well as a 85% save percentage, currently the highest of his career. He's consistently outperformed his PSxG at Juventus, doing so in all but one season in Turin, implying that he's quite a good shotstopper!

Three Premier League clubs should be looking at one of these keepers in my opinion: Spurs, Crystal Palace and Leicester. I can't see a former Gunner in Szczesny joining Tottenham, but either Livakovic or Bounou could prove sensible replacements for Hugo Lloris as errors have crept into his game recently as his decline begins. Livakovic would probably be the most sensible of the options given he's the youngest of the three options presented at 27 years old, compared 31 year old Bounou and 32 year old Szczesny. Whilst I like all of the goalkeepers in Palace's squad right now, I think all of these keepers present an upgrade. Vicente Guaita is 35 years old and isn't quite at the level that earned him many plaudits a few years ago. Sam Johnstone is a capable backup and Jack Butland has seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth, making just 10 appearances since signing back in 2020. Their signings under Patrick Vieira have demonstrated some intelligent squad building and ambition for where the club is looking to move toward. Signing any of Szczesny, Livakovic or Bounou would be an even greater statement of said ambition. Since losing Kasper Schmeichel in the summer, there has been quite a clear downgrade to his understudy, Danny Ward, at Leicester. Ward endured a very poor start to the season, with just a 66% save percentage putting him in the bottom 20% of top 5 European league goalkeepers. Szczesny, in particular, would be a savvy signing for the Foxes to upgrade and solidify between the sticks given his prior Premier League experience as Arsenal's number 1 under Arsene Wenger.

Ritsu Doan

The Japanese fairytale might be over after losing on penalties to Croatia in the round of 16 but the Asian nation can go out with their heads held high. Bar the 1-0 loss to Costa Rica, Japan worked so hard and thoroughly deserved to top their 'group of death' ahead of Spain and Germany, as well as being unlucky to ultimately lose out to Croatia on penalties in the end. Their team spirit made them incredibly likeable to the neutral with several standout players such as Wataru Endo and captain Maya Yoshida. However, both them are unlikely to secure transfers given their ages, so my pick for a standout Japanese player that could get a move is Freiburg's Ritsu Doan. Now, Doan may have only joined the German club from PSV in the summer, but if they're looking to turn a quick profit then they should sell the Japanese wide man whilst his stock has never been higher. I may have the small cynical feeling in the back of my head that he may be the Mikkel Damsgaard or Aleksandr Golovin of this tournament in that he'll earn himself a decent reputation and maybe a move off the back of the tournament and then not really amount to much, but the optimist in me thinks he may be gem just waiting to shine.

Doan managed to grab two goals for Japan this tournament, both equalisers off the bench against Spain and Germany in the group stage. This averages out as 0.83 goals per 90 mins across his 4 appearances. However, these goals came from an xG of just 0.5. At domestic level for Freiburg this season, the winger has 4 goal involvements, equally split between goals and assists. This aligns with his combined expected goals and assists and averages out at roughly a goal involvement once every 3 games. Last season at PSV, Doan notched up 8 goals and an assist, averaging 0.54 goal involvements per 90 mins from 0.45 xG+A per 90 mins. All of these underlying numbers, as well as his World Cup performances, suggest to me that he could prove to be quite the impact player off the bench, as he has done so well in the last few weeks. It's more than feasible that Freiburg could triple the €8 million fee that they paid PSV in the summer for someone of Doan's promise. He could be a decent backup option for a side like Arsenal looking to add more depth in wide areas as they look to push for the title this season, but maybe a side like Newcastle or Leicester could be more realistic. The Magpies have dealt well with Allan Saint-Maximin's injury issues well this season, especially with Miguel Almiron's blistering form, but Doan could prove to be an upgrade and force current squad players like Ryan Fraser and Jacob Murphy to step up and earn their places. Leicester, too, could do with more competition in wide areas after missing out on signing Ademola Lookman permanently in the summer, Harvey Barnes' recent injury woes and Ayoze Perez's inconsistency. Doan joining the Foxes could see him instantly slot in on the right wing, allowing James Maddison to occupy the number 10 space once more, where he's played his best football. Given that the Japan side is greater than the sum of its parts, Doan may also be a great fit for Brentford. With the aforementioned Damsgaard struggling to make an impact along with fellow summer signing Keane Lewis-Potter, a signing like Doan could be much stronger competition for Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo and finally signal the end for Sergi Canos at the Bees.

