Ianis Hagi
(Genk)T
he son of Gheorghe Hagi, Romania’s
greatest player of all time, the 20-
year-old patently has the same
creative chromosomes. So impressive
for his country’s under-21s at this summer’s
European Championship, he has now swapped
his homeland alma mater, Viitorul Constanta, for
Belgian top dogs Genk.
There were plenty of raised eyebrows when
the announcement filtered through in July that
Hagi junior had moved in a transaction thought
to be worth €8m. The fee seemed on the low
side and many were perplexed that he had
chosen the relatively cash-poor Belgian league
over far weightier bids from England, Spain,
Germany and Russia.
But his father, who is the owner and coach
of Viitorul, insisted the decision was common
sense, declaring: “Ianis is going to a very goodteam which has just won the Belgian title, is in
the Champions League group phase and is a
club which brings on young players.
“We had some big money proposals, some
medium ones and a more normal offer for a
good technical project. We chose the latter. He
is delighted to come to Belgium.
“I hope Belgian football is going to make him a
better player. It’s an important step in his career.”
No one can blame the Hagis for not wanting
to run before they walk as Ianis has been burned
once before, spending 18 frustrating months on
the fringes at Fiorentina before heading back
chastened to Viitorul.
Gheorghe Hagi was extremely unhappy with
the way the Viola treated his offspring and
clearly was in no mind to repeat the mistake.
Forget the charms of overstocked elite clubs;
Ianis will play week in and week out at Genk.Jann-Fiete Arp
(Bayern Munich)
Some pundits feel that the 19-year-old striker
took the “too much, too soon” route when
leaving second-tier Hamburg for Bayern. The
counter-argument is the fact that he and first-
choice line-leader Robert Lewandowski are the
only genuine centre-forwards at the club.
Moussa Diaby
(Bayer Leverkusen)It did not take long for fans of the Werkself to fall
in love with the freshly signed PSG winger. The
French under-20 starlet is known for high-tempo
work and his bullet-from-a-gun pace, explosive
changes of direction and slick give-and-gos. One
area he must work on is his finishing.Ferro
(Benfica)Impressive homegrown centre-back who early
this year was still playing for the Eagles’ reserve
side. Parachuted into the first team in February
when Jardel went down with a hamstring injury,
he has not looked back since and played a key
role in the club’s domestic league triumph.Ruslan Malinovskyi
(Atalanta)
Much praised for his educated left foot and
fearsome shooting power, the Ukraine midfielder
did not hang around long after Genk’s Belgian
title celebrations in May. Within weeks he had
forced through a move to a fast-improving
Atalanta side.
Valentino Lazaro
(Internazionale)
Despite welcoming a new investor on board^
this summer, Hertha Berlin simply could not
say no when Inter came knocking at the door
and offered €25m for the skilful 23-year-old
Austrian winger, a record outgoing fee for a
Hertha player.
BREAKOUT STARS