by Martin North

It’s July 1st and that means the start of football’s annual swap-shop. The excitement of Euro 2008 is already a distant memory (except, perhaps, in Spain). From Manchester to Milan, the scouting reports are in and the continent is ready for some serious post-tournament wheeling and dealing.

Even before the action in Austria and Switzerland kicked off, Luka Modric agreed terms with Tottenham. His subsequent performances for Croatia will leave the Spurs strike-force (whoever they are) licking their lips at the prospect of some world-class service.

During the tournament it became increasingly likely that Arsenal would make Samir Nasri their latest French recruit. The transfer is yet to be completed, but all signs point to Nasri replacing the want-away Alexander Hleb in Arsene Wenger’s new look midfield.

Another midfield set for a makeover is Chelsea’s under new boss “Big Phil” Scolari. ₤8 million signing Deco joins incumbents Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Claude Makelele, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel in the Stamford Bridge engine-room. It seems certain that at least one, probably Frank Lampard, will make way.

Plenty of others made impressions during the European Championships. The tournament witnessed international advances and washouts aplenty. Which stars shined brightest? Whose transfer plans were foiled by summer failure?

Big Movers. The stars who could command top-dollar fees.

• Cristiano Ronaldo – The saga that never ends. Player power rules in the modern game and, in all likelihood, the World Player of the Year elect will make his dream move to Real Madrid a reality. In the meantime, Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz will do their utmost to persuade the talismanic winger to stay at Old Trafford.
• David Villa – The Golden Boot winner will be in high demand and would prefer Champions League football to the Uefa Cup fare on offer at Valencia next season. Real Madrid and Chelsea wait in the wings.
• Wesley Sneijder – Any deal for Ronaldo could see Sneijder heading to Manchester. The gifted playmaker would be a first-rate addition to the Man United squad while the aging Paul Scholes is phased out.
• Lukas Podolski/Bastian Schweinsteiger – The pair featured infrequently for Bayern Munich last season, but were among Germany’s best performers this summer. A host of La Liga and Premier League clubs could swoop if Bayern cannot guarantee them starting places next season.
• Cesc Fabregas – Showed flashes of his prodigious talent during the finals. He would be the ultimate trophy-signing for Barcelona or Real Madrid, but Arsene Wenger will firmly reject any advances for the jewel in his crown.

Stepping Up. The well-known names set for the big time.

• Andrei Arshavin – Set the Alps alight with his quarter-final brilliance against the Dutch. Despite the let down against Spain, the Russian captain seems set for a move to Barcelona.
• Rafael van der Vaart – Played second fiddle to Sneijder in Austria and Switzerland, but still showed his considerable talent and growing maturity. La Liga would be his expected destination.
• Dani Güiza – Used as an impact sub by Luis Aragonés, the Mallorca hitman displayed the energy and composed finishing that took him to the top of La Liga’s scoring charts. If Villa leaves Valencia, Güiza could be on his way to the Mestalla.
• David Silva – Another Valencia player to impress at the finals, Silva could follow Villa to Real Madrid. Rafa Benitez could do with a world-class winger, so it would be no surprise to see Silva teeing up Fernando Torres at Anfield come August.
• Darijo Srna – His dynamism on Croatia’s right flank was a big factor in their success. Premier League clubs like Man City (where he could team up with compatriot Vedran Coluka), Everton and Newcastle might be interested.

Euro Breakthroughs. The unheralded players ready for their close-up.

• Turkish upstarts – For weeks ago, the likes of Arda Turan, Sabri Sabrioglu and Volkan Demirel would have been met with little recognition outside Turkey. Euro 2008 has changed that. German and Italian clubs are most likely to snap up the young Galatasaray and Fenerbahce stars.
• Russian revolutionaries – Going into the summer, only one Russian squad member (Ivan Saenko) played his football outside the Motherland. Following Zenit St. Petersburg’s Uefa Cup success and the international transformation under Guus Hiddink, Russians playing abroad should become more common. With Arshavin leading the exodus, expect to see Roman Pavlyuchenko,Yuri Zhirkov, Alexander Anyukov and Denis Kolodin embark for foreign shores in the near future.
• Orlando Engelaar – Did a fantastic job of freeing the more creative Sneijder and Van der Vaart in Marco van Basten’s 4-2-3-1 system. The FC Twente midfielder is reportedly attracting interest from Everton and Newcastle, but a move to Germany remains more likely.
• Danijel Pranjic – The speedy wing-back combined excellently with Ivan Rakitic on Croatia’s left side. Heerenveen will have stave off interest from bigger Dutch and German clubs.

Going Nowhere. The flops who can call off the movers…for now.

• Mario Gomez – Not so “Super” anymore. Prolific until he steeped foot in Austria, the Stuttgart youngster suffered an embarrassing loss of form and confidence. Linked with Juventus last summer, he will hope The Old Lady wasn’t watching Euro 2008.
• Karim Benzema – Paid the price for Raymond Domenech’s lackluster tactics and failed to show the raw talent he possesses. Ran out of ideas when faced with international-quality defending, the sort of which he rarely faces in Ligue 1.
• Ebi Smolarek – Scored 9 times in qualifying but couldn’t buy a goal at the finals. Will remain out of favor at Racing Santander and it may require a move back to Central Europe to revive his club career.
• Simao Sabrosa – Formerly coveted by Liverpool, Simao was one of the biggest disappointments of the tournament. His awful control and incoherent decision-making was especially surprising given his excellent club form at Atletico Madrid.