Name: Dario Osorio Club: Universidad De Chile (Chile) Position: RW Birthday: 24/01/2004 (18) Height: 182cm (6"0) https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/dario-osorio/profil/spieler/881116 Shirt: #24 Tactical role + team details: Historically one of the best teams in Chile, Universidad de Chile have had a fall from grace in recent seasons, finishing 11th (out of 16) last season and after 24 games this season are stuck in 13th. They often play either a 442 (28% of their games this season),narrow 4312 (20%) or 4231 formation (20%). Osorio is most frequently deployed on the right wing as an inverted winger cutting inside onto his preferred left foot. In Possession: A confident player in all aspects of his game. He dribbles a lot and prefers to dribble inside and lay the ball off than taking the ball down the line, he lacked explosiveness and agility that lead to him often running in straight lines and struggled to change direction when on the ball which ended up in a lot of failed dribbles. Was impressed with his finishing ability, with good technique and composure and variety of finishes (from 1 vs 1 with the goalkeepers to long range efforts). Could attempt to be more creative with his passing, but overall I felt his decision making was good. Out of Possession: Was willing to track back and put in a shift defensively, pressing was good although could be increased - when beaten 1 vs 1 he often didn't look to try and go back for seconds - although pressed very well and with good intensity around the opposition area and presses the goalkeeper well. Looked intelligent with his pressing + reading of danger. Physical: Has decent pace but isn't exceptionally quick. Had good upper body strength that let him outmuscle opposition defenders when shoulder to shoulder. Agility might be an issue as he struggled to change direction quickly. Looked solid in the air with a good number of aerial duels won, often managing to find a team-mate or create a positive scenario for himself. Summary: A definite talent - at 18 years old he already looks like he's outgrown the Chilean league - he's a solid all rounder, being a decent dribbler and decent in front of goal. Next Step: I can see a move to a top 5 league imminent and I think he'd do well in any of the top 5 leagues, although do feel his physicality is more suited to England. He's not at the level of a starter in the PL yet but would perfectly suit the bench for a team like Brighton.
Probably the last one for the next week or so, but will have a lot of time to do loads at the end of next week. Name: Kevin Mantilla Club: Santa Fe (Colombia) Position: CB Birthday: 22/5/2003 (19) Height: 185cm (6"1) https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/kevin-mantilla/profil/spieler/984904 Shirt: #28 Tactical role + team details: Santa Fe finished 14th (out of 20) in the league last season and are currently 5th after 11 games played. Santa Fe usually play a 4231 or 433 system. Mantilla is deployed as one of the starting CBs, often on the left hand side of defence (although he's right footed). This is his first season in senior football. In Possession: Looked very comfortable with the ball at his feet and was happy to make runs into midfield to receive the ball after playing a pass, was intelligent in his positioning and always looked to get in a position to receive the ball. Showed good ability to carry the ball into midfield. Did feel his decision making was sometimes poor - playing forward passes into midfield to players who were quickly pressed and lost the ball. Out of Possession: Didn't deal with 1 vs 1 battles very well and felt he was dribbled past too much. Defensive positioning and reading of the game was mostly good, although was caught ball-watching a couple of times. Has a rash tackling style Physical: Despite being a good frame and build he looks a bit half-hearted when challenging for aerial duels. Powerful runner with good pace. Summary: Fantastic on the ball but a little bit suspect defensively, if he can polish up on the defensive side of the game he'll be an absolute beast, although he's still a bit raw at present. Next Step: Considering he's only played in 16 games it's a little bit hard to gauge his quality and consistency, as mentioned above he's a little bit suspect defensively but that's an attribute in common with a lot of ball playing CBs. That being said the qualities he does have will have a lot of teams interested. A move to Belgium or Netherlands would be an interesting next step if he can continue demonstrating the above and improving the defensive side of his game over the rest of the season. - the sort of thing he's capable of..
Really interesting thread Reids, and good luck with it all. My mate used to do something very similar, and I showed interest for a while until I saw how much most scouts get paid! (might not be the case anymore) His advice was to keep a journal (which is what this essentially is, but remember to go back in the future and see whether your thinking was correct or not). And always add a measurable metric. Most good scouts could identify a player who was a 6-9/10, but top scouts could relatively consistently identify a 7/8 vs a 9. Then don't just go back and see if one player is correct, see where each 8 ended up compared to each 7 in a particular position etc. and evaluate if and why you got something wrong. Appreciate that with the amount of data available to analyse in the modern game, this advice might be old fashioned, but my wife is a financial investor and she follows a very similar approach.
