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Champions League 2022-23: Kalulu, Muani and the other alternative players to look out for


The Champions League is Europe’s biggest stage and home to the continent’s best footballers, with Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all dreaming of lifting the trophy in June 2023.

But who are the other players we should be keeping an eye out for this season?

Before the start of this year’s group stages, which commence on Tuesday, we asked The Athletic’s expert writers to nominate their alternative prospects.

This is who they chose…


Pierre Kalulu

Club: AC Milan Nationality: French Age: 22 Position: centre-back

The influence of chief scout Geoffrey Moncada on the assembly of a scudetto-winning team at AC Milan is still bafflingly understated. In Italy, almost all the credit tends to be attributed to Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara when it should, at the very least, be more evenly spread.

If Milan is a more Francophone team these days, it is in no small part down to Moncada’s contacts and experience operating in those markets. Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez, Yacine Adli and Rafael Leao were all flagged by Moncada. The value he has added is tremendous and there’s arguably no greater example of the alignment between his talent identification genius and Elliott Management’s model than the signing of Pierre Kalulu. At a time when Chelsea are shelling out a frankly astonishing fee for Wesley Fofana, it’s worth remembering Milan picked Kalulu up for nothing.

The former captain of France Under-20s was out of contract at Lyon and had no pathway to regular first-team football as a right-back at the Groupama Stadium, with Kenny Tete, Rafael da Silva and Leo Dubois ahead of him in the pecking order. Moncada pounced and secured the services of a player who has drawn parallels with Lilian Thuram.

When Kalulu established himself in the Milan starting XI in the spring of this year, the team went to another level. His partnership with Fikayo Tomori is now one of the best in Europe and it’s all thanks to the quietly brilliant work of Milan’s best value-creating asset, Moncada.

James Horncastle


Randal Kolo Muani

Club: Eintracht Frankfurt Nationality: French Age: 23 Position: forward

Last season’s Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt are a little low on star power since the departure of Filip Kostic to Juventus this summer, but new signing Randal Kolo Muani looks poised to step into the breach. A tall, fast and elegant French centre-forward who’s a little reminiscent of Thierry Henry, the 23-year-old has been the Bundesliga club’s star performer in the campaign so far, racking up two goals and five assists in seven matches (including two assists at the weekend against RB Leipzig). 


Jesper Lindstrom celebrates with Kolo Muani after scoring against Werder Bremen last month (Photo: Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)

Muani was born in Bondy, the Paris suburb that gave birth to Mbappe, but growing pains slowed his early development. He joined the youth academy of Nantes shortly before his 17th birthday and made his first-team debut three years later under Vahid Halilhodzic. Steady performances on loan at US Boulogne led to a call-up to the France under-21s as well as the Olympic team for Tokyo 2021, but last season’s 12 goals for Nantes proved his real breakthrough.

Luckily for Frankfurt, he’d already agreed to join Oliver Glasner’s side for free this summer by the time other clubs came calling in early spring.

“This lad can go through the roof,” former Eintracht sporting director Fredi Bobic believes.

Raphael Honigstein


Tanguy Nianzou

Club: Sevilla Nationality: French Age: 20 Position: centre-back

Sevilla’s new €16million (£13.8m, $16m) centre-half Tanguy Nianzou got a nice surprise on his arrival at the Estadio Sanchez Pizjuan as the replacement for Jules Kounde. Before Kounde left for Barcelona, Sevilla’s sporting director Monchi asked him to record a video telling his compatriot what to expect at Sevilla, the demands of the fans and the responsibility of representing the club.

Nianzou’s first few games in La Liga have not gone brilliantly, with shaky showings in a draw with Valladolid and defeats to Almeria and Barcelona. But then Kounde’s start at Sevilla in 2019 included being dispossessed on the edge of his own box and giving away a penalty trying to make amends in a 3-2 defeat at Eibar.

If Nianzou is as quick a learner as Kounde, Sevilla’s supporters will be delighted. He definitely has the calibre. He already has Champions League experience at Paris Saint- Germain and Bayern Munich and captains France Under-20s.

Given all the issues elsewhere in Julen Lopetegui’s team, Nianzou is likely to get plenty of opportunity to learn and develop over the coming months — starting with facing Manchester City’s Erling Haaland on matchday one.

Dermot Corrigan


Malik Tillman

Club: Rangers Nationality: American Age: 20 Position: attacking midfielder

Over the past four years, when it comes to Rangers’ big nights in Europe, all eyes have tended to be on the usual suspects: James Tavernier, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos.

However, some new faces were key to Rangers graduating from the Europa League to the Champions League, and the most exciting player is Bayern Munich loanee Malik Tillman. He was outstanding in the second leg against PSV Eindhoven to help Rangers win their play-off tie and he is showing the sort of form that will give him a chance of making the United States World Cup squad.

