Quincy Promes: Scout Report | The next

pacy Dutch winger?

By Ryan Lim on December 18, 2013@https://twitter.com/TapInMerchant

The emergence of exciting young talent in the Eredivisie has been but a normality in recent
years, with the likes of Christian Eriksen and Kevin Strootman rising to prominence, both of
whom are now plying their trades at top European clubs, two very big clubs in their own
right. Even despite the departure of two such promising, talented young individuals, the
Eredivisie still boasts of a vast, vast pool of exceptional talent, consisting of gems such as
Ajaxs Viktor Fischer and PSVs Zakaria Bakkali already catching the eye of some of the
biggest clubs in the continent. One player, however, who perhaps hasnt received attention of
such magnitude is Twente winger Quincy Promes.

Profile
Promes was born in Amsterdam in 1992. Naturally, as a young Mokummer with aspirations of
becoming a professional footballer, he was enrolled in the world-renowned Ajax youth
academy from a young age. Slowly but surely, he progressed up the ranks of the famed
institute; that is until he was promoted to the B-junior team. His long stay at Ajax had ended
when he was released in 2008, aged 16. Shortly after, he joined the youth ranks of Harlembased football club HFC Haarlem. Determined to make a name for himself and silence his
critics, he steadily improved and progressed, making a deep impression, putting in some very
solid shifts for the clubs youth team. It was all going well for young him, until just over a
year later when HFC Haarlem were declared bankrupt in late 2009.
Albeit under vastly different circumstances, again, he was released and left without a club.
This time, however, his efforts bore fruit, with his stellar displays for Haarlem at youth level

attracting the attention of Eredivisie heavyweights FC Twente. He signed for the Tukkers,
residing in their youth ranks, parading his raw talent and ability with several superb displays
for the Jong team his performances earning him a call-up to the Dutch U19 squad in March
2011 for a friendly against the Italy U19s, a game which he started and played the full 90
minutes. The same year, Promes signed his first professional contract with the club.
A year on, in February 2012, he was handed a place on the bench by newly-appointed
manager Steve McLaren, in a 3-2 home loss to Heracles. He would go on to make his debut
in April, coming on as a late substitute replacing Nils Roseler, in a 2-2 draw away to rivals
AZ Alkmaar. He would make two more appearances in 2012, both coming as late cameos in
both legs of a play-off tie with RKC Waalwijk. The following season, Promes was sent out
on-loan to Dutch second division dwellers Go Ahead Eagles. It didnt take long for the young
winger to make an impression, scoring a goal and assisting two in his first start for the club in
a 4-1 win away to FC Oss. He would finish the season with 13 goals in 32 games, in the
process winning him the Eerst Divisie Player of the Year award.
Quincy Promes has since become a valuable, almost indispensible part of Michel Jansens
plans, making 15 consecutive starts so far this season, before being ruled out with a knee
injury. Promes has also established himself as a regular starter for the Dutch U21s, so far
chalking up 7 caps for Albert Stuivenbergs men and scoring on two occasions.

Styles, Strengths and Weaknesses

Promes is generally deployed on the right wing, though also well capable of operating on the
left. He is also adept at carrying out his duties sufficiently through the middle, in the number
10 role. He boasts of an exceptionally direct style of play, constantly looking to run at the
opposition and creating opportunities, coming inside and engineering space for a shot,
drawing players to himself, distorting the oppositions shape and opening up pockets of space
for his teammates to run into. The image below pretty much sums up what he brings to the
floor.

It shows Promes (circled in black) running at the opposition, in the process drawing the
opposing full-back, winger and centre-half to himself, creating space for his full-back (out of
picture) to make an overlapping run in. Three players hes dragged away from goal, all of
which whom he subsequently bamboozles with some fancy footwork and leaves for dead,
before releasing the the full-back with a perfectly weighted through ball and allowing him all
the time in the world to pick out the now freed up centre-forward (circled in blue) to slot
home.