That was always my thinking as well, I enjoyed the process and idea, but having read the book The Nowhere Men it put me right off it, especially domestic scouting trekking all round the country watching non-league games etc. Much prefer to sit at home in front of WyScout but then you'd need a good profile to be in a job that entails that so I looked elsewhere in football for something else I could do! That's a good idea, will work out a way to incorporate that, I included the "Next Step" bit as something that's slightly measurable and will keep an eye on all the names here during transfer windows, but using a numbers system could indeed make that go a step further.
Giving rankings to each player i've done so far Sam Curtis Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Fabricio Diaz Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Felipe Yanez Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Ilyes Hamache Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Jhoanner Chavez Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Christos Zafeiris Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Lucas Assadi Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Dario Osorio Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Kevin Mantilla Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Forgot the fiancee was away this weekend so will do a few more of these over the weekend!
Name: Ernest Nuamah Club: FC Nordsjaelland (Denmark) Position: LW/RW/CF Birthday: 1/11/2003 (18) Height: Unknown, looks tiny on video (5"6 maybe?) Foot: Right https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ernest-nuamah/profil/spieler/955070 Shirt: #37 Tactical role + team details: FC Nordsjaelland are often a mid-table side in the Danish Superliga, although have flirted with Europe in recent seasons, however have started this season well and currently top in the league after 10 games. Nordsjaelland have made significant profits in recent seasons selling players from their African partner academy Right To Dream - of which Nuamah is also a product of. Recent examples of player sales are Adingra (Brighton - £7m), Sulemana (Rennes - £13.5m) and Kudus (Ajax - £8m). Nuamah has frequently used on the left wing this season, although has also been used down the middle as a striker in Nordsjaellands preferred 4-3-3 formation. Nuamah has 5 goals and 1 assist in 1046 minutes in the league for Nordsjaelland. In Possession: High volume dribbler with great 1 on 1 ability which he uses to good effect. When receiving the ball his first idea is to turn and drive towards the goal + defenders. Not incredible skilful on the ball but does demonstrate great close control and first touch which he combines with his speed and quick changes of direction to cause issues to the opponent. Little bit too enthusiastic to pull the trigger and often shoots from bad locations and lacks a bit of power in his shots + crosses. Makes himself available to receive passes and gets into good positions to receive, passing ability was mostly simple passes rather than trying to play in team-mates Out of Possession: Isn't afraid to get stuck in but is selective with his pressing, doesn't press everyone but only tries to tackle when he feels he can be successful in winning the ball. Looks to try and cut out passes back to the defence/goalkeeper and has been successful at this a few times this season, even scoring a goal from such a situation. Good reading of the game which allowed him to make some good interceptions. Showed good willingness and desire to track back. Physical: Incredible pace and agility - his small size gives him a low centre of gravity allow him for quick changes of direction. Isn't afraid to challenge in aerial duels but due to his size and frame is ineffective in the air. Summary: A very exciting player, although I have doubts how well his game would immediately translate to a higher level where defenders might be more of a match physically (Danish defenders are often huge and very slow which plays right into his hands - defenders in other top flight leagues are generally a bit more balanced), but he has bags of potential and if this can be overcome then he'll likely be a fantastic player. Next Step: I can't imagine any team will be willing to take a punt in January, but can see him moving at the end of the season. Ligue 1 or the possibly Premier League (will likely need a loan first) would be best suited to his game. Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