Other Wingers

Despite being knocked out at the group stage, finishing bottom of their group with zero points, I do think Canada gave a good account of themselves. They were my rogue pick to make it out of the groups and obviously that didn't happen, but I felt as though they deserved something out of the Belgium game and until Croatia equalised, they were the better side in their second fixture. Ultimately they were undone against the Croatians purely due to the overall quality of their oppponents compared to them. That's not to say that there isn't any quality in this Canadian side, who boast talent such as Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies, Lille striker Jonathan David, as well as the Club Brugge duo of Tajon Buchanan and Cyle Larin. Of those four names, only Larin, aged 27, isn't 23 or under, so they're going to have this crop of talent for a while, and hopefully all of them will be fit and firing in four years time at a home World Cup. Buchanan, however, is the player I wanted to highlight. Every time he was on the ball, he looked a threat, always looking to create a chance for himself or his teammates, and he managed to grab the assist for Davies for Canada's only goal this tournament against Croatia. By xG, he should have grabbed himself a goal, but not a single one of Buchanan's 5 shots were on target this tournament. I still think he's a raw talent that still has a lot to learn and I don't think he's quite ready to make the move to the Premier League now, but he's definitely someone to keep an eye on for the future for a lower half Premier League club like the previously mentioned Brentford or Everton. The Toffees' current wide options of Dwight McNeil, Andros Townsend, Demarai Gray and current golden boy Anthony Gordon, aren't exactly awe inspiring, and Buchanan could be an exciting addition to their frontline.

With Sadio Mane out, Ismaila Sarr became the standout forward to watch for Senegal at this year's World Cup. The 24 year old is now in his 4th season with Watford, once again back in the Championship, and I'm still astounded that he's there. Sarr has contributed a minimum of 5 goals in each season of his career since turning professional in 2016/17 at Metz, aged 18. He's also shown he can do it in the Premier League with 16 goal involvements across 43 appearances in 2 seasons for Watford. This season is also the first since joining Watford where the Senegalese wide man isn't underperforming his expected assists, though that is more than likely an issue with the quality of his teammates. He scored a penalty in the crucial final group stage fixture against Ecuador, though across the tournament Sarr could have maybe picked up an extra goal involvement with a non penalty xG+A of 1.3 and putting up 15 shot creating actions (SCA). He also enjoys taking on players with 19 dribbles attempted at the World Cup, with 9 of them successful. Had they not signed Luis Diaz last season, I think Liverpool would be a great fit for him, but I have also seen Everton, Leeds and Villa links over the last year. All of these clubs would be signing a great player and upgrading their current options, but I think Leeds and Villa in particular would need to offload a few players first, such as Leon Bailey for the Midlands club or giving up early on Luis Sinisterra at Elland Road which is unlikely. Once again, as with Doan, I think Sarr would be able to slot straight into Leicester's starting XI, and would prove a massive upgrade.

