Max Dowman glides, Chido Obi arrives, Angelo Stiller smashes one
The Shortlist, Friday 7 March 2025
Happy Friday, scouts. Welcome to The Shortlist, your weekly, bitesize download on football’s next generation.
Support us by forwarding this newsletter to a friend. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up for free. Want more detail and feature stories? SCOUT NOTES or MNS.
Enjoy this free newsletter? You can gift us a one-off tip, here.
Headliners
The players we watched this week.
Short…listed:
A short recommendation.
This week, we're adding Yuto Ozeki to your shortlists.
Insight from Llew's notebook: "Bit above average height, leaner frame with longish legs – athletic. Nimble mobility sticks out on pitch, shifty mover in smaller spaces. Clean touch/close control on both feet. Instinct to play forward quickly, looking to drive with carry + create with pass.
"Good athlete with lean frame, easy to see top-level physique. Gets on ball between lines + speeding up sequences with good touch, passes, little runs. Awareness of space/next action is good. Building and playmaking, always wants the ball to develop + create. Likes the clipped diagonal cross from right half space. Uses both feet to take, turn, pass and shoot. Really switched on to second balls. Really impactful and sees the games before others."
He's returned to Kawasaki Frontale after a breakthrough season in the J3 League. We don't think it will be too long before he's starting (semi-)regularly in Japan's top tier and showcasing his exciting skillset.
HEATWATCH
SCOUTED50: Keeping tabs on the golden boys.
🔥 32 / LUKA VUSKOVIC
At the end of February, Luka Vušković scored a goal for KVC Westerlo in Belgium - it was his seventh of the season. If you weren't aware, this kid is a centre-back. Last weekend, he monstered a game against OH Leuven and managed three shots. For his final effort, he picked the ball up in midfield, drove into space and unleashed a shot that swerved like a bullet from that movie Wanted (2008). Westerlo almost scored from the rebound - just one example of how this teenage goliath can break games open.
He's massive, he's on fire, he's on his way to Tottenham Hotspur FC / THFC / Spurs.
🧊 1 / PAU CUBARSI
Yep, I'm doing it - I'm rating our number one player to watch for the season as 'cold'. As I'm sure you're aware, Pau Cubarsí was sent off early against Benfica on Wednesday night, for a last-ditch tackle that sadly brought down Vangelis Pavlidis.
Two observations: one, Cubarsí's red was yet another reminder of how astonishingly small the margins are at the top level. If his foot swings round a centimetre lower, he sweeps the ball away and we're talking about an incredible goal-saving intervention from one of the most talented defenders on the planet (watch the way Pavlidis monsters through the high line and Cubarsí still manages to get a half-step ahead - unreal; I need his explosive accelerations data, Jake). Alas, 'twas not to be.
Two, it's absurd to have a 'cold' section at all. I'm going to persevere for the sake of symmetry, but don't be surprised to find two 'hot' players in future editions. It's just more fun that way.
SCOUTED Stats
The stat leaders piquing Jake’s interest. For the detail, read Monday Night SCOUTED.
🎩 Mika Biereth is now responsible for 33.3% of the nine hat-tricks scored by players under the age of 23 across Europe’s Big Five Leagues this season. He also became the first player of any age to generate 3.0 xG in a single match this season, no penalties needed.
🧭 Cristhian Mosquera completed 16 Passes into the Final Third in Valencia’s 3-3 draw against Osasuna, the joint-most by an U23 centre-back in a Big Five League game.
🎬 Lamine Yamal received 30 Progressive Passes against Real Sociedad, the first U23 player to receive 30+ in a Big Five League game this season and only the third player of any age, joining Álex Grimaldo (35) and Achraf Hakimi (36). He also broke three more records (!!!)
Watchlist
The players to keep an eye on – and where to find them.
🇫🇷 Jérémy Jacquet (2005)
Stade Rennais vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Ligue 1 — Saturday, 8 March 2025, 16:00 GMT
Jake: After somehow losing against Liverpool, now everyone knows how fun PSG are to watch. They're frontline is in a perpetual state of rotation with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (2001), Bradley Barcola (2002) and Desiré Doué dovetailing with Ousmane Dembélé. This weekend, however, they face the next generation of gatekeeping centre-back: Jérémy Jacquet. I mentioned this in Monday Night SCOUTED, but Rennes have not conceded a goal in the 328 Ligue 1 minutes Jacquet has played since returning from loan. He already holds the U23 single-game record for Interceptions this season (8), he might need to set a new one for Tackles if he wants to keep his sheet clean.
🇪🇸 Mikel Jauregizar (2003)
Athletic Club vs. Mallorca
LaLiga — Sunday, 9 March 2025, 17:30 GMT
Jake: When the mention of a player prompts a "good player" response from Stevie, you know it's worth doubling down on. Athletic Club are in the top four and the Bilbao Alexis Mac Allister is playing a pivotal role in their charge for the UEFA Champions League. The reason I've name-dropped the Argentinian is because Jauregizar seems to have that same blend of Tek and tenacity that allows him to adapt to whatever midfield role the game demands; he could make 10 tackles, he could spray a catalogue of switches and through-balls, or he could even pop up with a sweet strike from the edge of the box. Tune in to find out.
Vox Populi
We’re listening - here's a quick poll, for fun.
Last week we asked you to pick which SCOUTED-certified duo was most fun. Thanks to everyone who voted!
The results:
🥇 Nico Paz and Assane Diao - 53%
🥈 Maghnes Akliouche & Eliesse Ben Seghir - 33%
🥉 Eberechi Eze & Romain Esse - 13%
This week we'll continue the Arsenal youth theme, so: which in-the-news Arsenal graduate has the highest ceiling, imo?
- Max Dowman
- Chido Obi
- Mika Biereth
Vote here. We'll publish the results next week!
Further Reading
This week at SCOUTED...here's an old, relevant essay for your enjoyment.
Chido Obi, Arsenal, and the elite academy arms race
Are the Gunners losing out in the ultra-competitive, post-Brexit battle?
Published August 2024
When the news broke about Chido Obi-Martin leaving Arsenal to join Manchester United, I was very intrigued.
A number of speculative reasons were thrown around to explain why he was swapping north London for Manchester, but what really piqued my interest was the Arsenal perspective.
While losing a talented young player is not a disaster by any means, I find the idea of squad building extremely fascinating — and Obi is a squad builder’s ideal piece: a cheap, valuable commodity with a massive ceiling.
It got me thinking that Arsenal are, perhaps, a little behind the times in the dog-eat-dog world of post-Brexit academy scene among the Premier League elite.
That's not to say they can’t produce players, that couldn't be further from the truth. Folarin Balogun, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith-Rowe, and of course, Bukayo Saka, are all a testament to Arsenal’s ability to produce players.
But in the last few years, the stakes have been raised. Now clubs no longer have access to an endless well of talent on the continent before they turn 18, the big Premier League clubs are going to war over every talented player with a British passport. To their credit, players are taking advantage, with the chance to earn life-changing contracts or advance their careers through more first-team opportunities when they make significant switches. Or of course, they're using these offers as leverage to secure great deals at their current clubs. It's never been a better time to be a talented English youth international.
But Arsenal never really seem to be in these young player sweepstakes.
That’s all, folks. See you next Friday.
For everything on the next generation, stay tuned to SCOUTED.