Name: Kuryu Matsuki Club: FC Tokyo (Japan) Position: CM Birthday: 30/4/2003 (19) Height: 178cm (5"10) Foot: Left https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/kuryu-matsuki/profil/spieler/902021 Shirt: #44 Tactical role + team details: FC Tokyo are usually a mid-table team in the top division in Japan, finishing 6/20 in 2020, 9th in 2021 and with 9 games left of the 2022 season are currently in 7th place. The J-League isn't a league that gives frequent minutes to young players. FC Tokyo use a 4-3-3 system with Matsuki deployed on the left hand side of central midfield. This is Matsuki's debut season in senior football and he has 2 goals and 2 assists in 2174 minutes so far this season. In Possession: Looks to be a versatile all-rounder. Was confident on the ball and was able to carry the ball up the pitch, with good technique and control, showed good decision in all aspects of his game. Eager to receive the ball and gets himself in good positions with frequent scanning, likes to play one/twos and makes a lot of forward runs towards the opposition area after playing passes. Demonstrated good variety in passes, although his long distance passing could do with some work. Set-Piece taker - mostly crosses to the back-post. Didn't take many shots but opened up his body well and showed good accuracy and power. Out of Possession: Tenacious tackler, likes to get stuck in and hassles opponents, can be a little rash at times. Can get caught ball watching when not near the ball which can limit his effectiveness in tracking runners and getting caught in transitions, but showed good work-rate in trying to recover in these situations. Physical: Demonstrated good upper body strength to shield the ball. Ineffective in the air, often leads with elbows or backs into opponent without jumping. Good engine, work-rate and stamina. Summary: A solid all-rounder who demonstrated really good mental attributes, definitely has ability to play at a higher level, although the defensive side of his game could use some work, along with his long-range passing ability. Next Step: I think the fast tempo nature of the Bundesliga would suit most aspects of his game well and will give him a chance to work on some of the weaker aspects of his game, although he's probably just off the level of starting for a lower Bundesliga team at the moment. Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
Name: Zac Williams Club: Crewe (League 2) Position: LB/CB Birthday: 27/3/2004 (18) Height: 184cm Foot: Left https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/zac-williams/profil/spieler/667497 Shirt: #4 Tactical role + team details: Crewe finished bottom of League 1 last season which saw them relegated to League 2. They currently sit 9th in League 1. Crewe most often use a 4-2-3-1 formation, Zac Williams usually plays LB but also played as a left centre-back last season, when Crewe used a 3 at the back system. In Possession: Looks calm and assured on the ball with plenty of composure, when dribbling often preferred to dribble inside rather than down the touchline often successfully taking on multiple players - although didn't attempt to dribble too much. Didn't get involved in the final third as much as I would've liked considering his technical quality with few crosses or touches by the opponents penalty area. Demonstrated a good range of passing with long chipped passes down the wing or into the middle of the park looked to be a particular strength. Out of Possession: Felt he was too easily bypassed by opponents, the timing of his tackles wasn't great and he really struggled against dribblers - particularly when they cut inside and forced him to defend on his right foot. Preferred to get tight when 1 vs 1. Physical: Has a good turn of pace but wouldn't call him quick. Suffered in the air when placed up against target-men or players bigger than him. Agility was ok but not fantastic, although was noticeably better when attacking compared to defending. Good upper body strength. Summary: Reminds me a lot of Wilmot in a lot of aspects - good on the ball but too suspect defensively to be much use in defence. He's not attacking enough to be a modern day full-back and he's too poor defensively and in the air to be a centre-back, although might look better in a back 3. He might suit a central midfield role, but that's obviously a much more technical role that he'll have to adapt to. Next Step: I'm not sure many teams higher in the pyramid will be willing to take a punt considering his weaknesses and overall game so I've put Championship player as his top potential as he's still young and could iron out some of those weaknesses which could help him find his best position but his next step is to find that position and build on his qualities. Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
