ok, so has anyone noticed any similarities from my scouting reports??
Almost all the players I have looked at are either, playing in Sweden, playing in Holland or are Swedish....lol. Well there is a good reason for that, they are good players, should be within range of our budget and they are or should be available, simple as that really!
So that brings me onto some more players I have come across, the first is Slovenian but guess where he plays.......Holland! (Well done and give yourself a pat on the back if you guessed correctly! lol) Now this guy is quite young, 21, but he has already been tracked by Fiorentina when only 18 before signing a deal with FC Groningen and now this season he has been tracked by Newcastle United, however with their change of management, their interest is now thought to have cooled as the new manager will have his own ideas.
His name is Tim Matavz, he is a Slovenian international, is roughly 6ft 2 and had his breakthrough season last year where he scored 14 goals in 34 games and contributed 4 assists with almost half of those games being from the bench. So far this season, 14 goals and 5 assists in 25 games in all competitions and only 4 games he has come off the bench, it is no wonder he is attracting interest. His current deal expires in the summer of 2013 but he is only valued around £1.5M - £2.5M, that should be easy enough for us to buy.
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For me, this guy is quite like another young striker I've been going on and on about for ages, Rasmus Jonsson. They are very similar in their style of play I think. Both pacey, both tall and good with their head but equally or even better with the ball at their feet and are technically very good. Both also have a good eye for goal and make finishing look easy. They can ride tackles and take on physical defenders as well. All in all, two very good strikers, either of which would be cracking buys in my opinion.
Next up, a Dutchman, surprise surprise! lol. Daniel De Ridder is available to sign a pre-contract in January since his contract is up at the end of the season although if he was to leave in January, it would not cost much, if any money! Currently on loan with Hapoel Tel Aviv until January, 26 year old De Ridder is a product of the Ajax youth academy and made 30 appearances for Ajax, playing in the Champions League and winning the league with the Dutch giants. He then moved to Celta Vigo but was not there long before Steven Bruce snapped him up for Birmingham City. He played his last game for Birmingham back in 2008 when Alex McLeish decided De Ridder was more suited to a more passing style of play that Birmingham were not, his contract was ended by mutual consent and the next day, Steve Bruce snapped him up again and took him to Wigan. Unfortunately for De Ridder, a change of management once again meant he fell out of favour with the new manager and as such has lost form and market value.
With pace, ridiculous skill and a cracking delivery both from open play and set pieces (typical Dutch player really) he is a very gifted player. He is a determined winger who makes space for himself, likes to pass and move and can ride a challenge.
If anyone is reading this and is not convinced about him, just watch the video of him playing for Birmingham and taking the piss out of Arsenal of all teams! Impressive doesnt do it justice!
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And this one shows his time at Ajax and Celta Vigo
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Quite possibly one of the best freebies going right now! He just needs to rediscover his form and have a manager who believes in him to help him rediscover it. You don't just lose ability like this man has. Considering he would be free and at 26, he is WELL worth a gamble!
