Coming and going all over Europe

The squads of the top teams in the Women’s EHF Champions league will have a lot of new faces in their ranks after several top stars have changed their jerseys. So it was a tricky task for ehfCl.com to compose a list with the top 10 transfers, as some clubs are currently witnessing huge upheaval.

But before looking at the incoming stars, let’s focus on outgoing key players: Defending champions Buducnost Podgorica lost their minister of defence, goalkeeper Clara Woltering, who was awarded MVP at the 2015 edition of the MVM EHF FINAL4 in Budapest, she is now playing for German side Borussia Dortmund.

And the Montenegrins even lost another goalkeeper to a non-Champions-League-participant in Marina Rajcic, who is now sporting Metz’s colours.

The 2013 and 2014 champions Audi ETO Györ are in a full state of transition, as Katrine Lunde, Orsolya Herr, Ivett Szepesi, Vesna Milanovic Litre, Agnes Hornyak, Macarena Aguilar, Susann Müller and Jelena Grubisic have all left the club. Some of the above-named appearing on the top 10 transfer list.

Also Romanian runners-ups Baia Mare have lost some key players like Barbara Arenhart, Camilla Herrem, Irina Davydenko or Ksenia Makeeva. The 2015 finalist Larvik (Norway) are hit hard on their right side, with Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth being pregnant and Linn Sulland leaving the club.

No 10: Vesna Milanovic Litre (CRO, Krim Ljubljana)

After only one year at Györ, Croatian line player Vesna Milanovic Litre returns closer to her home country. The 29-year-old Croatian international had been playing for Podravka before starting her career at Lokomotiva Zagreb. She will join the rejuvenated squad of Krim to become one of the key players at the two-time EHF Champions League winner.

No 9: Louise Burgaard (DEN, FC Midtjylland)

In contrast to her former club, Viborg HK, the Danish right back remains part of the EHF Women’s Champions League. In her first ever season in this competition the 22-year-old Burgaard scored 47 goals to push Viborg into the quarter-finals. Now she has signed for the local neighbours and new Danish champions FC Midtjylland – this is her fourth time at a different club in the Danish league after her stints at Vejen, Holstebro and Viborg.

No 8: Eliza Iulia Buceschi (ROU, Thüringer HC)

She was the rising star of the previous campaign and was awarded ‘best young player’ as part of the All-Star Team. At the age of 21, Buceschi scored 45 goals in the Champions League and was Baia Mare’s top scorer in the domestic league with 168 goals. After those great performances, she signed her first contract abroad for the German champions Thüringer HC, where Buceschi is seen to be replacing shooter Nadja Nadgornaja - who recently joined Borussia Dortmund.

No 7: Amanda Kurtovic (NOR, Larvik HK)

After winning the Champions League with Larvik in 2011, when she was only 19, Kurtovic joined Viborg HK in Denmark, as the positions on right side of attack at Larvik were overcrowded by players like Sulland, Mörk oder Riegelhuth. In 2014 she left Viborg to return to Norway and Oslo-based club Oppsal from where she has now joined her former club again.

No 6: Cornelia Nycke Groot (NED, Györ) and others…

Due to the large numbers and the different significance of these transfers, ehfCL.com has split the Györ transfers in two sections – the domestic ones and the international ones. This group is firstly represented by the Dutch centre and left back Groot, who has left Denmark after five years, finishing her journey with the championship title with FC Midtjylland. In 2014, she was top scorer of the first MVM EHF FINAL4 in Budapest. Groot is now joined by another Dutch player in Györ who goes by the name Yvette Broch (from Metz). Former Larvik right back Linn Sulland (World EHF EURO and Olympic champion) comes in to replace Susann Müller.