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]
Alphonse Areola // Villarreal (on loan from PSG) // 22 // Goalkeeper: Alphonse Areola has been a favourite of Talent Radar, with some excellent performances over the season meaning that he’s been a regular in our lists, and the odds of him finally securing a permanent club are rising. Of course, all top sports odds are available in William Hill Australia. He retains his place in the Team of the Week after a strong showing against Atletico this weekend, where he kept another clean sheet, making 4 saves in the process.
Ibrahima Mbaye // Bologna // 21 // Right Back: Juventus’ long winning run was brought to an end this weekend by Bologna, who held the Italian champions to a goalless draw after a slightly underwhelming performance from the Bianconeri. 21 year old Ghanian defender Mbaye did well in the fixture, with 4 tackles, interceptions, and clearances to his name.
Victor Nilsson-Lindelof // Benfica // 21 // Center Back: The Swedish midfielder has been used mostly as a center back this season by Benfica, having been recently promoted to the first team. He got his first goal for the Lisbon giants this past weekend after bundling in at the end of a melee from a free kick.
Wesley Hoedt // Lazio // 21 // Center Back: The Dutch defender put in a superlative performance this weekend to help Lazio keep out Frosinone. The game ended in a goalless draw, but Pioli take the performance of his young defender as a major positive. He finished with a massive 8 interceptions in the game.
Raphael Guerreiro // Lorient // 22 // Left Back: It isn’t often that a left back from a team that has conceded 3 goals in a match features, but after an exciting attacking performance in an incredible game, Guerreiro has to make the cut. He provided an assist, and scored the winning goal in injury time to secure a 4-3 win after coming from 0-2 down.
Mahmoud Dahoud // Gladbach // 20 // Central Midfielder: Gladbach have had a stunning recovery this season after the sacking of Lucien Favre, and performances from youngsters like Dahoud have been the bedrock of this resurrection. The midfielder put in an all round performance against Koln, and capped it off with a goal to seal the 3 points for his side. Dahoud and Xhaka have formed a good partnership in midfield, and with the Swiss being linked to moves away, Dahoud’s importance to Gladbach is only increasing.
Marvelous Nakamba // Vitesse // 22 // Central Midfielder: The beautifully named central midfielder played a starring role in the Vitesse’s 2-2 draw with Graafschap this past weekend. He put in a great performance, with contributions at the back, and going forward. He made 7 tackles, and also scored one of the 2 goals, ending up getting dispossessed only once in the entire game.
Julian Draxler // Wolfsburg // 22 // Attacking Midfielder: In their first ever appearance in the knockout stages of the Champions League, Wolfsburg were very impressive at Gent as they secured a 3-2 away win. Scoring twice to get them this result was their big money star, Julian Draxler. The ex-Schalke man joined as a replacement for De Bruyne, and such performances will elevate his status in the eyes of many Wolfsburg supporters.
Jairo Samperio // Mainz // 22 // Attacking Midfielder: Despite the fact that it came in a losing cause, Jairo Samperio put in a fabulous performance against Hoffenheim in the 3-2 defeat that Mainz suffered. The tricky attacker pulled off 4 dribbles in an aggressive performance, as he also scored and assisted as well. Samperio played a part in both the Mainz goals.
Domenico Berardi // Sassuolo // 21 // Striker: The former Juventus player, Domenico Berardi made quite the impact for Sassuolo this past weekend. The youngster, who is thought of very highly in Italy, lived up to the billing, and scored once, along with an assist as well. With the kind of talent he has, the type of performances he’s been putting in for his team, Berardi is becoming one of the defining forwards of the Serie A.
Arkadiusz Milik // Ajax // 21 // Striker: The Polish striker has been quite prolific this season for Ajax, and his goals have played a huge role in keeping Ajax right on the tails of the leaders, PSV. Another brace this past weekend in a win over Excelsior have taken his tally to 11 in the Eredivisie this season in just 18 starts, not a bad return at all.
Written by Vishal Patel.
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
