The 2025 summer transfer window has closed, with a record sum having been spent on players. According to FIFA, football’s global governing body, a total of $9.76 billion (around €8.32 billion Euros) was spent on transfers during the window.
Of these, the bulk of the money was spent in the Big Five leagues of England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France. The English Premier League dwarfed the rest with an outlay of €3.76 billion, followed by the Serie A (€1.02 billion), the Bundesliga (€648 million), the La Liga (€575 million) and the Ligue 1 (€547 million).
Many talented players changed clubs. Some for astonishing sums of money, some for surprisingly modest fees. But many others have remained where they were last season.
In this article, we’ll look at players who we believe make up the best 11 players in the Big Five leagues who went unsold in the 2025 summer transfer window. These are players who, after enjoying an outstanding 2024/25 season, should have had important clubs fighting over them, but did not.
There may be various reasons why these players weren’t the target of transfer battles, but they all have one thing in common: none of them will play in Europe this season.
Despite enjoying excellent seasons in an individual capacity, the teams they belong to had underwhelming campaigns in 2024/25.
None of them finished higher than seventh in their league last season.
It has been a conscious decision to exclude from this list clubs that will be in Europe next season, as the idea was to identify underrated gems with a proven ability to influence games.
The result was a team full of relatively unheralded talent that proves that, European qualification or not, the Big Five leagues are full of talents that can move the needle in any game.
So, on with the list then.
GOALKEEPER: SERGIO HERRERA
Age:32
Club: Osasuna
Contract Expires In: June 2028
League Position in 2024/25: 9th in La Liga
Sergio Herrera lay on his stomach, and buried his head in the turf of the EL Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain. The Spanish goalkeeper had just conceded a freak goal after misplacing a pass meant for an Osasuna teammate, but had found a Barcelona player instead. Pau Victor, a Barcelona forward, capitalised to make the score 1-2, which erased Osasuna’s two-goal advantage on the night.
The Los Rojillos, though, would go on to score twice more and win the tie 4-2. Herrera’s mistake was one of the few he made last season, and Osasuna’s then coach, Vicente Moreno, made it a point to highlight his goalkeeper’s contribution to the victory. “I want to focus on Sergio’s performance in a positive way because he played a very important role in the victory,” said Moreno.
Indeed, prior to his gaffe, Herrera had just made a vital block off Robert Lewandowski, which had helped preserve Osasuna’s two-goal lead.
Standing at 6’4, Herrera has a wiry frame whose every inch looks tightly wound. He’s remarkably supple and agile for his height.
Another strength of Herrea’s is his ability to stop shots with his feet. When some strikes from the opposition seem set to elude his grasp, the Spaniard excels in using his legs to keep them out, and keeps Osasuna in the game. Let’s look at some of Herrera’s stats from last season that mark him out as one of the best keepers in Europe, despite his team’s disappointing results.
2024/25 SEASON IN NUMBERS
| Category | Value | Notes |
| Clean Sheets | 8 | 7th in La Liga |
| Shots on Target Against | 182 | 2nd in La Liga, 5th in Big 5 leagues |
| Saves | 131 | 2nd in La Liga, 5th in Big 5 leagues |
| Save % | 75.3% | 7th in La Liga, 19th in Big 5 leagues |
| PrgDist | 23,382 | 1st in La Liga, 3rd in Big 5 leagues |
Sources: www.fbref.com; www.transfermarkt.co.in
In La Liga last season, according to www.fbref.com, Herrera made 131 saves, which placed him second in La Liga. This also placed him fifth overall in the Big Five leagues (England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France) combined. Herrera achieved this despite standing second in the league for Shots on Target against his goal (with 182) – a sign of the poor quality of the Osasuna defence in front of him.
He also had a save percentage (Shots on Target minus Goals Against) of 75.3%, which placed him seventh in the La Liga and 19th overall in the Big Five leagues combined.
Herrera has made a home at Osasuna, who he joined in 2017. In his eight years with the Los Rojillos, Osasuna have finished in the top 10 just twice. “I don’t need to exaggerate: Sergio has been crucial for Osasuna for the last eight years,” said Braulio Vasquez, Osasuna’s sporting director, after the goalkeeper renewed his contract till 2028 in July 2025.
“He joined the club on a transfer for 300,000 euros, and he has proven that every penny was worth it.”
In 2023, Herrera almost helped Osasuna to their first ever trophy in top-flight football. The goalkeeper was instrumental in Osasuna’s run to the Copa del Rey final — including a starring role in their Round of 16 penalty shoot-out victory over defending champions Real Betis. After Betis, Osasuna beat Sevilla in extra-time in the quarterfinals.
“We worked like no one. What suffering!” Herrera exclaimed after beating Sevilla. “We deserve this, and the way the fans kept pushing us was amazing. These fans are the best.” Though the Los Rojillos beat Athletic Bilbao and reached the Copa del Rey final for only the second time in their history, they lost the final 1-2 to Real Madrid.
“Madrid are champions because they deserve this cup, but we’re proud of this team and let’s do it again,” said then Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate in the aftermath.
Osasuna have not been able to repeat that run so far.
They haven’t been able to qualify for Europe through their La Liga performance either. In the 2024/25 season, Osasuna finished ninth in the league, missing out on European football to Rayo Vallecano on head-to-head record.
Herrera has begun the 2025/26 season in solid fashion. He has started all four of Osasuna’s La Liga matches so far and kept two clean sheets, conceding just two goals.
“Football does not have a memory,” Herrera said after signing his contract extension earlier this year. “You might reflect on how great a season you had last year, but in the first game of the new season, you might be benched. I have to remind myself that what happened in the past is over; I need to focus on the new season and be at my best.” On the evidence of the new season, the 32-year-old is living up to his word.
RIGHT-BACK: NAHUEL TENAGLIA
Age: 29
Club: Deportivo Alaves
Contract Expires In: June 2027
League Position in 2024/25: 15th in La Liga
For Deportivo Alaves, Tenaglia was one of the few bright lights in a tough season, a majority of which they were battling against relegation. The Argentine is an unspectacular but solid defender, a selfless player ready to run himself into the ground for his team.
A former member of the Boca Juniors youth system, Tenaglia’s move to Europe came a bit later in his life, when he was almost 26. Ever since joining Alaves in 2022 however, the Argentine has gone from strength to strength, and is now one of the captains of the side.
