So you're a big club -- or a supporter of one -- and you missed out on your big summer transfer target. It happens. There are only so many potential difference-makers out there, and someone always has a bigger checkbook than yours. (There's always someone more desperate, too.)
Sometimes, victory comes to those with the most well-formed Plan B or C. If you missed out on a big target, or you're looking at who to spend money on after losing a big star, allow me to help. For 10 of the biggest transfers of the summer thus far -- and for five other huge deals that could come to fruition in the coming weeks -- I have devised some alternatives.
Using tools like the tables at FBref.com, the role and ratings data from the DAVIES database, data provided by TruMedia and StatsPerform and my own eyeballs, I came up with some players who are comparable to the big names that have changed clubs (or might) this summer.
Let's dive in.
Declan Rice
Move: West Ham United to Arsenal (€116.6 million, $131m)
After six years with West Ham during which he was a key player for a pair of top-seven finishers, a Europa League semifinalist and a Conference League winner, Rice moves to the defending EPL runners-up. Like Jude Bellingham, he was asked to provide the cover and safety of a good pivot man while still contributing on offense. He scored five goals with four assists from 45 chances created in all competitions, all while making over nine ball recoveries per 90 minutes, a ridiculously high average.
Alternative: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tottenham Hotspur
He's slightly older than Rice, but Hojbjerg contributed five goals and seven assists from 40 chances in all competitions while averaging a still-solid 7.4 ball recoveries per 90. He's safe with the ball and has plenty of Premier League experience.
Cheaper alternative: Joey Veerman, PSV Eindhoven
The 24-year-old has outgrown the Eredivisie. He paired nine goals with 13 assists from 126 chances (and 8.0 ball recoveries per 90) this season for PSV. He won't be a cheaper alternative for much longer.
Jude Bellingham
Move: Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid (€103m, $110.4m)
In Bellingham, Real Madrid is acquiring one of the world's best defensive midfielders and attacking midfielders. He typically started out deep with Borussia Dortmund, but he was encouraged to press forward more in 2022-23 and produced a career-best 14 goals and six assists in all competitions, all while becoming the youngest player in Bundesliga history to wear the captain's armband.
Alternative: Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle
Not that Newcastle would be interested in ditching him for a cheap price, but in Guimaraes you would be getting quite a few of the things that make Bellingham unique. He's a defensive midfielder with offensive punch -- he only had five goals in all competitions, but he did create more total chances than Bellingham (with five assists). He's a solid interventionist, and he's world-class at both progressing the ball and drawing contact.
Cheaper alternative: Jens Cajuste, Reims
The 6-foot-2, 23-year-old Reims record signing (from Midtjylland in January 2022) starts deep and forces the issue well. He won't cost pennies, and his defensive abilities aren't as developed, but you'll get parts of the Bellingham prototype.
Kai Havertz
Move: Chelsea to Arsenal (€75m, $84m)
A dreadful finishing slump, and a dreadfully mediocre team, clouded Havertz's production in 2022-23 -- he turned a combined 18.3 expected goals (xG) and expected assists (xA) into only 10 actual goals and assists -- but Arsenal is still getting a player with a midfielder's ball control and a nose for goal. (I'd say Arsenal bought low on Havertz, but the price tag suggests otherwise.)
Alternative: Jonathan David, Lille
He hasn't been deployed in quite as many ways as Havertz (which is probably a good thing), but while the 23-year-old Canadian has scored 58 goals in three seasons with Lille, his passing is almost as big a strength. Even while scoring 26 goals in all competitions last season, he also created 58 chances and completed 80% of his passes in the attacking third.
Cheaper alternative: Ermedin Demirovic, Augsburg
Deployed everywhere from left wing-back to center-forward last season, the 25-year-old combined eight goals with four assists on a transition-hungry team. He can both serve solid crosses and get on the end of them.
Dominik Szoboszlai
Move: RB Leipzig to Liverpool (€70m, $78m)
The 22-year-old lived up to the hype in a two-year stint after moving from Salzburg to Leipzig. In all competitions last season, he scored 10 goals with 13 assists from 103 chances created. He presses nonstop, and he's an A-grade set-piece deliverer. He was built in a lab to play for Jurgen Klopp one day.
