Chelsea youngster, Madrid target and Bayern starlet among best newcomers in Europe
The transition period for players joining new leagues or signing from another country is often overlooked. Transfers are expected to hit the ground running and patience is hard to come by. Some make a swift transition while others do not.
Here we assess the best newcomers in Europe's top five leagues in 2019/20 - those enjoying their first real taste of elite domestic football. In order to sift through the sample pool a few rules have been set out to separate the good from the bad. Firstly, players must have been no older than 25 at the start of the campaign. Moreover, they cannot have made more than five starts in any of Europe's top five leagues prior to the 2019/20 campaign. And finally, only players with a maximum of one full season in any other European top-flight league can be considered. Martin Odegaard, for example, fails on the last point.
Goalkeeper: Predrag Rajkovic (Reims) - 7.03 rating
Signed from Maccabi Tel Aviv over the summer, Predrag Rajkovic has done what few goalkeepers manage and make the headlines for all the right reasons. The 24-year-old has been immense between the sticks for Reims and is currently the goalkeeper in the WhoScored Team of the Season in Ligue 1.
That Reims have the best defensive record in Ligue 1 (21 goals conceded) is testament to Rajkovic's performances in goal. The Serbian shot-stopper has remarkably saved four of the five penalties he has faced in Ligue 1 this season and has done superbly well to fill the void left by last season's No.1, Edouard Mendy.
Right-back: Fabien Centonze (Metz) - 7.08 rating
After working hard to make a name for himself in the lower leagues of the French football system, 24-year-old defender Fabien Centonze was finally rewarded with the chance to play in Ligue 1 by Metz over the summer. Signed after just a season at Ligue 2 side Lens, Centonze has already cemented himself a Metz's first-choice right-back this season.
Centonze has remarkably played every minute of league football in 2019/20 and is Metz's top WhoScored rated player in the competition. The right-back has three assists to his name and as many WhoScored Man of the Match awards. Furthermore, Centonze impressively averages 4.8 tackles and interceptions combined per league game.
Centre-back: Sebastian Schonlau (Paderborn) - 7.03 rating
Sebastian Schonlau was only just coming through at Paderborn the last time they were in the Bundesliga prior to this season back in 2014/15. Schonlau failed to make an appearance that year but played an important role in their promotion from Bundesliga 2 in 2018/19 and is now getting to experience top-flight football for the first time.
Now 25, Schonlau is coming into his own at Paderborn and is the club's top WhoScored rated player in the Bundesliga this season. With two goals in 19 appearances, this is already his most prolific campaign at the other end of the pitch. Schonlau averages the most clearances per game (6.2) of all Bundesliga players this season and despite the fact Paderborn are bottom of the league, his pass success rate is notably 87.8%. No other Paderborn regular (15+ apps) has a pass success rate above 80%.
Centre-back: Jack O'Connell (Sheffield United) - 6.94 rating
Sheffield United were picked my most to be relegated at the first attempt this season. Yet Chris Wilder's side will go fifth in the Premier League if they win their game in hand once football is safe to resume. The Blades have been a revelation this season, particularly with their unique tactics of overlapping centre-backs. Jack O'Connell has been eye-catching in that regard, in his maiden top-flight campaign.
Now 26, O'Connell spent most of his early years jumping from loan spell to loan spell around the lower leagues before finally settling in the Steel City in 2016. O'Connell has not missed a minute of league action this season, winning 64.8% of his contested aerial duels in the process. There have even been calls from some quarters for international recognition for O'Connell.
Left-back: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) - 7.54 rating
Alphonso Davies has been a revelation for Bayern Munich this season and his performances at left-back have been all-the-more impressive considering he is naturally a winger. Signed from MLS outfit Vancouver Whitecaps midway through last season, Davies was eased into the swing of things at Bayern with just six substitute appearances during the second half of the 2018/19 campaign.
This season, however, has very much been a breakthrough campaign for the Canada international. Perhaps by luck rather than design, Davies has emerged as one of the best attacking left-backs in Europe. The 19-year-old has played a direct hand in five goals in 21 league games. Starting so deep only plays to Davies' strenghts as a ball-carrier, as he averages 3 successful dribbles per game.
