European competitions are just around the corner and they are bringing a new format with more teams, more games and (supposedly) more fun!
Both the Champions League and Europa League have added 4 teams each to their group phases, now called league phases. UEFA’s third competition, meanwhile, will maintain their 32 teams despite adopting the new format. Fans of Europe’s little-known leagues will have the opportunity to watch at least two more matches of each team. With that in mind, we thought it’d be appropriate to highlight some of the young stars that could be about to show their talent in prime time.
We’ve narrowed down our list to U23 players with more than 800 minutes in either the 23/24 or 24/25 season, considering that there are teams that have already seen out a good chunk of their season.
Albian Hajdari – 2003 (21) – Central defender – FC Lugano
The Swiss-Kosovarian left-footed centre-back played 2795 minutes last season, in which Lugano claimed a well-deserved second place behind Young Boys. Hajdari is all about defensive volume: successful tackles, recoveries and clearances. If we mixed the Swiss Super League with the five top leagues in Europe, Hajdari would have ranked at least 38 out of 365 defenders (at least 1100 mins.) in all of these metrics.
Hajdari has played as a left defender in a 3-at-the-back system, which allows him to make his trademark diagonal switch from the left to the right. Last season, he put up 5.51 completed long balls with a success rate of 63.8%. Apart from that, he’s tidy on the ball: completes close to 9 out of every 10 passes and rarely commits errors in his team’s own half.
Aleksandar Cirkovic – 2001 (22) – Attacking midfielder/Winger – TSC Backa Topola
TSC Backa Topola came third last season with the help of Cirkovic’s 20 goal contributions. It is say to say that last season saw the birth of a star in the making, except that there was a huge over-performance in front of goal: Cirkovic scored 15 goals from 6.1 xG!
This will be one to check later in the season because while he was taking a below-average number of shots, the shooting positions he got in were decent on average (0.12 xG/shot).
Apart from his shooting, Cirkovic contributed a lot to his team with his dribbling (2.26 completed per game) and his carrying ability. Doing all that without loosing the ball meant he worked as a attacking reference point with 11.3 progressive passes received and an average of 4.97 touches in the opponent box. On top of that, he produced play a number of dangerous balls both from set pieces and open play sequences, often coming from the left side where he got to play 86% of his total minutes as a winger.
Michael Kayode – 2004 (20) – Full-back – Fiorentina
It’s easy to guess that Kayode is primarily a defensive full-back, who has coincidentally played as a centre-back already this season. Stats back the eye: he’s secure with his passing and rarely goes on an adventure. However, when he does that he quite effective. His ball-progression numbers happen to be above-average, as is his share of crosses completed. Even though this will be just his second season in Serie A, he has reportedly been radar of some top clubs in Europe already.
Johnny Kenny – 2003 (21) – Forward – Shamrock Rovers
Kenny was signed by Celtic more than one year ago, but he has not make his debut withe the Bhoys yet. Instead, he’s been banging goals in his home country. At just 21 years of age, Kenny looks to be a goal-focused striker. One that can handle a large share of his team’s xG from open play (42%). 0.49 xG, 3.75 shots and 5.77 touches in the penalty box per game. He’s certainly a presence in the box and ranks #1 in all three metrics. He has scored 10 goals in 1314 mins this season. One more and he will break his personal mark in Ireland first tier. Shamrock will be tough to play against in the Conference League and they have an in-form striker who will be willing to prove himself in the European stage.
Loizos Loizou – 2003 (21) – Attacking midfielder/Winger – AS Omonoia Nicosia
Amid some problems with the team’s board, Loizou’s yet to play a minute for Omonoia this season. Hoping he does that soon, we have selected him to take part of this list as he’s certainly a talent to follow. Loizou is a left-footed right-sided attacking midfielder who spent the second part of last season on loan at Heerenven. He has that Messi-esque (of course, not a comparison) ability to hide the ball from opponents even though he’s just 1.68m tall by using his hip and arms. Loizou has everything you’d want in a winger/attacking midfielder: can play the ball into the box, can receive inside the box, take a good numbers of shots from dangerous positions and doesn’t get dispossessed much.
Kevin Denkey – 2000 (23) – Forward – Cercle Brugge
Denkey was one of the best strikers in Europe last season. After signing for Cercle five seasons ago, he has experienced a rapid progression: 2, 6, 11 and 26 goals. The more he has played, the more goals he has scored. Denkey is one of the strongest forwards out there and his stamina is also great. That combination, together with his goalscoring ability, make him one of the best prospect in Europe. Most of his goals have come from inside the box, where he imposes himself. Denkey’s profile is not that of a striker that can only be resolutive inside the opposition box but also he’s productive outside: he completes 64.3% of his dribbles and 65.2% of his passes in the opponents half.
However, he will be staying at Cercle for another season. Let’s see if he’s made for the Conference League.
Founded in 2017 as a consultancy, Driblab has driven innovation through data in all aspects of professional football. Thanks to a transversal model, its database collects and models statistics in all directions. From converting matches and videos into bespoke data for training academies to developing cutting-edge technology, helping clubs, federations and representative agencies in talent scouting and transfer markets. Driblab’s smart data is used by clubs all over the world, with success stories such as Dinamo Zagreb, Real Betis and Girondins Bordeaux among others. Here you can find out more about how we work and what we offer.
