The Bedroom Soccer Scout

  The European championship gives players competing the chance to shine, earn moves to bigger clubs and of course help their team advance. In recent competitions we have seen players earn themselves a big money move, with James Rodriguez heading to Real Madrid being the highlight of what can happen. However this is not always the case and so far in Euro 2024 there have been some players who have not lived up to expectations. Here is my list: Marcus Thuram: When you look at Marcus Thuram he passes the eye test physically. Tall, strong and pacey striker ticks all the boxes for managers. And with 13 goals in 35 games for title winning Inter Milan this season you would have thought he would have been a solid player for France. Yet to score this tournament depite having 3.7 shots per game with a woeful 0.7 being on target. The chances he is getting are good as well. In the match vs Belgium he missed two headers from inside the box despite rising high enough to essentially get a free header.

  Date of birth: 28 March 2003 Country: England Position: Central Defender/ Central Defensive Midfield Height: 180cm Preferred foot: Right Club: Peterborough United When you look at a modern central defender there is usually one of two play styles he has adopted. Either the traditional centre back who puts his foot through the ball up the park and dives into tackles but cannot play from the back, or the more modern player who is comfortable with the ball at his feet often at the expense of some of the more standard defensive skill set. Ronnie Edwards however is a very rare breed of player as he is the definition of modern meets classic. Ronnie Edwards has been a first team regular at Peterborough since joining from Barnet's under 18 squad in 2020. He has quickly became a fans favourite, also winning 4 club awards at the end of the 2021/22 season and he has only gone from strength to strength since with a call up to Englands under 20 squad for the world cup in 2023 starting all 4 ga

  Date of birth: 30 January 2001 Country: Austria Position: Central Midfiled Height: 170cm Preferred foot: Right Club: WSG Tirol We often see a young player be thrown into the limelight, being linked to top clubs and being compared to their successful peers only for those moves never to mature and the player themself being forgotten and becoming a "what if" story. However anyone that has forgotten Matthaus Taferner are missing out on a gem. Currently plying his trade for Austrian side WSG Tirol, Taferner has shown his true football ability despite the fact his club finished second bottom in the Bundesliga. A hybrid midfielder with a true box to box ability, Taferner has got everything the modern manager is looking for, with great passing, work-rate, high pressing, fantastic creative ability among his person. His stats might not scream great passer with Taferner only putting up 3 assists across 29 league games. However, his passing is simply not being rewarded by his team mate

  Date of birth: 22 Jan 2000 Country: Algeria Position: Central Defender Height: 191cm Preferred foot: Right Club: Esperance Tunis In the modern game central defenders have gone through perhaps the biggest transformation. Going from having few chances to impact to now being involved in the build up, scouts are looking for players that have it all and with more clubs looking to lesser known leagues to find players that fit the modern standard at an affordable price, Mohamed Tougal currently playing in Tunisia will no doubt be on the lists of many. Tougal has been a mainstay in the Tunis squad since joining from NA Hussein Day in his native Algeria, helping the club win 3 league titles. Tougai has a number of strengths that are in demand from European clubs. His main asset for me is his physical strength often dominating his opponents in both the air and ground. In this seasons CAF Champions League Tougai won 4.9 duals per game at a fantastic 68% success rate. When it comes to classic de

  Date of birth: 30 July 1997 Country: Japan Position: Right Midfield, Right Wing back Height: 178cm  Preferred foot: Left Club: Consadole Sapporo (On loan at Dinamo Zagreb) The J League is a goldmine for the casual fan wanting to see high amount of goals per game, technical players running with the ball, long shots and generally great football. A huge part of that is the players of course and one of my personal favourites in recent years is Consadole's Takuro Kaneko. Coming into professional football from University, a path that is very common in Japan, he adapted to life in the J League with ease, becoming  a key man for Consadole Sapporro which earned him a loan move to Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb where he won 3 trophies in one season and quickly became  a fan favourite. Watching him play, it is easy to see why.  A player that can play in a variety of positions, Kaneko's main position is running up the right wing. Kaneko has a fantastic play style that catches the eye instan

  Date of birth: 29 Jan 2002 Country: Japan Position: Am/ RW Height: 170cm Preferred foot: Right Club: FC Tokyo (On loan from Kashima Antlers) Ryotaro Araki has been on my radar for many years now, having broken through at Kashima Antlers at 2020, having a breakthrough year in 2021, winning the J League rookie of the year. Just like many Japanese legends such as Shunsuke Nakamura, Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa, Araki is a technically brilliant attacking midfielder. In the 2021 season, Araki made 6 assists and notched up 10 goals as he won the award. However a few injuries including a herniated disc has set him back. However this season, Araki has reminded us all just how brilliant he is. In 10 J league appearances this season Araki has already got 6 goals at a very impressive goal conversion rate of 33%. Despite averaging less than a shot on target per game with 0.8, Araki's attacking skill set puts him in fantastic positions to convert his chances. His anticipation got him 2 goa

  Date of birth: 31 August 2000 Country: Kosovo Position: Striker Height: 187cm Preferred foot: Both Club: Rapid Bucharesti The modern striker has to do it all, hold up the ball, make forward runs and of course finish at a high level. And with a goal conversion rate of 22% Albion Rrahmani ticks all the boxes for any club looking to bolster their front line. A Kosovo native, Albion has been lighting up the Romanian league after moving for a modest fee of 600,000 Euros. This did make him the highest departure in Kosovo league history. In 25 league games he notched up 17 goals, 16 of those being in the box and adding 5 assists to his impressive stat line. Averaging 3.2 shots per game with 1.3 on target, his finishing is the key skill he has to offer, scoring with both feet as well as his head. Albion's hold up play is very impressive, using his height and strength to keep hold of the ball. What's interesting is he doesn't hold up the ball like the traditional way, flicking the

  Date of birth: 10 April 1998 Country: Romania Position: LW Height: 182cm Preferred foot: Right Club: FCSB There is something majestic about watching a creative winger with the ball at his feet. The excitement on every fan waiting for something to happen is hard to replicate. And with Florinel Coman the excitement never seems to run out. Starting 31 of the 34 league games he appeared in this season, Coman notched up an impressive 18 goals and 10 assists and made a fantastic 15 team of the week appearances. A complete modern winger with high pressing, dribbling, pace and the ability to cut inside and create for himself and team mates, he can walk into majority of teams across Europe. There is a lot to like about Coman's game. When we look at his attacking stats they jump out at you. Taking 3.5 shots per game with 2.0 being on target and posting up a very respectable 15% goal conversion rate he fits the bill for teams looking to play attacking football. The majority of his goals are

  Date of birth: 9 March 2001 Country: Croatia Position: Attacking Midfield/Creative Forward Height: 178cm Preferred foot: Left Club: Rijeka When you think of Croatian footballers several come to mind, Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Rakitic, Zvonomir Boban just to name a few. One thing in common with all these players from the tiny country is they are all technically brilliant. And as we move into a new era there is another player edging his way onto the list. Rijeka's Toni Fruk. Bouncing around several youth teams in Croatia and Belgium, Toni eventually found his way to Italian club Fiorentina. H enever made a first team appearance for them, instead moving on loan to several clubs in Croatia before Rijeka signed him in 2023 on a free transfer. And what  abargain that has turned out to be. Starting 30 of the 33 league games he played this season, Fruk let Fiorentina know what they were missing, scoring 3 times and leading the league in assists with an astonishing 15