Adam Wharton returns, Khéphren Thuram scores a worldie, Oliver Scarles breaks records
The Shortlist - Friday 27 February, 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 are exactly what you're looking for.
What on earth is this?
...I hear you scream at your phone.
This is brand-new newsletter called The Shortlist (many of you will recognise that name - it was too fitting not to re-use).
The Shortlist is your way to keep up with the next generation, in one place, without quitting your job to watch football games. We want to create somewhere really valuable for the reader with an interest in scouting but not the time to follow it all.
And it's free. So if you like it, please forward it to your friends and colleagues. Leaving Substack was a huge risk, and we need your help to continue to grow.
This bitesize work is not a replacement of our long-form, detailed stories: it's an accompaniment, and a place for us to use all the creative ideas we don't have the time to develop into full series.
We're also very keen to hear your feedback on this format. If you have a note or would like to reply to any of the sections below, leave a comment or reply to this email. Easy!
True to name, I'll leave this intro...short. Enjoy, and see you next Friday.
Tom
Headliners
The players we watched this week. As this is the first edition, we've gone two weeks back for a bumper round-up.
Last week:
Who'd we miss?
Can't watch 'em all.
In future editions of this newsletter, we'd love to hear about the players you're watching and would like to bring to our attention.
For example:
Drop a comment or reply to this email with a star you're infatuated by, and why they're so good - and we'll publish the best of them here.
Short…listed:
A short recommendation.
This week, we're adding Noah Nartey to your shortlists.
Llew: “I rate Nartey plenty because he is a press-resistant midfield prospect of the highest order, both as a high-volume passer that connects play across the pitch and a zippy dribbler that can burst out of tight spaces.
“He started the season with a string of stars before losing his place, but it looks as if he’ll feature regularly in the second half of the Superliga season which should only see his profile and popularity increase significantly.”
Noah Nartey featured in our Team of the Year.
HEATWATCH
SCOUTED50: Keeping tabs on the golden boys.
🔥 33 / YAREK GASIOROWSKI
Hot this week is Yarek Gasiorowski, who signed a new contract with Valencia. Good, because it's a show of faith by the ailing club in their star; extra good, because he only added two years, meaning a future move is not off the table. A tidy, powerful, left-footed centre-back, Gasiorowski plugs depth into one of Spain's weaker areas (he's just gotta displace Pau Cubarsí first, easy), and fits the bill for many top suitors at club level.
Gasiorowski's first SCOUTED appearance was in our 2024 U-19 EURO Team of the Tournament.
🧊 25 / MATHIS AMOUGOU
Being negative about a young professional isn't particularly interesting or fulfilling, so take our weekly 'cold' rating more as a gentle 'hmm'. This is particularly true in the case of Mathis Amougou, an hugely athletic, space-devouring midfielder who made a massive leap forward in his career this week: a Premier League debut, with Chelsea. The 'hmm' part: who knows what will happen to any young player hoovered up by Chelsea these days? A promising start nonetheless. We've watched this guy for years, and will continue to, with hope in our hearts.
Amougou's first appearance on SCOUTED was in our U-17 World Cup Team of the Tournament.
SCOUTED Stats
The stat leaders piquing Jake’s interest. For the detail, read Monday Night SCOUTED.
🧹 Pedri broke the unbreakable record for Ball Recoveries with FIFTEEN against Las Palmas.
↔️ BVB's Soumaïla Coulibaly broke his own record for Switches, recording six in Brest's 0-0 draw with Strasbourg.
🦵 Oliver Scarles made seven Interceptions against Arsenal, the most by an U23 player in a Premier League game this season.
🩰 Jérémy Doku set FOUR single-game records against Liverpool: read MNS to learn more.
Watchlist
The players to keep an eye on – and where to find them.
🇩🇰 Adam Daghim (2005)
🇩🇰 William Bøving (2003)
🇳🇴 Seedy Jatta (2003)
Jake: It's the Striker Factories derby - Scandinavia edition. Karim Konaté's out for the season, but SCOUTED50's Adam Daghim is taking the opportunity at Salzburg with both hands. Meanwhile, as graduate Mika Biereth tears up Ligue 1, league-leaders Sturm Graz have turned to a pair of Scandinavian forwards all their own: Seedy Jatta and William Bøving. Tune in.
🏴 Carney Chukwuemeka (2003)
Tom: Look, this is a purely personal pick, but as an England guy I really want to watch Carney Chukwuemeka's progress in Germany. There was a point early last season when we looked crucial to a new-look Chelsea, but it all fell apart through injury. He's stalled; BVB, and a Jamie Gittens link-up, might give him (and the club) a good kickstart. I also recently learned Carney was born in Austria, so perhaps he feels right at home in that part of the world? The more you know.
Bonus: Yarek Gasiorowski & Bryan Zaragoza, Valencia CF v Osasuna, Sunday 20:00 GMT / Tom Rothe & Lasse Rosenboom, Union Berlin v Holstein Kiel, Sunday 14:30 GMT / Diego Luna (ft face mask), Real Salt Lake v Seattle Sounders, 21:30 GMT
Vox Populi
We’re listening - here's a quick poll, for fun.
Which of these SCOUTED attacking duos are the most fun, imo?
- Nico Paz & Assane Diao
- Romain Esse & Eberechi Eze
- Maghnes Akliouche & Eliesse Ben Seghir
Vote here. We'll reveal the results next week!
Further Reading
This week at SCOUTED.
An introduction to the Power Forward
As modern football embraces chaos, one centre-forward Archetype will dominate the meta.
Football is changing. Andoni Iraola summed it up best when reflecting on his playing career that finished in 2016: “Probably, technically and tactically we were as good as the players we see nowadays but there is a physical side we would struggle with.”
And no wonder. The English top-flight is getting faster and players are performing more actions at High Intensity each game. As Iraola alludes to, it is no longer enough to be an elite footballer. You have to be an elite athlete as well.
Manchester City’s signing of Omar Marmoush - the best-performing player from a club that has successfully adopted this modern style - was a clear signal the club are embracing this shift rather than fighting it. In 2023/24, the Egyptian recorded the top PSV-99 among Bundesliga centre-forwards.
Benjamin Šeško is third on that list. Arsenal’s long-standing interest in the Slovenian - and the last-minute winter-window bids for Ollie Watkins - indicate Mikel Arteta’s awareness of this shift and eagerness to lean into it.
The biggest clubs and best coaches are looking for strikers, and they’re looking for speed, strength, verticality and power.
From this concoction has been born the new meta and the first SCOUTED Archetype: the Power Forward.
That’s all, folks.
For everything on the next generation, stay tuned to SCOUTED.