The Harrys

I'm going to say this quietly, but I think Harry Maguire has a a solid tournament once again for England. He's proved me wrong after I thought he shouldn't have even gone to Qatar let alone be starting. The centre back has so far put up 9 combined tackles and interceptions, as well as making 14 clearances. It should be noted that England haven't been majorly tested yet defensively apart from the opening half an hour of the round of 16 tie against Senegal. Therefore, you would expect these numbers to shoot up in a team that averages less possession, with only Argentina and Spain seeing more of the ball than England's 64%. I do think Maguire looked a bit shaky at the start of the Senegal game, but I think once he builds up a consistent run of games he could be ok and he'll have shaken off the nerves. Clearly he's not getting back into Manchester United's backline anytime soon under Ten Hag so I think he could be worth a shot at on loan at another Premier League club. Maybe a return to Leicester could be sensible given Jonny Evans' injury issues, Caglar Soyuncu's inconsistency over the last two seasons, Jannick Vestergaard being a blatant panic buy that Brendan Rodgers clearly didn't want. Partnered with Wout Faes, who's looked impressive since coming into the starting XI, a return to a club where he was previously loved and a chance to play under a manager who'll likely give him the chance to gain his confidence back, it wouldn't be the worst of options for Maguire ahead of warming the bench as 4th choice centre back at United. Another option could be a loan stint at a club like Leeds. The centre back contingent of Liam Cooper, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente and Pascal Struijk is arguably the weakest area of the Yorkshire club's squad. Struijk has been deputising at left back given the poor form of Junior Firpo, and the other three are seemingly on rotation between out of form and injured. Maguire could earn himself a consistent run of game at Jesse Marsch's side which could prove invaluable to his hopes of getting his club career back up and running, even if crossing the Pennines is a risky move.

Should the Peacocks want a less divisive option instead, they should take a look at Stoke City's Harry Souttar. The Scottish born 6ft 6in centre back was a stalwart in defence for Australia to help see the Socceroos through to the round of 16 for the first time since the 2006 edition of the competition. What made his performances more impressive was the fact that he's just returned from a year out with an ACL injury and played just one 90 mins on the 8th November prior to the start of the tournament. Suprisingly, he only won two thirds of his aerial duels, which rises to 75% for Stoke in the Championship. However, with his height, opposition sides were less willing to try to go over the top of the Australia defence and so there were fewer opportunities for Souttar to demonstrate his aerial dominance. Instead, Souttar made 4 tackles and 6 interceptions (second highest in the squad behind his centre back partner Kye Rowles), accompanied by a massive 22 clearances, more than anyone else in the Aussie squad. He's also not just a no nonsense defender, as he seems to be quite good with the ball at his feet as most modern day defenders are, with an 82% pass completion rate, and making 5 progressive passes from the heart of defence. Souttar could be a sensible pickup for anyone looking to bolster their central defensive roster. In addition to Leicester or Leeds, maybe Fulham could look to upgrade their defence, as Shane Duffy and Tim Ream aren't going to be long term options to play with Tosin Adarabioyo and Issa Diop.

Mohammed Kudus

You only have to have seen Mohammed Kudus play for Ajax in the Champions League this season to know he's probably going to earn himself a big move soon, regardless of whether he lit up the World Cup group stage for Ghana. One of Kudus' big advantages is that he's a versatile midfield option that performs exceptionally wherever he may be playing on the pitch, whether that be out wide on the wing or more centrally in a CAM or box to box role, or even placed up front. He's clearly another African gem unearthed by the Danish scouting system at Nordsjaelland, before he headed to Ajax for one of the best footballing educations in the world. Across the group stage, Kudus managed to bag two goals, both in the game against South Korea (including the match winner), whilst being deployed in a variety of positions. For Ajax this season, he's only made 5 starts out of 14 games in the Eredivise, coming off the bench in the other 9 games. In those limited minutes, Kudus has 5 goals, which comes out at 0.89 per 90 mins. The Ghanaian is also registering approximately 1 key pass and just under 2 SCA per 90 mins. He's performing just as well on the big stage with 4 goals and 2 assists in the Champions League across 452 mins, averaging at roughly 1.2 goal involvements per 90 mins.

Hopefully, it's pretty clear to see why Kudus has been linked with many top sides, with Liverpool, Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester United just some of the sides reportedly interested in the Ajax player. As an Arsenal fan, I'd love to see him at the Emirates, thought I'm not sure I exactly see the space for him in the squad with Emile Smith-Rowe returning back from injury to bolster the attack. As much as I'd hate to see it, I think he'd fit in well at Anfield, complementing Thiago and Fabinho in the midfield well, maybe usurping Harvey Elliott. I think Klopp could get the best out of the Ghanaian, who could be the long term replacement for Firmino too as he likes to drop a bit deeper. If Newcastl don't sign James Maddison, I think Kudus could be a great alternative that, like the Bruno Guimaraes signing, could elevate the club to the next level.

[Stats from fbref.com]