10 transfers that will make the EHF European League season

SC Magdeburg, last season’s winners of the EHF European League Men, will start this season as favourites to defend their title, but the German club are not the only fancied side. Clubs like HBC Nantes, Wisla Plock, Füchse Berlin and SL Benfica will also be eyeing the trophy.

And in order to help themselves try to lift the trophy next May, all of the clubs signed new players this summer. We took a close look and picked the 10 most impressive ones.

10 – Leonardo Dutra (Logroño La Rioja from Wisla Plock)

The Brazilian left back did not match expectations during his two-year stay in Plock. So, at 25, he decided to move back to Spain, where he had two amazing seasons in the EHF Cup with Liberbank Cuenca before moving to Poland. His scoring abilities will be a huge help for his new side, who are one of the four Spanish clubs in this season's competition.

9 – Márton Székely (HC Eurofarm Pelister from Telekom Veszprém)

The Hungarian goalkeeper never quite had a chance in Veszprém, with Rodrigo Corrales and Vladimir Cupara always being in the spotlight. At 31, he made the choice to move to Eurofarm Pelister, a club that reached the Last 16 last season. With a coach that will place his entire trust in him, there is no reason why he should not shine in the EHF European League.

8 – Romain Lagarde (PAUC Handball from Rhein-Neckar Löwen)

The French wonderkid is back home. After two seasons playing for Rhein-Neckar Löwen, the recent Olympic champion will meet again with Thierry Anti in Aix. Anti brought Lagarde to the top level in Nantes during the 2018/19 season, and with a coach that knows him perfectly, the 24-year-old centre back should adapt to his new environment quickly.

7 – Viran Morros (Füchse Berlin from Paris-Saint Germain)

After playing for Ciudad Real, Barça and Paris Saint-Germain, Viran Morros can add yet another powerhouse club to his resume. Berlin were looking for an experienced defender to replace Jakov Gojun, who chose to return to Zagreb, and Morros has everything that they were looking for.

6 – Nikolaj Markussen (Team Tvis Holstebro from Telekom Veszprém)

Markussen’s season in Veszprém was not exactly a success, but the tall Danish left back remains hungry for success. In a club that played in the EHF Cup Finals in 2019, the 32-year-old will bring all his experience and his offensive power. And Team Tvis Holstebro, who lost Aaron Mensing to SG Flensburg-Handewitt this summer, have found the perfect leader for their young side.

5 – Pedro Portela (HBC Nantes from Tremblay-en-France)

After three seasons battling against relegation in the French league with Tremblay, right wing Pedro Portela will make his return to the spotlight this summer. The top scorer for Portugal at the EHF EURO 2020 signed for Nantes with one thing in mind – the EHF European League.

He played in the EHF Champions League with his former club Sporting CP, where he played for 11 seasons until 2018, but three years without European matches was clearly too much for him to handle. Portela is hungry and he wants everybody to know it.

4 – Jerry Tollbring (GOG from Rhein-Neckar Löwen)

Although GOG lost Emil Jakobsen to Flensburg, the Dane’s replacement has just as much quality. Jerry Tollbring learnt from Uwe Gensheimer and Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson during his four seasons at Rhein-Neckar Löwen, but it is now time for him to fly solo. At 25, he joins a team that features among the favourites to reach the EHF Finals.

3 – Magnus Saugstrup (SC Magdeburg from Aalborg Håndbold)

After delivering the best season of his career with Aalborg, Danish line player Magnus Saugstrup decided to follow the path that many Danes have trod before by joining the Bundesliga.

In Magdeburg, where he will play alongside three of his compatriots, Saugstrup should adapt pretty quickly. At 25, Saugstrup displayed his abilities throughout last season in the EHF Champions League and was a key player for runners-up Aalborg. He is definitely one of the players to look out for this season.

2 – Dmitry Zhitnikov (Wisla Plock from Pick Szeged)

The versatile Russian left back is back where it started. The 31-year-old played for Plock from 2015 to 2017, and his two blistering seasons led him to signing for Szeged. But the last two seasons were, by his standards, pretty disappointing, with injuries and bad performances along the way.

In Plock, Xavi Sabate will make Zhitnikov his key player in offence, and the Russian star is at his best when he is in the driving seat.

1 – Rogerio Moraes (SL Benfica from Telekom Veszprém)

We always save the best for last. While Benfica had apparently finalised their squad for this season, one last push allowed them to sign Rogerio Moraes just before the Olympics.

Alongside Alexis Borges, the Brazilian beast, who won the EHF Champions League twice with Vardar, will form what looks like the best line player duo in the EHF European League. You will have to produce your best handball if you want to get past those two in defence.