Franjo Ivanovic - Benfica

Benfica have been doing some really fun business this transfer window. To go along with the midfield additions of Richard Rios and Enzo Barrenechea, the Portuguese club have snapped up Croatian striker Franjo Ivanovic for nearly €23 million. Someone who was frankly a bit too good for Belgian league football, Ivanovic is around 6ft tall making him physically capable to battle with most centre-backs.

But that’s not what he enjoys to do. This might make little sense, but when I watch the 21 year old play, he plays like he’s smaller than he actually is. Ivanovic loves collecting the ball deep, turning and making a B line straight for the centre-backs, creating chances for himself and just causing mayhem for 90 minutes. The best word that comes to mind when trying to describe Ivanovic is ‘livewire’, he’s very quick off the mark and is a powerful runner, whilst having the feet and balance to weave through challenges. Off the ball and on the ball he doesn’t give his opposite number even a second of rest, ranking in the top 1% of forwards in Europe for dribblers tackled and top 2% for blocks whilst simultaneously ranking in the top 1% for shots on target, progressive carries and successful dribbles, he can really do a bit of everything. I’m aware the Belgian Pro League isn’t a league particularly associated with extremely high competition, but it is a league that is growing in talent every year and is producing a lot of players that are beginning to to make a name in Europe. El Khannouss, Luca Stassin, Maxim De Cuyper, Konstantinos Karestas and Joel Ordonez are all recent Belgian exports that all seem to have promising futures ahead of them yet none of them looked as good as Ivanovic.

Benfica’s new number 9 will look to spearhead an attack featuring other exciting forwards Vangelis Pavlidis and Andreas Schjeldrup, making it a frontline that could rival a lot of your favourite teams. It’s a real statement signing from the Portuguese clubs and makes them my favourites for the Liga Portugal title.

Best when operating centrally, Ivanovic can also play off the left, cutting onto his favoured right foot. Ivanovic is another young Croatian with endless potential looking to form a new golden generation only a year or two after the old one perished. With stars such as Gvardiol, Baturina, Vuskovic and Luka Sucic all being under 23, make sure to keep an eye on the Croatian national team at the World Cup.

Someone who will likely become a household name across Europe in the next few years, Ivanovic is further evidence of Benfica’s brilliant talent ID in forward areas. He’ll join the production line of Raul Jimenez, Darwin Nunez, Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos who all left for big money after starring for the 38-time league winners.

Marc Bernal - Barcelona

He only played 3 times for Barcelona last season, but the impression he left was colossal. Those 3 games against Athletic Club, Rayo Vallecano and Valencia saw the emergence of the latest La Masia sensation whose game was eerily similar to the immortal Sergio Busquet’s.

Marc Bernal started the first three games of the 24/25 campaign and took to the top-flight of Spanish football like a horse to a pasture. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it was like seeing double. The gait, the composure on the ball and the simplicity he played with was as if you were watching Barcelona’s legendary number 5 and it’s astonishing La Masia were able to produce such a player just a couple of years after he departed the Camp Nou.

A midfielder that doesn’t need to run in order to stamp his authority on games, at only 17 years of age, Bernal was dominating seasoned veterans in the middle of the park alongside the brilliant Pedri. But it was an ACL injury that destroyed what was bound to be a huge breakthrough season for him. It’s easy to forget that the emergence of another La Masia star in Marc Casado only happened because of Bernal’s injury because the teenager was keeping him out of the starting XI with ease. He’s a talent of the level of his agemates Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi and his return to the first team will be like a brand new signing.

Obviously there’s a huge question mark stamped next to his name because a cruciate ligament injury is notoriously difficult to come back from. But in recent years we’ve seen Florian Wirtz and Virgil Van Dijk and as of late Gavi come back from them and continue to operate as if nothing happened which gives me confidence that Bernal will be able to get back to his best fairly quickly.

There’s also no rush for the teenager given he’s got De Jong and Casado who are able to deputise for him without greatly diminishing the overall quality of the team, but if he does return back to the levels he displayed at the beginning of last season, it’s only a matter of time before he nails down a starting spot again. He’s a player that’s simply too talented to just leave on the bench.

Barcelona and Spain’s ability to produce technicians on this level so consistently is utterly baffling and it makes me slightly nauseous considering the prospect of Bernal, Pedri, Fabian, Rodri, Casado, Zubimendi and Gavi all being Spain’s midfield options at the World Cup in less than 12 months time.

Whether it happens as quickly as the beginning of the season or halfway through, Marc Bernal being the heart of Barcelona’s midfield is a formality. You’ll be sick of the ‘Sergio Busquets regen’ shouts you see on twitter by the time the season is over but you’ll be simultaneously be mesmerised by the ability that this guy has.

I don’t want to get myself too excited to the point where I’m just speaking in hyperbole but it’s really difficult not to. The return of Bernal accompanied by Pedri and Gavi’s brilliance just ahead of him will be the foundation of this Barcelona team for at least the next 10 years if all goes how it should.

Remember, Bernal was going to keep Marc Casado and Frenkie De Jong out of the side for the whole season if it wasn’t for his unfortunate injury. It’s only a matter of time before he’s back strutting his stuff at the base of what will be an iconic midfield when it’s all said and done.

Antonio Nusa - RB Leipzig

For RB Leipzig, it’s best to forget about the calamity that was the 24/25 season. It was their worst league campaign since they were promoted in 2016/17 and under Marco Rose, it’s fair to say that player went backwards. But now under a new coach in Ole Werner and a summer of heavy spending, there’s a strong sentiment in the Leipzig camp to push on and make sure a year as bad as that never happens again.

But even with most Leipzig players having a down season, another Belgian Pro League export in left winger Antonio Nusa still was able to showcase his brilliance in patches. The Norwegian 20 year old is absolute dynamite. A player that you always want to see with the ball at his feet, Nusa is in his element when going at defenders and his play-style makes him perfect for Bundesliga football. His ability to run with pace whilst keeping the ball close to his feet makes him a real nightmare to deal with, whilst he also packs a dangerous strike on his right foot leaving him a constant threat around the edge of the box.

Only 3 goals and 3 assists in the Bundesliga last season, so it’s fair to say that Nusa is still raw and needs to improve in certain areas, but the ability is more than there. With Xavi Simons almost certain to be leaving, Leipzig’s number 7 has the chance to become the main man of this new-look side and become one of Germany’s hottest properties. He’s everything you want in a winger and he has the opportunity to make this season his. A good year with some good output and we’re looking at a player who will be on all the big clubs’ wishlist.

It’s a shame that Leipzig’s woeful 24/25 season means we won’t be able to see him star on big European nights, but I wouldn’t worry because this is a player that’s destined to play at the highest level. All he needs to do is become more consistent, which will come with getting more minutes, and he’ll become one of the best u23 left wingers on the continent. The former Club Brugge man is on the precipice of stardom, we can only hope he puts it all together this year and takes that leap.

European players to watch: Part 4

How much does the transfer window actually matter?

European players to watch: Part 3