Name: Vitor Roque Club: Athletico Paranaense (Brazil) Position: CF/RW Birthday: 28/2/2005 (17) Height: 172cm (5"8) Foot: Right https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/vitor-roque/profil/spieler/943837 Shirt: #39 Tactical role + team details: Despite only being 17, Roque joined Athletico PR back in April (from Serie B side Cruzeiro) for a fee of £4m - quite a significant fee for a inter-Brazilian transfer. Athletico PR traditionally aren't one of the bigger teams in Brazil, finishing 9th in 2020, 14th in 2021 and are currently 6th. They most often line up in a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation. Roque often plays as a lone striker, although is capable of playing on the wing as well. He has 4 league goals and 0 assists in 899 minutes this season, and 2 goals + 1 assist in 414 minutes in the Copa Libertadores (the South American version of the Champions League) In Possession: A superb finisher, he has all the hallmarks of a top level striker. His movement and space creation is fantastic for someone so young and demonstrated a good range of finishes (left foot, right foot, head, long range + poacher type finishes). He often plays off the last shoulder of the defender and uses his good movement, pace and quick turns to beat the defensive line. He's a good dribbler and is capable of creating chances for himself from his dribbling ability. I did feel he was a bit greedy though and was guilty of overplaying or taking a long shot when a team-mate was well positioned for a pass. But his technical ability is fantastic and if he could improve on his creating chances for team-mates then he'll be a very versatile and formidable opponent. Out of Possession: Has that South American bite and tenacity that we've seen with Richarlison, JP + Cucho. If he loses the ball he'll hassle and snap at the heels at the opponent who has it and looks to aggressively press the opponent. His great reading of the game lead to him creating chances for himself and the team through anticipating passes - as an example (see below) see how quick he realises that the defender is going to play the pass back to the goalkeeper and moves to press, the goalkeepers touch is admittedly horrible but he wins the penalty. His defensive work-rate and intelligence was both mature and impressive. Physical: Has a very low centre of gravity means he's extremely agile and can turn incredibly quickly. Has great pace and knows when to use it. Despite his small build he showed good upper body strength and didn't get outmuscled very often, although (despite scoring a couple of headers) he's not a player built for aerial duels at all. Summary: Despite only playing for 5 months in the Brazilian top flight he already looks ready for the next step and i'm excited to see who picks him. A superb finisher with everything needed to get bags of goals. Too have technical and mental skills he possesses at 17 makes him a top top talent in my opinion. Next Step: He's ready for a top 5 league but most Premier League + Bundesliga teams don't like buying direct from Brazil. I'd imagine the top Spanish and French teams already have eyes on him and are monitoring him closely and he'd be an ideal fit Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
Do you currently work as a scout Reids? Immensely detailed analysis here. Also, how do you work out the potential level? Is it largely based on technique or does the player mentality play a part?
Don't work as a scout but I've done a few scouting articles back when I used to blog when I was first breaking into football. Its an area I'd like to do more in professionally though and the group I work for Spezia, Casa Pia (plus one more club currently in the process of being bought) doesn't have any centralised recruitment so each club has their own scouts and recruitment department that they focus on which I feel we're missing a trick with. So might ask if I can act as a sort of emerging talent scout on a group level to identify the sort of players that I'm flagging in this thread, once I've got a bit more practice and feel more confident with my reports I'll get some feedback off some scouts I know and go from there! As for the potential it's a bit of a mix between the technical/mental aspects of their game and what their likely career path is going to look like. For instance with Roque, its likely that any 17 year old scoring the sort of goals he's scoring in the top Brazilian league will instantly attract the attention of the top top clubs in the world. If he were playing in Hungary then that would be a much harder to gauge the level. There's also so much that's unknown so I try to be relatively conservative with my predictions! Even though Roque only made his top flight debut 4 months ago I already feel I'm too late with that one!
You're still doing a far better job with as yet little experience than anyone at the club. How they have not decided to employ you just for the set piece analysis beggars belief. I expect Pozzo does his own tactics and hands it to Rob to carry out...
