From Yan Diomande to Luka Vušković, from Bruno Guimarães to Maxence Lacroix, we’ve seen quite a few players parlay their impressive showings in the 2026 FIFA World Cup into lucrative transfers this summer.
Today, we’re taking a look at five lesser-known players who’ve earned big-money moves on the back of their showing in the World Cup.
Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt -> Bayern Munich)
After winning the domestic treble, Bayern Munich have wasted no time refurbishing their squad by signing Morocco’s attacking talisman Ismael Saibari for $56 million. Whilst Saibari will providing extra quality in Bayern’s stacked frontline, Nathaniel Brown will be looking to fill the hole at left back and justify his $57 million transfer fee.
10 months after making his professional debut for Nürnberg in the German second tier, Brown made the move to Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2024, remaining at his boyhood club until the end of the season. He quickly established himself as a key figure for Die Adler, scoring 3 goals and 7 assists in 33 appearances and helping them finish third in the Bundesliga, before losing to England in the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Final.
Whilst they managed to brave the midseason exit of Omar Marmoush and secure Champions League football, the departure of Hugo Ekitiké proved more debilitating as Eintracht finished eighth in 2025/26. However, Brown emerged as a bright spot with 4 goals and 6 assists in 42 appearances from the left back position, enough to see him win Eintracht’s Player of the Season as well as make his national team debut in October.
The son of an American father and a German mother, Brown was called up by Germany for the FIFA World Cup and scored a goal and an assist vs. Curaçao before playing the entirety vs. the Ivory Coast and Paraguay. At 23 years old, he’s established himself as one of the most intriguing young fullbacks in Germany, and after an impressive spell in Hesse, he’s now headed back home to Bavaria after joining Bayern on a five-year deal.
Bayern desperately needed a left back like Brown with the speed and verticality to cover large swaths of the pitch and bomb up and down the flank, and who can liberate utility players like Josip Stanisic and Tom Bischof to return to their natural positions instead of patching holes on the left side. Unless Alphonso Davies can fend off the injury demons that have haunted him for the past two seasons, Brown should be capable of becoming Bayern’s starting left back under Vincent Kompany.
Johan Manzambi (Freiburg -> Aston Villa)
It has been a busy summer for Aston Villa. After finishing fourth in the Premier League, they lost their two biggest talents in Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers to Manchester United and Chelsea, as well as starting left back Lucas Digne to Paris Saint-Germain. Villa have signed João Gomes from Wolves to help fill Tielemans’s void, but as far as Rogers’ more advanced midfield role, it will be Johan Manzambi who will be tasked with replicating his impact.
Manzambi grew up in Geneva before moving to Freiburg in 2023, where, after just 11 professional appearances, he enjoyed a breakthrough 2025/26 season that saw him score 7 goals and 9 assists in 47 matches. And after steering Freiburg to the UEFA Europa League Final, where they lost to Villa, the newly crowned Europa League Young Player of the Season made his mark at the FIFA World Cup for Switzerland.
After scoring brace off the bench vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina, he gained a place in Murat Yakin’s starting XI, firing a goal and an assist vs. Canada and an assist vs. Algeria before missing the next two matches with a knee injury. At the time, it seemed that Newcastle would be signing Manzambi, but with Amadou Onana tearing his ACL in the Round of 16, Villa moved quickly to hijack the Magpies’ interest and trigger a club-record $69 million deal.
Villa needed a box-to-box presence capable of bridging build-up play and final-third incision, and Manzambi does precisely that. Comfortable receiving under pressure in the second phase and driving forward into space, Manzambi ranked first in the Bundesliga for progressive carries (116) shot-ending carries (13) and fouls won (78), and he’s also proved to be an effective goal threat with his lethal late runs into the box.
For a team that was the second-oldest squad in the Premier League last season, Villa desperately needed some fresh young blood, and they’ve done that with the arrivals of Alejandro Garnacho (22), Gomes (25) and Modou Kéba Cissé (20). However, their marquee arrival is undoubtedly Manzambi (20), who, just two years after making his professional debut, looks set to make his mark in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.
Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest -> Manchester City)
After a legendary decade at the Etihad, there’s a new sheriff in town with Enzo Maresca replacing Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager. City haven’t just lost Guardiola, but other valuable veteran leaders like John Stones, Bernardo Silva, and Nathan Aké, and backup goalkeeper James Trafford.
Despite this, they’ve signed just one player (apart from teenage winger Jeremy Monga), with Elliot Anderson arriving on a five-year deal. Since leaving boyhood club Newcastle in 2024, Anderson has established himself as a vital cog in midfield for Nottingham Forest, helping them go from a relegation battle to a Europa League semifinal in just two years.