2024/25 SEASON IN NUMBERS
| Category | Value | Notes |
| Goals/Assists | 2/1 | |
| Tackles | 96 | 3rd in La Liga, 12th in Big 5 leagues |
| Tackles Won | 61 | 3rd in La Liga, 11th in Big 5 leagues |
| Tackles + Interceptions | 143 | 3rd in La Liga, 10th in Big 5 leagues |
| Successful Interceptions | 47 | 7th in La Liga |
According to www.fbref.com, Tenaglia ranks third in La Liga for the 2024/25 season in Number of Players Tackled (96), Tackles Won (61) and Number of Players Tackled + Interceptions (143). He also ranks seventh for Number of Successful Interceptions (47) made. Not bad for someone in a team that finished two points off the relegation zone.
One area Tenaglia can improve upon is his offensive output. The right-back can be a handful for the opposition during set-pieces, as evinced by his two goals this season – both of which came from Alaves corners. The Argentine also registered only one assist for the season, which he can clearly build on.
In an interview Tenaglia gave to Baskonia Alaves TV, the official YouTube channel of Alaves’ owners, the Argentine was asked what advice he would give someone who wants to fulfill a dream like he did – becoming a professional footballer and playing in Europe.
“I try to fight. I fight because dreams are not easy to fulfill. If one gives everything, one goes all out for that dream, the truth is that, personally speaking, it cost a lot, (but) I worked and thank God it was given to me.”
— Nahuel Tenaglia
“I try to fight. I fight because dreams are not easy to fulfill,” Tenaglia said. “If one gives everything, one goes all out for that dream, the truth is that, personally speaking, it cost a lot, (but) I worked and thank God it was given to me.”
Tenaglia has begun the 2025/26 season in impressive form, but has played all four of Alaves’ matches at centre-back, instead of at right-back. He has already chalked up his first goal and assist of the season, netting the winner in a 2-1 victory over Levante and winning a penalty (later converted) in the 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid. At the time of writing, Alaves stand seventh in La Liga, good enough to qualify for the Europa League if their form holds till the end of the season.
“What a great victory team! This is the @deportivoalaves way! Living life in every match,” wrote Tenaglia after Alaves’ 1-0 victory over the more fancied Athletic Club on September 13.
“Let’s keep it up.”
CENTRE-BACK: PATRICK MAINKA
Age: 30
Club: Heidenheim
Contract Expires In: June 2029
League Position in 2024/25: 16th in Bundesliga (Qualified for relegation playoff; Heidenheim won the playoffs and remain in the league)
Patrick Mainka may just be the best kept secret in German football.
Mainka was training to be a teacher and had already spent five years in the 2. Bundesliga, German football’s second division, with the Borussia Dortmund Reserves when Heidenheim came calling.
Not everyone thought it was a good idea.
Frank Schmidt, Heidenheim’s coach since 2007 (which makes him the longest serving coach in Europe), recalled meeting a Bundesliga striker at a coaches’ conference just after Heidenheim had signed Mainka. “He’ll never make it in the second division,” the striker told Schmidt.
“That then aroused my interest and the motivation to figure out what a player can achieve,” recalled Schmidt in an interview to www.bundesliga.com in 2024. “You can’t forget that we signed Patrick from Borussia Dortmund’s reserves – I can’t remember if they were in the third or fourth tier. And when you see the journey he’s been on with us, how he’s developed with every task and is now a seasoned defender, a really good Bundesliga player, a key player, a leader, captain of my team, that shows what’s possible in life when you, first, really want something, and second, do everything for that.”
After finally making his Bundesliga debut at the age of 28 on August 8, 2023 for Heidenheim against VFL Wolfsburg, Mainka made it count.
In the 2023/24 season, Heidenheim’s first in the Bundesliga, he led them to an eighth place finish and qualification for the UEFA Europa Conference League. Last season, even when Heidenheim were involved in a relegation battle, Mainka was among the Bundesliga’s best defenders.
2024/25 SEASON IN NUMBERS
| Category | Value | Notes |
| Goals/Assists | 2/1 | |
| Interceptions | 68 | 1st in Bundesliga, 3rd in Big 5 leagues |
| Shots Blocked | 36 | 2nd in Bundesliga, 11th in Big 5 leagues |
| Clearances | 206 | 2nd in Bundesliga, 17th in Big 5 leagues |
| Tackles + Interceptions | 126 | 2nd in Bundesliga |
| Blocks | 61 | 4th in Bundesliga, 12th in Big 5 leagues |
Sources: www.fbref.com, www.transfermarket.co.in
According to www.fbref.com, Mainka topped the league for Interceptions (68), was second in Shots Blocked (36), Clearances (206) and Tackles + Interceptions (126), and fourth in Blocks (61).
After Heidenheim secured their place in the Bundesliga for another season by winning the Bundesliga playoffs last season against Elversberg, a relieved Frank Schmidt said, “I’ve given all my energy to the team and it was very important, but now I’m empty. No one needs to call me tomorrow, I won’t be contactable, because I’m going away. I need the energy to prepare for the new season.”
Three games into the new Bundesliga season, Schmidt is unlikely to feel invigorated.
With three defeats in three matches, Heidenheim have had horror start to the 2025/26 season and are bottom of the Bundesliga table. The club have conceded seven goals and scored one in return.
After Heidenheim’s third defeat — against Borussia Dortmund — Mainka said, “The result is sobering for now. The task will be not to let it get to you too much. You can always think and say, is it enough for the Bundesliga? But I believe in this team that we can do it.”
CENTRE-BACK: NATHAN COLLINS
Age: 24
Club: Brentford
Contract Expires In: June 2029
League Position in 2024/25: 10th in EPL
Nathan Collins is a calm young man. He rarely looks unnerved even when the opposition breaks into his penalty box. One well-timed clearance or tackle from him later, the danger usually dissipates.
Collins draws this confidence from his ball-playing ability, which was a key factor of Brentford’s game last season.
“He’s still young. 23? That’s nothing,” said then Brentford boss Thomas Frank in October 2024. “I was a baby when I was 23. Sometimes these footballers, we expect everything from them and that’s just because everyone’s filming and taking pictures.
“They’re young men at best, some of them young boys, and they are developing in a highly pressurised world. I think Nathan is on a really good track.”
Frank had given the centre-back the license to advance freely into the opposition third, and the Irishman routinely created havoc inside opposition boxes with his presence last season. Collins’ tally of two goals and five assists are a testament to his effectiveness going forward.
