One of the most exciting talents to emerge from South Africa in recent years is Nhlakanipho Ntuli, the nineteen year old currently plying his trade in Netherlands at FC Twente. A product of the Orlando Pirates development system, ‘Nanana’ moved to the Netherlands the moment he turned eighteen, having signed a pre-contract a year earlier.
Despite being the most-capped Argentine goalkeeper of all time, Sergio Romero has struggled for attention at club level over the past couple of years. Now, a free-agent after being released by Sampdoria, the Argentina number one is being courted by some of the biggest club sides in Europe. The 28-year-old needs a decent transfer and
Paulo Dybala (Juventus) Juventus signed the Argentine forward for 32 million euros (£23.4 million) from Sicilian outfit Palermo this summer. Last season, the 21-year-old scored 13 times for Palermo and provided ten assists - very impressive considering it was his first season in Serie A and was with a relegation-battling side. Dybala is versatile, athletic and agile, with
Korea isn’t known as a likely destination for Spanish footballers, with many of the K-League’s foreign signings being from Brazil or The Balkans instead. The main exception to that has been former Racing Santander defender Osmar Barba who joined FC Seoul in 2014 after a spell in Thailand with Buriram United. However, ‘Osmar’, as he
Name: Kostas Stafylidis Position: Left back Age: 21 Country: Greece Club: Bayer Leverkusen Technically gifted and attack-minded, Kostas Stafylidis is the latest in a long line of exciting full backs produced by Greece (Giourkas Seitaridis, Takis Fyssas and Vasilis Torosidis are his predecessors). A series of eye-catching performances at major tournaments for Greece’s national
Name: Terry Antonis Position: Central Midfielder Age: 21 Country: Australia Club: Sydney FC “The guy who kicked Hazard three times in 10 minutes really impressed me. I like it because there are no friendlies. I don’t like the word friendly match. So that young boy in midfield that was really aggressive and playing for a result,
Kelechi Iheanacho is the future of Nigerian football. It is as simple and straightforward as that. The 18 year old attacking midfielder has shown beyond any reasonable doubt the sort of talent he is. Blessed with an eye for a pass, packs a powerful shot and full of trickery. The 2015/2016 season is expected to
He might not be much of a household name given he is yet to make his senior debut at club level yet, but if River Plate and Argentina’s young goalkeeper Augusto Batalla makes the strongly rumoured switch to Real Madrid then expect to hear a lot more about the 19-year-old. Who is Augusto Batalla?
On the face of it, Liverpool FC’s participation in Malaysia’s Frenz International Cup earlier this year was not a resounding success. Their Under-18 side, proclaimed pre-tournament as ‘undoubtedly the team to beat’ by the competition website, won an easy group but were dumped out in the quarter final by Valencia. However, as well as valuable
North Korean striker Jong Tae-Se has returned to Japan, transferring from Suwon Bluewings to J-League side Shimizu S-Pulse. Jong Tae-Se is well known around the world due to his performances in the 2010 World Cup where he was dubbed ‘The People’s Rooney”. He personally likens his style of play to ex-Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and,
For the second summer in succession, one of Barcelona’s most promising young talents is being linked with a move away from the club. If reports are to be believed, Munir El-Haddadi is a target for many top European clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea with the Gunners supposedly in pole position for his signature. Many football
As you may have read in my last few articles, the majority which have been to discuss whether the next Eredivisie starlet was ready for the Premier League and today is another. But this is different, this one has legs as Southampton have already contacted Feyenoord for their star’s services, which is why I am
In early July, Lee Seung-Woo was promoted to Barcelona’s B-side, along with his compatriot Paik Seung-Ho. Dubbed ‘The Korean Messi’, Lee has the footballing hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders, as they hope that he can grow up to be the world-class creative talent that Korea has so far struggled to produce. Lee’s
At 14, Tobias Svendsen had to get permission by the Norwegian FA to appear in a third tier game for Molde’s reserve team. Just a year later, he got his debut for the reigning champions in the cup. The now 15-year-old midfielder is living in the shadow of his 17-year-old brother Sander Svendsen who has
Pione Sisto’s performances during the Under-21 Euros in June have opened for a move to Ajax, according to Danish press. The 20-year-old’s talent is undeniable, and a move to a bigger club such as Ajax this summer seems likely. In fact, Midtjylland FC, his club in Denmark, expects him to be their biggest ever sale.
It is easy to notice some players whether it be as a result of a spectacular goal, a dazzling display of skill, a defence-splitting pass or a goal-saving challenge but Argentina and Lazio’s midfield engine Lucas Biglia is known for none of these things. Unassuming and quiet, Biglia may never steal the headlines, but he
Throughout the spring there have been rumours about Son Heung-Min moving to Anfield, and there are plenty of European clubs keeping a close eye on Son this summer. The twenty-three year old had a phenomenal season for Bayer Leverkusen scoring eleven goals in the Bundesliga, and seventeen in total, as he helped Leverkusen finish fourth
Name: Kyriakos Papadopoulos Position: Centre-back Age: 23 Country: Greece Club: Bayer Leverkusen It is a testament to Kyriakos Papadopoulos’ ability and reputation that Bayer Leverkusen turned his loan move into a permanent one this season, despite the player spending a large portion of his time at the BayArena on the treatment tables. Leverkusen paid
Talented footballers seem to be growing thick and fast in Norway these days. 17-year-old Sander Svendsen, who The Guardian last year tipped to become “the next great Norwegian footballer”, has already received international plaudits for his talent. On their list of the world’s greatest talents born in 1997, Svendsen was the only Norwegian player to
Rivaldo Coetzee may only be 18-years-old, but he is almost already a seasoned professional at both club and international level. The South African teenager, who plays for Ajax Cape Town, made his international debut at just seventeen in 2014, and has been a constant fixture in the national set-up ever since. And of course, with
South Korea’s answer to Peter Crouch, the 1.96m tall Ulsan forward is likely to be heading to Europe sooner rather than later. Apparently he turned down a chance to move to Spartak Moscow in the winter, and he is on the radar of several English clubs including Leicester City. The national team forward has hit
Whisked away from Brazil at the tender age of 18 before playing a single professional game, it is no surprise that the Monaco right-back Fabinho was until recently a virtual unknown in his homeland. Now however, having been handed his international debut by Dunga and being reportedly targeted by Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and
Akinjide Idowu is definitely not the most popular from the present crop of the Nigeria U20’s, but the young lad has been tipped for great things. The 18-year old defensive midfielder is seen as a future leader in the Super Eagles, and most European clubs agree as they have been circling him for quite a
One big money European transfer that looks almost certain to happen is the departure of Valencia’s Argentine international, Nicolas Otamendi. The rugged 27-year-old has already made it quite clear that his future belongs away from the Mestalla and has informed the club of his desire, leaving the door open, it would appear, for two of
Seongnam FC’s twenty-two year old striker Hwang Ui-Jo is having an impressive start to the season. His midweek goal to win the match against Yeongnam University in the FA Cup was his eleventh goal this season in all competitions (he also scored the only goal of Seongnam’s victory in the previous round over Busan Transportation).