His uncanny ability to engineer space and drag opponents out of position make him a vital
aspect of Twentes game, which is highly dependent on flooding the final-third and utilizing
the vision and crossing ability of players like Duan Tadi and Roberto Rosales. Even whilst
off the ball, Promes still brings a great deal to the table, making clever runs and getting into
some very dangerous positions.

The images above show Tadi (nearside) shaping up for a cross. A 3 vs 4 situation comes into
play. Instead of tussling with the opposing defenders for space and moving in to attack the
ball, Promes (circled) removes himself from play and makes a run away from goal, in the
process dragging his marker along, thereby allowing space for Castaignos (furthest forward)
to run into and get his head onto the ball. As shown in the second picture, Promes is well out
of picture and has his marker ball-watching. He anticipates the knockdown from Castaignos
and bursts into the box, running into the pocket of space circled above, beating the opposing
centre-half to the ball and unerringly belts it into the bottom left corner. His explosive pace,
quickness of feet as well as his capability from distance are some of his other more
significant assets.
As one would expect from a 21 year-old playing in his first full season in one of Europes top
5 leagues, Promes is still a fairly unrefined player in that he lacks several vital aspects to his
game, aspects that only come with experience at this level. One such aspect being his naivety
and poor decision making at times, opting for the intricate over the glaringly simple option.
He also lacks composure and awareness, often getting caught in two minds and giving the
ball away cheaply when put or making an aimless cross or pull-back after beating his man.
Pressing issues indeed, but certainly ones that are easily rectifiable given time.
Promes has notched up 8 goals and 4 assists after 15 games this season (at the time of
writing) an exceptional return by anyones standards. This coupled with some superb
performances for the Tukkers, has well and truly shot him into prominence. Quick, powerful,
astute and direct Quincy Promes is fast proving himself to be of the hottest young prospects
in European football at the moment.

Expert Opinion
Vastly improved winger who has used his spell on loan at Go Ahead Eagles last season as a
springboard into the Twente starting eleven. His performances are one of the reasons why
Twente are title challengers this year. If he continues to improve then a move to a big club
and a chance in Netherlands national team wont be far off.

 Michael Bell, Editor, Football-Oranje.com [@football_oranje]

Quincy Promes is an electrifying young winger with great pace and skill. He has arguably
been Twentes best player so far this season through his consistently excellent performances
as well as his goalscoring ability and link-up with those around him.
Promes is a hard working young player who puts in a defensive shift and is also very versatile
as he can play on either wing or, if required, in a deeper role. He is a good passer of the ball
and is good at staying wide and sending dangerous crosses in towards Luc Castaignos, but
can also cut in and really threaten defences with his skill and dangerous shots.
As Twente remain one of the candidates to win the Eredivisie this season, Promes is an
integral part of the team. At 21-years-old he has great potential and it wont be long before he
makes his mark on the national team.
Peter McVitie (@PeterMcVitie), Dutch Football Editor, Benefoot.net

Jrgen Locadia Scouting Report

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Dheeraj Khandelwal
The Dutch national team always have had superb firepower upfront. Great strikers such as
Marco van Basten, Patrick Kluivert, Dennis Bergkamp and Ruud van Nistelrooy have pulled
on the famous Oranje jersey and this tradition has been continued by other prolific strikers in
Klaas Jan-Huntelaar and Robin van Persie in more recent times.
Another player hoping to make his name as a prolific Dutch striker is a youth product from
the famed PSV Academy, a 20 year old by the name of Jrgen Locadia.

