New faces in the Bundesliga for the 2016-17 season
The Bundesliga has acquired some new faces ahead of the 2016-17 season. Here are a few of the latest additions, including not only rising stars but a few players with valuable experience.
Ousmane Dembele, Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund lost several key players this summer, but Dembele might help their fans recover very quickly. The 18-year-old has only had one full season as a professional with French club Stade Rennes, but that season gained him plenty of international plaudits. He is now among a young core of impressive Dortmund attackers.
Ondrej Duda, Hertha Berlin
Duda does not have the international profile of others on this list, but Hertha finished seventh place last season without many household names. He is one of Slovakia's up-and-coming stars, getting the chance to play in the European Championship despite being 21-years-old. He could be another player that Pal Dardai transforms into a very useful player.
Breel Embolo, Schalke
New sporting director Christian Heidel anticipated the departure of young star Leroy Sane by acquiring Embolo from Basel right after the European Championship. The teenager has Champions League experience with Basel and already has 14 caps with the Swiss national team. He is the kind of talent that could fill a Sane-sized hole in Schalke's attack.
Raphael Guerreiro, Borussia Dortmund
Portugal have a strong wave of players reaching their prime, and Guerreiro is a big part of the generation. He reached the final of the U21 European Championship with before winning the Euros this summer with the senior team. With Lorient heading to the second division in France, Guerreiro jumped at the chance to join Dortmund.
Alen Halilovic, Hamburger SV
Touted as Croatia's next big thing, the 19-year-old Halilovic played nearly every game for Sporting Gijon last season. He returned to a competitive Barcelona team that had no space for him in midfield. He will now represent Hamburg, a team in need of a creative spark in attack, as he tries to follow int he footsteps of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic and become the next Croatian midfield superstar.
Naby Keita, RB Leipzig
His move to Leipzig is one shrouded in controversy - Leipzig have purchased five players from Red Bull sister club Salzburg over the last two seasons - but it shouldn't take away from his talent. Keita (right) scored 14 goals in 37 games for Salzburg last season and, at 19, won four caps for Guinea in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He joins a very young Leipzig attack.
Renato Sanches, Bayern Munich
Renato Sanches made a big impact at the European Championship for Portugal, winning the Young Player of the Tournament award. Bayern snapped him up from Portuguese club Benfica before that, which is just as well given the attention he received in France. He may not make the same impact in the Bundesliga as he did this summer, but he has huge potential and is a new young Bayern talent to watch.