His fellow American James Sands is another to pay attention to as he has developed rapidly at centre-back this season after using the first six months of his loan from NYC FC to adjust to life in Scotland, but Tillman’s overall game is just so refreshing to watch.

He can play all across the front line but he is best as a No 10 who can drift. He is a powerful athlete who can carry the ball from deep, but he combines that with finesse to his game as he turns and looks to find space behind the striker. With Rangers holding an option to buy him permanently and Bayern reserving the right to buy him back, if he can prove himself against Europe’s elite, it will do his Qatar chances the world of good.

Jordan Campbell


Fabio Miretti

Club: Juventus Nationality: Italian Age: 19 Position: midfield

When Juventus enrolled an under-23 team in Italy’s third division in 2018, the aim was to bridge the gap between the club’s academy and the men’s game. Four years on, the project which was modelled on the success of Barcelona B and Real Madrid Castilla is beginning to pay off. Fabio Miretti may not be from Turin like Claudio Marchisio, but Pinerolo isn’t far away and it’s great to see Juventus integrate a local boy into their midfield. The teenager played like a “veteran” — to use Massimiliano Allegri’s description — against Roma, getting unmarked between the lines and creating chances for his team-mates.

Paul Pogba’s pre-season knee injury opened an opportunity for Miretti, who was just a kid in the academy during the Frenchman’s first spell at the club. “He was a role model for all the kids in the youth sector who went to see him play,” Miretti said. “A young player of immense class imposing himself in the first team. What more can you ask for?”


Miretti in action over the weekend against Fiorentina (Photo: Daniele Badolato – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images)

Miretti divided his time last season between the under-23s, the Primavera, with whom he broke new ground in the UEFA Youth League, and Italy Under-19s who narrowly lost to England in the semi-finals of the Euros. A ball boy when Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 on the way to the Champions League final in 2017, he may get even closer to Neymar and Lionel Messi this time, particularly with his team kicking off their season in Europe away to PSG.

James Horncastle


Enzo Fernandez

Club: Benfica Nationality: Argentinian Age: 21 Position: central midfielder

South America to Benfica; Benfica to the big time. It’s a tried and tested career path, and the latest cab off the rank looks certain to be Enzo Fernandez, a central midfielder of rare poise and elegance who has made a stunning first impression at the Estadio da Luz.

Named after Uruguayan icon Enzo Francescoli – his dad’s favourite player – the 21-year-old initially came to prominence playing for Hernan Crespo’s Copa Sudamericana-winning Defensa y Justicia side in 2020. He went on to shine for boyhood club River Plate last year, earning an Argentina call-up and a summer move to Portugal.

Benfica have signed a proper player. Fernandez is a fantastic passer, capable of starting moves from deep with a smart ball between the lines or a raking switch. He wins the ball well and has an eye for goal: he scored in each of his first three matches for Benfica, helping them ease past Midtjylland in their Champions League play-off.

Already, Benfica coach Roger Schmidt is being asked whether he can hang onto Fernandez past January. If the youngster continues on his current trajectory, it will not be long before rumours of interest from Europe’s top sides – Manchester City and Liverpool have already been linked – gather pace.

Jack Lang


Fabio Carvalho

Club: Liverpool Nationality: Portuguese/English Age: 20 Position: attacking midfielder

Fabio Carvalho will be in his first season playing Champions League football but is undoubtedly a young player to watch.

Carvalho arrived from Fulham in the summer for an initial fee of £5million plus a further £2.7million in add-ons. He made his first start at the weekend, in the Merseyside derby no less, having featured as a substitute in the first five Premier League games. That might be the case in the early rounds of Champions League fixtures, too.

When he does play, even if it is off the bench, he is someone eyes are drawn to given how much he gets himself among the action. He brings an attacking edge to midfield and needs no invitation to shoot, yet he is far from wasteful. He is creative, skilful and brings an unpredictability that would be refreshing to see against Ajax, Rangers and Napoli.


(Photo: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

His instinctive goal against Bournemouth was followed by one against Newcastle and, as the games start landing every three days in the next few months, his role will amplify.

Caoimhe O’Neill


Nahuel Molina

Club: Atletico Madrid Nationality: Argentinian Age: 24 Position: right-back

Kieran Trippier’s exit to Newcastle last January left Atletico with a big hole at right-back, which they have filled by spending €20million to sign Argentina international Nahuel Molina from Udinese.

Molina seemed an ideal fit for Diego Simeone’s currently preferred 3-5-2 system, having racked up seven goals in a similar system during 35 Serie A appearances last season. It would also allow Marcos Llorente to move back into the central midfield role where he impressed when Atletico won La Liga back in 2020-21.