Name: Felipe Amaral Club: Ponte Preta (Brazil - Serie B) Position: DM/CM Birthday: 8/7/2003 (19) Height: Unknown Foot: Right https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/felipe-amaral/profil/spieler/875994 Shirt: #19 Tactical role + team details: Ponte Preta are a mid-table side in the Brazilian 2nd division, they are currently 7th in the league (out of 20) and finished 11th in 2021 and 7th in 2020. They typically play a 4-2-3-1 formation with Amaral as one of the 2 holding midfielders. Amaral is a product of the Ponte Preta academy and this is debut senior season. In Possession: Really good long-range distribution and vision - frequently receiving the ball, turning and chipping the ball to the opposite wing, accuracy was good (76% for high passes from the central areas out wide) Didn't try to play many balls to the forward directly, either trying the long-balls out to the wing or keeping it simple - short pass accuracy was good with frequent scanning to ensure he wasn't pressed. In duels he showed good press resistance, using quick turns and changes of direction to evade the opponent - really liked his intelligence in his game in this aspect, he'd turn, evade an opponent and play to the nearest team-mate and was very effective in doing so. Likes to take a lot of long-shots, but accuracy + shot locations were poor. Out of Possession: Aggressive presser who's fantastic at breaking up play, he preferred to stand his ground rather than committing to a sliding tackle. Although was sometimes too rash and gave away some silly fouls and didn't look great when defending against dribblers with a quick change of pace and direction, but reading of the game was good and was always very alert to any potential danger, often spotting holes in the teams midfield and tracking back to fill them. Physical: Good turning circle, looks agile. Good strength and is up for any battle in midfield - despite his tendency to commit silly fouls (and get yellow cards in the process). Positioning for aerial duels could use some work, he wasn't terrible in the air but also wasn't good, would often misjudge the flight of the ball. Summary: Would be an interesting option for a side that creates a lot of space on the flanks due to his tendency to look for balls out to those areas, he's very impressive defensively and has a maturity (discipline aside) to his game that is often lacking in young players. Next Step: Definitely capable of playing at a higher level than he's currently playing at, I imagine top flight sides in Brazil have their eyes on him, but if I were a counter-attacking mid-table club in Portugal I'd definitely try and get there first. Think he'd also really suit Ligue 1, but will probably need a loan at a higher level than his current level before being ready for football at that level. Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
Name: Otso Liimatta Club: Oulu (Finland) Position: LW/AM Birthday: 10/7/2004 (18) Height: 169cm (5"5) Foot: Right https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/otso-liimatta/profil/spieler/718152 Tactical role + team details: Oulu got promoted to the top division in Finland at the end of the 2020 season, they almost got relegated in 2021 - surviving with a win in the relegation playoff - they are currently top of the relegation group in the Veikkausliiga. They most frequently play a 4231 (41% of their games this season) formation. Liimatta is most often used as an attacking midfielder but has also been frequently used on the left-wing. He has 5 goals and 4 assists in 1894 minutes this season. In Possession: A very creative player, he frequently looks for a through ball to the forward or passes to the wingers. Demonstrated good link up play when deployed centrally, drifting out to the wings to play in the wingers or linking up well with the striker. Attempted a lot of dribbles although I felt he often tried to do much and overplayed causing him to get dispossessed too often, when simpler options were available - although there some great solo runs but these were rare. Finishing ability could use some work, some nice finishes but overall often lacked power and direction with his finishing. Out of Possession: Tried to have an impact defensively, but was too easily bypassed and was often left chasing shadows. Defensive reading of the game wasn't great and may struggle even more in a harder league. Physical: A player with good change of direction and agility, but one that lacks strength, height and physical presence. Didn't attempt many aerial duels due to his size and physicality. Pace was ok but definitely not quick Next Step: The best players from Finland usually join a Danish or Swedish team, but I think his physicality will put a lot of teams from other Scandinavian leagues off - I feel he'll be very suited to Dutch football though and despite the negatives above there'll be enough positives and he'll likely be cheap enough for a Dutch or maybe a 2. Bundesliga side to take a gamble on. Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
Also scouting came up in a meeting yesterday so I'd mentioned I'd been doing a bit of emerging talent scouting and i'd be interested in doing some for our clubs if the option was there. Head of Data asked to see a couple of reports (which I sent) and he said it married with their data. He's sent a couple of my reports to the scouts at Spezia + Casa Pia to take a look at as a couple of the players are within budget and exactly what we're looking for. So fingers crossed!
If they ended up signing one of your recommendations would you expect to receive some sort of finder's fee? Or more likely would it lead to them paying for future scouting reports? Apologies if that's too personal a question to ask!
Just doing it informally for now, I think I'd need to sort a new contract with the job written into it for that to happen, a head of recruitment at a championship club is a friend of mine and he gets a small percentage of any sale they make over a certain fee (think its £5m) if it was a player he recommended so it does happen!
