Abhinav Kini lists the players whose stock has soared after their performance in France this summer
1. Graziano Pelle
Not every Italian was thrilled with his inclusion, but Pelle had a solid Euros (that shootout miss against Germany aside). With two goals in four games – injury-time strikes against Belgium and Spain which put both games to bed – Pelle has now proven that he can lead the Azzurri line. He turns 31 in July, but now has seven goals in 17 games for Italy.
He’s unlikely to stay at Southampton after the departure of Ronald Koeman and yet more key players, not least with reports that Chelsea, Juventus and Everton are interested in the Italian. The Saints can at least be confident of getting good value for their striker who’s currently rated around £12m.
Given that he performed well at Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup, it’s a little surprising that a bigger club hasn't snatched Ivan Perisic before. Truthfully, consistency has been an issue throughout his career – Dortmund happily sold him to Wolfsburg in 2013 – but his qualities are obvious nonetheless.
The 27-year-old is always a menace when he’s taking on opposition players, and with his end product in front of goal. After top scoring for Croatia in qualifying he ended Euro 2016 with two goals in four games, including the opener against the Czech Republic and that late winner against Spain.
While he’ll be disappointed to exit in the last 16, his club career on the other hand can only prosper: the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and PSG are all now linked with the Croat.
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3. N’Golo Kante
He was originally supposed to be on the bench, but an injury to Lassana Diarra paved the way for Kante to start – and the 25-year-old has taken his chance superbly.
If Leicester thought keeping Kante after their title-winning season was going to be tough, it’s only going to get worse with the midfielder’s recent displays for France.
He was originally supposed to be on the bench, but an injury to Lassana Diarra paved the way for Kante to start – and the 25-year-old has taken his chance superbly.
His consistent displays, featuring the routine tackling and intercepting he excels at, have endeared him to les Bleus fans quickly. An array of clubs including PSG, Real Madrid, Juventus, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are all rumoured to be in the chase, and it’s not difficult to see why.
4. Robbie Brady
The Manchester United youth product, currently at Norwich, has definitely seen his stock increase since the Euros. Having caught the eye for the Canaries despite their relegation last season, Brady impressed further in the Euros for the Republic of Ireland, netting the winner in their crucial 1-0 win over Italy in the group stage.
The 24-year-old isn’t going to be playing in the Championship next season, anyway: reigning champions Leicester are the reported frontrunners for his signature, but others including Southampton, Stoke and West Brom are all interested in the left-sided wideman.
5. Joe Allen
Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale have soaked up the praise for Wales’s historic run in the tournament, but Allen has made the team tick with his composure and consistency on the ball.
Allen has been the butt of a few jokes with Premier League watchers since joining Liverpool, but going by his performances for Wales so far it’s a wonder the Reds are considering selling him. Linked with a move away from Anfield before the tournament, the 26-year-old has quietly had an impressive Euros in the meantime.
Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale have soaked up the praise for Wales’s historic run in the tournament, but Allen has made the team tick with his composure and consistency on the ball. His finest moment came with a beautifully threaded ball to set up Ramsey’s goal against Russia.
With Sevilla now having confirmed their interest in the Liverpool man, a change of scenery could be exactly what he needs to kick on.
6. Birkir Bjarnason
Iceland’s progress to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 was one of the tournament’s best storylines. While every player in the Iceland team deserves credit for what’s been achieved, Basel’s Bjarnason has been one of the main reasons for their progress.
The tireless wide midfielder, who played every minute of Iceland’s campaign, scored the equaliser against Portugal and also made a crucial last-minute clearance against Austria which sparked his team’s match-winning counter-attack.
His performance in Iceland’s win against England was also solid, and could prompt some of Europe’s bigger hitters to take an interest in the Basel man.
7. Marko Pjaca
Pjaca only played 103 minutes at Euro 2016 but the 21-year-old winger definitely made an impression. Starting in Croatia’s group-deciding clash with Spain, the Dinamo Zagreb man made more dribbles (7) than anyone else and was a constant threat to la Roja with his directness and intelligent runs.
Croatia manager Ante Cacic may regret having not started Pjaca in the extra-time last-16 loss to Portugal, after his 10-minute cameo brought to life an otherwise drab affair. Dribbling through a Portugal defence and wreaking havoc in the box, Pjaca may have provided the breakthrough in the regular 90 minutes.
The young German had already made a name for himself in 2015/16, having got 15 league starts under his belt during Pep Guardiola’s last season as Bayern Munich manager. The versatile 21-year-old was later called up for Joachim Low’s Germany squad, and while he didn’t play in the opening two games, Kimmich started at right-back in what was a solid group stage display against Northern Ireland.
He kept his place for the last-16 win over Slovakia and then played 120 minutes against Italy in the quarters, scoring with his penalty in the shootout. With the valuable experience he’s getting, along with his impressive performances so far, Kimmich's name won't be so unknown next season. Not that there’s a chance of him leaving Bayern any time soon, though.
If Payet made an impression in England last season, he’s now showing off to the rest of Europe. He hit a stunning late winner in the opening game against Romania, then added another against Albania, confirming his newfound status as one of les Bleus’ most influential performers.
It doesn’t seem likely that the 29-year-old will leave West Ham for their debut season at the Olympic Stadium, although vice-chairman David Gold has conceded that the Hammers “must be realistic” about his future.
“If Barcelona or Real Madrid made a bid and he wanted to move there, it would be difficult to keep him,” he noted. “You can’t have a great player like Dimitri and expect no one to make a bid.”
While the 22-year-old Ajax forward had some moments to forget in France when it came to his finishing, the Poland forward still showed glimpses of his potential.
Milik was a constant threat and got himself in the right positions throughout, grabbing the winner in the opening game against Northern Ireland which gave Poland their first ever Euros win.
The Pole should only get better from here, and with clubs like Napoli, Leicester and Crystal Palace reportedly interested in him, he should get the chance to perform on a bigger stage next season.
