Price hikes

Buying players solely on the basis of World Cup performances is a very dangerous game. The World Cup is, of course, the biggest stage of all, but one or two good matches do not guarantee a top class player. Some of the shrewdest managers around have been drawn into traps on this basis: Sir Alex Ferguson’s gamble on Kleberson after the 2002 World Cup is a case in point.

However, new stars are inevitably born and that will lead to the shuffling of cheque books. Here are five players whose price tags will have shot up and could be set for big summer moves.

Keisuke Honda (Japan)

The 24-year old Japanese star only joined CSKA Moscow in January but is already being linked with a big move west. He cost the Russian Premier League side 6 million euros from VVV Venlo and signed a four year contract at the time. Honda was extremely impressive in his debut for CSKA Moscow, which, due to the distinct Russian calendar, came in the Champions League last 16 against Sevilla. In the second leg of that tie he set up Tomas Necid for a goal and scored from a free kick to knock the Andalucian team out of Europe. He has now replaced Russian starlet Alan Dzagoev as CSKA's most marketable asset. The attacking midfielder has followed up his promising start in Russia with an eye-catching World Cup which has inevitably led to interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Price: 15 million euros.

Mesut Ozil (Germany)

Contrary to popular opinion in the English press, Mesut Ozil was not a “virtual unknown” heading into this tournament. The Turkish born playmaker has been on the radar of Europe’s top clubs for many years. Arsenal are being linked with a bid as a possible replacement for Barcelona-bound Cesc Fabregas and Arsene Wenger will have been aware of Ozil’s talent ever since he burst onto the scene for Schalke 04 in 2006.. Ozil guided the German under-21 team to European glory last year and has gone from strength to strength since then. He has been one of the best players at this World Cup but even before then he was always going to cost upwards of 20 million euros. The issue now with Ozil is that he is entering the last year of his contract and could be bought on the (relative) cheap as a result. Price: 25 million euros.

Fabio Coentrao (Portugal)

Fabio Coentrao was not originally expected to start for Portugal at this World Cup, much less outshine some established superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, but the left back displaced Luis Miguel and Paolo Ferreira as first choice under Carlos Queiroz and the manager’s faith in the player has been thoroughly justified by some standout performances. Coentrao has obviously benefited from the fact that Ferreira and Miguel were both played out of position on the left flank but credit to him for taking the opportunity to stake his place for years to come. It is no secret that the 22-year old Benfica player would prefer a role further up the pitch but it will be difficult to shake the defensive tag after this formidable World Cup showing. Price: 10 million euros.
 
Gregory van der Wiel (Holland)

Bayern Munich are said to be closing in on a deal for 22-year old Holland right back Gregory van der Wiel, which is a curious move given that Germany and Bayern Munich captain Phillip Lahm currently occupies the right back berth for the Bundesliga champions. Van der Wiel has impressed for Ajax after graduating from the famous Amsterdam youth academy and has augmented his reputation with a fine World Cup showing. Bayern Munich are not the only team monitoring him; if he has any sense, van der Wiel will have doubts about joining a team where he is likely to spend a lot of time on the bench at this stage of his career. Price: 15 million euros.

Thomas Muller (Germany)

Muller would cost an absolute fortune after his World Cup heroics. He is only 20-years old and is still in contention for the Golden Boot having already scored four goals ahead of the third place playoff outing on Saturday. Muller’s international call-up follows an incredibly successful debut season in which he scored 19 goals as Bayern Munich won a domestic double. The bad news for any potential bidders is that Bayern are extremely stubborn when it comes to selling their most prized assets and are likely to use him as the focal point of their attack for years to come. Price: 30 million euros.