Asprilla v2 Name: Luis Angulo Club: Alianza Petrolera (Colombia) Position: LW/RW/AM Birthday: 23/3/2004 (18) Height: 174cm (5"9) Foot: Right https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/luis-miguel-angulo/profil/spieler/885301 Tactical role + team details: Angulo often plays on the left-wing in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but is capable of playing on the right wing or in attacking midfield. He has 1 goal and no assists in 1187 minutes this season with 1 goal and 1 assist in 290 minutes last season. In Possession: A creative winger, he plays a good number of balls to the forward (through balls + crosses) and demonstrates good link up play with team-mates and likes to give and go, although is crossing was poor. Demonstrated good dribbling ability with and likes to take people on, has very quick feet and used both feet effectively but lacked pace when dribbling. Had good vision after dribbling and wasn't too selfish when on the ball. Didn't attempt many shots, but finishing ability was poor with him often snatching at shots. Did feel his touch was often too heavy which let him down with creating chances + dribbling. Out of Possession: Lacked defensive maturity and wasn't great defensively. Defensive positioning was poor and was drawn to the ball too much instead of trying to close down potential passing options, but did hassle and try to tackle the opposition when close to them which proved semi-effective. Physical: Impressive pace when not on the ball, but couldn't replicate it when in possession. Lacked upper body strength and was quite slight. Poor in the air. Good agility and turning circle though. Next Step: There's a potentially good player there but probably has too much to work on for a team to take a gamble at the moment - needs to work on his technique and end product (finishing + final ball to team-mates) a bit more for me, as well as the defensive aspect of his game. Will need a season or 2 to see how he develops, although could be an interesting option currently for an MLS team. Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
Name: Sebastian Aranda Club: Universidad San Martin (on loan from Alianza Lima - Peru) Position: LB Birthday: 7/10/2003 (18) Height: 180cm (5"11) Foot: Left https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/sebastian-aranda/profil/spieler/909475 Tactical role + team details: Universidad San Martin are one of the worse teams in the Peruvian top division. They stayed in the league last season after winning the relegation playoff and with 6 games to go are currently in the relegation spots, his parent club Alianza Lima are one of the top teams in Peru. Universidad San Martin most frequently play a 4-2-3-1 formation. Aranda is used as a left-back, he has no goals and no assists in 1439 minutes in the league this season. In Possession: Often took too long to pick his option when crossing which lead to his crosses frequently getting blocked. Was often involved in the final third and showed good movement, although often came inside too much when staying out wide may have been the better option - this limited his effectiveness somewhat, although could be a tactical choice rather than the players choice. Rarely played simple passes. Long range passing was poor and largely ineffective. Liked his dribbling style though, would often win the ball and carry it long distances up the pitch which would relieve a lot of pressure on his team (checked the stats after and out the 30 full-backs in the league to have played 1200 mins or more he ranked 8th in Carry Length) Out of Possession: Looked very good defending 1 vs 1 and was rarely bypassed when he was in close proximity, with impressive timing and body shape that made him hard to beat - although did often give away stupid fouls (pushes in the back) that were unnecessary. This was coupled with his poor tackling ability when coming across the pitch at speed, often lunging in with some reckless tackles. Physical: Good build, a stocky player who uses his body well when defending. Surprisingly quick, with rapid acceleration - doesn't use this pace enough when on the ball. Adequate in the air but neither poor or great, but wasn't many aerial duels to go on (sample size of 25) Next Step: Hard to see any European team wanting to take him at the moment. Wasn't effective enough in the final third and whilst some of his defending I really liked, other parts were rash and immature - although his side have the worst defence in the league by some distance so might look more impressive in a better team. Maybe one to revisit in a year or so. Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
Name: Juan Jose Mina Club: Deportivo Cali Position: RB Birthday: 27/7/2004 (18) Height: Unknown Foot: Right https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/juan-mina/profil/spieler/742488 Tactical role + team details: Deportivo Cali have just finished bottom of the top division in Colombia and are now relegated. They play a 4-2-3-1 formation with Mina used as a right-back. Mina only broke into the first team towards the latter stages of the season and got 1 assist in the 939 minutes he played in the league this season. In Possession: Demonstrated good attacking play when going forward, often playing lovely wall passes before using his pace to beat the opposition full-back. His dribbling ability was a particular highlight with some fantastic bits of skill and most of his dribbles ended in a positive scenario (foul awarded, cross being taken etc) for his team, often creating space for himself with a good shift onto his right foot and then using his pace. Crossing ability from wide areas was often poor however, with most crosses lacking power and failing to beat the first defender, although this was noticeably better when we was inside the penalty area compared to out wide. He was quite cautious in his positioning and didn't attack as much as I would've liked, although this could be down to his teams situation - may benefit from having a bit more freedom (perhaps as a wing-back in a back 3). Has a really powerful throw-in as well which could be a nice addition. Didn't try anything too spectacular with his passing, often taking the safe option unless in the opposition final third - his ground passing was safe but accurate although accuracy when playing chipped/high passes needs work. Out of Possession: Good defensive positioning and was rarely beaten 1 vs 1. Good timing with his tackling. Looked to break up play effectively, seemed to have a good amount of interceptions was able to recover well, although I did feel he could improve on his pressing and intensity of his defensive play. Physical: He demonstrated great pace and acceleration which he used to good effect in both offence and defence. Showed good strength and was rarely outmuscled. Didn't attempt many aerial duels but didn't look good in the air, often mistiming his leap and getting beaten to the ball - no height information available but looked big enough to challenge in the air so this was disappointing. Next Step: His team have been relegated so I imagine clubs might be interested - Europe might be a step too far the moment, but I could see a MLS team or a team in Brazil snapping him up. Could be a good option for a Portuguese team as well although may need a loan or 2 before being that level, but I believe there's a good player there. Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
Think you might have the current and potential levels the wrong way round - unless he wants to join us of course!
