SCOUTED50: The Epilogue
A year on from our 2024/25 list, here are the stories that stood out
On October 18 2024, we published SCOUTED50. That’s eleven months or 328 days ago, for the analysts amongst you.
So much has changed. Our beloved Stephen Ganavas departed to an undisclosed European heavyweight. We launched a new website. We locked Ashwin Raman in a basement and forgot where we put the key (he has since escaped). And another entire football season has come and gone. Believe it or not, another one has already begun.
Most pertinently, every single player we elected for SCOUTED50 has moved 328 days further into their footballing career, for better or worse. The crushing passage of time terrifies me on the best of days, but I’ll be able to write (I hope) until I’m 80 - footballers have many luxuries, but a long career is not among them.
SCOUTED
Before we power forward (heh) into SCOUTED50 for the new season, we’d like to look backwards. I’ve asked each of my teammates to pick a handful of stories that stick out as they reflect on last year’s SCOUTED50 - the things we got right, the bits we got wrong, and the players we'll still be thinking about as we wave adieu to the class of ‘24.
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Dean Huijsen (#10) was somehow even better than we expected
Tom Curren
What we said: “Bournemouth have taken a bit of a risk, but Huijsen has a huge ceiling. If they can build him up physically and refine his game defensively, they have secured a £50+ million player for little more than £10 million.”
What happened: After an extraordinary breakout, Dean Huijsen joined Real Madrid for exactly £50m.
When Dean Huijsen joined Bournemouth in the summer of 2024, our dearly departed Stephen wrote the following: “He will be ready to play some, but not all, Premier League minutes, with a view to slowly broadening his role as they try to mould him into the top-liner he is capable of becoming […] Iraola’s system will expose him to some fight-or-flight scenarios, and passing those tests will be critical in establishing himself at this level.”
The analyst’s instinct (much to my chagrin) is so often to err on the side of caution, and for good reason - these are young people performing under impossible pressure, and anything could happen. But sometimes what happens is the best possible outcome, and Dean Huijsen laughed at the very idea of being ‘tested’ by immediately becoming one of the Premier League’s best centre-backs.
The adaptation period, cited to be gradual and perhaps drag out a year or two, lasted 13 weeks. Before December, Huijsen made two Premier League starts for Bournemouth. After the win against Tottenham on the 5th of that month, he played every single minute until the final day.
By January, Jake was waxing poetic about the Teenage Mutant (Spanish) Centre-Back. By March, Huijsen was starting (and defining) knockout fixtures in the Nation’s League. By June, he was a galactico. What a year.
Orri Óskarsson (#15) didn’t quite reach his heights
Jake Entwistle
What we said: “Once he settles in San Sebastián, the goals will flow.”
What happened: He did not settle, goals did not flow.
Last year’s list coincided with me quitting my job and committing to SCOUTED full-time. Nothing challenged that decision more than pouring through the longlist of players curated by Llew and Stevie and realising I recognised basically none. However, I did return to SCOUTED with one player occupying a large amount of my brain: Orri Steinn Óskarsson.
As I detailed in his Shortlist (RIP) entry, I first came across this Nordic number nine when putting together a list of “Strikers to Save Angeball” at Squawka. He stood out because he could do a lot of things: he was able to drop to combine with teammates, run channels and camp in the box to sniff out goals. This was all packed into a physical frame that could befit a Power Forward - we just didn’t have that term yet.
Unfortunately, the €20m Deadline Day move to Real Sociedad - a club-record sale for FC København - and the #9 shirt he inherited turned out to be a poor fit. In part due to niggling injuries, Óskarsson never got a run of consecutive starts. Even the early cameo against Valencia that saw him score his first two goals for the club was followed by an unused sub role the next week; granted, it was against Atlético Madrid. But he could not generate any rhythm. He went on to score just one more LaLiga goal from a total of 944 minutes.
In those minutes he was reduced to a penalty box presence. That’s fine. He has the tools required for the Goal Hanger role. The issue is that he never got the ball. His shot volume - which was not monster levels to begin with - practically disappeared. He averaged 1.8 shots per 90, not much more than his 1.05 clearances per 90. He also averaged just 3.5 touches in the opposition box per 90. That’s worryingly low. However, there were signs of light.
When he did shoot, it was from brilliant locations. 0.27 NPxG shot is extremely good; 99th percentile good when compared to other strikers in LaLiga last season. That means his NPxG per 90 also looked good on paper (0.5). He also shot from an Average Distance of 13.1 yards. That’s dropped to 11.6 so far this season and he’s already bagged a goal. Two more and he’ll equal his 2024/25 tally.
Óskarsson was named Iceland captain in March 2025 despite celebrating his 21st birthday in August. I still have faith in his ability to become a regular scorer at Big Five League level and there is plenty of time for that to happen. It just hasn’t panned out as quickly as I thought.
