Exequiel Palacios (Argentina). River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen
“I liked playing against Boca because we always beat them,” Palacios said in his first interview after arriving at Bayer Leverkusen. He doesn’t mince words and he doesn’t hold back on tackles either. At 21, Palacios is already a complete box-to-box midfielder with a good work-rate and a spicy shot. A lack of stamina and strength can sometimes let South American players down in Europe, but that won’t be a problem with Palacios. At River Plate he was the workhorse in midfield, expected to tackle and turn defence into attack.
While his positional intelligence and passing are his greatest strengths, he’s got a powerful left foot and likes to let fly from outside the box. He has four caps for Argentina, and hopefully the lessons he learns in Germany will turn him into a regular at international level.
Reinier (Brazil). Flamengo to Real Madrid
Reinier is often compared to Kaka for his movement, and he is certainly a complete forward for an 18-year-old: mature, skillful and unselfish. Most impressive is how direct his play is. He is not concerned with stepovers or elasticos, he’s explosive and keeps his dribbles tight. He has an impressive shot too, and can finish with both feet as well as his head. Zinedine Zidane is unlikely to give him much time on the pitch at first, so he will benefit from a loan spell before trying to make the first team.
João Pedro (Brazil). Fluminense to Watford
The 18-year-old is a diamond in the rough. He does not yet show the patience and maturity of Reinier, but Watford like a gamble, and for £2m he represents a relatively cheap one.
He came to prominence after scoring this bicycle kick for Fluminese in the Brasileirão against Cruzeiro. He has also showed he’s nimble on the ball but he is still slight and will need to bulk out if he wants to play as a centre-forward. He does not yet have the physical game of his predecessor, Richarlison, who Watford signed in 2017 and sold for £30m.
Guido Rodríguez (Argentina). Club América to Real Betis
Rodríguez won last year’s Balón de Oro, the award for the best player in Mexico. You may not have heard of him because, like many defensive midfielders, he’s quietly effective. For less than €9m, he’s a bargain to strengthen the Betis midfield after Tottenham signed Giovani Lo Celso on a permanent deal.
Rodríguez came up through River Plate’s youth system, so comparisons to Javier Mascherano are not out of order, but his game is not nearly as physical. At Club America he shared defensive midfield duties in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where he provided excellent distribution for the team’s wingers.
Leonardo Campana (Ecuador). Barcelona Sporting Club to Wolves
The 19-year-old, comes from a wealthy family that made its money in sugar and real estate, but he has made it to the top on merit. As a forward playing for BSC’s second and third teams he averaged nearly a goal a game, and was the top scorer in last summer’s South American U-20 championship. His six goals, including this piece of quick thinking, led Ecuador to the title. He’s still a teenager so expect him to be a long-term project for Wolves.
