Tzolis to Sucic: unheralded players to watch in the Champions League
Christos Tzolis (Club Brugge, 22)
In 2021 Norwich had high hopes of the Greek striker, signed from Paok Salonika for £8.8m. Tzolis started his Carrow Road career with two goals and a couple of assists in the 6-0 demolition of Bournemouth in the League Cup but rarely started after that. Dismissed as a flop, he was loaned to Fortuna Düsseldorf last summer. The tricky and speedy left-winger flourished, finishing as the 2.Bundesliga’s top scorer with 22 goals and nearly leading his club to promotion. Fortuna didn’t have the funds to keep Tzolis with the £3m buy option but it made sense to activate it in order to resell at a cool profit. Club Brugge were delighted to get him, and Tzolis has started brightly in Belgium .
Vladan Kovacevic (Sporting, 26)
For three years, Kovacevic was the best goalkeeper in the Polish Ekstraklasa at Rakow Czestochowa, helping the modest club to win a historic league title in 2023. Blessed with phenomenal instincts and very calm under pressure, the Bosnian is capable of stunning and crucial saves – such as stopping a last-minute penalty at Rubin Kazan in the Conference League qualifiers in 2021. Rakow played in the Europa League group stage last season and Sporting were impressed with his performances in the couple of matches against them. They signed him this summer as the replacement for the veteran Antonio Adán.
Martin Vitik (Sparta Prague, 21)
The Czech centre-back, who got one game at Euro 2024, would have loved to play for Bologna in the Champions League this season but Sparta’s sporting director, Tomas Rosicky, turned down their offer, claiming his club must keep their best players. Tall, very physical but quite comfortable on the ball, Vitik has been considered a top prospect since breaking into Sparta’s senior squad in 2020. As a Milan fan, he was delighted to play against I Rossoneri back then. He will now face Inter at San Siro.
Enzo Millot (VfB Stuttgart, 22)
Millot grew up at the Monaco academy but wasn’t given a chance to prove his worth in Ligue 1. His move to Stuttgart in the summer of 2021 proved to be phenomenal. Although many in France considered it a step backwards, he overcame a serious injury to prove himself last season. The coach, Sebastian Hoeness, made him a starter, gave him freedom to roam and Millot developed into one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga. Compared to Dani Olmo by some, he knows how to find free spaces, is difficult to mark and is quite tenacious with his defending.
Otar Kiteishvili (Sturm Graz, 28)
Georgian football is in fashion after Euro 2024 and the 4-1 thrashing of the Czech Republic in the Nations League last Saturday. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Georges Mikautadze are getting the headlines but Kiteishvili, a versatile midfielder, is in the Champions League. He was voted player of the season in Austria last season as his team won the title, stopping the decade-long domination of Red Bull Salzburg. He gets everywhere on the pitch, combining playmaking with tireless work without the ball. Sturm fans adore him, and there were celebrations when Kiteishvili signed a new contract instead of choosing a massive salary in Qatar.
Romain Del Castillo (Brest, 28)
Brest are arguably the most surprising team in the Champions League after finishing third in Ligue 1. Del Castillo was their best player during a magical season, providing eight goals and eight assists and pleasing fans with his outrageously imaginative style. The Lyon academy graduate had been considered injury prone and inconsistent but turned into a true star. Blessed with magnificent ball control in tight spaces that is somewhat reminiscent of Jamal Musiala, he is a great dribbler but also unselfish, always looking for a pass. Can he grab the spotlight against Real Madrid and Barcelona?
Adam Daghim (Red Bull Salzburg, 18)
Salzburg made positive headlines in the Champions League last season with a very young squad that included the Israeli playmaker Oscar Gloukh and the Danish midfield engine Maurits Kjærgaard. Now an even younger star is hoping to prove himself. Daghim, a Dane of Lebanese and Libyan heritage, was purchased from AGF Aarhus, where he became the youngest player in the club’s history. After a season at their farm club Liefering in the second division, he was promoted to the first team and scored a magnificent Robben-esque goal against Dynamo Kyiv in the qualifiers. Powerfully built, he is capable of playing as a central striker, but Salzburg mostly use his speed and ball control on the right wing.
Petar Sucic (Dinamo Zagreb, 20)
On the subject of Salzburg, one of their brightest stars, Luka Sucic, was sold to Real Sociedad this summer and won’t play in the Champions League. But the spotlight should be on his cousin Petar Sucic, who is making speedy progress at Dinamo. Sucic prefers to play deeper than Luka in midfield, making precise passes or surging runs from behind. Croatia’s coach, Zlatko Dalic, was delighted Sucic switched after representing Bosnia and Herzegovina at youth level. After Sucic’s debut against Portugal in the Nations League last week, Dalic said: “I believe that he is the successor to Marcelo Brozovic.” That is a massive challenge, but the youngster could be up to it.