Youth Career:

Locadia initially started football at the age of 5 with the club VV Bargeres, an amateur club
located in the city of his birth. At the age of 8, he moved to Dutch 2 nd division club FC
Emmen. It is here that he developed his football for the next 7 to 8 years. In 2009, he moved
to the then-Eredivisie side Willem II, moving to Tilburg with his family, but he stayed there
for only one season, joining PSV in 2010.
He turned professional at the age of 18 in the year 2011.
Coming into the spotlight:
Locadia first came into the spotlight when he scored on his debut after coming off the bench
in the 72nd minute in a KNVB Cup match against VVSB. It took him only 8 minutes into his
debut to score his 1st professional goal and the sixth for PSV in the game that ended 8-0. In
the next round in the cup, Locadia was rewarded with a starting place in the line-up in a game
that PSV won. This was his final appearance of the season.
If his Cup debut for the club was good, his league debut was definitely better. He made his
league debut against VVV Venlo coming into the game in the 68th minute, he scored a hattrick helping his team to a 6-0 win. In doing so, he became the first player in the last 40 years
to score a hat-trick on his Eredivisie debut, the last player to do so being Harald Berg who did
it for Den Haag in 1969.
With this, his involvement in the first team gradually increased. Later on in February 2013,
he scored all three goals in a 30 win over PEC Zwolle in the KNVB Cup semi-final. He
continued to live up to the trust the manager placed in him, although the opportunities in the
2012/13 season were mainly from the bench. He had 16 appearances in the season, out of
which he had only 3 starts. He bagged 7 goals in the season though, impressive figures
considering that he was just a 19-year old breaking into the senior team. In the current season,
he has been given more chances. Making a total of 23 appearances so far this season, 14 of
which were starts, and he contributed a total of 9 goals and 2 assists. Again, superb figures as
a 19 year old (He only recently turned 20).

Playing Style:
Due to his stature and his ability to hold up play well, he has been likened to another prolific
Dutch striker, Patrick Kluivert. Locadia is a pacey customer for the defenders to deal with
and is equally adept playing a role holding up the ball or just playing on the shoulder of the
last defender. He has great heading ability and that coupled with his pace and his ability to
use both feet, makes him a superb all round striker.
Apart from his finishing traits, he is very good at linking up play and likes to play quick short
passes and intricate through balls.
Possible weakness:

Although he does have a great build with his height at 62, he still rushes into aerial duels,
sometimes complicating matters for himself. He has been handy in finishing off the attacks
with a fine header at times, but at other times he lacks the composure to be competing on an
equal footing for the aerial 50-50s. None-the-less, considering he has the height to do it, and
he is still only 19, we can be sure that he will develop in this regard as well.
Experience and composure comes naturally to players as they age, so no problems in that
aspect.
Possible Transfer:
Only a week after his three goal Eredivisie debut, PSV signed him down to a long term
contract running until 2017. Moreover, neither the club, nor the player has expressed any
inclination to part ways. PSV know they have a potential star on their hands, while Locadia
acknowledges the fact that he still has a lot to learn. Its safe to say that a move in the nearby
future is not on the cards.
Overall:
Overall, he has excellent potential to be one of the top strikers in the near future. The talent
certainly is there. All he needs to do is keep his head down, carry on with the training and not
take things lightly. If he keeps his commitment and attitude right, he certainly will have all
the tools to make it at the highest level.

100 Best Young Players to Watch-Out for in

2014 | Defenders ( 30 21 )
By Outside of the Boot on January 9, 2014@OOTB_football
For all the information and queries regarding this feature, we recommend reading this
document. Feel free to contact us if you have any issues regarding the list.
Remember that this list contains only those players who are 20 and under, thus born on
or after 1st January 1993. We have taken into consideration factors such as their
performance in 2013 and expected performance in 2014. Only those players who have
made a fairly regular run of senior football appearances in the top division on any
country have been included.
100 Best Young Players to Watch-Out for in 2014 | Defenders (30 21)

30 ) DeAndre Yedlin

Who is he? Yedlin is a 20 year old right back

playing for the Seattle Sounders in the MLS. He is yet to be capped for USA.
Back in 2013: Yedlin is a regular for the Sounders having featured 30 times in the MLS for
the Sounders in what was his first season with the senior side. He scored once in 2013 in the
league against the Colorado Rapids and also managed an assist against Real Salt Lake. He
started 30 times for his club and country. He also started in 3 out of the 4 games in the
CONCACAF Champions League.
Yedlin was a part of the unsuccessful U-20 World Cup team for the USA. Hes never made a
senior appearance for the national side but hes one of the 26 whove recently been called up
for a USMNT training camp by Jurgen Klinsmann.
Looking ahead to 2014: After having finished 3rd in the MLS Rookie of the Year voting,
2014 will be a big year for DeAndre Yedlin. His immediate goal will of course be to impress
boss Klinsmann in the training camp. Whether he can book a place in the 23 man squad only
time will tell but hell want to take the chance to impress. After that, its all about kicking on
in 2014 and building on his first season with the Sounders.