That plan has hit some early problems. Molina’s home debut did not go so well, a miscued clearance set up Villarreal’s opening goal and he was then sent off for a frustrated push late in a 2-0 defeat. The belief at the Metropolitano is that he will soon make up for it due to his mix of aggressive defending and fearless attacking. That would keep the 24-year-old on course to represent Argentina at November’s World Cup.

Dermot Corrigan


Stanislav Lobotka

Club: Napoli Nationality: Slovakian Age: 27 Position: centre-midfield

Luciano Spalletti is the regista-whisperer. It’s hard to think of another coach working in Europe at the moment who has so regularly been able to teach the rare skill set for this metronomic position in front of the defence.

At Udinese and Roma, he developed David Pizarro as a diminutive tempo-setting midfielder. At Inter, plans to sell Marcelo Brozovic to Sevilla were shelved and Spalletti turned him into the best deep-lying playmaker in Serie A. Now he is repeating the trick with Stanislav Lobotka at Napoli and it’s a joy to watch.

The Slovakia international couldn’t be more different from the club’s former captain and box-to-box midfielder Marek Hamsik. There is no mohican for a start. Spalletti affectionately calls Lobotka cinghialotto — a stocky but elusive wild boar. Catching him isn’t easy. The elusive Lobotka comes short to start Napoli’s build-up play, hounded by high-pressing opponents, and turns or passes his way through.

“Today he was like Iniesta,” Spalletti marvelled after a 5-2 win against Hellas Verona. The Athletic could have chosen any number of players from this eclectic Napoli side — Victor Osimhen, Kim Min-jae, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia — but it’s about time Lobotka, a €20million signing from Celta Vigo 18 months ago, got some recognition.

James Horncastle


Salih Ozcan

Club: Borussia Dortmund Nationality: German Age: 24 Position: midfield

Borussia Dortmund are one of the world’s best teams when it comes to spotting and developing teenage talent, but efforts to strengthen the side with more mature players have often paid paltry dividends in recent years. There’s hope, however, that Salih Ozcan can break the mould: the 24-year-old defensive midfielder (signed from Cologne for €5million this summer) has been widely tipped to add some much-needed steel and presence to BVB’s central section. Matthias Sammer, the former BVB great-turned-club adviser, thinks Ozcan will be “the biggest surprise (success)” out of Dortmund’s new signings.

Early indications are that last year’s Under-21 Euro winner with Germany — he’s since switched allegiance to Turkey, his ancestral home — might indeed be a game-changer for manager Edin Terzic. “His mentality and physique, paired with his game intelligence, will do our team good,” BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl has said.

Ozcan has been compared to Sammer, AC Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso and former BVB midfielder Nuri Sahin, which goes to show that he’s much more than a destructive force in the middle of the park.

In a tricky group, Dortmund will need his all-round ability to offer some respite for team-mate Jude Bellingham and secure safe passage to the knockout stage.

Raphael Honigstein


Marc Cucurella

Club: Chelsea Nationality: Spanish Age: 24 Position: wing-back

Champions League football seemed a distant dream for Marc Cucurella in 2018 when he left Barcelona, initially on loan, to prove himself in the professional game at Eibar and then Getafe. The fee the latter paid in the summer of 2020 to take him permanently from Camp Nou was just €6million; two years on, when he makes his debut in Europe’s elite club tournament in Chelsea blue, it will be as one of the most expensive defenders in the competition.

There will be no shortage of hunger in spite of all he has achieved in such a short time. Cucurella has designs on making a late charge into the Spain squad for this winter’s World Cup in Qatar and views shining in the Champions League group stage as vital to his case. He also knows that if he falls short of that standard, his coach Thomas Tuchel will have no problem turning instead to Ben Chilwell.

Chelsea’s favourable group E draw should provide plenty of opportunity to showcase the full range of his attacking abilities as a left wing-back, in addition to the defensive tenacity, speed and diligence that has led Tuchel to rely on him early and often. Beyond all that, prepare to behold arguably the most magnificent head of hair in full flight anywhere in European football.

Liam Twomey


Filipe Jota

Club: Celtic Nationality: Portuguese Age: 23 Position: winger

The Celtic player your average punter should keep an eye on is also the one his team-mates, manager and fanbase need to thrive with the step up to Europe’s top table if the team are to have a chance at progression. Portuguese winger Jota.

Jota is a former teen prodigy who was, at one stage, more highly rated than Benfica and Portugal youth team-mate Joao Felix, but his development plateaued as he entered his 20s. Jota was a revelation on loan at Celtic last season after seeming to find an environment which suited him and it kickstarted his career once more.

