A regular feature on our website is the Talent Radar Team of the Week with the best young players compiled into an XI from across Europe’s top six leagues. You can read this for all details on Talent Radar, who is eligible under it and what else we publish within this feature.
[Eligibility: As of 1st June 2015 – 21 years old and below for outfield players // 22 years old and below for goalkeepers]
Pau Lopez // Espanyol // 21 // Goalkeeper: The huge Espanyol keeper has broken the oligopoly that the likes of Butland and Areola had established on the keeper’s spot in our ToTW, with a good solid performance this weekend against Malaga. The stopper made 4 saves in total, but sadly couldn’t maintain his clean sheet.
Hector Bellerin // Arsenal // 21 // Right Back: One of the best right backs in the world at the moment, let alone best young right back, Bellerin is a vital cog of the Arsenal machine. Unfortunately for Arsenal supporters, the rumours linking him to a return to Catalunya just wont go away. A goal and another buccaneering performance in the big win against Watford will only add polish to his already bright reputation.
Nico Elvedi // Borussia Monchengladbach // 19 // Centre Back: Elvedi, like all his teammates, put in a terrific performance this past weekend, as Gladbach thrashed Hertha Berlin 5-0. Gladbach are one of the most exciting teams in the world right now, with the wealth of young talent they have, and the kind of football they play. Elvedi was a rock in their back 3, making 4 tackles and 3 interceptions in the game.
Matt Miazga // Chelsea // 20 // Centre Back: Miazga finally made his debut this weekend against Villa, with the likes of Zouma and Terry injured, and Cahill rested. It was a very neat performance from the youngster, as he kept a clean sheet for his side, and applied himself very well. While he was initially a little weak in the physical challenge, he got used to the battle quickly enough. Additionally, he did very well starting play from the back, with a lot of incisive long passes towards Pato.
Talent Radar Player Rankings 2015-16
Wendell // Bayer Leverkusen // 22 // Left Back: Wolfsburg look like they’re a team in free fall at the wrong time of the season, but that isn’t Leverkusen’s problem, and they played like it. A comfortable 3-0 win for the home team was the crowning glory for Wendell. A very solid performance by the Brazilian, going forward and defending, with 2 dribbles, and 2 tackles.
Thomas Toure // Bordeaux // 22 // Right Winger: A very useful all round performance from Toure for Bordeaux, as they won 2-1 away at Monaco. It what was no mean feat, the young Toure put in a match winning performance, with a goal and an assist setting up the win for his team. Moreover, it wasn’t just in the opposition penalty area that he was effective. The 22 year old young player also completed 4 tackles over the 90 minutes.
Mahmoud Dahoud // Borussia Monchengladbach // 20 // Central Midfielder: Dahoud generally plays with Xhaka in a 2 man midfield, and they execute their plans to perfection. They had Lars Stindl drop a little deeper this time, and it worked out even better. Dahoud played a good role from deep, and made 2 assists, both for Thorgan Hazard. Going backwards, he also managed to make 5 tackles. Dahoud has had a great season, and his performances just keep getting better.
Ousmane Dembele // Rennes // 18 // Central Midfielder: This 18-year-old is the talk of European football right now, with every big club rumoured to have an eye on him. He’s getting our attention too, with this being yet another appearance he’s made on our ToTW. He just cant stop scoring, with a brace this weekend in a 3-1 win for Rennes.
Thorgan Hazard // Borussia Monchengladbach // 23 // Left Winger: The third Gladbach player to make it onto this team already, Hazard played a starring role in the crushing win this past weekend. A couple of dribbles and 4 tackles to add to the brace meant that it was an all round performance to savour from him. 4 shots on target mean that he was a threat throughout the game.
Suso // Genoa // 22 // Striker: The former Liverpool player has not exactly set the Serie A alight since signing for Genoa, with just 4 goals for the team, after his hattrick over the weekend. What was important though was the fact that he score 3 goals from 6 shots, which is a brilliant conversion rate. The hattrick also more or less won the match for Genoa, as they strolled to a 4-0 win against Frosinone.
Arkadiusz Milik // Ajax // 22 // Striker: Milik has been in phenomenal form of late, with a lot of goals coming from him as Ajax approach the end of the season. Milik has been instrumental in getting Ajax to the top of the table. He’s scored 18 times in the league this season, and is only scoring more frequently now as we approach “squeaky bum time”. Milik has been a great leader of the line throughout the season, and now, he’s accelerating the goal scoring rate.
Read all our Talent Radar Team of the Week articles here
- Analysis: Are Chelsea’s pressing issues a concern? - October 5, 2020
- Has Financial Fair Play Been Worth It? - August 27, 2020
- Tactical Philosophy: Frank Lampard - May 20, 2020
