Ajax is set to sign Reece James in the coming weeks as he looks for a new club following his release from Salzburg. The Ajax manager will have some big shoes to fill after the Dutchman left an indelible mark on English and European football over five years of service. EPL giants Chelsea FC has also been linked with a move for the playmaker, but it seems unlikely that they’ll be able to lure him away from Amsterdam next summer when his contract expires
Reece James is a professional footballer who plays for FC Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga. He has been playing football since he was 6 years old, and has played for various clubs such as Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur.
It’s known as the “Leicester Effect.” A soccer season is a long and laborious beast that can crush even the most promising of upstart tales beneath the weight of money and time. We respond to teams’ quick beginnings and exciting individual breakthrough performances, but by May, the same teams and individuals are occupying the collective Best XI lists.
However, certain advances have yet to be made. After all, Lille won Ligue 1 last season, and every young superstar, from Kylian Mbappe to Erling Haaland, was once a promising youngster.
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With more than three months remaining in the 2021-22 season, certain upstarts look to be more resilient than others. Look no further if you’re seeking for a new hipster-friendly squad to root for, or if you’re curious about which hot, young prospects are most likely to blossom into hot, young stars. It’s time to invest in the list below, and even if they end up falling short or disappointing us, we’ll have a good time doing it.
UEFA Europa League Conference | West Ham | Reece James | Real Sociedad is a Spanish football club. | Jonathan David | Jude Bellingham | Vinicius Jr. | FC Salzburg | Ajax | Amine Gouiri | Gilloise Gilloise Gilloise Gilloise Gilloise Gilloise Gil | Lorenzo Pellegrini | UEFA Europa Conference League | West Ham | Reece James | Real Sociedad | Jonathan David | Jude Bellingham | Vinicius Jr.
Let’s just say one thing about the Red Bull corporation: they’re a patient lot. Sometimes they hit gold, like Red Bull Bragantino did in Brazil, when the team rose from third division to first division in 2020, and then to borderline top-four and Copa Sudamericana runner-up in 2021. However, in Europe, they have always acknowledged that their initiatives would take time. The success of RB Leipzig in Germany has undoubtedly shown this, but so has the rise of the sibling club in Salzburg.
In the five years prior to Red Bull’s involvement in 2005, the club previously known as SV Austria Salzburg averaged a position of 242nd in the EloFootball rankings. Over the following eight seasons (2005-06 to 2012-13), they climbed to an average of 110.8, then ended in the 40s for three years, the 30s for two, and now the 20s for three. At the time of writing, they are ranked 22nd. They keep climbing the ranks no matter who leaves: Duje Caleta-Car, Amadou Haidara, Valon Berisha, and Valentino Lazaro in 2018-19, Erling Haaland, Stefan Lainer, and Takumi Minamino in 2019-20, Dominik Szoboszlai and Hee-chan Hwang in 2020-21, Patson Daka and Enock Mwepu in 2021-22.
They have an opportunity to make their greatest statement yet in the coming months thanks to a fortunate draw. After facing Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last season, they were assigned to Group G this time around (Lille, Wolfsburg, Sevilla), and despite back-to-back defeats, they still have a 66 percent probability of progressing to the knockout stages.
They will most likely lose star 19-year-old attacker Karim Adeyemi to a larger club after this season. Mohamed Camara, a midfielder, might also be included. And, if history is any guide, things are only going to get better.
Ajax
It’s strange to think of Ajax as a newcomer. While it’s been over 27 years since their last Champions League championship, they did come within a heartbeat of the finals in 2019, which seems like 27 years ago but isn’t.
However, this isn’t about Ajax looking nice. They do it all the time. This is about the aesthetics of Ajax.
They started the season with a 4-0 defeat in the Johan Cruyff Shield against PSV Eindhoven, which looks to have enraged them. They’ve scored 42-2 against 13 Eredivisie opponents. On October 24, they defeated PSV 5-0. They started Champions League play with a 5-1 thrashing of Sporting CP, and then ran circles around Borussia Dortmund in two 7-1 victories. They just required four matches to qualify for the knockout rounds, and despite their weak league, they are now ranked fifth overall in FiveThirtyEight’s SPI ratings, only a few decimal points behind reigning Champions League champion Chelsea. SPI offers Ajax an 11 percent probability of winning the Champions League after matchday 5, the fifth-best odds in the league.
Dusan Tadic, Sebastien Haller, and Steven Berghuis have combined for 29 goals and 23 assists in 17 Eredivisie and Champions League matches this season, while youngsters like defensive midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, winger Antony, and center-back Jurrien Timber add pace and enthusiasm to the proceedings. Erik ten Hag has been connected with the Manchester United position, as well as a slew of other opportunities, throughout the years, but he is unlikely to quit since doing so would reduce his chances of winning the Champions League at some time.
In Ligue 1, Nice may be described as a “unlucky second.” Despite a point penalty due to crowd unrest in a rivalry match against Marseille in September, Les Aiglons have the greatest xG differential in the league, bettering even PSG, and they’re in second place. They lost many points as a result of the abandoned match: they were ahead when it was called off, and they only achieved a draw in the neutral-site rerun in October.
