5 players from the Copa America who could be targets in Europe this summer
While the Copa America has never been as popular as the World Cup or a European championship, the recently concluded tournament certainly proved to be an exciting few weeks of international football as the host nation Chile ended up winning their first ever international trophy, beating Argentina on penalties.We saw some old faces like Robinho again, new potential stars like Jeison Murillo and some big upsets as you’d expect. International tournaments are also a chance for managers to find the latest talent or potential new signings who have performed well and increased their transfer value and could strengthen their team.There was certainly plenty of that in this edition of the Copa. Several players stood up and made a name for themselves amid all the controversy and the stars, a few of the lesser known players took their opportunities to shine.We take a look at five players who impressed in the Copa America and could be destined for moves later this summer.
#1 David Ospina
If you follow the Premier League, you probably already know about the Arsenal goalkeeper.
Signed from Nice last summer following some impressive displays in the World Cup, Ospina started the season as a backup goalkeeper. However, with Wojciech Szczesny constantly making errors, Ospina was made the permanent first choice keeper in January and initally impressed.
Despite making fewer errors than the Polish international, Ospina still made errors nonetheless, particularly against Swansea City at home and against Monaco in the Champions League. His small frame didn’t help either as despite an overall solid debut season, the Colombian failed to consolidate his place in goal.
It shocked many as a result, to see Arsene Wenger pursue Petr Cech when he already had two able – but not world class – goalkeepers at his disposal. As the rumours of the Chelsea goalkeeper began to increase, many suspected Ospina to be the one leaving despite only joining last summer. This was because Szczesny was seen as the one with more potential and probably wouldn’t mind sitting on the bench.
When the Cech transfer was reportedly agreed, Ospina – who had already impressed in the Copa America, conceding just once in three games – decided to have the game of his life as Colombia faced Argentina in the quarterfinals. Denying the likes of Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi with near-impossible saves, nothing went past Ospina who probably had the best game of his career.
Colombia eventually lost to Argentina on penalties after a 0-0 draw but Ospina could go home with his head held high, only conceding a solitary goal in four games and posting the best saves to shots ratio in the tournament with 91%.
If he was leaving Arsenal before the tournament, the Gunners can now expect an even higher fee for the Colombian with clubs like Everton and Fenerbahce interested.