Alternative: Charles De Ketelaere, AC Milan
De Ketelaere most certainly didn't live up to hype after moving from Club Brugge to Milan. In 1,480 minutes, mostly off the bench, he converted shots worth 2.8 xG into zero goals and pulled just one assist from 21 chances created. But he still pressed hard and well, he's a solid crosser, and his 14 goals and seven assists in Belgium in 2021-22 were a reminder that his upside is higher than what he showed.
Cheaper alternative: Oscar Gluh, RB Salzburg
You might as well get a jump on Salzburg's next Szoboszlai. The 19-year-old has already scored twice for Israel and had two goals and two assists in 777 minutes after moving to the club in January.
Mason Mount
Move: Chelsea to Manchester United (€64.2m, $72m)
Like virtually every single other Chelsea player, Mount suffered through a poor 2022-23 campaign, but United acquired him for what he did in 2021-22, when he combined 13 goals and 16 assists from 100 chances and played just about every conceivable role in midfield, on the wing and as an attacking midfielder.
Alternative: Serge Gnabry, Bayern Munich
Because of Bayern's odd roster imbalance last season (lots of wings, minimal center-forwards), Gnabry spent a lot of time up front and provided a hefty 17 goals and 11 assists. He can be deployed anywhere at this point, and while he might be even more expensive than Mount, since when does "expensive" stop Premier League teams?
Cheaper alternative: Julian von Moos, St. Gallen
Another winger with both midfield and forward potential, the 22-year-old has over the past two seasons combined eight goals with 11 assists in under 2,300 league minutes. A solid passer and a determined presser.
Christopher Nkunku
Move: RB Leipzig to Chelsea (€60m, $67m)
Injuries limited his opportunities in 2022-23, but when he was on the pitch, Nkunku was as devastating as he had been the previous season, when he won the Bundesliga player of the season award and produced a ridiculous 35 goals and 16 assists in 4,275 minutes in all competitions. Chelsea began trying to sign him last summer.
Alternative: Ademola Lookman, Atalanta
Nkunku's an elite dribbler who creates a high volume of quality shots for both himself and others. Though a bit older (25), Lookman's dribbling is comparable, and in his first season at Atalanta, he produced 15 goals and six assists in just 1,860 minutes. He's got 4,000 minutes of Premier League experience as well.
Cheaper alternative: Joel Piroe, Swansea
You don't tend to find high-volume goal scorers at a discount, but Piroe could fit the bill. In two seasons in the English Championship, he has scored 41 goals with eight assists while playing a number of different attacking positions.
Andre Onana
Move: Inter Milan to Manchester United (€50m, $56m)
After dealing with a square-peg, round-hole issue with David De Gea in goal last season, Manchester United's Erik ten Hag now has the type of keeper he wants -- the same keeper, in fact, that he had for part of his tenure at Ajax. Onana is an above-average shot-stopper at worst and an extremely willing participant in buildup play. His 47.2 touches per 90 minutes last year topped even that of the sweeper keeper prototype, Bayern's Manuel Neuer (46.3).
Alternative: Frederik Ronnow, Union Berlin
Union doesn't play with the slow buildup style of most Champions League teams, but Ronnow is both a fabulous shot stopper and active participant -- his 50.0 touches per 90 would have ranked first in either the Premier League or LaLiga. (In the Bundesliga, he ranked fifth.)
Cheaper alternative: Kosuke Nakamura, Portimonense
He's a solid stopper and willing passer, and at age 28, he enjoyed a breakout season in the Primeira Liga in 2022-23.
Kim Min-jae
Move: Napoli to Bayern Munich (€50m, $56m)
A sure passer and indomitable aerial presence (he won 66% of aerial duels last year), Kim came out of nowhere to become one of Europe's steadiest central defenders in 2022-23. Now the 26-year-old moves to Munich to help a defense that was mostly fine, but randomly disastrous last season. It makes perfect sense on paper.
