It’s been a while since I have been actively writing reports, but I plan to come back with some consistency. Before that begins though, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the players I wrote about in the past that have started to shine ⭐, and some who haven’t….. Enjoy!
The Great Calls ⭐
1. Carlos Baleba
The 20-year-old Cameroonian has enjoyed a great start to life since his move to the premier league. When our article on Baleba was released he had actually only started in 5 out of 19 games so far. So the sample size was very small.
However, he’s carried his progressive ball-carrying nature to this Brighton team excellently. He’s also actually improved massively defensively which was my biggest worry with him.
Read the original article here.
2. Antonio Nusa
Read the original article here.
Antonio Nusa was a player that I thought was going to be an underrated aspect of the Norwegian national team. He brings dynamic wing play, especially with dribbling numbers that make him an outlier.
He’s since brought his talents from Club Brugge to RB Leipzig where he’s slowly been integrating into the team. If you haven’t seen him play yet find RB Leipzig’s schedule and turn his game on.
3. Alex Baena
Alex Baena is such an interesting player because he was already rated at the time I did a report on him. However, I found that he was still severely underrated based on everything I saw.
Just this season, he’s the first player to create 100+ chances in a calendar year since Messi in 2017. Continue watching this guy, and just wait until he joins a team with more finishers.
Read the original article here.
4. Tijani Reijnders
Read the original article here.
Tijani is enjoying a successful sophomore season with the Italian giants Milan. While he showed signs of promise in his first season, he’s been able to unlock defenses with line-breaking passes much more often in the 24/25 season.
Statistically speaking, he ranks among some of the worlds best in chance creation, progressiveness, and goal involvements compared to midfielders in top 5 leagues (Fbref). He’s registered 6 G/A in 14 league starts this season so far.
5. Michael Olise
Well, Michael Olise is probably the easiest player to claim fame over, but I wanted to give him a special shoutout. Looking back on his 22/23 season showed so many signs that he was poised to bring his talents to another level.
I mentioned that a player like him was a safe investment both for now, but also in the future. Since he’s joined Bayern Munich for ~$55m he’s been nothing short of that for them.
Read the original article here.
6. Milos Kerkez
Read the original article here.
If I wrote this analysis right after his rookie season with AFC Bournemouth he likely wouldn’t have made my success list, but luckily for him…. I didn’t.
Milos has enjoyed a sophomore season under Andoni Iraola’s free-flowing tenure. He’s given the freedom to bombard on the overlap, while also being an astute defender against some top-quality wingers. He’s quickly becoming one of the better left-backs in the Premier League.
7. Johan Bakayoko
This Dutch winger always seems to be on the verge of a move, but unfortunately, it hasn’t materialized for him yet. However, he hasn’t lost a step in continuing to grow in the Eredivisie.
The tricky 21-year-old has 6 G/A in just 10 league starts this season. He’s started this season with some good games, but I’d like to see some more consistent game time before I can bump him up my list.
Read the original article here.
Some Of My Other Predictions
The rest of this will be players that I thought were going to be putting in better performances by this point. Some of these players are actually doing decent, so it’s not to say they are bad. Whether it be injuries, poor performances, or just limited chances, enjoy my list of not-so-great calls.
1. Jean Clair-Todibo
Well, starting off my list is Jean-Clair Todibo from West Ham. He came into the league boasting an eye for winning the ball back, and the knack for knocking the ball around.
However, it seems the physicality, or the squad he’s in hasn’t been a great fit for him so far. Just like every player on this list, there’s plenty of time to turn it around. Nonetheless, he earns a spot on this list for now.
Read the original article here.
2. Mats Wieffer
Read the original article here.
This may be incredibly harsh considering he has been unlucky with injuries during his first season with the Seagulls. Yet, he hasn’t had the immense box-to-box performances we saw with Feyenoord under Arne Slot.
I can definitely vouch for giving him more time to grow into a team that has so much turnover in general.
3. Gabri Veiga
I remember checking my phone after work to see Gabri Veiga joining Al Ahli over some of the other clubs interested in him. At least he gets to play with Roberto Firmino and Co.
Initially, he seemed like he was struggling before beginning to leave his mark in the 24/25 season. Allegedly, he’s been teasing an exit from the Saudi club at the end of his contract which is set to expire in 2026.
Read the original article here.
4. Matias Soule
Read the original article here.
After enjoying a successful loan spell at Frosinone, he returned back to Juventus just to be sold to AS Roma. What initially looked like a great signing hasn’t panned out to immediate success for the Argentinian.
The club as a whole has been stuck in a rut in the 24/25 season, so maybe the future will be brighter.
5. Tyler Adams
One of the players that pains me most is Tyler Adams. A player with a natural eye for winning the ball back over and over again…. when he plays. The midfielder played 4 games in over a year with multiple injuries keeping him off the field.
He’s actually leading the premier league in both tackles per 90 (3.7), and interceptions per 90 (3.5), but I had to put him on this list purely due to his lack of availability so far in his career.
Read the original article here.
Concluding Remarks
While I had some hits and some misses, I enjoy being able to watch the growth of every player I’ve done an analysis on. I think the beauty of it all is being able to discover a player’s story, and hopefully explain their talents in a way that best justifies their skillsets.