England are through but Spain are firm Euro 2024 favourites after their inexperienced but thoroughly engrossing team made a statement by dispatching a misfiring France in the semi-finals.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!As La Roja have been making waves as the top-performing team in Germany, members of their squad are being linked with a potential summer move to the Premier League.
So we’ve decided to pick out five Spain stand-outs who should be signed by Premier League clubs (and who needs to buy them) during this summer’s transfer window…
Mikel Merino – Real Sociedad to Arsenal
Recognising a couple more game-changer signings are required to end Man City’s reign as Premier League champions (alternatively, an expulsion would do the trick), Arsenal are making moves to strengthen in various positions.
Riccardo Calafiori’s £42m arrival is expected to lead to a ‘most likely’ sale and the versatile Italy defender could potentially be joined at Arsenal by a member of Spain’s Euro 2024 squad.
Having previously been heavily linked with Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, Arsenal now appear to have international and club teammate Merino on their radar.
Don’t get me wrong, Zubimendi could still end up at Arsenal this summer (or at least that’s what his close confidant Fabrizio Romano wants us to think). Merino would be a less eye-catching signing than Arsenal’s ‘perfect’ alternative, but he’s an affordable option who could allow head coach Mikel Arteta to use England’s Declan Rice in his better-suited No.8 role.
Dani Olmo – RB Leipzig to Manchester City
Pedri’s mid-tournament injury had been considered a potentially fatal blow, but Spain have coped just fine without Barcelona’s talented 21-year-old and that is largely thanks to RB Leipzig star Olmo.
Despite only making three starts and five appearances, the 26-year-old is a leading contender for the Euro 2024 Golden Boot after contributing three goals and two assists.
Two mouthwatering touches gave him the freedom of France’s penalty area before a Jules Kounde intervention could not prevent the technically gifted midfielder from scoring his third goal of the tournament, which proved to be the winner in the semi-final. A certain 16-year-old has stolen all of the headlines, though.
Of the players in Spain’s squad, Olmo is more likely than most to leave his current club as there is a tempting £51m release clause in his RB Leipzig contract which elite European clubs should already be writing cheques to activate.
Man City will provide an attractive option for Olmo. Their need will dramatically increase if Kevin De Bruyne jumps ship for Saudi Arabia, with the Leipzig star among five stars tipped to replace the Belgium international.
Fabian Ruiz – PSG to Manchester United
Spain’s young guns have earned many of the plaudits at Euro 2024, but Luis de la Fuente’s centre-midfield pairing of Man City’s Rodri and PSG’s Ruiz has been an equally important factor in their success in Germany.
Ruiz (valued at £25m by transfermarkt) is coming off an unspectacular season but has earned admiring glances from Barcelona and Real Madrid, but Man Utd would be wise to beat the two Spanish giants to the punch.
The Red Devils are already looking to raid PSG to sign Manuel Ugarte and the defensive midfielder would be a good fit, but 28-year-old Ruiz is a very different profile with his ability to create in the attacking third and could provide a great foil for captain Bruno Fernandes if the Portugal international sticks around.
📣TO THE COMMENTS! Which Spain players should Premier League clubs target this summer? Join the debate here
Unai Simon – Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea
It has been unwaveringly hilarious watching from a distance as Todd Boehly and Co. have spunked hundreds of millions of pounds on young prospects (and their undeservedly prolonged contracts) while ignoring their obvious lack of a world-class striker.
A ‘discounted’ Victor Osimhen would fix that problem, but they are facing further issues. One is in the goalkeeper department after Spaniard Robert Sanchez failed to put beyond doubt that he should be a starter after enduring a difficult debut season at Stamford Bridge.
Should Chelsea’s hierarchy choose to replace Sanchez with an upgrade, Spain’s No.1 has certainly done enough to warrant being on their shortlist of targets.
Linked with Chelsea at the end of last year, 27-year-old Simon’s arrival would require a slight amendment of Boehly’s transfer philosophy, as you can easily see the brash American billionaire dismissing the 45-cap Spain international because of his age alone. But he’s clearly better than Sanchez and should be considered. A new striker is more important, mind.
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Nico Williams – Athletic Bilbao to Liverpool
21-year-old winger Williams has been a central character in this summer’s window and has ‘agreed’ terms with Barcelona, where he could link up with Spain team-mate Lamine Yamal to devastating effect.
But given Barcelona’s ongoing financial woes, it’s difficult to believe that this deal will definitely happen and this could open the door for Premier League clubs to snatch him.
Moves to Arsenal and Chelsea have been mooted, but a transfer to Liverpool to be a long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah could be perfect for the electric winger.
Even if Salah sticks around this summer, his exit (to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere) is inevitable within the next couple of years and Liverpool need to roll out the red carpet for a suitable replacement.
Most of Williams’ appearances this season have been on the left, but he’s previously proven that he’s equally capable of playing on the right and could ensure there is not a huge drop-off in output on that side for Liverpool post-Salah.
