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3. Leonardo Spinazzola
Our second player from the Azzurri on the list, the 28-year-old Italian has always been criminally underrated throughout his career. Having spent 6 of his 7 years contracted to Juventus out on loan with 7 different clubs, Spinazzola finally left the Old Lady to join their Serie A rivals Roma in 2019, for a fee of €29.5m. The Foligno-born wing-back has had a difficult time with injuries but he finally showed his true class at Euro 2020. Ironically, a rupture in his achilles meant that Spinazzola had to exit the tournament prematurely.
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His athletic stature and ability to beat players on the run makes him an offensive threat to the opposition team. Spinazzola combined brilliantly with Lorenzo Insigne on the left flank for the 4 games that they played together at Euro 2020. If reports are to be believed, his stunning form tempted none other than Los Blancos to make a move for the versatile defender.
In addition to Real Madrid, Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea side are also looking to bring the Italian to Stamford Bridge as they look to offload an out-of-form Marcos Alonso.
2. Joakim Maehle
The Danish side have had a turbulent Euro 2020. They began their tournament with 2 losses on the trot, which included a tragic incident in their opening match against Finland. Christian Eriksen collapsed on the ground after suffering a cardiac arrest mid-game. But Denmark came back against all odds and qualified for the knockout stages, losing out to England in the semi-finals under controversial circumstances at Euro 2020.
One of the key players behind their resurgence was Atalanta full-back Joakim Maehle. Primarily featuring on the left for his country, Maehle helped the Danes on an unlikely semi-final run.
His first 6 months for Atalanta might have gone slightly under the radar but a remarkable Euro 2020 ensures that the Italian side will receive a lot of calls regarding the versatile defender's future. Reportedly, Southampton and Chelsea are sniffing around Atalanta to finalize a potential deal for Maehle.
However, Maehle recently reconfirmed his intention to extend his stay in Italy after Euro 2020. He stated:
“I have just switched to an insanely good Italian club, so I am sure that I will also play for Atalanta after the European Championships."
This may complicate matters for any club aiming to sign the 24-year-old defender. Nevertheless, interest in Maehle remains eminent.
1. Robin Gosens
How differently would've things ended in Munich had Robin Gosens decided to move forward with a career in the police, one has to wonder. The third fullback on the list with ties to Atalanta, Gosens was playing in the Dutch 2nd division during Germany's 2014 World Cup triumph. Working steadily through the ranks, he arrived at the Italian middlings in 2017 where he put in silent but stellar performances, on a consistent basis. The German tank subsequently earned a call up from Die Mannschaft for Euro 2020.
Gosens was particularly impressive against Portugal. He turned out to be too exorbitant for the Portuguese defense, scoring once and creating a further two in the game. Even though Germany had just about scrapped through Group F and crashed in the first round of the knockout stages, the 27-year-old defender bowed out, having proved his worth. So much so that links with Barcelona started surfacing, not long after.
Gosens is likely to be in high demand, especially after his showings at the Euros, as a lot of top clubs are looking for offensive fullbacks now. As of now, it is too soon to comment on his future. But one thing remains undeniable - he has earned his right to be at the center of a bidding war.
Honorable mentions
Some players who could've easily made the list include the likes of Renato Sanches, Mikkel Damsgaard, Mykola Matviyenko, Jeremy Doku, Denzel Dumfries and many more such Euro 2020 stars.