29) Bjorn Engels

Who is he? Bjorn Engels is a 19 year old

defender who plays for Club Brugge in the Jupiler Pro League. The Belgian centre-back has
the quirky distinction of having scored an own goal on his club debut in the Europa League
and a goal on his league debut for Brugge.
Back in 2013: Engels made his league debut for his club in the 2nd game of the season and
marked his debut with a goal as Brugge overcame KV Oostende by a 2-1 margin. Engels has
since started 13 other games for the Belgian club and added to his goal tally in a 4-1 loss to
KV Kortijk. He has managed to garner 5 yellow cards and a sending off in his short league
career thus far.
The tall centre-back hasnt managed to make his mark at the International stage yet with a
solitary appearance in an U-19 friendly in 2012 being his only appearance in International
football so far.
Looking ahead to 2014: Engels has enjoyed plenty of first team football for his club this
season and he would definitely be looking forward to the restart of the League after the
winter break. Engels would be best served furthering his development at Brugge in 2014.

28) Nicola Murru

Who is he? Murru is a 19 year old defender

plying his trade for Cagliari in the Serie A. Hes a left-back whos featured heavily for Italian
teams at various age groups.
Back in 2013: Having made sporadic appearances for Cagliari previously it was towards the
end of the 2012-13 season when Murru started enjoying a regular run in the first team. In fact
starting from March, he featured in 9 out of last 11 fixtures of the season missing one due to
suspension and the other due to an injury. He has continued in much the same manner in the
present season starting 12 times thus far including the first 3 games in which he registered an
assist in every outing.
The left back was a regular fixture in the U-19 side last season in his regular left back role
and also a couple of appearances as right back.
Looking ahead to 2014: Murru has established himself as first choice left back in Italy and is
reveling as first choice for his club. After featuring heavily for the U-19s, hell be looking to
break into the U-21 set up and eventually the senior side.

27) Chancel Mbemba Mangulu

Who is he? Chancel Mbemba Mangulu is a 19

year old (we think) defender who plays for Anderlecht. He has already featured at senior level
for the Democratic Replublic of Congo.
Back in 2013: After moving from ES La Grace, a club in Congo to Anderlecht at the start of
the season, Mangulu has enjoyed his spell in Belgium and has already made his presence felt
in Belgium, certainly enough to make this list. He started the first 2 games of the season
before being briefly left out of the starting XI. He won back his spot soon and has thrived at
Anderlecht. Hes made 16 starts in the league including featuring at right-back on a couple of
occasions and started 5 out of 6 games in Anderlechts ultimately disappointing campaign.
Hes shown that he carries a goal threat chalking up 3 goals in the league and 1 against
Benfica in the Champions League.
Mangulu has already made a handful of appearances for Congo and should continue to be a
regular fixture for them in the years to come.
Looking at 2014: Anderlecht capped off 2013 with a good win against Zulte-Waregem and
find themselves in 2nd spot heading into the new year. Mangulu will be keen to continue
impressing and help his club catch up with Liege atop the league. On a personal note,
Mangulu has placed himself on the map and interest from some of the bigger leagues
wouldnt surprise us.

26) Sead Kolasinac

Who is he?: Sead Kolasinac is a 20 year old

left-back who plays for Schalke in the Bundesliga. The German-born defender has played for
Germany at various age levels before accepting the offer to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina
at the senior level.