Central midfield: Eduardo Camavinga (Rennes) - 7.12 rating
Rennes production line of fantastic talents continues to shine, with Eduardo Camavinga the latest prospect to explod onto the scene. At just 17, Camavinga is already a first-team regular for the Ligue 1 outfit and is already being linked with a summer move to Real Madrid. Following in the footsteps of the likes of Ousmane Dembele to make a high profile move so young is a matter of when rather than if for Camavinga.
Described as a mixture of N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, Camavinga appears to have it all to go right the way to the top. No player in Europe's top five leagues averages more tackles per game than the Rennes teenager (4.1), while he has even managed one goal and two assists from his 25 league games. Furthermore, he has completed 19 of his 28 attempted dribbles in Ligue 1 in 2019/20.
Central midfield: Gaetano Castrovilli (Fiorentina) - 7.06 rating
Unlike his midfield partner in this XI, Gaetano Castrovilli required regular football on loan in a second division before being deemed ready for top-flight football. A two-year loan stint at Cremonese certainly did Castrovilli wonders, however, as the 23-year-old is now flourishing for the Viola in Serie A.
The Italian central midfielder has played a direct hand in five goals in 23 league appearances for Fiorentina this season and has claimed the WhoScored Man of the Match award on three occasions. However, it is with the ball at his feet when Castrovilli is most effective. Indeed, only one player averages more successful dribbles per game than the Fiorentina ace in Serie A this season (3.2). Furthermore, of players to have attempted at least 75 dribbles in Europe's top five leagues this season, only three have a better success rate than Castrovilli (73.8%).
Right wing: Dejan Kulusevski (Parma) - 7.07 rating
In just three substitute appearances in 2018/19, Atalanta quickly made the decision Dejan Kulusevski needed regular playing time elsewhere to mature. He has done just that on loan at Parma this season and his performances have been so eye catching that Juventus wrapped up a deal for his services around the turn of the year.
The Sweden international has played a direct hand in 13 goals in 23 league appearances for Parma this season and claimed the WhoScored Man of the Match award on three occasions. Kulusevski also averages 2 key passes per game and 2 successful dribbles per game. The 19-year-old will link up with Juventus at the end of the season.
Attacking midfield: Mason Mount (Chelsea) - 7.01 rating
Mason Mount has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Chelsea's decision to appoint Frank Lampard as manager over the summer. Having spent a full season under Lampard during their time together at Derby last season, Mount has become a first-team regular for his boyhood club this season. Under any other manager at Stamford Bridge it's likely Mount would have been loaned out or sold for a profit over the summer.
There is still plenty of work to do for Mount to fulfil his potential but a return of six goals and four assists in a maiden Premier League campaign is certainly encouraging. Mount was already pushing to start for England at this summer's Euros but the decision to delay the tournament by 12 months will only work in his favour more so.
Left wing: Mounir Chouiar (Dijon) - 7.30 rating
Fabien Centonze wasn't the only player Lens lost to a club in France's top-flight over the summer, as Dijon poached Mounir Chouiar from the Ligue 2 outfit. Chouiar has made a similarly impressive impact on his first ever taste of top-flight football.
The 21-year-old has scored four goals in 20 league appearances for his new club this season and is highly unfortunate not to have any assists to his name. Chouiar has remarkably failed to set up a single goal despite managing 44 key passes in Ligue 1 this season. That indicates it's not Chouiar's fault but a lack of quality on the receiving end of his chances created. Moreover, a return of 3.5 successful dribbles per game is second to just Neymar (6) in Ligue 1 this season.
Striker: Victor Osimhen (Lille) - 7.14 rating
Lille were gutted of their top talent over the summer and desperately needed some of their incomings to hit the ground running. Losing Nicolas Pepe and Rafael Leao was particularly crushing for the French side but Victor Osimhen has at least carried some of the burden on his shoulders. Signed from RSC Charleroi in Belgium after just one season in Belgium, the 20-year-old, who only managed three league starts in two years at Wolfsburg, is now already being linked with a high profile switch to the Premier League.
Osimhen has played a direct hand in 17 goals in 27 league games for Lille in 2019/20, netting 13 goals in the process. He has claimed four WhoScored Man of the Match awards in the process and averages 4.4 aerial duels won per game.
