Veljko Ilić- Fk TSC Baka Scout report

 


Veljko Ilić- Next Hidden Gem coming out of the Balkans


Date of birth: 21 July 2003

Country: Serbia

Position: Goalkeeper

Height: 195cm

Preferred foot: Right


A goalkeeper over 6ft is always a winner in the modern age and 6ft 3 Veljko Ilić ticks all the boxes. The big man was signed from big name club Crvena Zvezda's under 19 youth ranks and instantly became TSC Baka's number 1. The club have had a bit of a rise in recent years, being promoted to the Serbian Superliga for the first time in 2020 and have kept the pace, finishing in the top 3 the past 2 seasons. A bit part of that is their solid defence, conceding the second least amount of goals this season and with Ilić between the sticks it is easy to see why they conceded so few.

Veljko started 32 games this season, keeping an incredible 16 clean sheets but surprisingly only making team of the week 1 time. What is impressive is his save rate, making 77% saves on 2.7 per game. He also has an excellent recovery rate, making 7.0 recoveries per game. Of course in the modern game Goalkeepers need more than just a good save rate to fit in, with the sweeper keeper role being the norm and Ilić is the perfect fit for the modern game. Making 22.7 passes per game at an 80% accuracy rate with the majority of those passes being short, 20.9 at 90% success rate. For comparison, Celtic's Joe Hart who plays as a sweeper keeper made 24.7 passes per game at an 88% rate and kept 14 clean sheets. In fact Veljko has a better save rate compared to Joe Hart 77%-68% despite the fact Veljko has faced almost double the shots with 2.7-1.6 per game. Another thing to like is his ability to claim crosses, rarely being distracted by the opposition player challenging, often claiming the ball at it's highest point. 

Veljko has played in 5 Europa League games this season but more appearances in European competition are a certainty for his career. In 2023 he was nominated for the Golden Boy award showcasing his ability already depite his young age. Due to this as well as his performances he has been linked with moves to Genoa and Feyenoord within the past year. Contracted until 2026, it is worth keeping an eye out if TSC Baka look to cash in on Ilić within the next 12 months or risk letting him walk for free. He hasn't played for the national team yet, currently in the U23 squad, he sadly missed out on a place in the Serbian squad for Euro 2024 which could bring good news to those looking to sign him as Serbia's goalkeepers for the Euro's all play outside of their native country in England, Spain and Italy respectively.

Veljko Ilić has great potential to go with his current ability. Majority of the improvements needed to his game are likely to come from gaining more experience for club and country, especially in European competitions. A lot of shots he has faced have led to more parries than catches which could always be worked on but overall Ilić is a solid keeper that can be many clubs number 1.

Ideal Club:

Comparing him to Joe Hart earlier in the report, I strongly believe Veljko Ilić is the player to replacing the retiring veteran at Glasgow Celtic. Celtic play in a possesion based system, looking to play out from the back and Veljko's passing ability seems to be a match made in heaven. Stevie Woods, Celtic's current goalkeeper coach has a great reputation in developing keepers, with Artur Boruc, Fraser Forster and Hart improving during their time at the club and at 21 years old this summer, Ilić has plenty of time to improve as well as playing in European competitions as well as a similar league to the one he is currently in. Moving to Europe could also provide Veljko more opportunity to play for the Serbian national team, a move to Celtic seems perfect for all parties.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ronnie Edwards Scout Report

Image
  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
Read more

Sebastian Nanasi Scout Report

Image
  Date of birth: 16 May 2002 Country: Sweden Position: Lw Height: 178cm Preferred foot: Right Club: Malmo FF The Swedish Allsvenkan is always a gold mine for scouts and clubs alike looking for young talent playing big minutes in a competitive standing and Sebastian Nanasi has been a standout for the past few seasons with his potential and ability alike on the up and up.  In the 2023 season, Nanasi notched up 2,495 minutes across 20 games notching up 11 goals and 7 assists. Already this season he has appeared in 12 games, starting all and adding 5 goals and 7 assists already, as well as finding himself in the team of the week 8 times.  5 goals is very impressive when you take a look at the stats, averaging 2.3 shots and 0.9 hitting the target. Majority of his shot's come from his fantastic agility, often beating his man and cutting inside and firing at the goal. A goal conversion of 19% is fantastic giving he is often on the wing. All of his goals this season have been from inside t
Read more

Kento Tachibanada- Scout Report

Image
  Date of birth:  29 May 1998 Country: Japan Position: Central Midfielder/ Defensive Midfield Height: 168cm Preferred foot: Right Club: Kawasaki Frontale Midfielders in the modern day compared to the previous era's look vastly different. There is a lot more work, a lot more pressing to go with the traditional skills. Although many midfielders have adapted to the change, many have not, however in the J league the box to box midfielder is the norm and I don't think there are many more that standout than Kawasaki Frontale's Kento Tachibanada. Captain Kento has been with Kawasaki since 2020 having followed in the path of many Japanese players by coming into professional football directly from university. Having being made captain in 2023 he has cemented himself as first choice on the team sheet for the successful J league club. In his first season with the club he made 32 appearances helping the club win it's first J league title and his performances on the pitch have only
Read more