Eliesse Ben Seghir (#11) started the season on fire but cooled off
Jake Entwistle
What we said: “AS Monaco have built another super-young, super-talented squad to challenge PSG’s Ligue 1 dominance. Ben Seghir is quickly becoming its poster boy and will likely become one of its most profitable exports.”
What happened: Monaco did not challenge PSG, Ben Seghir did not become the poster boy, but he was sold for a decent amount.
Monaco finished 3rd during the 2024/25 Ligue 1 season, 23 points behind PSG - who weren’t even trying by the end of it. As for Eliesse Ben Seghir, the exciting early season form that produced five goals and three assists in 2024 cooled off in the new year. The Moroccan was directly involved in just one league goal in 2025. He certainly wasn’t the poster boy - that tag belonged to Maghnes Akliouche.
Ben Seghir was pushed to the bench following the arrival of Mika Biereth in January. The Dane produced a truck-load of goals, with Takumi Minamino moving to the left and Breel Embolo dovetailing with Biereth in a 4-4-2. Akliouche (three years Ben Seghir’s senior, it should be said) established himself as one of the brightest talents in Monaco’s side thanks to his gorgeous left foot.
Despite a reduction in minutes, Ben Seghir did sneakily become one of Monaco’s most profitable exports. His late €32m move to Bayer 04 Leverkusen came out of nowhere but secured his spot as the 14th most expensive sale in Monaco’s history. Admittedly, when making the SCOUTED50 prediction I was insinuating he would crack the €50m mark, placing him alongside the likes of Bernardo Silva in 7th.
Born in 2005, the Moroccan would still be eligible for this year’s list and the Bundesliga will be the perfect platform for his qualities. The “smooth ball-carrying […] laced with a level of skill and flair that makes you giggle” we picked out last year should suit the open spaces of Germany’s top-flight. He also has a similar skillset to Florian Wirtz. I don’t expect him to get too close to Wirtz’s output; it would be unfair to set that target. But Ben Seghir should become a key member of Kasper Hjulmand’s side. Then we'll get to watch him at the 2026 World Cup as part of what should be a super-exciting Morocco squad.
Samuel Gidi (#42) went from Ghana to America…via Slovakia
Llew Davies
What we said: “The metronomic midfielder should glide past the 100 appearance milestone for Žilina this season, which would set him up well for a move to a higher level next summer.”
What happened: He hit 106 appearances for Žilina and made a €1.7 million move to MLS.
Samuel Gidi’s career to date is an interesting case point for growing trends in the game.
He is a graduate of MSK Žilina Africa, an academy-oriented club based in Labadi, a suburb of Accra. A direct affiliate to the parent club in Slovakia, they have developed a number of predominantly Ghanaian prospects that have moved to Europe, with Gidi being the most notable. His success is testament to Žilina’s forward-thinking in gaining a substantial foothold in Africa, which we have long tipped as being the future of football. Their model is similar to the excellent Right to Dream academy which incorporates FC Nordsjælland. A relatively modest Slovakian club, Žilina have provided a blueprint for clubs across Europe and elsewhere, those with much greater wealth and vaster influence, to follow.
Gidi’s move to FC Cincinnati highlights the increasingly youthful approach MLS franchises are taking to recruitment, too. He joins as an U-22 Initiative player, one of many quirks in their squad building capabilities but one which encourages the signing of emerging prospects. If he hits his straps, he could be making a move back over the Atlantic to a higher level pretty quickly—further emphasising MLS’s shift toward developing and selling young talents over giving has-beens their last big pay day.
Nathan Zézé (#39) became Nantes most expensive player sale
Jake Entwistle
What we said: “Inter were linked in the summer, and a teenager establishing himself as an undisputed starter in Ligue 1 is usually followed by a flurry of transfer offers.”
What happened: Newly-promoted Saudi Pro League side NEOM SC signed him for Nantes' club-record sale.
Nathan Zézé was one of the first data discoveries from Monday Night SCOUTED I championed. When you spot a teenager not only starting regularly but also making tonnes of clearances, clean tackles and interceptions, you have to take notice.
Unfortunately, an ankle injury forced Zézé to miss 11 Ligue 1 games between January and April at the start of the year, somewhat derailing the breakout season-in-progress. It didn’t stop rumours linking him to Bournemouth. How I wish that move materialised.
Instead, Nantes collected a club-record €20m fee from NEOM SC this summer. I will still be following his progress this season but I really wanted (and expected) to see him move to another club in Europe. Luckily for us, the famous Nantes academy has produced another left-footed centre-back that I have included on this year’s list. Let’s just say I don’t think Zézé’s record sale is going to last long.
Ethan Nwaneri (#3) broke out at Arsenal - but the story is far from finished
Tom Curren
What we said: “Nwaneri is more than ready to make an impact. Slot him in and watch him go. Arsenal fans should be very excited.”
What happened: Nwaneri was more than ready to make an impact. Mikel Arteta slotted him in and watched him go. Arsenal fans were very excited.
