With the T20 World Cup in full flow, some may be forgiven for forgetting that Euro 2024 will start tomorrow (at the time of writing). Italy come into this tournament as defending champions but with little to no fanfare about their chances of progression. Roberto Mancini was the manager when they broke England’s hearts in the final with a penalty shootout win in Euro 2020. Still, the Azzuri are undergoing some transition. The biggest headlines to come from are Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, two players Mourinho praised as two of the very best in the business.
With this campaign seeing plenty of new faces in each nation’s squads, the Sports Courant team thought we would look at each squad and see if there are any players you should look out for. After going through the talent on the show, and there is plenty on show, we have whittled the list down to just three. Honorable mentions must go to Cristiano Ronaldo Cr7, who has been linked with returning to Europe and joining Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
In my opinion, this story has some legs, and Ronaldo, being Ronaldo, will want to test himself. But our first player to watch out for in this tournament is Jeremy Frimpong, the marauding Dutch full-back who is playing his trade with Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen. Frimpong, who was in Manchester City’s academy, impressed whilst at Celtic. The Dutchman’s form at Celtic saw him attract the interest of Bayer Leverkusen, and at the Bayer Arena, playing on the right-hand side, he has been a valuable outlet for Alonso’s side.
Frimpong will compete intensely for his Holland starting place with Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries. Formerly of PSV, Dumfrires has been outstanding with the Oranje and the Neazzuri. Both players could be playing for their futures, in the sense that if Jeremy Frimpong plays well in Germany in 2024, he will put himself up in the transfer window. Frimpong has been heavily linked with Manchester United, which would be great for him at this career stage. Bayer Leverkusen might not share the same opinion.
The Germans said they would have to sell a star player this year. Regrettably, Jeremy Frimpong looks like the best player on their side. He would be some loss to this Bayern team, but on the flip side, I am sure they are currently sourcing a replacement, if not developing on,e as they did with Florian Wirtz.
Warren Zaire-Emery, the PSG youngster, has been one of the shining lights in a season of change for the Parisians. Gone are the abundance of superstars and players of a different mold are in. Players who are younger and can be molded into superstars are Sporting Director Luis Campos’s favorite players. Zaire-Emery is just 18 years old. On several big nights, he has been the driving force for PSG. Football fans know him, having stepped up to be the air to Marco Verratti’s throne.
Verratti, in recent times, has been one of Paris Saint Germain’s best signings and is still playing to a high standard when sold. The 18-year-old Zaire-Emery would be a player that Paris would want to build around, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a team like Man United or Real Madrid came knocking. The Red Devils seem to be after any young, highly-rated central-midfielder player, but with Real, maybe they can look for a Modric and Kroos replacement.
With Warren Zaire-Emery, you will get a mixture of the two. Admittedly, this is a ludicrous suggestion by yours truly, but if this happens in a parallel universe, PSG would be left in a real hole, and United or Real would be getting themselves one hell of a player.
Ebrechi Eze of Crystal Palace is another player who could be on the move. Eze has had a good season this term and is clearly thriving under the tutelage of new Eagles coach Oliver Glasner.
The former QPR arguably had a bit of a slow start to life at Selhurst Park, but since former talisman Wilfred Zaha left the club, the 25-year-old has grown into the role of Crystal Palace’s star man.
Eze is arguably the reason why Jack Grealish hasn’t been picked. The former QPR man is in the squad on merit but is a direct replacement for Jack.
If Ebrechi Eze has a good tournament, Man United and Chelsea will surely come calling. Apparently, both sides would have, regardless of how his World Cup goes.
If either club does sign Eze, handling with care is needed as both Chelsea and United have previously for ruining talented wingers.
This potential loss would be massive for Crystal Palace. Good-quality wingers are at a premium these days.
So that’s our list; what do you think of it?
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