Five UEFA Champions League Players Every Elite Club Should Sign

The UEFA Champions League will only hit the halfway mark of the group stage after Wednesday’s Matchday 4 contests.

With the new format, Matchday 7 and 8 will not come until AFTER the January transfer window opens, which means we could see a lot of movement for players who have made big names for themselves in the early part of the 2024-25 season.

So, which players might those be?

Here are five you should know.

Mattinson scouts: 5 wonder kids to watch in the Champions League Tuesday 

Angelo Stiller – VfB Stuttgart, 23, DM/CM

Stuttgart went from a team battling with relegation to finishing 2nd in the Bundesliga last season ahead of Bayern Munich, and a big part of that is the brilliance of Angelo Stiller. The deep-lying-playmaker has outstanding passing ability as he’s able to break through the lines accurately and quickly. Stiller’s ability to play clipped passes over the top of the defence or half-space crosses is such an asset to the team. The German international has the right temperament on the ball to dictate the pace of the game and is one of the most crucial players in build-up play for Stuttgart. He’s able to break up play tackling or intercepting the ball then effectively progress the ball with so much composure.

Geovany Quenda – Sporting CP, 17, RW/RWB

Sporting’s wonderkid winger Quenda has burst onto the scene from their academy. At academy level he played as right-winger but this season Amorim has played him a right-wingback. With an explosive acceleration he’s dangerous in 1v1 scenarios as he can create separation rapidly. Quenda is able to take on his man either side and cross or shoot on either foot. His ability to cut inside on his stronger left foot enables him to slip passes in behind the defence through to runners like Gyökeres. For such a young player, he’s shown great decision making, maturity and decision making.

Wilfried Singo – AS Monaco, 23, CB

Singo’s reputation first arose whilst playing as a marauding 6’3” right-wingback at Torino where his pace and power enabled him to bomb down the right flank and whip in crosses or crash the box. However, Monaco had different plans for him. Since signing for the French club, Singo has played almost exclusively as a centre-back (28 out of his 36 games). This new role has further developed the defensive and passing side to his game as Singo is the backline leader and ball progressor. In today’s modern game, defenders are much more progressive and have a huge role in possession as they look to play the ball out of defence. This has also brought the side of FB/CB hybrids and Singo is the perfect profile for a RB/RCB hybrid. 

Miguel Gutiérrez – Girona, 23, LB

The Real Madrid academy product keeps improving for Girona year after year. This season his chance creation has reached new levels as he’s now. Despite being a LB, Gutiérrez is a reliable creative outlet consistently able to utilise his quality passing down the left side of the pitch. He’ll often invert into midfield in the final third to underlap the winger and provide chance creation, or even be a threat towards goal. This season, in 15 games, he already has 2 goals and 3 assists from LB.

Tiago Santos – LOSC Lille, 22, RB

Portuguese RB is the type of RB every modern team would love. Full-backs are given so much responsibility now and he’s someone who can fulfil all those. Line-breaking passes and deep ball progression? Yep. Overlapping and accurate crossing? Yep. Ball-striking and goal-threat? Yep. Skilled passer and making combinations to surpass the press and build-up? Yep. Aggressive 1v1 defender when isolated with a winger? Yep. He has the lot. Tiago Santos inverts into midfield a lot where he’s used in build up or in the final third as a goal threat. Unfortunately, he’s recently got an ACL injury but when he’s back fit, every top team needing a RB should be after him.