Six summer signings who can have huge Champions League impacts – Liverpool, Arsenal stars lead the way

With the Champions League getting back underway on Tuesday evening, TEAMtalk has taken a look at six summer signings who can have a huge impact on their new clubs and potentially take them all the way.

In a remarkable summer in which Premier League teams alone spent a record £3.19bn, some top talents have changed clubs and in some cases have completely altered the narrative when it comes to how their new team could perform on European football’s biggest stage.

To that end, TEAMtalk has picked out six summer signings who could push their clubs towards the ultimate prize come next May…

Alexander Isak – Liverpool

An obvious place to begin, especially with Liverpool being favourites for the competition after they stormed to the Premier League title last season and then added one of European football’s elite No.9s to their squad over the summer.

The Reds crashed out of the competition at the hands of eventual winners PSG last term but, having spent close to £450m on new signings over the summer, Arne Slot’s men are clearly taking a major tilt at European football’s biggest prize.

While former record signing Florian Wirtz can deliver the bullets from the No.10 role, it’s Isak who provides the end product. And, once he gets fully up to speed, there is no doubting he can take Liverpool all he way to the Puskas Arena in Budapest come May next year.

In five appearances for Newcastle when they were last in the Champions League in 2023/24, Isak scored only once. However, he is a more rounded player now than he was back then and also has better players around him on Merseyside, no disrespect to the Magpies.

There is just a feeling that Isak and Liverpool are a perfect match and that Slot can take the Swede’s game up another level and secure the Reds their first Champions League triumph since 2019.

Joan Garcia – Barcelona

Some eyebrows were raised when Barcelona moved for Garcia, given Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s standing at the Camp Nou.

The Germany international has spent more than a decade in Catalonia, making over 400 appearances for the club. However, after Barcelona moved to sign Garcia from Espanyol, Hansi Flick informed the 33-year-old that he would be third-choice behind fellow veteran Wojciech Szczesny.

To that end, club captain Ter Stegen is expected to be on the move in January and Garcia is already firmly established as Flick’s new No.1, with Barca fans already raving over his impact so far.

Garcia, who was firmly on Arsenal’s radar before joining Barca, has conceded three goals in his four LaLiga outings so far. He kept eight clean sheets for an Espanyol side that finished 14th last season, but has been regarded as one of the top young goalkeeping talents in Europe for some time.

The 24-year-old is a modern keeper known for his ball-playing ability, elite shot-stopping and tactical awareness.

To that end, Garcia’s abilities need to be factored in to Barcelona making a strong run in the competition, especially when you consider they conceded seven goals in the two-legged semi-final against Inter last season with 35-year-old Szczesny deputising for Ter Stegen.

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Viktor Gyokeres – Arsenal

The Gunners are currently the third favourites with many bookies to claim the trophy for the first time in their history, and it’s easy to see why after their impressive transfer business this summer.

Adding Martin Zubimendi to their midfield was a masterstroke, while Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke give them another dimension in attack.

However, it’s the addition of a prolific No.9 that has been missing for so long in north London that could make all the difference between crashing out at the semi-final stage to PSG and going at least one step further.

Gyokeres does have some Champions League pedigree, having scored six times in eight games for Sporting last season, and has already netted three times in four outings for Arsenal.

His pace and ability to run in behind leaves pockets of space for others to exploit, which plays right into the hands of the likes of Odegaard and Eze going forward.

Arsenal will be one to watch for sure.

Gianluigi Donnarumma – Man City

Everyone knows that he is not great with the ball at his feet, but in terms of keeping the ball out of the back of the net, Donnarumma is elite.

In 10 Champions League outings last season, City conceded 20 goals and that cannot happen to a side with aspirations of going all the way.

By contrast, PSG only let in 16 goals in 17 games as they won the competition for the first time, with Donnarumma playing a major role in their success.

The 26-year-old also has a huge amount of Champions League experience for his age and has only conceded 45 goals in 40 games in the competition, keeping 11 clean sheets.

He could easily prove to be the difference between City conceding six over two legs as they crashed out to Real Madrid last season and making a real run for glory this season.

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Luis Diaz – Bayern Munich

Diaz has made an explosive start to life at Bayern after making a £65.5m move from Liverpool over the summer.

The Colombian winger has scored four goals and added two assists in just five games for Vincent Kompany’s men, giving Bayern a new threat from the left flank after they let Leroy Sane move on.

The Bundesliga champions reached the quarter-finals last season before being dumped out by Inter Milan 4-3 on aggregate. However, they have recruited well over the summer, adding Diaz and Nicholas Jackson to bolster their forward line and signing Jonathan Tah in defence.

Diaz is another veteran Champions League performer, having played 34 times in the competition to date. In his final season at Liverpool, he scored three times in the competition and many Anfield fans were not happy to see him depart.

Bringing in another goalscoring threat from the left flank, to add to the likes of Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry means Bayern are a major threat that need to be taken seriously.

Xavi Simons – Tottenham

Spurs completed a big-time transfer coup when they jumped in ahead of Chelsea to snap the Netherlands international attacker.

Simons‘ ability to feature wide on the left or as a No.10 will be a major asset to Thomas Frank as he navigates his first season as a manager in the Champions League.

The 22-year-old has already featured 13 times in the competition, scoring twice and providing two assists and can play a major role in Tottenham going far in the competition.

Although he started on the left wing on his Spurs debut at West Ham, Simons could be moved inside to provide more creativity centrally as Frank’s men begin their campaign against Villarreal on Tuesday evening.

While it’s probably a bit premature to think that Tottenham can go all the way, they did taste Europa League success last season and they outplayed PSG for large parts of the Super Cup final to show they CAN compete at this level.

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