Back in 2013: The year 2013, at least the first half, will be one that will be fondly
remembered by the young left-back. After a couple of appearances in the 1st half of the 201213 season, it was in 2013 that Kolasinac was given a run in the starting XI. He played in
central midfield in Schalkes first game of the calendar year in a memorable 5-4 win against
Hannover. He was a consistent fixture in the side from then on, featuring at his more
customary left-back position. The 2013-14 season though has been a frustrating one for the
youngster with an injury plagued start to the season. He had to wait till the end of October for
his first start of the season and has been eased back into the starting XI.
Kolasinac was a regular fixture for the German youth teams but as mentioned before, hes
decided to take up the opportunity to play for Bosnia-Herzegovina and played the entire 90
minutes in a friendly against Argentina in November.
Looking to 2014: The Bundesliga has become the hotbed of young footballing talent and has
created an environment in which young prospects can thrive in. Kolasinac is no different and
hell be looking to put his stop-start end to the season behind him for the 2nd half of the
season.

25) John Anthony Brooks

Who is he? Our 2nd consecutive entry from

the Bundesliga, John Anthony Brooks plays for Hertha Berlin. A centre-back by trade, Brooks
was eligible for both Germany and USA and appeared at junior levels for both sides before
playing for USA at senior level.
Back in 2013: Hertha were in the second division of Germany the previous season before
securing promotion to the Bundesliga in the current one. An important component of the
promotion campaign was centre back Brooks. He was first choice defender for the club and
featured heavily throughout the 2012-13 season. The 2013-14 season hasnt been as smooth
for him. It started off on a bright note with a goal in Herthas thumping 6-1 win over
Eintracht Frankfurt. However since then injuries have affected the youngsters season with
him featuring only twice in the last 3 months of the calendar year.
Having decided to represent USA in Internationals, Brooks made his debut in August and has
to his caps by playing another 90 minutes against Austria.
Looking at 2014: After a frustrating end to the year, Brooks would have enjoyed the timing
of the winter break. A return to regular football would be welcome for the USA International
as Hertha make the push towards European football next season.

24) Dimitri Foulquier

Who is he? The wonderfully named Dimitri

Foulquier is a full-back who plays for Rennes and is currently on loan to Spanish side
Granada. The youngster is a part of the French U-21 set up.
Back in 2013: Foulquier spent the first part of the year at parent club Rennes. He
often played in strings of games at a time and not a sustained run. However, he did play 5
games in a row towards the end of the season. The youngster was loaned to Granada for the
season but understandably didnt feature in the clubs line up at the start of the season given
his exploits at the U-20 World Cup but his services were called upon on a fairly regular basis
thereafter. His ability to play on both sides of the pitch has served both him and Granada well
in the 11 appearances hes made so far.
He played every minute of Frances U-20 World Cup winning campaign chalking up an
impressive 3 assists. He has also played every minute of the qualifiers for the U-21 team so
far.
Looking at 2014: The more football a young player can play, the better his chance of making
it at a senior level. Thus, in terms of playing time Foulquier can be more than happy to see
out his loan move at Granada. Well be very interested to see what role he plays at Rennes
next season.

23) Uros Spajic

Who is he? Uros Spajic is a Serbian U-21

International. The 20 year-old centre-back plays for Toulouse in France.
Back in 2013: The first half of 2013 was the last season in which Spajic represented Red Star
Belgrade. He was a constant fixture after the winter break and impressed Toulouse enough for
them to bring him to France in the summer. His debut for his new side was ended in bizarre
circumstances as he was asked to leave the field as he was mistaken to be the teammate sent
off by the referee. However, he has kicked on and started all but 1 of the league games thus
far this season proving to be well worth the money spent on him in the summer. He scored his
first goal for the club in the Coupe de la Ligue against Marseille.
Hes a regular starter for the Serbian U-21 side featuring in all 5 of their qualification games
in the year.
Looking at 2014: The Serbian has settled in well to life in France and will look to kick on in
the second half of the season. In terms of the national side, having featured regularly for the
U-21s, the next step up is obviously the senior team- a feat much easier said than done given
the wealth of options at their disposal.