Anderson enjoyed a career-best 2025/26 season, making his England debut and leading the Premier League in touches (3,300), duels won (297), fouls won (80), and possessions won (306). The 23-year-old also formed a superb synergy in England’s double pivot alongside Declan Rice, helping the Three Lions achieve their best World Cup in 60 years with a bronze medal finish in North America.
Capable of playing either as a deep-lying controller alongside or in place of Rodri, or as a driving box-to-box #8, Anderson excels under pressure and boasts sharp footwork in tight spaces and the acceleration needed to drive past initial pressing lines, and his ability to carry the ball 30–40 yards turns defensive stops straight into dangerous attacking opportunities for City’s forward line.
Now, after joining City for a club-record $156 million, Anderson is seeking to fill Silva (and potentially Rodri’s) void in midfield and establish himself as one of the first names on Maresca’s team sheet. City’s midfield needed an injection of dynamism and raw power, and they’ve got that in Anderson, who, despite being just 5’10”, has excelled in terms of winning ground and aerial duels and sustaining pressure high up the pitch.
Christ Inao Oulaï (Trabzonspor -> Fiorentina)
It has been a meteoric rise for Christ Inao Oulaï. After playing at JMG Academy from 2018 to 2024, Oulaï left Abidjan for Bastia and made his mark in the French second tier before heading to Süper Lig side Trabzonspor in 2025. The Ivorian quickly established himself as an important figure in midfield, helping them beat Konyaspor in the Turkish Cup Final.
Oulaï’s performances caught the attention of Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Faé, who gave him his maiden call-up in November 2025 before calling him up for the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup. After an impressive showing off the bench vs. Ecuador, Oulaï excelled against Germany, completing 45 out of 50 passes (1 key pass) and 5 out of 5 dribbles.
He dropped to the bench vs. Curaçao before returning to the XI for the Ivory Coast’s first-ever World Cup knockout match vs. Norway. Now, after plying his trade in France and Türkiye, the 20-year-old will be looking to make his presence felt in Italy after joining Fiorentina for $30 million. If he triggers the $4.6 million in conditional bonuses in his contract, he will surpass Nicolás González as their most expensive signing.
After last season’s close call with relegation, Fiorentina have wasted no time in refurbishing their midfield, and it’s expected that Oulaï will slot in alongside fellow arrival Arthur Atta in the heart of the pitch. Capable of playing as a defensive midfielder or a box-to-box midfielder, Oulaï thrives at breaking up opposition play and initiating build-ups from the defensive third.
He’s got the passing accuracy and clarity under pressure to be able to carry the ball through physically imposing Serie A midfields and work the ball to the attack, and his press resistance and high tackling volume should help give an extra boost to a Fiorentina side that looked anemic and out of ideas last season.
Tarik Muharemović (Sassuolo -> Leeds United)
After reaching their first-ever World Cup knockout match, Bosnia & Herzegovina supporters are set to see two of their biggest talents represent two massive clubs. After a breakout season with Red Bull Salzburg, Bayer Leverkusen triggered their buyback option on Kerim Alajbegović and sold him to Juventus for $34.5 million plus bonuses of $8 million), with the Italian giants beating Chelsea to his signing.
So as things stand, the only Bosnian who’ll be featuring in the Premier League this season is Tarik Muharemović. Born in Slovenia, Muharemović grew up in Austria before joining Juventus’ academy in 2021. And after making his debut for Bosnia, Muharemović then made the move to Sassuolo, leading them to the Serie B title and a comfortable 11th-place finish.
He opened his World Cup with a sensational display against Canada before getting sent off vs. Switzerland, but he returned and played the entirety of the Golden Lillies’ defeat to the United States. Such were impressive displays that Leeds United decided to splurge $46 million on the 23-year-old defender.
After Pascal Struijk’s departure, Muharemović immediately fills a critical vacancy in Leeds’ defensive structure by giving them a left-footed player who’s capable of opening up different passing angles. Muharemović blends physical presence with technical quality and excels at spraying the ball around the pitch and driving the ball forward with his confident bursts into midfield.
He’s already impressed in both a possession-heavy style in Serie B and a more transitional style in Serie A under Fabio Grosso, and there’s reason to believe that the Bosnia center back can build on his momentum at Leeds. If he balances his raw aggression with tactical maturity, he has the tools to solidify himself as a mainstay in Leeds’ backline under Daniel Farke.