Alternative: Dayot Upamecano, Bayern Munich
Bayern will likely still lean heavily on him this year (and he therefore might not be available), but "mostly fine but randomly disastrous" almost perfectly describes Upamecano's 2022-23 campaign. Maybe he could be pried away. He remains an even stronger passer than Kim, though his willingness to go in for a strong tackle carries with it a decent amount of penalty risk.
Cheaper alternative: Sinaly Diomande, Lyon
He's not quite the same buildup master, but the 22-year-old from the Ivory Coast is still a solid passer, and he might be one of the best in Europe in the air (69% aerial success rate).
James Maddison
Move: Leicester City to Tottenham Hotspur (€46.3m, $52m)
The enigmatic 26-year-old comes and goes sometimes, and as with virtually everyone on Leicester City, he had disappointing spells in 2022-23. But in the past two seasons, he has averaged 14 goals and 10.5 assists from 78 chances created, and he's the type of creative presence Spurs have lacked of late.
Alternative: Alex Baena, Villarreal
He was primarily deployed in a more central role, but the 21-year-old still provided a Maddison- or Jack Grealish-like presence for Villarreal. He scored seven goals in his first 12 matches in all competitions and finished with 12 goals and three assists from 55 chances during a breakout season, which put him on the radar of quite a few major clubs.
Cheaper alternative: Ivan Jaime, Famalicao
A midfielder who's learned to score, Jaime combined 10 goals with four assists in all comps for his midtable Portuguese side. He's a good crosser and is willing to draw contact in crowded areas.
Alexis Mac Allister
Move: Brighton to Liverpool (€42m, $47m)
Between his Brighton star turn and excellent play in the World Cup, few enjoyed more of a breakout season in 2022-23 than Mac Allister. In 3,309 combined minutes at the club level, he scored 12 goals (he had a total of eight in the two previous seasons) with three assists from 50 chances created. And he almost split his time 50-50 between defensive and attacking midfield roles. His "Similar Players" list at FBref includes Ilkay Gundogan, Luka Modric and Nicolo Barella. That speaks volumes.
Alternative: Nicolo Barella, Inter Milan
I guess I gave that one away, didn't I? Barella would almost certainly cost more than Mac Allister -- which might or might not stop Liverpool from attempting to land him as well -- but if he can be pulled away from Milan, he's worth the cost. In the past two years, he's set career highs for both assists (12 in 2021-22) and goals (nine in 2022-23).
Cheaper alternative: Marshall Munetsi, Reims
You might get a late-bloomer discount for the 27-year-old, who has slowly grown into the ultimate complementary player at Reims. He logged minutes in both attacking midfield and central defense last season, and he finished with seven goals, three assists and maybe the funniest actions map you'll ever see.
He covered almost literally every inch of the pitch.
Potential moves
It's still mid-July, of course, and there are inevitably more major moves on the horizon. We should talk about some of the bigger potential moves remaining on the list.
Josko Gvardiol
Move: RB Leipzig to Manchester City (nearly done-deal)
The European champs are in negotiations to sign the most well-rounded young defender in Europe -- a risk-free interventionist on defense (read: few fouls) and a sure passer in buildup. He's already proven more at center-back than Manuel Akanji had a year ago, and Akanji ended up playing brilliantly in 2022-23. He's a scoring threat on set pieces, too.
Alternative: Nico Schlotterbeck, Borussia Dortmund
Maybe the second-most well-rounded young defender in Europe. Schlotterbeck was key to BVB's defensive improvement and consequent title push. In addition to sure tackling and buildup play, he also added four goals (three from set pieces) and five assists. He's dynamite.
Cheaper alternative: Waldemar Anton, Stuttgart
We'll stay in Germany for this one. The 26-year-old from Uzbekistan is older and a bit less involved in attack, but with his ball-carrying and pass-interception abilities, he was born to play for a high-caliber, counter-pressing team one day.
