I wanted to take a look at some of the lesser-known talents of the Eredivisie away from the big boys at Ajax and PSV based on the season so far, and I didn't think at the start of this research that Feyenoord would be top of the tree so I had them as part of my watchlist and feel it would be silly to rule out the player who has stood out for me just because they're top.
My enjoyment of Eredivisie begun over 20 years ago when my uncle moved to Amsterdam for work. He had a been a long time season ticket holder at Heart of Midlothian and as he loved his football and ticket prices were significantly cheaper in The Netherlands, he purchased 2 season tickets for Ajax so he could go and would always have a ticket for when friends and family went to visit. I don't recall who Ajax played in the first game I went to see but I do remember being spell bound by Rafael Van Der Vaart, Mido and Hatem Trabelsi and there were many other class players in the line-up who would go and do great things including Zlatan. From that game on I've always found time to watch the highlights on Youtube or when the games were shown on Sky or BT because you have to admire what the Dutch system has given, and continues to give to football.
Anyway... I'm rambling so let us get on to the players who have impressed me so far this season and a little bit about each.
AMIN SARR - HEERENVEEN - ATTACKER
At 21 this young Swede has seen his fair share of club badges on his way to the pro level and even when he did eventually get his chance with Malmo it took a loan to Mjallby AIF to really start loving life as a player with 8 goals in 18 starts. That led him to Heerenveen who have had a few notable strikers on their books over the years, guys like Van Nistelrooy, Huntelaar and Tomasson so we know they know their onions where attackers are concerned.
Sarr generally plays up top in a 2 or on the left of a 3 man attack. His best form this season for me has been when he has been on the left, or at the very least alongside Van Hooijdonk and allowed to drift to the left. Thus far he's got 7 goal contributions in 13 starts (3 goals and 4 assists) and in all honesty those numbers should be higher and will improve as long as he keeps working on the fundamentals.
His pace and power afford him good opportunities and his style seems very like that of Thierry Henry. He wants the freedom to drift off the central defenders onto the left wing and then drive the ball inside. He regularly shows he has the ability to really push teams on to the back foot when he drives with the ball at pace, and if he can add the final execution then he'll be a very diffucult player to stop with his speed and size. He just needs to see the picture a second quicker and add the pass or improve the final shot. If he does that then both he and those around him will reap the rewards. He also has to look to use his size to his advantage a little more as he's a pretty big guy.
The makings of a good relationship are in place with Sydney Van Hooijdonk and if Heerenveen can keep both on the pitch and maybe add a few extra goals from other areas then they'll remain in the hunt for European places as the season goes on.
SVEN MIJNANS - SPARTA ROTTERDAM - ATTACKING MIDFIELDER
This 22 year old, bright spark is somewhat of a mystery as in all honesty I've no idea what his best role is. I've seen him play as a right winger, a number 10 behind the attack and on the right of a midfield trio. This season he's started 11 games and has 6 goal contributions (3 goals and 3 assists).
He is very much the on-trend type who wants to play on the opposite side of his stronger foot and cut inside to open up the pitch to allow him to use his what is a very good left foot. He dribbles well and can beat a man with good footwork, I wouldn't say he's the fastest player you'll ever see but his has good close control and manipulates the ball well as he moves.
While I'm not sure what his best role is so far what he does very well regardless of which role he is in is to put a good supply of passes or crosses into Tobias Lauristen and Vito Van Crooij who usually plays on the opposite side of the pitch to Mijnans. He also shows a good composure when he gets in at the back post, but it is something he needs to do more of.
I think the key thing for Mijnans is to get a set role and cement his place in it over the season. It's good being versatile but it can also be disruptive to development. The other area he might need to do work on if he views his future as being in one of the bigger leagues will be to work on his upper body strength. Overall, he's progressing nicely and much like Sarr above he will be looking to carry his current form on after this break for the World Cup to help Sparta stay in the hunt for European football next season.
RICARDO PEPI - FC GRONINGEN (LOAN) - STRIKER
19 year old Pepi is a player who is everything I hate to see at a young age and by that I don't mean as a player because I like him a lot as a player, but as a young man who in my opinion was likely poorly advised and sold on something that would have been extremely difficult to make work when he moved to Augsburg.
Pepi was progressing nicely in the MLS and I think he moved a year to early, but a move to Europe wasn't out of his reach at that point if he found the right team who would develop him and afford him enough chances in games to demonstrate what he can offer. Augsburg were not that team and were never going to be that team, and so it didn't surprise me at all to see this loan move happen and I hope it leads to better things for him.
Groningen are struggling badly this year and the only saving grace for them might turn out to be that they have 2 good strikers in Pepi and Ngonge. Pepi has 8 goal contributions in 8 starts (6 goals and 2 assists).
What I like about Pepi is he has a good toolkit to make use of when he plays. He finishes well, he can be the focal point of the team and link with those around him and he strikes the ball with purpose. Like most 19 year old lads he has development to do, but at the moment he just needs to get games and be confident within himself again. He doesn't need to justify the price tag Augsburg paid for him, he's 19 and has a really high ceiling of potential but what he does need to do is look at the steps he needs to take to be the player that can get close to the level that value represented and be careful as to what moves he makes going forward. If he can make the right moves and work with the right people then he could be the man who spearheads the USA national team into the 2026 World Cup and provides the much-needed goals that make them a real force.