2024/25 SEASON IN NUMBERS
| Category | Value | Notes |
| Goals/Assists | 2/5 | |
| Blocks | 77 | 1st in EPL, 1st in Big 5 Leagues |
| Shots Blocked | 57 | 1st in EPL, 1st in Big 5 Leagues |
| Clearances | 226 | 2nd in EPL, 6th in Big 5 Leagues |
| Aerial Challenges Won | 117 | 3rd in EPL, 13th in Big Five leagues |
| Touches in Penalty Box | 69 | 88th in EPL, highest ranked centre-back |
Sources: www.fbref.com; www.transfermarkt.co.in
The calibre of Collins’ offensive play is also underlined by the fact that, according to www.fbref.com, the Irishman was the centre-back with the most touches inside the opposition penalty box (69) in the Premier League last season.
His output in the attacking third, however, does not come at the expense of his primary duty – defending. Last season, the centre-back topped the Premier League in both Blocks (77) and Shots Blocked (57), was second overall in Clearances (226) and third in Aerial Challenges Won (117).
“It’s probably from watching (Brentford teammates) Ben Mee and Ethan Pinnock being magnet heads in training,” Collins quipped when asked about his aerial ability recently.
“I work on it a lot in training, getting more blocks and being in the way of things,” he told www.brentfordfc.com in an interview. “I also just watch games back to try and be in the right positions and read the game as well. It just helps me get my big head in the way!”
“We’re in our own bubble with good people around us, from the hierarchy to the chefs, everyone wants the best. We will keep trying to do the right things. The attitude of the team is unbelievable. It’s one of the strongest squads we’ve ever had.”
— Nathan Collins on the current Brentford squad
Brentford were expected to struggle in the 2025/26 season, but their results have been better than expected. Besides losing star players Bryan Mbuemo, Yoane Wissa, Mark Flekken and Christian Norgaard in the summer, the Bees lost head coach Thomas Frank to Tottenham Hotspur. Brentford promoted set-piece coach Keith Andrews as Thomas’ successor. The club have collected four points from four Premier League games so far, including a win over Aston Villa and a draw with Chelsea.
“We get that every season!” Collins recently said about the below-par expectations for Brentford this season. “We’re in our own bubble with good people around us, from the hierarchy to the chefs, everyone wants the best. We will keep trying to do the right things. The attitude of the team is unbelievable. It’s one of the strongest squads we’ve ever had.”
Left-Back: Antonee Robinson
Age: 28
Club: Fulham
Contract Expires In: June 2028
League Position in 2024/25: 11th in EPL
“What a performance,” gushed Fulham boss Marco Silva after his team’s 2-2 draw at Anfield last December. “It’s really difficult to find one moment where he wasn’t at a really high level.
“Not easy to come here playing against a player like (Mohamed) Salah, the way normally they like to expose the left-back. He was so brave, he was so assertive, he was so aggressive in the right way and he did it so, so well.”
Silva’s comments came after Antonee Robinson had notched up two assists against Liverpool, helping his team grab a point against the league leaders.
It was an important evening in a season filled with eventful evenings for Robinson. The American is probably Fulham’s greatest left-back in the Premier League era. His closest competitor is Paul Konchesky, the English defender who spent three seasons with The Cottagers before leaving for Liverpool in 2010.
Konchesky, known for his relentless workrate and leadership, struggled at Liverpool after his much-touted move to Merseyside. However, the Englishman believes Robinson would thrive if he were to join the Reds.
“When I see him, he’s been fantastic,” Konchesky told Liverpool Echo in March.
“I think he would suit Liverpool. I think his technical ability, his crossing and his assists this season, it’s been something that has really caught the eye for a lot of people.”
Though Konchesky was speaking in the context of Liverpool signing Robinson, his observations hold good for almost any big club that might want to sign the American.
A COMBINATION OF DEFENSIVE STEEL AND ATHLETICISM
Last season was Robinson’s best of his career, in terms of goal contributions. With 10 assists, he ranked fourth in the Premier League, on a par with more celebrated names like Bruno Fernandes and Bukayo Saka. Robinson was also the highest placed defender on the list.
The 28-year-old combines defensive steel with athleticism, pace and the ability to deliver deadly crosses into the box.
Robinson’s partnership with Nigerian winger Alex Iwobi has made the Fulham left flank one of the most feared in the division.
When Robinson was five years old, his father asked him to pick a nickname for himself. He chose ‘Jedi,’ being a Star Wars buff. He has been known as such ever since.
Before Jedi though, there was ‘Jitterbug.’
DaMarcus Beasley is the only American to have played in four FIFA World Cups. Known as ‘Jitterbug’ due to his pace and ability to elude defenders, Beasley excelled as Team USA’s left-back before age caught up with him.
After Beasley faded from the international stage after the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the United States Men’s Soccer Team (USMNT) struggled to find a successful replacement. They had to wait four years – which included a brief, albeit failed, international recall for Beasley in 2017 – before Robinson made his debut in 2018.
Though Robinson was not an instant success for the USMNT, he gradually made the left-back position his own. So much so, the Fulham man was named the national team’s Player of the Year for 2024 in January this year.
“I think (Robinson) with his performances for both club and country, what he’s been doing in England and what he does when he comes back here and plays for the national team, has been phenomenal,” said Beasley earlier this year.
“He’s a guy that’s going to get forward, make it difficult for the attacker. That’s rare for left-backs, to be able to do that on a consistent basis, up and down.”
Robinson is in many ways an atypical footballer. Though an amateur at playing the piano, he’s surprisingly adept at it (he taught himself off YouTube), he often amazes teammates by performing close-range card tricks and can solve a 3-by-3 Rubik’s Cube in under a minute. Robinson has also been known to do a 360-degree back-flip after scoring a goal.
After one such celebration, he was asked not to repeat it. “(Doing the back-flip) was great, pretty scary but also pretty risky to be honest,” Robinson later confessed.
2024/25 SEASON IN NUMBERS
| Category | Value | Notes |
| Goals/Assists | 0/10 | 4th highest in EPL |
| Crosses into penalty area | 29 | 1st in EPL, 7th in Big 5 leagues |
| Touches in attacking third area | 788 | 11th in EPL, 2nd highest ranked defender |
| Interceptions | 62 | 2nd in EPL, 7th in Big 5 leagues |
| Tackling + Interceptions | 157 | 4th in EPL, 4th in Big 5 leagues |
| Tackles Won | 61 | 6th in EPL, 9th in Big 5 leagues |
In addition to his 10 assists last season, Robinson excelled defensively too. According to FBref, Robinson made the second most interceptions (62) in the Premier League last season. He also ranked fourth in Tackling + Interceptions (157).
