Xavier Mbuyamba Scout Report

 

Date of birth: 31 December 2001

Country: Netherlands

Position: Central Defender

Height: 195cm

Preferred foot: Right

Club: FC Volendam

 

Normally, a former wonder kid that has been at big clubs during their youth and now end up playing in lower leagues are a "what could have been" story. But with Xavier Mbuyamba the story is "What is his ceiling". A move to Volendam in 2022 raised some eyebrows as he had been a standout in the Chelsea U23 squad, with many tipping him to be the next player to move up into the first team squad. But this move certainly turned out to be great for his development, really showcasing his ability on the defensive end.  Only 1 year in with the club, he was named club captain. 

So what kind of player is he? To put it simply: he is a defensive monster. In the era of defenders dropping deeper and putting their hands behind their back, Xavier is the complete opposite. Often stepping forward, he is very good at using his strength to win the ball at a consistent level, winning around 2.6 ground duals per game. His timing is hugely underrated, winning the ball from the feet of the technical attacking players he often faces. Trying to dribble past him is a mammoth task, with the stats backing this up, only 0.2 dribbles going past him per game. His style of pressing up is something possession based high press teams dream of, with his ability to win the ball so frequently leading to those teams getting up the pitch quickly.

Defenders of course need to be able to be good with their feet in this era, and normally defenders who excel in tackling lack the grace of ball playing. Xavier, who played for both Barcelona and Chelsea youth academies, is so comfortable with the ball, and you can clearly see the tiki taka influences he learned at both clubs. Not only is he comfortable with the ball, he is willing to drive forward with it also. He completed around 53 passes per game last season at an 88% success rate. 

So why hasn't he been moved on yet? In 2024, he discovered he had cardiac arrhythmia and had an S-ICD fitted. This could put off some teams, especially since players with this fitted cannot play in Italy. But other than that, I see no reason why clubs shouldn't be pursuing him. In 2023 Celtic reportedly were interested in making a move. The potential "Next Virgil Van Dijk" tag might have made clubs expect a little more from Xavier but given his talents the comparison is fair. I would personally say Xavier is a modern day Sol Campbell. Great in the air, strong in the tackle and calm and collective on the ball.

 

Ideal Team:

As of late, Xavier has been linked to Watford and Southampton in the English Championship. These moves are probably realistic in terms of money and scouting level. However, I really think a move to Celtic is the one. A club playing possession based football, that need a central defender, that play in Europe and have a strong track record of developing and selling youngsters for big fee's is a no-brainer. A move to the EPL is probably a dream for Xavier, but a stepping stone move to Celtic will not only be great for his development but will likely see him move to a higher level club in England.