There was a point this time last year, as we were collating the votes for SCOUTED50, when it looked like Ethan Nwaneri would be our runaway winner. I was excited: it reflected, I felt, the strength of feeling following the Premier League’s youngest-ever player. He was a Hale End superstar at a time Arsenal fans were reacquainting themselves with the notion: Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe had reminded them of the ridiculous talent hidden amidst north London’s stone, and here came Nwaneri, surrounded by more early noise than either.
Nwaneri eventually dropped to #3 on our list, because I’m not very good at maths. And perhaps that reflects his breakout year at Arsenal, which was both extraordinary and, in a strange way, muted. If asked to pick Hale End’s breakout youngster for last season, I imagine most would opt for Nwaneri’s old pal Myles Lewis-Skelly, in a reversal of their previous prestige. The news that softly filters from academies tends to celebrate attacking players, whose clips explode on social media, and so Nwaneri was always more coveted than his childhood friend. But by the end of 2024/25 Lewis-Skelly was a household name, a senior England international and goalscorer, and a stalwart of Arsenal’s run at the Champions League - while Nwaneri was ‘merely’ a consistent option in Arsenal’s tattered attack, and ‘only’ starred for England’s U-21s.
Let the lack of headlines not dampen the reality of what Ethan Nwaneri did last year. Four goals and two assists in less than 900 minutes of Premier League action largely from the wing, his secondary position. Two Champions League goals in 221 minutes. Three EFL Cup goals in 268 minutes. A devastating screamer to humiliate Manchester City. A start and a goal for England’s U-21s, three years above his age group. That he didn’t break into one of Europe’s best sides as a starter and usurp either Martin Ødegaard or Bukayo Saka, two of the best players in the world, should not be considered a failure: he only turned 18 in March.
Now his story threatens to be eclipsed again, this time by 15-year-old Max Dowman. But he’s committed his future to Arsenal, and when Mikel Arteta needed a player to break down a stoic Leeds United midfield early this term, he turned to his prodigal teen. Three years in, this is still just the start of Ethan Nwaneri’s tale. Slot him in and watch him go.
Yarek Gasiorowski (#33) is forging a new path at PSV Eindhoven
Llew Davies
What we said: “This campaign should be one of consolidation, filling in when needed and hopefully cementing himself as a first-choice.”
What happened: He played a bit, but not enough, and now PSV will be the beneficiaries of his top-class credentials.
Build the perfect centre-back from scratch and it wouldn’t look dissimilar to Yarek Gasiorowski. Tall, athletic, combative in duels, solid in the air and progressive on the ball—all with the big bonus of being a left-footer. Those are top-class credentials right there, the type of profile that clubs will invest a lot of money to get.
His final season at Valencia was a peculiar one. He played more minutes than in the 2023/24 campaign, but there was a nagging sense that coach Carlos Corberan didn’t fully trust him and he found it difficult to keep his place ahead of Cristhian Mosquera and César Tarréga when given the opportunity. Mosquera’s move to Arsenal would be the perfect time to cement Gasiorowski as a starter, you’d think, but the 20-year-old was sold to PSV Eindhoven for a not insignificant €9.8 million fee.
So far in the Netherlands, so good. He’s started every match of the season so far, replacing the outgoing Olivier Boscgali, and has unsurprisingly caught the eye for his top-quality attributes listed above. As title challengers in the Eredivisie and punchy competitors in the Champions League, Peter Bosz’s PSV is an almost ideal platform for Gasiorowski to showcase his sought-after skillset. As long as he stays healthy, it will be the launchpad back to a Big Five League.
In the year since we published SCOUTED50, 24 of the 50 players have made transfers.
The total transfer fees? €528.8m. That's a pretty good advert for reading the next one, if you ask us.
Premier League clubs snapped up the most (6), followed by Bundesliga and Saudi Pro League sides (4 each). Dean Huijsen's move to Real Madrid was the most expensive transfer (€62.5m) and the Spanish giants also spent the most in total - they also signed Franco Mastantuono for €45m to take their total to €107.5m.
Chelsea were the only other side to spend nine figures. Their €106.7m spend includes the only player to move twice in this SCOUTED50 window. The Blues signed Mathis Amougou for €15m in January before selling him to BlueCo sister club RC Strasbourg for €14.5m. The number of players owned by Premier League clubs increased from six to 11, with Spurs and Chelsea owning three each.
The list of players for this year's SCOUTED50 has been selected. It is sitting in our secret vault and watched around the clock by a squadron of armed guards - it is, as we now know, worth more than half a billion Euros.
Just kidding, it's in a Google Doc that's been sent to a host of our friends and colleagues. As ever, the final order is just for fun - the real magic is in Jake and Llew's curation. I'm excited about the collection they've put together, and we can't wait to unveil it...very soon.
And one year from now, we'll have a new selection of stories to look back on.