Offensively, ‘Jedi’ topped the Premier League for delivering the most crosses into the penalty area (29). He also ranked 11th in the division for most touches in the attacking third area – the second highest ranked defender on the list (after Josko Gvardiol).
Robinson’s numbers suggest he should be playing for a big club. In January 2020, he came close to doing so.
The American was having a stellar season for Wigan Athletic in the English Championship when AC Milan came calling, and clinched a deal with Wigan to sign him as back-up for their left-back Theo Hernandez.
“It took a long time to sink in. But it was massively motivating as well. I always say that I don’t regret any single thing that’s happened to me. I’m very happy and very proud of where I am now, the man I am now.”
— Antonee Robinson, on his failed move to AC Milan in 2020
However, the deal fell through when Robinson’s medical examination revealed a heart rhythm irregularity, which the left-back resolved later. “It took a long time to sink in,” said Robinson in March 2021.
“But it was massively motivating as well. I always say that I don’t regret any single thing that’s happened to me. I’m very happy and very proud of where I am now, the man I am now.”
Robinson has missed the start of the 2025/26 season after undergoing minor knee surgery in May. He hasn’t started any of Fulham’s matches, only making two substitute appearances so far. Fulham coach Silva is not taking any risks with Robinson’s fitness.
“We have to take a decision related to both (Robinson and Ryan Sessegnon, who’s recovering from an injury). They are very important for us, but the same time, we don’t want to have any risk to lose them for longer,” Silva said recently.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: NICOLO ROVELLA
Age: 23
Club: Lazio
Contract Expires In: June 2028
League Position in 2024/25: 7th in Serie A
Nicolo Rovella was still a teenager when he joined Juventus in 2021. Already considered to be among the premier Italian talents of his age, he was, however, not accorded the chance to prove himself in Bianconeri colours.
The Lombardy native was initially shunted out on loan to Genoa and Monza, where he excelled. During Rovella’s loan spell with Monza, then Monza coach Raffaele Palladino was so won over by the midfielder’s performance that he called him “the future of the Italian national team.” Palladino was speaking in May 2023, after Rovella had come off the bench to help Monza overturn a 0-1 deficit and beat hosts Sassuolo in a Serie A match.
“He made an impact from the bench. His growth path also passes through benches and substitutions,” observed Palladino. “He’s extraordinary. I complimented him at the end of the match. With this mentality, he can really achieve great things.”
Juve, however, did not see much in Rovella and sent him in 2023 to Lazio on a two-year loan, with a condition that Lazio had to purchase him outright in the summer of 2025.
Andrea Bosco, an Italian football pundit, was baffled by the transfer. “If Rovella was sold, he was sold for a loaf of bread, (and) with prices running high it’s madness,” he said in 2023.
“If the operation is confirmed, Juve would deprive themselves of the only director (of the ball on the pitch) they have on their staff, without having given him the opportunity to play even for a second, as had already happened with (Cristian) Romero and before that with (Rolando) Mandragora.”
But Rovella — ‘Rovix’ to his friends — does not seem to harbour any bitterness. “I don’t regret leaving Juventus,” he said in December 2024. “I am much happier at Lazio.”
An admirer of Luka Modric, Rovella has confessed in the past that he tries to imitate the Croatian maestro, “even if it’s impossible.”
Rovella’s efforts in this regard have paid off to some extent, however. Like Modric, Rovella too is a quick thinker, strong on the ball, always focused on taking the ball further upfield and a brilliant destroyer of attacks.
2024/25 SEASON IN NUMBERS
| Category | Value | Notes |
| Goals/Assists | 0/4 | |
| Players Tackled | 84 | 2nd in Serie A |
| Tackles Won | 50 | 2nd in Serie A |
| Dribblers Tackled | 41 | 2nd in Serie A |
| Interceptions | 47 | 5th in Serie A |
| Tackles + Interceptions | 131 | 3rd in Serie A, 19th in Big 5 leagues |
| Successful Take-on % | 72% | 2nd in Serie A, 9th in Big 5 leagues |
Sources: www.fbref.com; www.transfermarkt.co.in
According to FBref, Rovella ranked second in Serie A last season for Number of Players Tackled (84) and Dribblers Tackled (41), ranked fifth in Interceptions (47) and third in Tackles + Interceptions (131).
Rovella is in his third season at Lazio, and his current coach, Maurizio Sarri, was the one who brought him to Rome in 2023, during Sarri’s first spell in charge of the club.
In June 2025, after returning to Lazio following a one-year gap, Sarri was asked for his opinion about his number 6: “Rovella? I had said that after 50 games as a low point, he would become a top (player). He lacks a bit of dribbling but he is very strong.”
Rovella clearly adores his coach. “He is a master, especially for players who play in my position,” Rovella said in an interview in February 2024. “He teaches you a lot of things – he helps you in the defensive phase (and) in the offensive phase. I’m trying to learn as much as possible and put into practice what he tells me.”
Last season, Lazio under Marco Baroni were in the running to qualify for the Champions League for most of the season, before a downturn in form saw them miss out on European qualification altogether.
One might have thought that without European football, Lazio would have been forced to sell Rovella this summer. However, Rovella’s agent Beppe Riso recently explained why his client may not leave the capital anytime soon. “Rovella has had more than one important offer from the Premier League, but I won’t tell you which teams,” Riso said in February 2025.
“It won’t be easy to prise him away, for at least two reasons. First, it’s always tough to negotiate with (Lazio president Claudio) Lotito. And second, Nicolo loves Lazio like crazy, he’s really happy at the club. He doesn’t see anything else. He’s truly a Laziale.”
Lazio have had an underwhelming start to the season, losing two of their three Serie A matches so far. They have failed to score in two of those matches, but thumped Hellas Verona 4-0 in their other league match in early September. Rovella picked up an assist against Verona, but Sarri wanted more.
Praising Rovella as “hungry and eager,” Sarri added, “I’ll be completely happy with him when I see him do what he did tonight but with one less touch.”
CENTAL MIDFIELDER: JENS STAGE
Club: Werder Bremen
Age: 28
Contract Expires in: Unknown (Renewed in 2024)
League Finish in 2024/25: 8th in Bundesliga
Jens Stage was Werder Bremen’s top goalscorer last season. He outscored Bremen’s strikers Marvin Duksch, Marco Grull and Oliver Burke. They should not have been surprised. Stage had already laid down the marker by Bremen’s sixth game of the season.
By the time Bremen’s sixth match of the 2024/25 season came to a close, Stage had equalled his goal tally for the Germans in each of the previous two seasons – and he did it in unforgettable style.
