ANALYSIS
New tournament, new faces: Team signings for the FIFA Club World Cup
Most of the participants have decided to strengthen their squads thanks to the transfer window set up by FIFA before the start of the tournament.
Dean Huijsen in his introduction with Real Madrid.
Once the season was over and after a holiday break, Europe's top teams returned to get ready for the start of the new campaign. They did so with friendly matches, many of which were played far from home. Not much time has passed since then. However, this method has changed so radically this year that it is no longer a preparation, but an official competition: the FIFA Club World Cup.
Despite the criticism voiced from a fraction of the soccer world for "overloading" the calendar and not giving the players a break, the European participants enter the FIFA Club World Cup, which will be played in the United States from June 14 to July 13, with the same desire as they do in the rest of the competitions and with the objective to achieve the title and add the trophy to their cabinet.
To try to achieve the goal, the teams have had the possibility of reinforcing their squads, thanks to the fact that FIFA granted an extraordinary window, which lasted several days, for them to improve their squad for the FIFA Club World Cup. Nine of the 12 European teams who will contest the tournament took the opportunity to incorporate new players.
Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid
Spain's representatives, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, will have new faces at the FIFA Club World Cup. The most successful team in the UEFA Champions League has brought in Spanish player Dean Huijsen (from Bournemouth in the Premier League for about $66 million) and English defender Trent Alexander-Arnold (arriving for free after finishing his contract with Liverpool). There has also been movement on the bench: Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti ended his successful spell, leaving his post to Xabi Alonso, who was already familiar with the Santiago Bernabéu, having played for five seasons with the team.
In the case of Atlético de Madrid, the two additions are two players who are returning to the team. Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso and French center back Clement Lenglet are back on loans from their previous clubs, Atalanta and FC Barcelona.
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG have made the decision not to sign any players before the start of the FIFA Club World Cup and their manager, Spaniard Luis Enrique Martínez, will rely on the squad that led them to win their first UEFA Champions League to try to bring another trophy to the French capital.
Manchester City and Chelsea
From the Premier League, considered the best soccer league in the world, Manchester City and Chelsea arrive at the FIFA Club World Cup having invested millions in new players. The side coached by Spaniard Pep Guardiola has signed up to four new players: Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Marcus Betinelli, with whom it has clearly expressed its ambition to succeed in the United States.
Chelsea has bolstered its squad with three players: Dario Essugo, Liam Delap and Mamadou Sarr. The team led by Italian coach Enzo Maresca tried to bring in more players but failed to do so.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund
One of the most admired teams in Europe, Bayern Munich, has signed two new players. And, as it historically tends to do, both are German and come from two of its Bundesliga rivals: Jonathan Tah and Tom Bischof. They also arrive for free after ending their contractual ties with Bayer Leverkusen and TSG Hoffenheim, respectively.
Bayern's biggest rival in Germany in recent years, Borussia Dortmund, has made a move in the transfer market and signed English player Jobe Bellingham, who follows in the footsteps of his older brother, Jude. The Real Madrid player previously played for the German team.
Inter Milan and Juventus
Italy's representatives at the FIFA Club World Cup, Inter Milan and Juventus, land in the United States after enacting different strategies in the transfer window. In the case of the UEFA Champions League runners-up, they arrive with a new manager, Romanian Christian Chivu, following the million-dollar landing of his predecessor, Simone Inzaghi, in Saudi Arabia. They will have two other new faces on the field: Petar Sucic and Luis Henrique.
The other Italian team in question, Juventus, travels to the United States without any new additions to their squad. The "Vecchia Signora" will face this challenge with the same players they counted on this season.
Porto, Benfica and Salzburg
Two of the three European teams left come from Portugal. SL Benfica has not signed any players, while FC Porto bought in Spaniard Gabri Veiga from Saudi Arabia.
Finally, Austrian side RB Salzburg made the most changes ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, with five new faces: Jacob Rasmussen, Amar Dedic, Stefan Lainer, Sota Kitano and Franz Kraztig.
What about the signings by the other teams?
In addition to the 12 teams traveling from Europe for the FIFA Club World Cup, the other participants have also had the opportunity to bolster their squads, and many have done so. There are even some that have managed to keep a player in their ranks who was wanted by other teams that will be in the United States beginning June 14.
Inter Miami, Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles FC
The first case to analyze is that of Inter Miami, which will be at the FIFA Club World Cup thanks to its status as host, as designated by soccer's highest body. The club will compete in the tournament with the dream of an upset win, as it face teams superior in terms of talent. However, Leo Messi and company will not have any new teammates, despite the insistence of their coach, Javier Mascherano, who demanded signings, claiming that he has few players.
Another of the American teams that will be at the FIFA Club World Cup, the Seattle Sounders, does come with new players: Osaze de Rosario, Travian Sousa and Leo Burney.
Finally, LAFC, the last team to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup, has signed Frankie Amaya and Ryan Raposo. They will be without their star player for the last few seasons, Mexican forward Carlos Vela, who just announced his retirement.
Monterrey and Pachuca
The other Mexican team at the FIFA Club World Cup, Pachuca, has signed four new players: Agustín Palavecino, Robert Kenedy, José Castillo and Federico Pereira.
Boca Juniors and River Plate
The two contenders from the Superclásico will be at the FIFA Club World Cup. The first of them, Boca Juniors, has changed its manager, with Miguel Ángel Russo in charge of bringing the team back from a somewhat complicated season. The club also comes with two new signings on the field: Marco Pellegrino and Malcom Braida.
The other contender is River Plate. The club did not making any signings despite requests by their coach, Marcelo Gallardo, but they did manage to keep Franco Mastantuono, who was wanted by many of the best teams in Europe before the start of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Flamengo, Botafogo, Fluminense and Palmeiras
Four Brazilian teams will be at the tournament, and three of them decided to sign new players. Starting with Flamengo, "Leao" signed Jorginho from Premier League side Arsenal. Botafogo signed five players: Joaquín Correa, Arthur Cabral, Álvaro Montoro and Kaio Pantaleao.
Fluminense acquired Venezuelan Yeferson Soteldo, while Palmeiras made no signings. In the last transfer window, they spent about $80 million.
Al Hilal, Al Ain, Al Ahly and Wydad Casablanca
The remaining teams come from Asia, Africa and Oceania. For example, Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) will arrive with new manager, Simone Inzaghi, and two new players: Ali Lajami and Abdulkarim Darisi. Al Ahly (Egypt) has also changed manager, with Spaniard Jose Riveiro taking the helm, and signed three players: Mahmoud Trezeguet, Seha and Ben Romdhane. Al Ain (United Arab Emirates) signed three new players: Rui Patricio, Rami Rabia and Houssine Rahimi, the same as Wydad Casablanca (Morocco): Bart Meijers, Nordin Amrabat and Hamza Hannouri.
Auckland City (New Zealand), Espérance (Tunisia), the Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), the Mamelodi Sudowns (South Africa) and Ulsan HD (South Korea) have not made changes to their squads.
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