LUCAS BERNADOU - FC EMMEN - CENTRAL MIDFIELDER
Bernadou at 22 could have been one of the many players who had played for the big team through youth level, not made the grade and gave it all up. Having spent most of youth at PSG and then being caught up in a difficult situation where PSG B weren't playing during Covid to subsequently being released things didn't look good.
Now I can't point to Bernadou and tell you he's going to be a rise from the ashes story, or that he'll be a superstar midfielder because I don't think he will, but what I will say is that if a club at the level of Heerenveen or AZ who was looking for a midfield pivot to help them improve the transition from the defence to the more attacking creative players then Bernadou wouldn't be a bad shout. He took the move to FC Emmen when they were in the Eerste Divisie and was avital part of the midfield unit that won them the league last season. This season they are struggling and will likely be doing well to be above the bottom 3 but Bernadou is still showing what it was that got him into the PSG setup.
It's no real surprise that some of his best games have come against the better teams like PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord because he knows how to play against players of that level and he shows great intelligence and awareness when he positions himself and when he passes the ball. I think in a better team there might be more in terms of attacking input to come because he does pass the ball with a high degree of accuracy and his crossing is decent as well, but for now 1 goal and 3 assists from the deep lying midfielder in a team who have only scored 13 is decent.
TAYLOR BOOTH - FC UTRECHT - MIDFIELDER
Booth at 21 is similar to Bernadou above. He spent most of his youth days playing for Bayern Munich II before finding that he was able to move for free in the summer just past.
It's still very early to be calling Booth anything other than a prospect but he's got an exciting style of play that is very much in fitting with what we have seen for the USA midfield in the World Cup. In 7 starts he has 2 goals and 2 assists and has recently won the Eredivisie POTM award and it's easy to see why with those goals and assists all coming in his last 4 games.
Booth is a very quick and dynamic runner who is more than capable off of both his feet. He generally plays on the side of the midfield 3 in a 4312 that FC Utrecht deploy and it really allows him great freedom to use his ability to drive the ball down the side or to come inside. His range of passing is good, he does give up a few balls because he is so direct in his play so again that is a point of refinement for him going forward.
He also boosts a very useful delivery from a corner which many teams covet when they look at young attacking prospects these days and again while he has to work on some areas mainly when dealing with the defensive side of the game, he has taken a good step by moving to Utrecht to allow himself the chance to get real competitive games that will allow him to find what his ceiling is. I think his future is bright and that he like Pepi could be a player that adds to a growing number of talented young Americans fighting for international spots over the next few years.
QUENTEN RYAN CRISPITO TIMBER - FEYENOORD - CENTRAL MIDFIELDER
I've used his full name because I love it. Kudos to his folks for going with some funkier than his twin brother Jurrien David Norman Timber and while some would say Jurrien has won the battle on the pitch up until now, I'm not ready to call it yet.
Quentin at 21 has been over-shadowed by his twin up until now, both going through the ranks at Ajax but in 2021 Quenten had to find a new path away from his twin and that took him to FC Utrecht where his all-action style attracted Feyenoord and a year later Utrecht were selling a player they picked up for free for just over 8 million Euros and some add-ons. He's also being over-shadowed by some of his team mates but I doubt he minds given that he's now one of the main men in a team who have really went up a level this year.
It is safe to say that so far Quenten has done enough work to suggest that fee paid was fair and that Feyenoord will be looking for a fair bit more if anyone comes sniffing around the Timber that provides a great foundation for their other fantastic midfield talents (Kokcu and Symanski) to play off of.
Quentin really is an all action player who's main function in the Feyenoord team is to kill the oppositions play and to do the A to B work and he's been great so far this season. His 2 goals and 2 assists in 14 starts don't really come close to explaining his value in the Feyenoord team who top the league. His true value is shown in him winning over 60% of his ground duels with a high volume being within the opposition half and how he takes a grip of the games to allow the 4 more attacking players to play on the front foot for the vast majority of games.
His footwork is everything you would expect from a young Dutch man who's come through the Ajax academy, great in tight situations and can play round corners and link the play with short or longer passes. He reads the game well which pays into the high volume of possession won in dangerous areas and he is quick to get pressure on the ball. If I was being picky then the final pass from him could maybe be a bit sharper, but his primary focus doesn't depend on it so I would be knit picking to overly criticise that element of his game.
Going forward he just needs to keep on showing what he has done since he departed Ajax and I'm sure he'll soon be rooming with his brother for National team and I can see high end European teams having a look in his direction as well.
That's it for my wee jaunt around some of the younger Eredivisie players who have impressed me so far this season and obviously both PSV and Ajax both have numerous young talents that will go on to become exceptional players, but I hope you have enjoyed this for what it was meant to be. Eredivisie truly is a league where there is an abundance of talent, and if your team is looking in that direction it really is just about finding the right fit. There is no point in signing a natural goalscorer if your team doesn't create and there is no point in signing a guy like Bernadou if your defenders point of focus is the far end floodlights and they use their foot like a 7 iron.
Thanks for visiting
R
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