On September 29, 2024 in Sinsheim in southwestern Germany, the Bundesliga match between Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen was a dozen minutes old and Bremen were already 0-3 down. Then Stage took over.
The Dane scored a hat-trick as Bremen stormed back to win 4-3 on the night and stunned the hosts. (Hoffenheim had a player sent off in the 18th minute, but Bremen still had a mountain to climb).
Prior to the Hoffenheim match, the maximum number of goals Stage had scored for Bremen in each of his previous two seasons at the club was three. Now, he had scored three in one night.
“I spoke to a lot of people at the club and they said the first goal is the most important one, then the confidence, the trust comes back,” Stage told Bremen’s official YouTube channel after the game.
“I think I have chances for a goal in every game and I just have to have a cool head and finish a bit better.”
Stage did finish a bit better for the rest of the season – he ended up with 10 goals, in addition to five assists. He was later named Werder Bremen’s Player of the Season for the 2024/25 campaign.
COMMITTED TO THE TEAM, EVEN WHEN OUT OF IT
A strong physical presence in the middle with incredible stamina, Stage is formidable in aerial duels and excels in breaking down opposition moves. Though the Dane is right-footed, he can also be lethal with his left.
Then Bremen coach Ole Werner (who departed in the summer to take over RB Leipzig) preferred to deploy Stage as part of a double pivot, as a box-to-box presence alongside Senne Lynen as a holding midfielder.
It was Werner who brought Stage to Bremen in 2022, after the Dane had helped FC Copenhagen win the Danish championship in the 2021/22 season. However, Stage did not become a fixture in the Bremen team right away.
After being part of the starting line-up for a few Bundesliga matches, Stage was dropped to the bench for a spell during the 2022/23 season. In October 2022, Stage entered the pitch as a 91st minute substitute, with Bremen leading 2-1 at Hoffenheim. With just seconds remaining in the game and the Green-Whites eager to see out the match, Hoffenheim winger Giorginio Rutter entered the Bremen box from the left side and crossed the ball to midfielder Grischa Promel, who was in front of goal.
When Promel tried to tap the ball into the Bremen net, Stage blocked it with a sliding tackle. The Dane went on to celebrate wildly, as teammates converged to congratulate him.
“For me, that was the game’s decisive moment,” Werner later said after Bremen had closed out a 2-1 victory.
Stage soon became a regular in the Bremen playing 11. In November 2024, the Dane extended his contract with the Green-Whites. “Jens has developed into a true leader over the past two and a half years and has been part of the team council since the start of this season,” said Werner, welcoming the contract extension.
“On top of all that, he’s shown how dangerous he can be in the final third too this season.”
2024/25 SEASON IN NUMBERS
| Category | Value | Notes |
| Goals/Assists | 10/5 | |
| Goals per Shot | 0.23 | 11th in Bundesliga |
| Goals per Shot on Target | 0.67 | 4th in Bundesliga, 12th in Big 5 leagues |
| Goal-Creating Actions | 15 | 9th in Bundesliga |
| Goals per Shot per 90 minutes | 0.61 | 13th in Bundesliga |
The numbers reflect how true Werner’s observation is. According to FBref, Stage had only 15 shots on targets in the Bundesliga last season, but these led to 10 goals. This places him fourth in the division for Goals per Shots on Target (0.67) and 12th in the Big Five leagues combined. Stage also placed ninth in the Bundesliga for Goal-Creating Actions (15) and 11th in Goals per Shots (0.23).
Stage missed the start of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season, thanks to a stress fracture he sustained during pre-season. He missed two of Bremen’s first three Bundesliga matches, before making a goalscoring return to the team in the league match against Borussia Monchengladbach. Bremen thrashed Gladbach 4-0, with Stage scoring Werder’s second goal.
“If you win 4-0 in Gladbach, then it was a very good game,” said Stage after the match. “Everyone showed character today. We played as a compact team and put in a great performance.”
RIGHT-WINGER: ANTOINE SEMENYO
Club: Bournemouth
Age: 25
Contract Expires In: June 2030
League finish in 2024/25: 9th in EPL
“You’ve been great, but come back in a year’s time.”
As soon as he heard those words from the Crystal Palace management, Antoine Semenyo had heard enough. He rushed out of the room, accompanied by his father, and hurried towards his car parked downstairs. Inside the car, the teenager broke down. “It’s all right,” his father consoled him. “Keep going.”
Those two words embodied Semenyo’s credo from early childhood.
“My mentality is always like, ‘just keep going,’ regardless of the circumstances,” Semenyo told the ‘Earn Your Stripes’ podcast in June 2024.
Despite being the best player in his school, Semenyo faced constant rejection from football academies, even as he saw friends getting accepted into academies belonging to clubs such as Millwall and Charlton Athletic. But Semenyo never gave up. “At some point, I thought, ‘it’ll happen for me,’” he said in the podcast.
So he kept going.
But after the rejection by Palace, Semenyo had had enough. He looked up at his father, and told him, “You know what? I’m done.”
By that point, Semenyo had been rejected by multiple clubs, including Charlton, Millwall, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea and Fulham. Some of them had had Semenyo on trial for months before telling him he had not made the grade. It was always the same answer.
“Come back in a year’s time.”
Crystal Palace had been the winger’s final hope.
Originally recruiting Semenyo for a six-week trial, Palace had kept him around for more than six months. “I was thinking I have a great chance of getting signed,” recalled Semenyo. But he was let go.
A SLOW MARCH TO THE TOP
Semenyo quit football for a year after the Palace rejection. The teenager began settling into the rhythms of a normal life, and started going to school regularly. A year later, now a few pounds heavier, Semenyo was persuaded to participate in an open trials, where he caught the eye of coach Dave Hockaday.
Hockaday helped Semenyo enrol in a college programme in Swindon, where he completed a BTEC in sports science while playing for Hockaday at the South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.
After impressing in games against academy teams of professional clubs, Semenyo was snapped up by Bristol City in 2018. The youngster’s first couple of years as a professional footballer were spent on loan at various clubs located in different strata of the footballing pyramid, before he established himself in Bristol City’s first team.
In January 2023, Bournemouth came calling, and he hasn’t looked back since.
“I think he’s very humble,” said teammate and Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in June 2025. “He wants to learn everyday, and this is very important for young players. He’s always open to listening to good advice.”
Semenyo is an explosive mix of pace, strength, dribbling, and versatility. He’s two-footed, but more importantly was as effective on the left wing last season as he was on the right (his usual position). Semenyo played 15 matches last season on the right wing, garnering 5 goals and 1 assist. In 14 matches on the left wing, he hoovered up 4 goals and 1 assist. At the end of the season, he had 13 goals and 7 assists from 42 matches across competitions.
