10 Talents — 3
This is part three of my series where I look at ten young players I like briefly each week, mainly from European leagues I’m keeping an eye on. Here you can see part 1 and part 2.
21 Carlos Cuesta
1999 Columbian centre back
KRC Genk
Moved to Genk for £3.4m from Atletico in Columbia in summer. A composed, forward thinking centre half who likes the ball at his feet. Drives into space well and has a good range of passing. Sound footwork and reads danger well, defensive work rate could be better at times and isn’t the tallest but still has some size to him.
42 passes at 90.3%, 3.2 long passes at 61%, 52% win rate in the air, 70.5% win rate in defensive duels and 7.1 progressive passes
22 Bryan Rodríguez
2000 Uruguayan left winger
Los Angeles FC
Dangerous winger mentioned in the new ScoutedFtbl podcast. He also impressed at the U20 World Cup with his dribbling and speed. He stands at 5'8" with a low centre of gravity and a good burst of speed. He loves to dribble and is very direct with his play, carrying the ball and running at the defence.
0.44 xG+A, 3.5 attempted passes into the box, 8.7 dribbles at 53%, 2.8 progressive runs and 2.3 shots
23 Ianis Hagi
1998 Romanian attacking midfielder
KRC Genk
Tidy, creative attacking midfielder. Decent set pieces, operates well between the lines and playing off of the striker. Good control and a links up with wide players well.
In Romania: 0.55 xG+A, 4 attempted passes into the box, 3.2 shots and 6.4 dribbles attempted at 52%.
24 Ozan Kabak
2000 Turkish centre back
Schalke 04
Physical centre half who’s strong in the air with good, smooth passing. Can travel into space well. Calm on the ball but can come across as too casual at times. Adapted well to the Bundesliga and Schalke got a great price at €15m
33.4 passes at 83%, 5.2 interceptions, 67% of defensive duels won and 53% win rate in the air
25 Arnór Sigurdsson
1999 Icelandic left winger
CSKA Moscow
Effective inside forward for CSKA in their young, dynamic front three who linkup really well. Good movement, good at dropping into pockets of space and receiving on the turn. Strong on the counter with good dribbling at speed.
0.40 xG+A, 0.21 second assists, 2.8 touches in the box, 2.1 shots and 3.7 dribbles at 51%
26 Sekou Koita
1999 Malian striker
Red Bull Salzburg
A good finisher, quick off the mark with tight control with the ball at his feet. Versatile and can play across the front line. Likes to drop between the lines, tries creative passes which could come with more success. First touch could be better and movement in the box.
0.56 xG+A, 3.5 shots, 4.8 dribbles with 52% success, 3.9 touches in the box and 2.6 attempted passes into the box
27 Cheick Doucoure
2000 Malian defensive midfielder
RC Lens
Midfielder with good passing, he has good technique and vision to see passes through gaps and progress the ball really well. Works hard off the ball, protects the back four effectively and is a strong dribbler
43.1 passes at 86%, 2.6 dribbles at 63%, wins 64% of defensive duels and 8.3 progressive passes
28 Eduardo Camavinga
2002 Angolan/French central midfielder
Stade Rennes
The 16 year year old has been a main topic on Twitter since the start of the season after two great performances for Rennes, including a 2–1 win over champions PSG. Very tidy player with a good touch and clean passing, creativity in midfield and puts in a shift defensively
29 Mert Cetin
1997 Turkish centre back
AS Roma
Just signed from Gençlerbirliği in Turkey’s 2nd tier. Great range of passing, quick off the mark and a physical defender. Composed with the ball and has great vision for a throughball.
44.1 passes at 89%, 6.5 long passes at 62%, wins 74% of defensive duels and 50% in the air
30 Erling Håland
2000 Norwegian striker
Red Bull Salzburg
Big physcial presence up front at 6'4" but moves really well for a big man. Great goal scorer, can drive at the defence and holdup play well. Has started this season really well and will be making another step up soon
In Norway: 0.76 xG+A, 2.7 shots, 4 attempted dribbles at 48%, 4 touches in the box and 33% win rate in the air.