22) Eric Dier

Who is he? Eric Dier is somewhat of a rare

commodity in present day football; an England youth International playing football outside
England. The 19 year old centre-back plays for Sporting Lisbon.
Back in 2013: Having come through the ranks at Sporting, Dier has progressed to the senior
side in Portugal. Diers versatility has come of good use as hes capable at right-back, centreback and central midfield, the last of which he portrayed in a run of games near the end of the
2012-13 campaign. Opportunities havent been that free flowing this season, with Dier
starting 5 times this season and making a further 2 appearances off the bench despite being in
the squad for all 14 of the games thus far.
He was a part of the England squad for the U-20 World Cup in the summer and played every
minute of the admittedly short campaign. Hes part of the U-21 set up and started the qualifier
against San Marino in a 4-0 win.
Looking at 2014: The Primeira Liga is wonderfully poised heading into the new year and
Dier will be hoping to play a role in the second half of the campaign. As for his international
career, he has to first and foremost force his way into Southgates first team before aiming for
anything higher.

21) Ben Davies

Who is he? Ben Davies is a 20 year old left

back who plays for Swansea City. Hes already a full Welsh International.
Back in 2013: 2012-13 turned out to be the breakthrough season for Davies as he more than
ably filled in at both club and country level for the injured Neil Taylor. Davies established
himself as first choice left back and even scored his first goal for the club against Stoke.
Taylor hasnt managed to displace Davies from the starting line-up as hes started 17 of the
18 league games thus far in the campaign scoring twice to add to his credentials as a
developing full back.
Click here to read a detailed Scout Report on Ben Davies
He made his senior debut against Scotland in 2012 and continued to start at left back for
Wales in 2013.
Looking at 2014: Hes done well to keep Neil Taylor out of the starting line-up thus far and
theres no reason he cannot continue to do so in 2014, both for club and country. Theres
bound to be speculation linking him to bigger teams.

Juan Fernando Quintero Scouting Report

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Dheeraj Khandelwal
Quintero is the latest of the golden generation to come out of the South American nation of
Columbia. This generation including Portos Jackson Martinez, Inters Fredy Guarin and
Monaco duo Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez will soon have another star in their ranks
one who is yet to make a mark at the highest level in Europe. The player in question here is
a youngster, 20 year old Juan Fernando Quintero.

Name: Juan Fernando Quintero

Age: 20
Position: Playmaker, Second Striker
Youth Career:
Quintero joined the Columbian club Envigado as an 11 year old in 2004 after he impressed in
a youth tournament held in his hometown of Medellin. He turned professional with the club
in 2009 at the age of 16 and spent the next two seasons playing in Columbias top divison
amassing 43 appearances as he turned 18. He then moved to Columbian giants and his
hometown club, Atltico Nacional where he played for another season (making 15 apps. with
2 goals and an assist to his name) before making the switch to Europe.
A number of clubs were reportedly vying to get him on loan. He ultimately ended up on loan
at Italian club Pescara.
Coming into the spotlight:
As would be expected from any player, he took some time to get used to the step up from the
Columbian 1st divison to the Italian 1st division, the Serie A. His performances at Pescara
were inconsistent although he did show signs of promise. He had a total of 12 starts for the
Italian club in the league where he managed 2 assists and a single goal against Bologna.
But in this inconsistent season he showed great affinity for playmaking which was
demonstrated by the stats he put on. He averaged 1.1 Key Passes/Game and 2.8 Shots/Game,
both the maximum for the Pescara squad. He also averaged 2.1 Successful dribbles/game,
the 2nd best in the squad. On the passing front, he had a passing accuracy of 87.3% with an
average of 42.3 Completed passes/Game and 4.2 Completed Long Balls/Game. All this in his
1st season in Europe as an 19 year old.

