8 clubs that improved even after selling their top players

Shakhtar Donetsk

Costa and Teixeira were sold for huge fees during the 2015/16 season

Ukrainian city Donetsk is not just a repository for coal, but also for talented young Brazilian players aiming to make it big in Europe.

Shakhtar built a formidable side under the guidance of Mircea Lucescu and with the Romanian in charge, the club won several domestic honours as well as the UEFA Europa League in 2009.

The Ukrainian side built their squad by relying on the flair of Brazilian players to build their midfield and forward line-up while the local lads from Ukraine took care of goalkeeping and defensive duties.

Shakhtar has honed some of the best Brazilian players in Europe right now. This list includes Chelsea’s Willian, Manchester City’s Fernandinho and Bayern Munich’s Douglas Costa. In addition to these players, other players like Matuzalem, Elano, Jadson, Eduardo da Silva (later adopted Croatian citizenship), Luiz Adriano and Fernando have all come to Shakhtar and made a huge impact before leaving for greener pastures.

Almost every year the club has lost its valuable assets and yet have been able to do well in domestic and European competitions. In the ongoing season, they lost players like Douglas Costa, Alex Teixeira, Luiz Adriano and Fernando, and even then they are just three points behind league toppers Dynamo Kyiv and are also through to the quarter final of the UEFA Europa League after beating Schalke and Anderlecht in the previous knockout rounds.