Jota


(Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

No other Celtic player had more goal contributions. Having made his move permanent this summer, he already has eight in six appearances so far this season, including two screamers against Aberdeen and Kilmarnock and a brilliant goal against Rangers this weekend.

“Big whoop,” your average punter might rebuttal. “That is the Scottish Premiership and this is the Champions League.”

But Jota’s speed, close control, technique and imagination made him Celtic’s best player in last year’s Europa League, with two terrific goals against Bayer Leverkusen and Ferencvaros, and an even better assist for a Kyogo Furuhashi goal against the Hungarians. He excelled in Europe’s second-tier competition. More confident and settled a year on, time will tell if he can excel in its premier one.

Kieran Devlin


Cole Palmer

Club: Manchester City Nationality: English Age: 20 Position: winger/attacking midfielder

The thing with City is that basically all of their team are superstar names, so the closest they can really get to “alternative” is their young players.

Cole Palmer has been on the scene for a couple of seasons and is really expected to kick on over the next few months. He made 10 senior appearances last season and that was just until January, when he aggravated an injury in the FA Cup third round against Swindon and then missed the rest of the season.

He has scored in the Champions League already and, as Pep Guardiola looks to keep his squad fresh, Palmer is likely to get a run out towards the end of games, which is how he got his first European goal last year, with 25 minutes against Club Bruges. In fact, he has scored in the Champions League, League Cup and FA Cup, and after netting in that game against Swindon he semi-famously remarked, “Prem soon come”, meaning a goal in the top flight.

He came through the academy as an attacking midfielder but, like Phil Foden, he plays on the wing for Guardiola, albeit usually on the right.

It shouldn’t be too much longer before more people have heard of Cole Palmer.

Sam Lee


Ismael Bennacer

Club: AC Milan Nationality: Algerian Age: 24 Position: defensive midfielder

Despite being headhunted by Arsene Wenger at the age of 17, Ismael Bennacer had to take the circuitous route to football’s top table. The Algerian spent two years on Arsenal’s books between 2015-17 before a permanent move to ​Empoli and a victorious Serie B campaign hinted at his potential.

A series of sparkling performances in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations earned Bennacer the player of the tournament award and his arrival at Milan that summer helped their revival up the Serie A table. Now in his fourth season at the club, Bennacer helps keep things ticking in the midfield pivot of Stefano Pioli’s 4-2-3-1. Best paired with Sandro Tonali, Bennacer’s ability to ​​keep the ball under pressure, before shifting it quickly with a clever pass, make him a player who would improve every top six side in the Premier League.

A big reason why Milan were not too devastated to be losing Franck Kessie on a free transfer to Barcelona this summer, Bennacer has a bright playing future. Expect Thomas Tuchel to devise a bespoke tactical plan in an attempt to nullify him in group E clashes.

Carl Anka


Aurelien Tchouameni

Club: Real Madrid Nationality: French Age: 22 Position: holding midfielder

Casemiro received the full legend treatment when he left for Manchester United in mid-August, with the five-time Champions League winner given an emotional send-off at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The reality was that both club and player knew the timing was perfect to leave due to the instant impact of Madrid’s new €80million signing Tchouameni.

The former Monaco player was hardly an unknown and is already a regular with France, but his early impact at Madrid has been startling, holding the midfield with impressive athleticism and reading of the game, while also showing super technical ability on the ball.


(Photo: Silvestre Szpylma/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

That mix was again evident in week three’s 3-1 La Liga win at Espanyol. Tchouameni’s man-of-the-match display included Casemiro-esque nous in making tactical fouls to stop opposition breaks without getting shown a yellow card, but also a sublime no-look assist for Vinicius Junior’s opening goal.

Dermot Corrigan


Cristian Romero

Club: Tottenham Hotspur Nationality: Argentinian Age: 24 Position: centre-back

OK, Romero is not exactly an unknown quantity, but given how good he is, his profile is a lot lower than what it might be. That could all change this season if Tottenham Hotspur go on a run in the Champions League.

Romero has played in the competition previously with Atalanta — winning at Anfield along the way – and his experience should be valuable to Spurs in the coming weeks. For those who don’t watch Romero regularly, he really is a phenomenon. A right centre-back in a three, Romero has a licence to get forward and join up with attacks, while defensively he is a nightmare to play against. He is extremely physical and plays just on the edge of what’s legal, often intimidating opposition players into giving the ball away merely by getting so close to them they panic into making a bad decision.

It feels as though there’s always a simmering, low-level menace in everything he does, and his presence is such that he really lifts his team-mates. He’s absolutely someone you want in your side. You get the feeling he will absolutely relish taking on Europe’s best.

Charlie Eccleshare

(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)

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