Although this was enough for a reported interest from Italian giants Inter and Juventus, what
truly brought him into the spotlight, was the 2013 South American Youth Championship. He
ended up as the MVP for the tournament, contributing 5 goals and 4 assists in 9 matches. His
goals included a stunning 40 yard free kick against Argentina. Backed by his impressive
displays, Colombia won the tournament and this brought Quintero to the notice of the world.
FIFA U20 World Cup 13
Next, he went to the FIFA U20 World Cup held in Turkey with his name firmly in place as
Colombias man-to-watch and as the captain of the side. In the 1st match against Australia,
he was lively and constantly troubled the opposition defence managing to have 9 shots (4 on
target). He did not manage to find the back of the net though, in a game that Colombia were
chasing having gone 1-nil down but was the focal point of the Colombian attack. Colombia
managed to draw 1-1. In his sides next game against Turkey, he scored a fantastic 18-yard
goal to help his side overcome the hosts by a 1-nil margin. In the next game, he had an assist
and another ferocious long range goal to help his side beat El Salvador by a 3-0 margin. The
team progressed into the knockout stages and the next test was against South Korea.
Colombia went behind by a single goal and into injury time when they were saved by another
Quintero golazo. A magnificent 25 yard free kick saved Colombia and into extra time they
went. This effort was in vain as Colombia lost 7-8 in the penalty shoot outs. But put his
position firmly in place as one of the best prospects in world football.
Juan Fernando Quintero v/s South Korea (FIFA WC U20)
Juan Fernando Quintero v/s El Salvador (FIFA WC U20)

Juan Fernando Quintero v/s Turkey (FIFA WC U20)

STYLE OF PLAY:
Having both a fierce strike and the ability to thread a through ball for a team mate, he thrives
in the classic trequartista role. With dribbling and ball control way too good for someone his
age, he is also quite composed on the ball. Blessed with a low centre of gravity, quite like
Lionel Messi, he has excellent balance and agility and along with his ball control, he is a
terrifying opponent for the defenders he faces.
His play involves playing in the hole and using his excellent dribbling and ball control to
create spaces for himself or his team mates. With his fierce shots, he is a threat to the
opposition goal from range and also has exceptional-for-his-age set piece ability.
He also showed his ability to handle pressure well with the free kick against South Korea. He
had faith in his ability and under utmost pressure, in the last minute of the game, he managed
to equalise for Colombia and keep their hope for the trophy alive.
POSSIBLE WEAKNESS:
He isnt afraid to shoot from distance and opts to test the opposition goalkeeper with his long
rangers sometimes when he could play a simple pass to a team mate. But, considering his

age, his composure will improve as he gains experience and with the ability he has shown, it
is safe to say that he will be able to improve on his decision making as well.
Another possible fault in his gameplay, is his extensive use of his stronger foot. On occasion,
when he could keep it simple with his right foot, he over-complicates matters by taking the
ball onto his left. The defenders will eventually know how to deal with his play and as a
player who plays in the middle; he needs to improve his weaker foot. But, if initial
indications and other examples (Messi, David Silva, Mata) are anything to go by, he could
turn into a very successful player in his position as he is.
POSSIBLE TRANSFERS:
Currently contracted to the Colombian club Atltico Nacional, there are a number of
European clubs vying for his signature with Juventus, Inter & Genoa all interested. But
comments from the Pescara president state that he is close to securing a 10m move to
Portuguese club FC Porto who are looking to replace outgoing countrymen James Rodriguez
(who joined AS Monaco).
What role does he play in Portos 4-3-3 system, remains to be seen. He may be pushed out
wide to replace Rodriguez & this will require him to track back to defend more often than he
currently does, but will none-the-less represent an important learning curve for the player.
Porto have an excellent system in place to bring in youngsters and develop them to help fulfil
their potential. They will no doubt help Quintero if he decides to move there.
OVERALL:
He has the potential to be a very good player. But, for now it would suit him to join Porto or
Genoa instead of Juventus or Inter. He needs regular game time to help improve his game and
get near to his full potential. He, is definitely a player to watch out for in the near future.

That gives him an overall current ability score of 68/100.