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The supporter problems have tainted what has otherwise been a fantastic start to the season. While newcomers like attacker Andy Delort (five goals, 17 chances created) and 21-year-old defenders Melvin Bard (from Lyon) and Jean-Clair Todibo (Barcelona) have brought a spark, manager Christophe Galtier has also helped a holdover achieve a new level. Amine Gouiri, also 21, has eight goals and 26 opportunities created this season; in almost the same amount of league minutes as PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, Gouiri is one goal ahead and one chance behind.
Nothing Nice or Gouiri are doing seems to be particularly unsustainable, especially when compared to what Galtier has accomplished at his prior teams. They’re entertaining and combative, and they have a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League group stage for the first time next season.
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Union St. Gilloise
USG, like Aston Villa and Hertha Berlin, was a Belgian powerhouse in the early twentieth century, winning or placing second in the first division 19 times between 1903 and 1935. Since then, the accolades have been few, but they’re presently putting together one of the most beautiful runs you’ll ever see.
They’ve raced to a seven-point lead in the Pro League in their first season back in the top flight after promotion from the second division, and they’ve done it with utter dominance: 40 goals scored (the most in the league) and just 14 goals conceded (fewest). They’ve won six straight games by a cumulative score of 23-5. Deniz Undav and Dante Vanzeir, who used to play for Germany’s third-tier Meppen and Belgium’s Beerschot, have combined for 23 goals and 15 assists thus far, and manager Felice Mazzu’s 3-1-4-2 formation is distinctive and powerful.
Diego Simeone of Atletico Madrid has experimented with the formation; maybe he should pay a visit to Brussels and take notes.
From Didier Drogba to Harry Kane, several attackers have seen their statistics improve under Jose Mourinho. Pellegrini is a center midfielder, but since Mourinho came in Rome, he’s discovered a new level of forward play. Since he was 19, the 25-year-old has been a regular in Serie A, generating nine assists and averaging 0.48 anticipated assists (xA) + expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes in 2019-20, then stepping up his scoring with a career-high nine (0.24 per 90 minutes) last season.
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To far, the team has scored five goals (0.31 per 90 minutes), created 40 opportunities (3.4 per 90 minutes), and averaged 0.67 xA+xG per 90 minutes. He’s on track to score 15 goals, add six assists, and create well over 100 opportunities and recover 150 balls. In the UEFA Europa Conference League, he has three goals and one assist. His gradual but consistent growth over the years shows that this might be a genuine and long-term jump, and he’s just recently started to reach his athletic prime years.
UEFA Europa Conference League
When you initially heard that UEFA was planning to create a third continental event to complement the Champions and Europa Leagues, you probably thought, “Oh fantastic.” Another European competition that no one cares about is just what the world needs. This will completely eliminate all of the developing inequalities! I understand. Yes, I do. But as a college football writer whose favorite moment of the season is when the head coach of a 6-6 mid-major school cries while celebrating his team’s win in some obscure postseason bowl like the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl or the LendingTree Bowl in Mobile, Alabama — both of which are real games — I was certain to enjoy this competition.
And here’s the thing: I’m not the only one who enjoys this competition.
This has turned out to be the ideal tournament for the Bodo/Glimts of the world, those lively, optimistic, and aggressive teams who are a bit too little to cause havoc in the Champions League (yet!) but are really interested in performing well in this league. It was thrilling to witness the Norwegian champions demolish Mourinho’s Roma 6-1 at home before defending with all they had late in a 2-2 return match in Rome.
Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop, and others to discuss the most recent news and debate the most important topics. ESPN+ has a live stream available (U.S. only).
In Europe, there is a lot of high-quality football to be discovered, and the Conference League has made it a lot simpler to find. While the larger clubs in the competition have been inconsistent in their motivation — Roma and Tottenham Hotspur are both second in their groups, while Germany’s representative, Union Berlin, is last in its group after losses to Feyenoord (twice) and Slavia Prague — that could change once the lengthy, 24-team knockout rounds (the winner) begin.
Spurs, Roma, Rennes, Feyenoord, AZ, Slavia and Gent, as well as possible Europa third-place teams PSV, Leicester and Celtic, are among the clubs who might win this event. The Maccabis and the Bodo/Glimts will also have a shot. You should put your skepticism aside and watch, whether it’s to scout players who could wind up on your own squad one day or simply to enjoy some enjoyable mid-major football.
Granted, the Hammers might have helped this article by not losing to Wolves on Saturday and staying within three points of the Premier League’s top spot. Unfortunately, they lost 1-0 and are currently in fourth place. Still, FiveThirtyEight gives them the best chance of finishing fourth — they have a 32 percent chance of qualifying for next year’s Champions League, ahead of Manchester United (19 percent), Arsenal (18 percent), and Tottenham (10 percent) — and even if they pull a Leicester and finish just outside the top four, they will have more than made up for last year’s growth.
