The European Championships are considered to be the second-most prestigious and celebrated international football tournament after, of course, the FIFA World Cup. A good performance by a player at the Euros can earn them a massive transfer in the following window and Euro 2020 is no different.
As such, players who light up the Euros more often than not end up earning a move to one of the elite clubs on the continent as everyone is eager to acquire the creme de la creme of talent in the transfer market.
With Euro 2020 underway, FootTheBall takes a look at the players who can potentially earn a transfer to one of the European footballing elites given their exceptional performance in the quadrennial tournament.
MANUEL LOCATELLI (ITALY, SASSUOLO)
Manuel Locatelli is a defensive midfielder who plays for Sassuolo in Serie A and made his international debut for Italy less than a year ago.
He is chiefly a deep-lying playmaker in the teams that he plays in, tasked with creating chances for teammates up front.
He started the first two matches for Italy in UEFA Euro 2020 as the left-sided midfielder in the 4-3-3 formation and featured in the headlines for his brace in their second match.
Juventus will open talks with Sassuolo for Manuel Locatelli this week. Meeting scheduled to start official negotiations. ⚪️⚫️ #Juve @SkySport
Juve are aware of many Premier League clubs interested – now pushing to made an opening bid for Locatelli. 🇮🇹
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 21, 2021
Since then, Juventus have been courting him along with a host of Premier League clubs, meanwhile the Bianconeri have opened talks with Sassuolo over the transfer of the former AC Milan player after his match winning displays at Euro 2020.
DOMENICO BERARDI (ITALY, SASSUOLO)
Let’s now shift our focus to his club and country teammate Domenico Berardi who plays either as a winger or a forward for both Sassuolo and the Italy national football team.
He was the driving force behind the opening goal of UEFA Euro 2020 as his cross was turned into his own net by Merih Demiral to give Italy the lead on the opening night.
Later he impressed after he set up Locatelli for his opening goal in Italy’s second game with Switzerland in which it was evident that both he and Locatelli enjoyed great chemistry and understanding.
He joined Sassuolo in 2012 and is the club’s all-time top goalscorer in all competitions with over 100 goals for the Black and Greens.
MATTEO PESSINA (ITALY, ATALANTA)
The Atalanta attacking midfielder started UEFA Euro 2020 on the bench for the Azzurri in Rome, but was introduced as a substitute in the second match with Switzerland.
But it was in the third match with Wales that Pessina was selected to start for Italy as Roberto Mancini decided to rest key players ahead of the gruelling knockout stage.
And it was here that Pessina showed his true worth, scoring the only goal of the game to ensure Italy’s 100% record in the group stage and helping them finish top of Group A.
He applied the lightest of touches to an incoming Marco Verratti free kick to guide the ball in the back of the net to send Italian fans into a frenzy inside the Stadio Olimpico.
XHERDAN SHAQIRI (SWITZERLAND, LIVERPOOL)
Shaqiri is a player who was being reportedly thought of as surplus to requirements at Anfield, but he again showed why he is the one to count on for Jurgen Klopp.
He started UEFA Euro 2020 with an assist in Switzerland’s match with Wales that ended in a 1-1 draw. In the next match Switzerland were comprehensively beaten by the Italians.
But Shaqiri displayed his true worth in the match with Turkey as he took things into his own hands, scoring a brace including an effort from outside the box to guide the Swiss to the knockout stage. Only still 29 and possibly looking for more minutes ‘big’ Shaq might get one last lucrative transfer after Euro 2020.
YUSSUF POULSEN (DENMARK, RB LEIPZIG)
The RB Leipzig forward shouldered the responsibility of scoring Denmark’s goals like a virtuoso as he got on the score sheet 2 times in three matches for the Danes as the Nordic country became the first nation to book their place in the knockout stage after losing their first two games.
Poulsen was pivotal for RB Leipzig in reaching the German Cup final last season as he had 6 goal involvements in as many matches.
And the story in UEFA Euro 2020 didn’t change much, as he helped the Danes qualify for the knockout stage from a seemingly precarious situation apparently.
ROMAN YAREMCHUK (UKRAINE, GENT)
Yaremchuk was one of the wildcard entries in this tournament as he was relatively unrecognised in Europe prior to his appearance in UEFA Euro 2020. And he took full advantage of the platform that he was provided with.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByjyVeNCM2r/?hl=en
He was involved in 3 goals (2 goals and 1 assist) for Shevchenko’s charges in Group C as the Ukrainians were able to finish in third place and now await their fate.
But had it not been for his performances, Ukraine would have finished bottom of Group C and said goodbye to the knockout stage altogether. Yaremchuk is certainly on the transfer radar of a few clubs around Europe after his displays at Euro 2020.
JOEL POJHANPALO (FINLAND, UNION BERLIN)
The Finns were making their debut in the European Championships this summer and were not expected to win even a single match. But they exceeded expectations as they won their first ever match in the Euros.
And the goalscorer for them was not Norwich City forward Teemu Pukki, but Union Berlin player Joel Pojhanpalo as they started their Euro 2020 campaign in impressive fashion.
Even though they were not able to score any more goals or win any matches, Pohjanpalo’s goal will live long in the memory of all his compatriots who saw history in the making when he scored for them.
DENZEL DUMFRIES (THE NETHERLANDS, PSV EINDHOVEN)
The Dutch right-back might just see his stock soaring high after a superb performance for his national team in UEFA Euro 2020.
The PSV Eindhoven player scored two goals in three matches for the Dutch as they recorded a 100% success rate in the group stage to announce themselves back on the international stage.
Along side players like Depay and Wijnaldum, Dumfries has also become an instrumental player for the Dutch in the quadrennial tournament.
ROBIN GOSENS (GERMANY, ATALANTA)
The Atalanta left-back featured in the headlines and back pages of news publications after his impressive performance in Germany’s match with European champions Portugal.
The defender was constantly seen making marauding runs up and down the left flank and even assisted Kai Havertz in the match, before scoring one himself for Die Mannschaft.
Expect him to start in the match with Hungary and perform brilliantly as Germany look to qualify for the knockout stage and recover from their opening match loss to world champions France.
PATRIK SCHICK (CZECH REPUBLIC, BAYER LEVERKUSEN)
Perhaps the player most likely to land a move after UEFA Euro 2020 is none other than Patrik Schick. The 25-year old plays for Bayer Leverkusen in the German top flight but is best remembered for his spell in the Italian capital with AS Roma.
The Czech international captivated football fans in the very first match as he scored a brace, including a wondrous 50-yard effort that might just be the best goal of the tournament.
He followed it up by scoring a penalty with Croatia as the Czechs drew 1-1 with the Croats. And even though he didn’t score in their match with England, he remains one of the best players to play in the quadrennial tournament’s current edition.