Now that 2024 is truly underway, bwin takes you through ten players to look out for in Europe this year, explaining why fans should be quite excited about them.
Whether it be the highly-rated Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, or the relatively unknown Ibrahim Osman who will join Brighton this year, several players look to truly break out this year.
Goncalo Inacio
For the first entry on this list, we travel to Portugal to take a look at Sporting Lisbon’s talented centre-back, Goncalo Inacio.
The 22-year-old has been on the radar of several top clubs across Europe, including Liverpool and Man United, for quite some time now, but 2024 could be the time he finally gets his big move.
A left-footed defender who is known for his pin-point passing and knack for winning duels, Inacio really could break out as one of the world’s best defenders this year. He’s definitely one to keep an eye out for.
Savio
For one man who could be on the move in 2024 to another that definitely will be, our next entry looks at Savio, who currently plays for Girona on loan from Troyes.
The Brazilian winger, if reports are to be believed, is heading to Manchester City in the summer, with a deal already being agreed between the two City Group clubs.
Savio is a hugely exciting winger known for his blistering pace. He’s impressed for Girona this year, who could be set for a historic and truly shocking La Liga title win, but he’s set to enter the big stage when he plays for arguably the best club in the world later on this year.
In a way, Savio is quite similar to Jeremy Doku. That means whether Pep lines up with his Brazilian winger or his Belgian one, right-backs coming up against City are in for a long night.
Ibrahim Osman
Another player who already has his transfer move lined up is Ibrahim Osman, who has already completed a medical ahead of a £17m move to Brighton ahead of the 2024/25 season, according to reports.
West Ham wanted to sign the talented 19-year-old striker from Nordsjaelland in January, but a deal couldn’t be agreed, so Osman will instead be playing his football for Robert De Zerbi next season.
Osman can play on the left wing, up front, or even on the right. He impressed tremendously during his 30 games for his club this season, but he’s expected to explode next year when he reaches the Premier League.
Antonio Silva
We spoke about how Inacio is set for a bright future in football, and the same can be said for the man who is likely to partner him at the heart of Portugal’s defence for the next decade, Antonio Silva.
Silva plays for Benfica, featuring in 30 games for his club alongside Nicolas Otamendi so far this season. Despite only turning 20 in October, Silva looks like he’s been playing at the top level for years, and possesses the maturity and experience of someone far beyond his years.
Don’t be surprised to hear Silva linked with the likes of Man City, Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid over the coming transfer windows, he’s really that good.
Antonio Nusa
Antonio Nusa was linked with a move to Tottenham during the January transfer window, but a deal couldn’t be reached with Club Brugge.
It then seemed like Nusa was heading to Brentford, after the Premier League side agreed a fee to sign him. The Norweigen even had a medical, but the club weren’t happy with something they saw during his tests, so a deal fell through.
No one really knows how serious the issue Brentford discovered during his medical is, but Nusa is still set for a bright future. The winger is explosive, albeit slightly raw, but with great coaching and more game time, the sky really is the limit for him, and we could be seeing a lot more of him in 2024.
Ryan Gravenberch
It feels strange to be saying a player who has already played for two of Europe’s biggest clubs is going to ‘break out’ in 2024, but this year could really be when fans realise just how talented Ryan Gravenberch actually is.
The Dutchman has been fine since joining Liverpool from Bayern Munich in the summer, but fans are still waiting to see why people spoke about Gravenberch as a future world beater when he was breaking through at Ajax as a teenager.
Interestingly, while Jurgen Klopp is a huge fan of the midfielder, having brought him to the Premier League, it may take a new manager coming in and implementing a new system for Ryan to properly settle and show how good he is.
The feeling is that if Xabi Alonso does become Liverpool’s new manager, as is rumoured, then Ryan could be more suited to the Spainard’s style of play, and will really show just how good he is.
Evan Ferguson
Evan Ferguson is still being spoken about as a future £100m player, and he has all the minerals to be a top, top striker in the future. However, some will be a little disappointed with what the Irishman has done this season.
Many expected Ferguson to be banging in goals for fun this season for Brighton, but that hasn’t been how things have panned out. The striker has only scored six goals in 28 games for Brighton this year. He’s averaging a goal every 237 minutes, which for someone who is being linked with moves to Europe’s biggest clubs, needs to be improved upon.
However, Fergsuon is still very young, only turning 19 in October of last year, so time is very much on his side. With more experience and as he matures, expect the Irishman to explode and show the world why he’s so highly-rated by pundits, fans, and people at his club.
Leny Yoro
Leny Yoro is exactly what a world class modern defender needs to be. He stands at 6ft 6″, and is still growing at the age of 18. He’s got incredibly long legs and is quick over short distances, he’s already incredible with the ball at his feet. If you were to build a prototypical defender from scratch, but he’d probably look a lot like like the young Frenchman.
18 is very young for a defender to be playing regular first-team men’s football, but that’s exactly what Yoro is doing, having already made 33 appearances in Ligue 1 for Lille.
Don’t be surprised to hear the young defender being spoken about amongst the best in the world over the next few years. He’s definitely one to keep an eye out for in 2024.
Lamine Yamal
It’s very difficult for anyone to step into Lionel Messi’s shoes at Barcelona, considering that many view him as the greatest footballer of all time, but Lamine Yamal is going to give it a good go.
Despite not turning 17 until July of this year, Yamal is already a regular in Barcelona’s first team, having played 33 times for the Spanish giant this season alone.
He’s got age on his side and a ton of growing to do. Now that he’s working with some of the best players on the planet, having come through one of the best academies in the world, Yamal could really be set to explode onto the world’s stage this year.
Expect him to play a big role for Spain on the right wing at Euro 2024, proving to be a nightmare for left-backs along the way.
Roony Bardghji
Don’t be surprised to see Roony Bardghji leave Copenhagen for a top European side in 2024.
The right-winger shone in the Champions League against Manchester United, with his goal essentially knocking the Red Devils out of Europe’s top club competition.
The Swede has bags of potential, and he’ll be a name spoken about for years to come. If he does get a big move this year, expect him to prove to fans why he’s worth all the hype he’s been getting.