2024/25 SEASON IN NUMBERS
| Category | Value | Notes |
| Goals/Assists | 13/7 | |
| Touches in Penalty Area | 191 | 2nd in EPL, 8th in Big 5 Leagues |
| Successful Take-Ons | 69 | 3rd in EPL, 13th in Big 5 leagues |
| Carries into Penalty Area | 67 | 6th in EPL, 11th in Big 5 leagues |
| Progressive Carries | 140 | 7th in EPL, 13th in Big 5 leagues |
| Shots on Target | 40 | 7th in EPL, 16th in Big 5 leagues |
| Blocks | 67 | 4th in EPL, 5th in Big 5 leagues |
| Passes Blocked | 58 | 1st in EPL, 1st in Big 5 leagues |
Source: www.fbref.com; www.transfermarkt.co.in
According to FBref, Semenyo excelled both offensively and defensively in the 2024/25 season. Offensively, Semenyo was second in the Premier League in Touches in the Opposition Penalty Area (191), third in Successful Take-ons (69) and sixth in Carries Into Penalty Area (67).
Defensively, Semenyo topped the Premier League and the Big Five leagues for Number of Passes Blocked (58) and was fourth in the Premier League in Blocks (67), and fifth in the Big Five leagues for the same.
It was Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola who converted Semenyo from centre-forward to winger, believing the Ghanaian’s pace and ability to turn his markers inside out would become assets.
Prior to the start of the 2025/26 season, Iraola observed how much Semenyo has improved since joining Bournemouth. “He started in the lower divisions, got to the Premier League, improved every season, played more, had better stats, and became more important for the team,” Iraola said.
“I hope he can continue this progression and offer us some leadership.”
That is exactly what Semenyo has done for Bournemouth this season, emerging as his team’s star man. Bournemouth have scored six goals this season and Semenyo has been involved in five of them. The Ghanaian has scored three and assisted two goals so far, helping The Cherries to fourth place in the Premier League table.
Two of the goals Semenyo has scored this season came on opening day, when Bournemouth took on defending champions Liverpool at Anfield. The winger was about to take a throw-in at Liverpool’s home ground when he was racially abused by a Liverpool fan. After reporting the incident to the referee, Semenyo refused to let the abuse stop him, and scored twice in the second half to help The Cherries draw level with the champions.
Though Liverpool went on to win 4-2, Semenyo’s actions spoke loud and clear. Regardless of circumstance, he would, come what may, “keep going.”
ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: ROMANO SCHMID
Club: Werder Bremen
Age: 25
Contract Expires In: June 2027
League Finish in 2024/25: 8th in Bundesliga
“The moment came to put him out there and see how he performs at that level. I have to say, he really impressed me,” said Florian Kohfeldt.
The then Werder Bremen head coach was speaking in 2021 about a 20-year-old Romano Schmid, to whom he had given his Bundesliga debut a few months ago. Prior to the start of the 2020/21 Bundesliga season, Schmid had impressed during preseason, but then dropped off in terms of performance. Kohfeldt spoke to the Austrian on what he needed to get better at.
“How do I impose myself on the opposition? What is the best way of finding space? When should I time my runs from deep? How can I be level-headed in possession and make the right decisions more often?” Kohfeldt named some examples, when he spoke to www.werder.de, the official website of Werder Bremen, in January 2021.
Schmid worked relentlessly during training and learnt quickly. Kohfeldt, though, would depart later in the year, a result of Bremen’s relegation from the Bundesliga in the 2020/21 season and the stuttering start to their promotion campaign in the 2. Bundesliga during the 2021/22 season.
Ole Werner took over from Kohfeldt. One of the first changes Werner made to his Bremen team was restoring Schmid to his original position – from the flanks to attacking midfield. Schmid responded by becoming an important part of the team and chipped in with 3 goals and 4 assists (in addition to the 3 assists he had already made) during the rest of the season. Bremen stormed back up the table and eventually clinched automatic promotion.
STEPPING UP FOR AUSTRIA
Schmid eventually became one of the mainstays of Bremen, who finished higher up the Bundesliga table with each passing season (13th, 9th and 8th in the past three seasons) under Werner.
Earlier this summer, Werner left Bremen. “He helped me a lot personally, had a human nature and his heart was in the right place,” Schmid later said about his former coach.
A stocky, industrious midfielder with a fierce right foot, Schmid has an excellent ability to read the game and influence it. This has earned him the trust of his teammates over the years.
In the 2024/25 season, according to FBref, Schmid was the Bremen player with the most passes received from his teammates (1502, almost 300 more than Mitchell Weiser, the next Bremen player on the list). In the 2023/24 season, Schmid had received the second most passes from his Bremen teammates.
The 2024/25 Bundesliga season was the best of Schmid’s career so far, and one could argue that it began with his stellar showing at the Euro 2024 in Germany.
When the tournament began, Schmid was in for a surprise.
“I didn’t play much in the qualifiers, so the fact that I started some games at EURO 2024 was amazing,” the Austrian told Werder Bremen’s official website in July 2024.
“It’s incredible how much Romano has developed in the last year. I’m very happy for him that he was rewarded for his top performance with a goal.”
— Ralf Rangnick, Austria head coach after Austria’s 3-2 win over the Netherlands at Euro 2024
Schmid quickly got over his surprise and repaid the faith shown in him by scoring in Austria’s 3-2 group stage win over heavyweights the Netherlands.
“It’s incredible how much Romano has developed in the last year,” Austria boss Ralf Rangnick said after his team had beaten Holland. “I’m very happy for him that he was rewarded for his top performance with a goal.”
Austria made headlines at Euro 2024 by topping their group, which contained France, the Netherlands and Poland. But they were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Turkey. “Our exit was really disappointing, but it was still a once-in-a-lifetime experience, from which I can take a number of positives and hopefully it will be something I can experience again,” recalled Schmid.
The diminutive playmaker did take positives from his showing at the European championships and built on it in the 2024/25 season.
