5 World Cup Stars Being Linked With A Move To The Premier League

As we approach the decisive final stages of the 2014 World Cup, Gunner333 looks at five players who have impressed enough in Brazil to attract interest from the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham.

As the world’s elite prepare to do battle in the quarter final stages of ‘the greatest show on Earth’, many individuals have caught the eye on the biggest stage and are now the hot topic of the Premier League especially. Here I analyse what I feel have been the top 5 surprise performances in this World Cup so far and who could be on the radar for the Big Guns as the weeks progress.

5. James Rodriguez – Colombia

At the tender age of 22, James David Rodriguez has recently lit-up the world of football with his electric performances for Colombia at the World Cup. Boasting tricky feet and a refreshing style of play, the Monaco midfielder has been my clear favourite for the player of the tournament. Although, he only makes it to five on this particular list as we were already aware of his talents last summer when Monaco paid a hefty price to Porto for the attacker.

Unsurprisingly, his performances in Brazil has led to reported interest from Real Madrid, Manchester and Arsenal to name but a few. The likelihood is he’ll end up at the Bernabeu, but for now, James’ focus will be solely on his side’s quarter final clash with Brazil, but there’s little doubt a move will be waiting for him upon return…

4. Enner Valencia – Ecuador

Although his beloved Ecuador failed to progress beyond the group stage, this South-American dynamo managed to covert a hat trick of goals in total across two games, against Switzerland and Honduras. He possessed a great attacking prowess going forward and exhibited exceptional stamina and pace, and his exploits in Brazil led to reports in South America linking him with Arsenal and Chelsea.

The 25-year-old currently plays for Pachuca in Mexico and has a very good scoring record both nationally and domestically scoring a combined 52 goals in 160 appearances for club and country. Given his lack of experience at the top level, Enner’s addition to any side would most likely be a risky one, but his quality in front of goal makes him a tempting buy.

3. Hector Herrera – Mexico

The heartbeat of Mexico’s progression in the World Cup lays undoubtedly with Hector Miguel Herrera of FC Porto. As his side lined up in the increasingly popular 3-5-2 formation, Herrera was forced to play box-to-box and executed it superbly. Whether picking the pocket of an opposing attacker or creating attacks with his driving runs, Herrera pulled all the strings for Mexico, who would have found it difficult to emerge group runners-up without him.

He chalked up a single assist at the finals and no goals, but it was his unseen work which did the real damage. In the sweltering conditions he made his opponent work exceptionally hard to lose him in the middle of the park and this is why he is being linked with a number of Europe’s top clubs.

2. Islam Slimani – Algeria

Yet another disheartening exit by one of the surprise packages at this World Cup was that of Algeria’s. The African side progressed to the knockout stage for the first time in their history and tested the Germans to the very limit, eventually losing out in extra time. With this comes yet another surprise performer, step forward, Islam Slimani.

Islam scored his first of the finals in a 4-2 victory of South Korea, before converting the Algerians’ most significant goal in their history, sending them through after scoring the equaliser against Russia. The forward joined Sporting Lisbon from CR Belouizdad at the beginning of last season and experienced a steady opening campaign, scoring 8 in 26 Liga Portuguesa showings. He earned praise from Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho for his performances in Brazil and is believed to be on the radar of the likes of West Ham.

1. Divock Origi – Belgium

Despite not being entirely inspirational for Lille last season, Divock has caught the eye for Belgium this summer. The youngster has been a handful any time he’s taken to the field and scored a vital goal against Russia in the group stages. Exceptionally flexible, Origi seems to play across the line and often slips in to pockets of space between the full-backs and centre-half’s, this a growing style of play looking to be adopted by a number of the World’s best sides.

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots has shown great faith in Divock, recently choosing to start with him ahead of both Lukaku and Mirallas in Les Diables Rouges’ last 16 tie with the USA. It is very much on the cards that Origi could be on his way to either Liverpool or even Tottenham over the next few weeks to discuss a move to England’s top flight, a move that would be an acceptable reward for the recent blockbuster performances by the youngster.

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