Four of the teams now ranked in the EloFootball.com top 50 had their best-ever ratings this week: No. 49 Brighton, No. 27 Sporting CP, No. 24 Real Sociedad (more on them later) and No. 17 West Ham. After signing midfielder Tomas Soucek and offensive midfielder Said Benrahma, David Moyes’ Hammers jumped from 16th to sixth place in the Premier League last season. Despite playing in the Europa League this season, they didn’t spend a lot of money, signing Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma and CSKA Moscow winger Nikola Vlasic late in the transfer window. They haven’t received much from Vlasic, but Zouma has been solid, while Declan Rice, Michail Antonio, and Jarrod Bowen have all improved their games.
West Ham is significantly more vertically focused and less possession-oriented than England’s other elite clubs, but they still average more shots and touches in the attacking third than their opponents, and they are unquestionably one of the best teams in the country.
Real Sociedad
The Basque region governed Spain for a short time in the early 1980s. Before relinquishing leadership of the league to Barcelona and Real Madrid, Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao each won two LaLiga championships. La Real has remained competitive for the most of the time since (with the exception of a short period in the second division in the late 2000s), although they have only finished in the top four of LaLiga four times since 1982.
They have a 57 percent probability of finishing there this season, and a 9% chance of capturing their first league championship in 40 years, according to FiveThirtyEight. They’re in second position, one point behind Real Madrid, and haven’t lost since a disappointing season-opening defeat to Barcelona. They’ve also gone undefeated in the Europa League (albeit with three draws).
Now, to be fair, this is Real Sociedad, so take that with a grain of salt. Last year, they were tied for lead after 13 games and ended sixth. In 2019-20, they were tied for lead after 12 games and ended sixth. This season doesn’t have to be any different from the last, but if it is, it will be due to a lack of depth. Stars Mikel Oyarzabal and Alexander Isak, as well as veteran David Silva, have all battled injuries this season, but midfielder Mikel Merino has reached a new level (he’s one of the greatest midfielders in the league), while center-back Robin Le Normand has also experienced a star turn. With all of their key players healthy, they may have their greatest opportunity yet to maintain this level of play going into the winter.
I attempted to get him to AC Milan earlier this month, but he needs to be included here as well. The 21-year-old Canadian, who was born in Brooklyn, is developing by leaps and bounds each season. He completed a $30 million transfer to Lille after scoring 18 league goals (plus five more in Europa League qualification and group play) for Gent in 2019-20. He quickly settled there, providing 13 goals and two assists to Les Dogues’ unexpected Ligue 1 championship run.
Lille has urgently needed David to step up his game, with Burak Yilmaz’s productivity dwindling and Lille’s defense suddenly collapsing when coach Galtier departed for Nice — they conceded 23 league goals last season and have already given up 21 in 2021-22 —
That’s exactly what he’s done. He’s now scored ten league goals and is on course to score 25. He’s scored the game-winner for Canada against Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying (he has seven goals and four assists in 12 qualification matches), a brace in a 2-2 draw with Monaco, and the game-winner against RB Salzburg on Tuesday to propel Lille to the top of their Champions League group.
The greatest thing is that he might still be years away from reaching his full potential!
Bellingham’s talent is well-known, but it’s evident that he’s only getting started. Getty Images/Lukas Schulze/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection
Haaland has been absent for the better part of the last two months due to injury and is expected to be out for at least another month. Giovanni Reyna has been out for an even longer period of time. Donyell Malen, a high-profile signing, has failed to live up to expectations. Only five players in the Borussia Dortmund roster have clocked more than 800 league minutes, and two of them are 32-year-old Marco Reus and Axel Witsel. They were relegated to the Europa League after losing three consecutive Champions League matches after a strong start.
Despite this, BVB remains in the Bundesliga championship hunt, just one point behind Bayern Munich. Reus and other veterans like Julian Brandt and Raphael Guerreiro have certainly contributed to the team’s steady water-treading, but the steely-eyed midfielder who’s directing the show, winning 56 percent of his duels and completing 84 percent of his often-aggressive passes, is perhaps the most important reason. He also stepped up his game in the Champions League on many occasions.
Bellingham won’t be 19 until June of next year, but he’s already gone from prospective star to star in the previous year. During BVB’s injury problems, he has improved his game, and if the club can get fit early in 2022, its potential might be much higher than we imagined, owing to its star midfielder.
“Brother, don’t give it to him. He’s sabotaging our efforts.” During a Champions League play in October, Karim Benzema was captured on video saying it to left-back Ferland Mendy. It’s long been considered that he was referring to Vinicius Junior, the left-winger to whom he didn’t make another pass throughout the game.
Though there have been few other hints that the two may have a tense relationship, the incident did assist to confirm a certain perception of the dazzling but inconsistent young Brazilian winger’s performance. However, throughout the course of the last year, the irregularity started to fade. As outstanding as Benzema has been this season (15 goals and eight assists in 17 La Liga and Champions League games), Vini Jr., who is now 21, has almost equaled him with 10 goals and five assists among 37 total chances generated.
Finishing had been a difficulty for him in the last two seasons, as he had only converted 15.3 xG into 10 goals in the two tournaments, but he has outperformed his xG so far this season. Even better, he doesn’t seem to be playing over his head. It’s still eight months till his 22nd birthday, so he may be just getting started.
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