2024/25 SEASON IN NUMBERS
| Category | Value | Notes |
| Goals/Assists | 5/6 | |
| Passes into Penalty Area | 90 | 2nd in Bundesliga, 4th in Big 5 leagues |
| Crosses into Penalty Area | 24 | 2nd in Bundesliga, 17th in Big 5 leagues |
| Carries into Final Third | 76 | 2nd in Bundesliga |
| Shot-Creating Actions | 151 | 3rd in Bundesliga, 10th in Big 5 leagues |
| Key Passes Made | 68 | 4th in Bundesliga, 17th in Big 5 leagues |
| Loose Balls Recovered | 167 | 8th in Bundesliga |
| Passes Blocked | 39 | 9th in Bundesliga |
According to FBref, Schmid ranked second in the Bundesliga for Number of Passes into the Penalty Area (90), Number of Crosses into the Penalty Area (24) and Number of Carries into the Final Third (76). He ranked third in Shot-Creating Actions (151) and fourth in Key Passes made (68).
The energetic Schmid is also known for his tigerish pressing. As per FBref, he ranked eighth in the Bundesliga last season for Number of Loose Balls Recovered (167) and ninth for Passes Blocked (39).
In the 2025/26 Bundesliga season, Werder Bremen are currently placed ninth in the Bundesliga table after three matchdays.
The Green-Whites recovered from a 1-4 opening day thrashing at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt, to then record a 3-3 draw at home against Bayer Leverkusen before hammering Borussia Monchengladbach 4-0 away. Schmid started all three matches and has already scored twice this season.
He has also starred for Austria, helping his team win all four of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers they have played so far.
In a recent interview with www.fifa.com, Schmid spoke about his hope of qualifying for the next World Cup. “There was a huge sense of euphoria at the (2024) European Championship (after Austria’s performance). It’s also fair to say that we’ve shown we have many, many players who can and do play at a top level. That’s also our goal in the future: we want to carry on in the same vein and try to assert ourselves against everyone we face.”
LEFT-WINGER: SERGIO GOMEZ
Age: 25
Club: Real Sociedad
Contract Expires In: June 2030
League Finish in 2024/25: 11th in La Liga
Santi Denia, the coach of the Spain Under-17 team, beckoned his players over for an impromptu meeting on the pitch after the final whistle had been blown. “I told them to cry if they wanted to, but that they should hold that medal in their hearts and wear it around their necks, because it’s not something you achieve easily and they worked like men to earn it,” Denia later said.
Denia’s boys had just lost the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup final to England. What made it worse was that Spain had let slip a 2-0 lead to eventually lose 2-5. Sergio Gomez, the Spanish left-winger, had scored both of Spain’s goals. Gomez was also awarded the Silver Ball for the tournament, as the second best player of the World Cup.
Denia was asked what kind of prospects he saw for his players in the future.
“If they keep on believing that the most important thing is the group and the team, they’ll develop,” Denia told www.fifa.com after the final.
“They have talent and individual quality. They’re just a step away from the professional game and this experience at the highest level – and there is no level higher than this – will serve them well as people and as footballers.”
Just over seven years after the heartbreak against England, Denia shed tears of joy along the touchline on August 9, 2024, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. Spain had won their first Olympic gold medal in football in 32 years by defeating France in an epic 5-3 win in the final. “It was such a difficult match. I think they deserved those tears of joy, but I’m happy for them. They have worked for 40, 41 days as a team, like a family,” said Denia after the match.
Among those in the Spanish team was Sergio Gomez, one of only three players who had also been part of the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India. In the intervening seven years Gomez and Denia had also won the 2019 UEFA Under-19 Euros for Spain, but this was different. This was special.
“AND THE DREAM CAME TRUE! WE ARE GOLDEN!” wrote an ecstatic Gomez on his Instagram handle after winning the Olympic final, alongside a picture of him with the gold medal around his neck.
Just nine days after winning the gold medal, Gomez was playing for Real Sociedad, making his debut for La Real after joining them without having been part of their preseason. Gomez’s transfer from Manchester City had been completed before the Paris Games.
Gomez, a graduate of Barcelona’s La Masia academy who spent eight years at the Catalan club, retains many of the traits familiar among Barca players – excellent ball control, superb positioning and a versatility that allows coaches to deploy him in a variety of positions.
In the 2024/25 season alone, Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil used Gomez as a left-winger (19 times), right-winger (9 times), attacking midfielder (7 times) and left-back (4 times).
“Since he arrived, without doing preseason, I have put him in several positions and I have asked him for different things, because he is such a talent, the quality, the commitment and the head he has that we can afford it,” said Alguacil in September 2024.
“It’s a luxury to have players like Sergio.”
2024/25 SEASON IN NUMBERS
| Category | Value | Notes |
| Goals/Assists | 5/7 | |
| Crosses Made | 231 | 2nd in La Liga, 4th in Big 5 leagues |
| Touches in Attacking Third | 708 | 17th in La Liga |
| Key Passes Made | 56 | 10th in La Liga |
| xAG | 8.9 | 4th in La Liga, 9th in Big 5 leagues |
Sources: www.fbref.com; www.transfermarkt.co.in
Another of Gomez’s strengths is his exceptional crossing ability. Last season, according to FBref, Gomez delivered the second most crosses (231) in La Liga. That figure also places him fourth in the Big Five leagues combined.
Gomez also ranked 10th in La Liga last season in Key Passes made (56).
In a statistic that shows the kind of chances Gomez was creating for Sociedad last season but which were not being converted properly, the winger ranked fourth in La Liga for xAG (Expected Assisted Goals — a statistical metric that measures the probability that a player’s pass will result in an assist). Gomez had an xAG of 8.9, against 5 assists he made in La Liga last season. This means almost four probable chances were not converted by Gomez’s teammates.
Gomez’s xAG was the fourth highest in La Liga and 9th highest in the Big Five leagues combined last season.
AFTER EARLY STRUGGLES, IN A SWEET SPOT
The Spaniard’s successful start to life at Real Sociedad comes after early struggles in his career, where he twice failed to make a mark at big clubs – Borussia Dortmund and City.
Gomez had joined Dortmund on the back of his stellar showing in the 2017 Under-17 World Cup, but he failed to settle at the German giants.
The Badalona native later joined City following a breakout season at Belgian club Anderlecht. His City spell too, was a disappointment.
With first Joao Cancelo and then Josko Gvardiol ahead of him at left-back, Gomez – a boyhood City fan – struggled for minutes under Pep Guardiola.
After starting 10 matches for City in his first season, Gomez started just four in his second, despite Guardiola observing that he “trains very well” and “is a lovely, lovely guy.”
Keen to get his career back on track, Gomez swapped Manchester for Basque country in July 2024.
Imanol Alguacil is no longer the Sociedad coach, having left the club at the end of last season. He was replaced by Sergio Francisco.