Name: Oscar Zambrano Club: LDU Quito Position: DM Birthday: 20/4/2004 Height: 172cm Foot: Right https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/oscar-zambrano/profil/spieler/893658 Tactical role + team details: LDU Quito are one the better teams in Ecuador, finishing 6th last season (qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana, where they finished 2nd in their group) and with 3 games left they are currently 5th in the league. They have most often used a 4-2-3-1 formation or 4-3-3 formation this season with Zambrano as either one of the double pivot or used as the lone DM. This season was his debut in the first team where he's played 725 minutes in the league (30% of available minutes) with 0 goals and 0 assists. In Possession: Mostly kept things simple in possession, playing a large amount of simple ground passes where he showed good accuracy (91.2% accuracy for ground/low passes) although long range passing needed some work (66% accuracy from 53 passes), these long-range passes were often him chipping the ball outside to the full back or winger. Positioning when his team were on the ball was good, with him often getting into good positions to receive the ball and frequently scanned to make sure he wasn't under pressure. Had a couple of nice dribbles to escape from pressure, particularly in the recent youth internationals against Brazil U20 and Uruguay U20, would maybe like to see him take on players more often but this is a small complaint. Shooting was poor and from bad locations, although didn't take too many shots. Out of Possession: Looked good against dribblers and was really effective at breaking up play. Read danger well and filled in for teammates. Recovered well defensively from mistakes. Positioning was a little bit suspect at times and could've covered passing lanes a bit better - most noticeably when used as a lone holding midfielder. Puts good pressure on. Physical: Don't think the height is correct - looked a little taller on video although didn't look good in aerial duels. Good pace with quick acceleration. Was rarely outmuscled. Next Step: Not ready for Europe yet, but if he can become a starter next season then he'll be worth another look next summer. Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
Name: Alexis Castillo Manyoma Club: Cortulua (Colombia) Position: AM Birthday: 30/1/2003 (19) Height: 168cm Foot: Right https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/alexis-manyoma/profil/spieler/908293 Tactical role + team details: Cortulua are a newly promoted side to the Primera A - they most often use a 4-2-3-1 formation with Castillo deployed as an attacking midfielder. Cortulua are currently bottom of the league with 3 games to go. Castillo has 5 goals and 2 assists in 2501 minutes this season. In Possession: A highly creative player, he often tries playing in the striker and showed great vision by playing lots of through balls to the strikers/wingers - accuracy on these types of passes were generally good (although sometimes were over-hit - but the poor quality of pitch could also be a factor here) but his team-mates often failed to anticipate what he was going to do and I believe he would be more effective in a better team. Showed good dribbling ability, using quick turns to beat any pressure. Good power and mostly good distribution with his long-range passing. Finishing ability was a little bit poor, especially from range but wasn't afraid to shoot and was comfortable shooting with both feet and often found himself in good positions. Good set-piece delivery to a mixture of zones. Out of Possession: Was very alert to danger with very quick speed of thought and desire to win the ball back that saw him look very impressive off the ball, his tenacity and pace means he's a very aggressive presser of the ball (despite his small frame), although was over enthusiastic quite regularly which saw him concede a lot of fouls. Physical: Transfermarkt has his height as 168cm, but I think he's grown a bit since then although he is still quite small in stature (I'd estimate about 175cm) - despite this small size he had a good leap meaning he was able and willing to challenge in aerial duels against players bigger than him, although did still struggle in the air at times. Was able to outpace most defenders and showed great agility and mobility. Also showed good upper body strength for his size. Next Step: I really really liked him. A very positive player who tries to make things happen. With Cortulua looking likely candidates for relegation I imagine lots of teams will be trying to get him cheaply. I can imagine clubs in the MLS/Portugal/Brazil as well as some other top European leagues have their eye on him. Moving to Europe would likely be a better move for his career, although i'm not sure he's ready for a top 5 league just yet so Portugal would be a great next move for him. Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