Juan Fernando Quintero v/s Argentina (South American youth Championship)

- By Dheeraj Khandelwal.
Scout - Eder Alvarez Balanta

By Sky Sports Scout - Tweet me: @skysportscout | Last Updated: 11/12/13 9:53am

Sky Bet
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Sky Sports Scout is our exciting feature where we scour the globe looking out for the best
talent and bring you a report on what we find.
Our scout will report back and you can comment on what you think of their appraisal.
You can only nominate a player by emailing here, including the word 'Scout' in your subject
line, and please check to make sure we have not already covered the player.
You can also now interact with the scout via his Twitter feed! You can get in touch with him
and interact here or just search for @skysportsscout.
Scout facts

NAME: Eder Alvarez Balanta

AGE: 20 (28th February, 1993)
BORN: Bogota, Colombia
POSITION: Defender
CLUB: River Plate
FACTS: Is yet to play any international football

Sky Sports Scout Ratings:

0-10 - No hoper
11-20 - Should look elsewhere
21-30 - Might not make it
31-40 - Has work to do
41-50 - Keep an eye on him
51-60 - Great prospect
61-70 - On his way to the top
71-80 - Already World-class
The latest player to be spotlighted is River Plate's Eder Alvarez Balanta.
The scout reports...

Eder Alvarez Balanta made his senior debut less than 12 months ago, but he is already being
spoken of as a winter target for European giants Barcelona.
We check on the Colombian making a name for himself in Argentina.
Balanta was born and raised in the Colombian capital Bogota, and he began his footballing
journey with Academia - now Llaneros - helping them to a series of youth titles.
His progress caught the eye of a number of scouts, and River Plate invited him for trials in
early 2011 when he had just turned 18.
He did well and was snapped up by River and played a big part in their Under-20 Copa
Libertadores success in 2012, and his performances saw him promoted to the senior squad.
In March 2013, he made his debut - starting against Racing Club and he helped River keep a
clean-sheet as they won 2-0. From that day he has been an ever-present in Ramon Diaz's side.
After just a handful of games for River, he was reported to have been the subject of a bid
from Inter Milan - but River rejected this, instead offering him a professional deal.
Balanta signed a three-year deal in July this year, but because he was still on a youth deal
River did stop him participating in the Under-20 World Cup with his native Colombia.
Indeed despite his rise to prominence, Balanta is yet to represent Colombia at any level although he has confirmed he would not think about representing Argentina, after it was
claimed they were looking into naturalising him.
One thing that is clear, is that it is very easy to see why Argentina, Barcelona and the like
would all love to have Balanta playing for them - River have unearthed a real gem.
Almost un-South American like, Balanta is a ball playing centre-half who oozes class.

Left-footed, Balanta's reading of the game is first-class - and the fact he stands just below 6ft
does not interfere in his game, as he does have a tremendous leap if needed.
Balanta is also hugely powerful, and you would expect him to be robust with it. But that is
not the case - he rarely dives into a tackle, instead allowing his outstanding pace to get him
out of trouble.
His passing is very good, as he loves to bring the ball out of defence and find a team-mate although perhaps too often he looks for the long cross-field ball.
But finding a fault with Balanta is not easy and many think he could very well push himself
into Colombia's World Cup team, let alone squad, before next summer's finals in Brazil.
In light of Barca's reported interest, River have placed a 12million price-tag on his head and
many in Argentina think he could be bound for Europe as early as January - astonishingly less
than 12 months after his River debut.
The scout says...

Balanta really does look like the real deal, and one who would really settle well into
European football - therefore it is no surprise that Europe's biggest clubs are looking at him.
Balanta has come from nowhere but by the World Cup next summer, he could be one of the
players to watch in Brazil.
The Scout rating...

Shooting: 5 out of 10
Passing: 7 out of 10
Tackling: 8 out of 10
Heading: 7 out of 10
Pace: 8 out of 10
Vision: 7 out of 10
Current ability: 7 out of 10
Potential ability: 10 out of 10
OVERALL SCOUT RATING:59/80
Current value: 10million
Potential value: 30million