Francisco has extensive experience in managing Sociedad’s reserve team, just like Alguacil did before taking over the first team. Francisco’s coaching philosophy is also believed to be similar to Guardiola’s – which should give Gomez an edge, considering his two-year stint under Guardiola.
Francisco has benched Gomez in two of Sociedad’s four La Liga matches so far in the 2025/26 season, and when Gomez has played, it has been at left-back. Sociedad’s form under their new coach is yet to catch fire this season, with no victories in four matches (two draws and two defeats).
After losing 1-2 to Real Madrid on September 13 — during which Madrid played more than hour with 10 men — Francisco said, “at halftime, I told (the team) we were two goals behind, and with one goal we could get back into it. I take away that we lacked that bit of luck, which isn’t an excuse, but we needed it to score.”
If Francisco finds inspiration hard to come by from his offensive players, he may get lucky if he deploys Gomez further up front. He just needs to ask Alguacil if that’s a good idea.
CENTRE FORWARD: MOHAMED AMOURA
Club: VFL Wolfsburg
Age: 25
Contract Expires In: June 2029
League Finish in 2024/25: 11th in Bundesliga
“What type of a person are you?” was the question.
“I am shy,” said Mohamed Amoura, cracking an awkward grin.
“What kind of mentality do you have?”
“Mentality? I am a good person.”
“(I meant) On the pitch.”
“On the pitch, I play with ‘grinta.’”
That awkward grin surfaced again, but the Algerian forward’s steely eyes said he meant business.
Amoura was speaking to the official YouTube channel of VFL Wolfsburg, just after he had joined the club in July 2024.
While the 25-year-old Amoura comes across as almost painfully shy in interviews, he’s a man transformed on the pitch. Few Bundesliga sides had answers to the pint-sized dynamo when they played him last season.
Standing at just 5’7, Amoura has a low centre of gravity which lends him a balance that makes it hard to shake him off the ball.
“Amoura, he’s a player powered by electric batteries! He has incredible speed, and I am better off just leaving him up front to cause chaos. He is a real weapon for us.”
— Ralph Hasenhuttl, former Wolfsburg head coach
He’s also quick. When he takes off on a run, sometimes it’s like watching a bullet (with a french beard) race away. “Amoura, he’s a player powered by electric batteries!” exclaimed then Wolfsburg head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl last season.
“He has incredible speed, and I am better off just leaving him up front to cause chaos. He is a real weapon for us.”
Amoura’s pace and creativity means that besides playing as a centre-forward, he can also play on the left as a winger. He did this to impressive effect last season, registering 2 goals and 6 assists from his 13 appearances on Wolfsburg’s left wing.
This ability to set up goals as well as score them is what makes Amoura special. In addition to his 10 goals in the Bundesliga last season, the Algerian also registered 12 assists.
A SPECTACULAR DEBUT SEASON
Like any quality performer, Amoura shone brightest when facing the strongest opposition last season: he had braces against Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, a goal and an assist in each of his meetings with VFB Stuttgart, an assist against Bayer Leverkusen and one assist against Eintracht Frankfurt in each of his meetings with them.
The 2024/25 season – Amoura’s first in the Bundesliga – was not the first time the Algerian took a division by storm the first time he played in it.
The forward was top scorer for Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise in the 2023/24 season, registering 23 goals and 8 assists. These included a goal and an assist against English giants Liverpool in the UEFA Europa League, in a tie that Amoura’s side won 2-1.
The forward is also part of a new crop of Algerian footballers who are trying to help their nation qualify for its first FIFA World Cup since 2014.
“We know Amoura and his qualities well, and we always try to make the most of them. He’s very fast and plays deep,” said Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez in March 2025, after Amoura scored a hat-trick against Mozambique in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Considering Amoura is dubbed by many in the media as the “next Riyad Mahrez,” that is high praise.
2024/25 SEASON IN NUMBERS
| Category | Value | Notes |
| Goals/Assists | 10/12 | |
| Assists per 90 minutes | 0.33 | 12th in Bundesliga |
| Progressive Passes Received | 244 | 6th in Bundesliga |
| Progressive Carries | 81 | 13th in Bundesliga |
| Passes Blocked | 40 | 7th in Bundesliga, 17th in Big 5 leagues |
| Goal-Creating Actions | 13 | 18th in Bundesliga |
Sources: www.fbref.com; www.transfermarkt.co.in
“What is important to you on the pitch?” was the question.
“To give everything.”
Amoura’s answer to this question, during the same preseason interview mentioned earlier in this article, was not an empty promise – he lived up to it. The forward’s numbers for this season illustrate a talent that is outstanding not just offensively, but defensively too.
Amoura’s brilliant debut season in the Bundesliga does not mean he is the finished product. According to FBref, the Algerian ranked third (86) in Miscontrols (number of times a player failed when trying to get control of the ball) in the Bundesliga last season.
In early May 2025, with Wolfsburg in the midst of a nine-match winless streak and Amoura himself scoreless in six matches, the Algerian was involved in a training ground altercation with teammate Joakim Maehle. Amoura was said to have been the instigator.
Though both teammates later reconciled in front of their colleagues, the Algerian was dropped to the bench for Wolfsburg’s next match, while Maehle started it.
But one suspects Amoura will learn from the experience as he continues to polish his rough edges in Germany.
In the 2025/26 season, Amoura has picked up where he left off, already chalking up 2 goals in three matches for Wolfsburg.
Amoura was heavily linked with a move to Portuguese giants Benfica this summer, but the transfer fell through after Benfica reportedly failed to meet Wolfsburg’s asking price. If the forward keeps up his form this season too, it will be very hard for Wolfsburg to keep the wolves at bay in 2026.
BEST 11 IN EUROPE, OUTSIDE EUROPE
At final glance, the best 11 players not in European competitions this season has four representatives from the Bundesliga, three each from the English Premier League and the La Liga and one representative from the Serie A. None from the Ligue 1 made the cut, but not for lack of quality. A few did come close (like Mahdi Camara, Brice Samba, Ludovic Blas, etc.).
Werder Bremen are the only club with two representatives in the list, in Jens Stage and Romano Schmid.
If the players on the list have another good campaign in the 2025/26 season, there is little chance that they will stay at their present clubs after the summer of 2026.
The team (4-2-3-1 formation): Sergio Herrera (Osasuna); Nahuel Tenaglia (Deportivo Alaves), Patrick Mainka (Heidenheim), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Antonee Robinson (Fulham); Nicolo Rovella (Lazio), Jens Stage (Werder Bremen); Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen), Sergio Gomez (Real Sociedad); Mohamed Amoura (Wolfsburg).