Ibrahim Maza is about to hit the mainstream
Also: the massive Pedri stat, a SCOUTED50 alumnus gets his move, and a chance to watch Evann Guessand
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Headliners
The players we watched this week.
Back to news this week. I’d still like to include some player ‘superpowers’ in Headliners, as I trialled last week, but there was some cool news on the docket I wanted to share this time around. Maybe I’ll do a bit of both some weeks, maybe I won’t. Whatever, there are no rules. I can do whatever I want. And what I want is to make it up as I go along and pretend like I have a plan. So there.
Short…listed:
A short recommendation.
This week, we're dipping into the 2. Bundesliga to add a left-back to The Shortlist.
Aaron Zehnter is the name. Since leaving FC Augbsurg at the start of 2024, the 20-year-old has made an eye-catching breakthrough in the German second tier for promotion hopefuls SC Paderborn.
If I had to pigeonhole him into an Archetype, it would be the Flyer. Zehnter is the type of full-back that aligns with the more traditional approach: vertical and aggressive, he zips up and down the flank to provide an outlet and attacking threat. That attacking threat is pronounced too, racking up no less than 10 assists in the league so far this season, many of which are wicked, whipped left-footed crosses. He even chips in with the odd goal now and again, bursting into the box off the left.
If Paderborn aren't playing top-flight football next season, Zehnter will be. There won't be a shortage of suitors for the Germany U-20 international. He'll certainly be on Bundesliga shortlists and I expect the usual clubs from Italy, Belgium, England and elsewhere will be keen to bag a bit of a bargain. Keep tabs.
HEATWATCH
SCOUTED50: Keeping tabs on the golden boys.
🔥 44 / IBRAHIM MAZA
Ibrahim Maza first caught our eye as a young attacker impressing for Germany’s youth teams by driving at defences and throwing himself relentlessly into duels; he then switched his allegiance to Algeria, and quickly became a full international. He’s a hugely technical creator who operates in the left half-space and likes to drives inside onto his right foot, which is an absolute hammer. And, as reported above, it looks likely he’s off to Bayer Leverkusen - who are probably going to lose their key creative force this summer. They might just have found a replacement.
🧊 17 / SIMONE PAFUNDI
After a scintillating start to his loan at FC Lausanne-Sport, things slowed down for young Simone Pafundi. Towards the end of that 12-month spell he lost his place through injury and faltering form and the club refused the option to sign him permanently. Much was made of INEOS and Jim Ratcliffe’s involvement in that move to Lausanne - prompting some speculation he was on a path intended to lead eventually to Manchester United - but now he’s back in Italy and struggling for consistency. Since his return to Udinese in January, he’s managed just 98 Serie A minutes to date. He only turned 19 last month - everyone calm down.
Mad, Mad Men
We interrupt this newsletter to bring you a message from this week’s sponsors: SCOUTED.
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Jake Entwistle
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SCOUTED Stats
The stat leaders piquing Jake’s interest. For the detail, read Monday Night SCOUTED.
🧹 On Saturday, Pedri broke the record for most Ball Recoveries made in a Big Five League game this season, recording 17 against Celta Vigo. In doing so, he became the first player to record 200+ Ball Recoveries in Europe’s Big Live Leagues in 2024/25. On Tuesday, Pedri broke the record again, recording 18 Ball Recoveries against Mallorca. He is the youngest player on the Stathead database to record 250+ Passes into the Final Third, 200+ Ball Recoveries, 50+ Passes into the Penalty Area and 50+ Key Passes in a single Big Five League season. This is an all-timer campaign.
😮💨 Assane Diao became the first teenager on the Stathead database to score (he bagged a brace), make 6+ Tackles and make 6+ Clearances in a Big Five League game. Get yourself a Wide Forward that can do both.
☄️ Thierno Barry joined Jamal Musiala as the only U23 player to attempt 10 (TEN!) shots in a Big Five League game this season and just the 12th U23 player to do so since the start of the 2017/18 season - on Tuesday night, Lamine Yamal became the 13th. The best part? Barry only attempted nine passes. He went full Osimhen.
Watchlist
The players to keep an eye on – and where to find them.
If you have Friday plans, cancel them. This week's Watchlist sets up three games in a row all on the same day.
🇪🇺 UEFA Youth League
Red Bull Salzburg U19 - Trabzonspor U19
UEFA Youth League, Friday, 24 April 2025, 13:00 BST
Start with the first UYL semi-final. 2017 winners and 2022 runners-up Red Bull Salzburg take on the first Turkish side to reach the final four of the competition, Trabzonspor.
For the Austrians, keep an eye out for Edmund Baidoo. The 2006-born Ghanaian immediately caught the eye in group stage, with Llew finishing his UYL Matchday 1 scout report with the following:
Going off this performance, the 18-year-old is the next in a long succession of strikers that will score a load of goals for Salzburg and generate a huge profit for the clubs when he’s sold on to a leading European league.
As for the Turkish side, diminutive 2007-born left-footer Onuralp Çakıroğlu is their joint-top scorer in the competition with four goals alongside hulking 2005-born right-footer Poyraz Yıldırım, but all of their goals were scored in the Champions Path. They have since knocked out three Italian sides in the knockout stage, winning 1-0 against Juventus, drawing 0-0 against Atalanta before winning the penalty shootout and then beating Inter 1-0 in the quarter-final.