Name: Petar Ratkov Club: Backa Topola (Serbia) Position: ST/LW Birthday: 18/8/2003 (19) Height: 193cm (6"4) Foot: Right https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/petar-ratkov/profil/spieler/846254 Tactical role + team details: Backa Topola finished 6th in the Serbian Superliga last season and are currently 2nd in the league. They most frequently play a 4-3-3 or 3-5-2. Ratkov is used either as a striker or left-winger - he's scored 2 goals and has 1 assist in 798 minutes this season, with 3 goals scored and 1 assist in 1637 minutes last season. In Possession: Finds himself in good locations for a shot and takes shots from good locations, although his actual finishing ability looks poor - often snatching at shots. Timed runs in behind the defence well, although his general movement against teams defending deep was poor, often stationary with little scanning to see the positioning of defenders. Unselfish around the penalty area, showed good decision making when to pass and when to shoot. Had quick feet (and demonstrated good ability with both feet) when dribbling 1 vs 1 but often failed to beat his man - I think when playing at a higher level he'll be more effective playing as a striker rather than a winger, although he'll need to work on his finishing ability. Out of Possession: Looked a good defensive forward, showed good desire and intensity with his pressing - which was mostly effective. Did struggle defensively against dribblers, but these situations were rare considering his position. Good recovery runs and a good amount of interceptions. Really puts a shift in. Physical: Good build, quite skinny for his height which gives him impressive pace and agility for his size, although this does sacrifice some muscle as he didn't look particularly strong and was often outmuscled in shoulder to shoulder battles. Next Step: His size, pace and work-rate means he'll be a good fit for a lot of leagues, but the issues with his finishing and dribbling ability really puts a limit on his next available move, although I imagine Denmark or as a rotation option for a team in the Netherlands could be a good fit. Current Level: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful Potential: 10 - Champions League level player 9 - Top Half PL player 8 - PL player 7 - Top half player in Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 6 - Serie A/La Liga/Bundesliga/Ligue 1 Player 5 - Top Championship player 4 - Championship player 3 - League 1 player 2 - League 2 player 1 - Awful
This is fascinating , thanks . Can I ask you a question regarding playing stats ?. And assuming that you don't mind me asking, if a GK makes a ricket, fumbles the ball from a soft shot etc, a goal is then scored by another player but then chalked off for offside, would the "fumble" appear anywhere in the GKs playing stats ?.
Interesting question, goalkeeping stats are still so far behind the rest of the pitch. Looking through the statsbomb stats for goalkeepers and it tracks the following data points: So I'm not even sure a fumble from a shot would be tracked - as technically the original save was made successfully. It might count negatively towards the "positive outcome" stat, but since the follow up shot would be discounted I have doubts that it would show up. Data in football has come a long way in a very short space of time, but there's still so much to be done!
Thanks for this . I guess that this only reinforces my view that stats on their own are not the whole picture and should be used in conjunction with what someone sees with their own eyes.
These are from another company and how the measure GK's. I know they also look at mistakes that GK make, could be from spillages or wrong position with a video of the goal. Talking of GK's Maarten Vandevoordt looks a steal at £5M. I like the look of Arthur Okonkwo, could be one to watch.
Isn't positioning one of the key assets for a goalkeeper? To be in the right place restricts a forwards options and may even prevent a shot from happening. How that would be included in stats I have no idea. To be in the wrong place allows Sarr to score from his own half.
Some of the data platforms can quantify this by determining the "optimal position" for the GK based on where the shot came from, they can then assign this a value based on all the shots faced by a keeper and how far they deviate from the optimal position
