After their World Cup triumph, the stars of the Argentine national team are coveted throughout Europe. Bundesliga greats like FC Bayern and BVB should also try to win one or the other newly crowned world champion. Three players from the Albiceleste are particularly courted at the moment.
Slowly but surely, normality is returning to Argentina. For a few days there was a state of emergency in the country of the new world champions, millions of people celebrated the spectacular victory in the final against France on the streets of Buenos Aires.
Back at their clubs, some guarantors of the World Cup are immediately confronted with tricky questions: Do I want to take advantage of the current hype and switch to a more famous/richer club? And if so, where to?
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez and the two midfield discoveries Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister, who are rumored to be able to serve in the Bundesliga, are three pros who should have gotten a lot into pondering. An overview:
Emiliano Martínez (goal, 30, Aston Villa)
With spectacular saves and confident performances, Emiliano Martínez became one of Argentina’s great World Cup heroes in Qatar. Unsurprisingly, after the tournament, the first speculations that the keeper would say goodbye to the gray Premier League mouse Aston Villa circulated.
FC Bayern was also linked to Martínez by “Media Foot” in the course of its search for a replacement for Manuel Neuer, who suffered a serious leg injury. The experienced goalkeeper could play in the Champions League in Munich – a possible advantage over the world clubs Manchester United and Juventus Turin, which are also traded and are only represented in the unloved Europa League.
The problem: Martínez is already 30 and tied to Aston Villa until 2027 (!). Without a hefty transfer fee, FC Bayern should therefore have no chance of signing the goalkeeper who is being courted.
Enzo Fernández (Midfield, 21, SL Benfica)
Enzo Fernández only played in Lisbon last summer, and the youngster has had an impressive development since then.
Under the German coach Roger Schmidt, the powerful driver quickly rose to become a top performer and thus secured a place in Argentina’s World Cup squad. What’s more, as the tournament progressed, Fernández secured a place in the starting XI that he didn’t give up until the final.
Although Benfica brought the right foot from River Plate for 14 million euros just a few months ago and provided them with a working paper until 2027 including an exit clause of 120 million euros, the first rumors of a quick departure from Portugal arose after the World Cup.
In the meantime, the whispering has become much more: According to consistent media reports, Chelsea FC prevailed against competitors such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool FC and convinced Fernández of a winter change. Cost: approx. 127 million euros!
Alexis Mac Allister (Midfield, 24, Brighton & Hove Albion)
In the Premier League, Alexis Mac Allister has long been considered an insider tip, after his top performances at the World Cup finals the rest of the world also knows the name of the 24-year-old. The sweeper played six out of seven games in Argentina’s starting line-up, even scoring in the 2-0 win against Poland at the end of the group stage.
Even if Mac Allister is tied to the English surprise team Brighton until 2025, several clubs have positioned themselves at the shooting star. According to the Italian newspaper “La Repubblica”, in addition to FC Arsenal, Inter Milan and SL Benfica, Borussia Dortmund is also among the interested parties.
At BVB, the midfielder could follow in the footsteps of Jude Bellingham, who is expected to leave the Bundesliga club in the summer.
However, Mac Allister’s market value has exploded as a result of the World Cup: EUR 30 to 40 million was once considered a realistic transfer fee for the Argentine, but it is now even higher. BVB is unlikely to see itself in such spheres, despite the expected Bellingham millions.
Heiko Lütkehus