AZ Alkmaar U19 vs. Barcelona U19
UEFA Youth League, Friday, 24 April 2025, 17:00 BST
In the second semi-final, 2023 champions AZ Alkmaar take on two-time winners FC Barcelona.
Kiyani Zeggen was the hero for the Dutch side in both the last 32 against Real Madrid and the quarter-final against Manchester City. The 2006-born goalkeeper saved 13 shots across both matches, including one from the penalty spot in each match.
For Barcelona, you will be drawn to the absurd acceleration of Jan Virgili. The mini 2006er has a complete catalogue of different ways to beat a full-back, as we highlighted in the Matchday 5 round-up:
Both semi-final matches will be available to watch on UEFA TV. As will the final on Monday 28 April 2025 at 17:00 BST. Don't say we didn't warn you.
🇨🇮 Evann Guessand (2001)
Paris Saint-Germain vs. OGC Nice
Ligue 1 — Friday, 24 April 2025, 19:45 BST
This is the final season that we will include 2001-born players in our SCOUTED coverage so I wanted to spotlight a player that featured in the latest Archetype introduction.
Jake Entwistle
The Gamebreaker is a reverse-engineering of Mohamed Salah’s profile, which, put simply, is about Wide Attackers that focus all of their energy on the most dangerous Runs and Passes with a particular penchant for targeting space in behind. Evann Guessand was one of the most similar players to the Egyptian.
Guessand began the season for Nice at centre-forward but now finds himself on the right of two attacking midfielders in a 3-4-2-1 system. Being right-footed, this puts him on his orthodox side that creates nice angles in the half-space. But I wonder if swapping him to the left would help him reach his full Gamebreaking potential.
The worst case scenario is that you get to watch a Florian Wirtz doppelganger in PSG’s midfield.
Jake Entwistle
Vox Populi
We’re listening - here's a quick poll, for fun.
Last week we asked you to pick the U23 superstar who defined the Champions League quarter-finals. The responses were magical. Here’s the results, and some my favourites. As ever, we can’t include them all!
🥇 Myles Lewis-Skelly - 34.8%
🥈 Bukayo Saka - 26.1%
🥉 Desiré Doué - 21.7%
💬 Nick (Bukayo Saka): “Need I say more?”
💬 Ross H (Desiré Doué): “Doué wasn't as good as MLS but in every game he's playing he's lifting PSG, whether that be from the start or coming off the bench. Villa were also arguably a team playing a lot better than the bland and brutally timid Madrid side.”
💬 Merson (Myles Lewis-Skelly): “He’s 18, and showed the Real Madrid hierarchy the player profile they should be looking at. No-one looked at the quarter final and thought ‘What Real Madrid need is a technically brilliant right back who likes going forward.’ Did I mention he was 18? 18…”
💬 Toby H (Myles Lewis-Skelly): “Myles is the sort of player that you watch at youth level and say, 'well try doing that against 'insert name' at the top'. Well he does it. That is his USP. I think his ability to run through teams but importantly then make the right pass is mind boggling. You can tell he's been doing it his whole life because of the fact that he makes the right pass. So often you see players go on mazy runs and then when they have the easy job of laying it off to someone they fail, they become complacent - Myles doesn't. DO NOT STOP SPEAKING ABOUT HIM.”
💬 Anonymous (Myles Lewis-Skelly): “Youngest bossman I’ve ever seen.”
Further reading
Let’s roll back the clocks to remind ourselves why Bryan Zaragoza was once considered so special - and what we might learn about where he goes next.
Published Oct 2023. Written by Sam Tighe.
The world is finally waking up to Bryan Zaragoza
‘“Bryan Selección” es real.’
Two Sundays ago, a simple, triumphant, yet slightly emotional statement from Granada confirmed the rumours: Bryan Zaragoza, the mountain club’s new shooting star, had been called up to the Spanish national team.
He found out shortly after stepping off the pitch against Barcelona, having just eviscerated the Catalan club with his combination of lightning speed and sharpshooting. Two goals—one inside the first minute of the game, the other a goal-of-the-month contender—combined with an injury to Yeremy Pino paved the way for what had started out as a bit of a joke, a tongue-in-cheek suggestion for Spain to look Bryan’s way that lacked serious belief that it would ever actually happen.
After all, Bryan became only the fourth Granada player ever to represent the senior men’s national team when he stepped off the bench against Scotland last Thursday. Before him, the club’s most recent national representation had come from Ángel Castellanos back in 1974, almost 50 years ago. The closest connection the region can usually forge with La Furia Roja is hosting national team games at the Nuevo Los Cármenes.
Bryan is the talk of the town and the pride of the city. Although born and raised in Málaga, where he played the vast majority of his formative football, it was Granada who gave him a senior contract—and therefore a lifeline—after Málaga, Real Betis and Real Valladolid declined to. That’s formed a connection on both sides; he’s not quite a homegrown hero, but he’s not far from it.
Sam Tighe
That’s all, folks. See you next Friday.
For everything on the next generation, stay tuned to SCOUTED.