Harry Kane
Potential move: Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich
After losing Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, Bayern severely lacked in the "30-goal scorer" department last season, and they seem convinced they can eventually pry the English captain away from Spurs. We'll see. But the draw is obvious: Kane is one of the most consistent scorers in the world, and he's a perpetually underrated passer, too. It's been a while since he played on a possession-dominant team, but let's not pretend he couldn't do it.
Alternative: Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea
He's available, and with costly, gut-wrenching misses in both the World Cup and Champions League final, he's coming off of a disappointing campaign. But 14 goals and seven assists in under 2,000 minutes would only be disappointing for so many players.
Cheaper alternative: Marvin Ducksch, Werder Bremen
Again, you don't get goalscorers at a discount. But while Ducksch was overshadowed a bit by a late-career breakout season from teammate Niclas Fullkrug (16 goals in all competitions), Ducksch was nearly as prolific (12 goals) and more involved in link-up play. At 29, he's a year younger, too.
Randal Kolo Muani
Potential move: Eintracht Frankfurt to Manchester United
It remains to be seen whether United or any other European team is willing and able to pay an enormous price to pull Muani away from Frankfurt after just one season. But what a season it was. The 24-year-old combined 23 goals with 14 assists in all competitions and nearly scored a World Cup-winning goal in Qatar; he might top even Nkunku in his ability to create opportunities off of dribbles.
Alternative: Folarin Balogun, Arsenal
You may have heard of him. Like Muani, Balogun's reputation skyrocketed in 2022-23 after a Reims loan spell that saw him score 22 goals with two assists. He's not the same level of dribbler, but he's got all the speed in the world, and he proved solid in link-up play at Middlesbrough in 2021-22.
Cheaper alternative: Fotis Ioannidis, Panathinaikos
Though not as prolific as Muani, the 22-year-old was key to Panathinaikos' best finish in the Greek Super League in seven seasons. He's a masterful dribbler, he scored seven goals with two assists, and he proved prolific in both starter and bench roles.
Moises Caicedo
Potential move: Brighton to Arsenal/Chelsea
In a single year, the 21-year-old went from on loan at a relegated Belgian squad to surefire Premier League star and World Cup goalscorer. Caicedo played everywhere from central midfield to right back and despite his age, played both steady defense and mistake-free buildup play. Chelsea and Arsenal have both been clamoring for his services for a while. We'll see which one ends up the highest bidder.
Alternative: Stanislav Lobotka, Napoli
It took him a few more years to find breakout stardom, but the 28-year-old former Nordsjaelland and Celta Vigo midfielder was a lovely security blanket in front of the Napoli defense. You aren't getting much from him in attack, but you're acquiring Lobotka for mistake-free interventions and reliable passing.
Cheaper alternative: Marcel Ruiz, Toluca
He's only 22 and might already be the most well-rounded defensive midfielder in Mexico. He's a sure tackler and safe passer, and when necessary he can step up in attack, too -- he scored five goals with two assists in 3,098 minutes last season.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Potential move: Napoli to Newcastle United
This one might remain in the "pipe dream" category, but if Newcastle or anyone else were to go all-in for the 22-year-old Kvaradona, it would be pretty obvious as to why. He's a dynamic space interpreter and creative free spirit, and in his first season with Napoli he balanced 14 goals with 14 assists from 71 chances created. The ultimate buy-low and (eventually) sell-high success story.
Alternative: Rayan Cherki, Lyon
He's more of a central attacking presence, and he might only be an alternative for so long -- Chelsea and others are hot on his trail -- but from a pure, creative standpoint, he's one of the most tantalizing teenagers in the world. In 2,311 minutes, he combined five goals with six assists from 85 chances created. Placed on a better team, he might have produced a more Kvaratskhelia-like stat line.
Cheaper alternative: Talles Magno, New York City
Capable of playing either left wing or center forward, the 21-year-old was one of MLS' breakout stars in 2022, with eight goals and 10 assists. He has disappointed in 2023 (four goals and three assists in 22 matches), but his technical gifts are obvious, and hey, a brief downturn in form just means a discounted price, right?