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Asian Cup transfer targets: Which young guns will Europe’s giants be eying?

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Asian Cup transfer targets: Which young guns will Europe’s giants be eying?

DOHA, Qatar — It’s never been easier to discover, track, and zero in on young, talented footballers. Laboriously maintained highlights, detailed scouting reports, and more data than one can poke a terabyte at, are all available at a click of a button; and there is a growing industry of freelancers and specialists built around helping clubs find players who, in years gone by, would simply have flown beneath the radar.

And yet, it can sometimes feel like there are still many talented players flying under the radar completely or only beginning to gain recognition for their potential. For whatever reason — be it their league’s or nation’s reputation, their game not coming across on film, their toiling at youth level or on the margins of senior football, or their existence as a large fish in a small pond — they can be overlooked.

– Asian Cup: Home | Bracket | Groups | Team guide
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“As Jordanian players, we are always treated unjustly,” Jordan’s Musa Al-Taamari said after his nation’s stunning upset of South Korea to move into Saturday’s Asian Cup final vs. Qatar. “For all 11 players, and all the bench players, I hope to see them all in Europe or the Gulf leagues because Jordanian players are well deserving of this chance.”

A member of French Ligue 1 side Montpellier, Al-Taamari is the only member of the surprise finalists plying his trade in a European league; the majority of coach Hussein Ammouta’s side is attached to the likes of Al-Faisaly, Al-Hussein or Al-Wehdat in the Jordanian Pro League. Some members of the squad play in the Saudi Pro League or the Qatar Stars League, but their coach hopes the triumphs of Doha will lead to other things.

“What you saw today was the fruit of several years of work,” Ammouta said. “We have Musa Al-Taamari in the French league, and hopefully we will have four or five Jordanian players in the French league or the English Premier League. When you look at Japan or Korea, you see players who are playing abroad and they have great value to their national teams. This is what we should start planning for: How will we produce players who will play in the world’s biggest leagues? This is a building block that’s part of a bigger plan.”

Indeed, a continental showpiece such as the Asian Cup can provide a springboard to bigger and better things.

“This whole tournament is a massive opportunity,” Australia defender Jordy Bos told ESPN. “The teams that we play are very good teams. There’s a lot of eyes on them as well. Every game that you can perform in and play well, there’s going to be eyes on you. Every game is a big opportunity.”

So with the tournament coming to an end, ESPN has assessed some of the most exciting players aged 23 and under who have featured in Qatar.

And yes, before you ask, the likes of Takefusa Kubo and Lee Kang-In fall within this article’s age range, but, as two of Asia’s premier rising talents, who are already playing for Real Sociedad and Paris Saint-Germain respectively, it’s fair to say they’ve already broken out so there’s no reason to include them in here.

The Lions of Mesopotamia’s campaign ended far earlier than they likely would have been planning after their upset win over Japan in the group stages — dramatically bundled out in the round of 16 by eventual finalists Jordan (to say nothing of what happened after the game) — but there’s reason to be optimistic about the years ahead for the 2007 champions.

Alongside Hussein Ali, Youssef Amyn and Zidane Iqbal, Jassim was part of a core of promising players selected by Iraqi coach Jesús Cases, and he grabbed his opportunity at a senior level less than a year after starring in Iraq’s run to the final of the AFC Under-20 Championship.

The 20-year-old’s three assists in Iraq’s four games have him tied for the tournament lead with Iran’s Sardar Azmoun and, per FotMob, he has created more big chances than any player other than Korean star Lee. Two of his assists came off pinpoint set pieces, while his third was a strong example of his burgeoning confidence and abilities on the biggest stages; he put Phạm Xuân Mạnh on skates as he drove past him on the left before placing a cross perfectly onto the head of Ayman Hussein.

Currently on loan at Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya from fellow Iraq Stars League side Al-Kahrabaa — scoring four goals in just five games for Al-Soqoor during the AFC Champions League group stages — Jasim has previously been on the radar of Belgian side KAA Gent as well as clubs in Turkey, going so far as to sign for Süper Lig club Antalyaspor last year only to terminate his contract by mutual consent within 48 hours and return to Iraq.

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold spoke before the Asian Cup about how his side was undergoing a generational change, of how the shifting of the tournament from June last year to January meant he was heading to Doha with one eye on the Asian Cup and two eyes on the World Cup. Selection headaches followed but, in Bos, Arnold will feel assured that he has established a consistent contributor for the coming cycle.

The Asian Cup represented the 21-year-old’s first major international tournament, and he quickly established himself as being ready for this level even though he was asked to play on the wing rather than in his accustomed left-back position. Scoring his first international goal against India, Bos started the Socceroos’ three subsequent matches before being used off the bench in the quarterfinals loss to South Korea; on each occasion he gave a level of drive and purposeful possession that Australia otherwise struggled to fashion.

Bos led Australia in take-ons and successful dribbles per 90 minutes across the tournament — sixth across the whole tournament in the former, per Opta — and was agonisingly close to what surely would have been a match-winning assist against South Korea, perfectly placing a cross in front of Mitch Duke for a diving header that went wide rather than making the score 2-0 with scant time remaining in the second half. Now, one of the biggest questions facing Arnold is how he’ll manage the presence of Bos and Aziz Behich in his squad, with the former the future at left-back but the latter, right now, still performing at a high level for his country.

On the books of Belgian side KVC Westerlo, Bos moved to Europe in the offseason from Melbourne City in a transfer that, at the time, set an outbound Australian record. He possesses a Dutch passport thanks to his parentage, making moves around Europe a much simpler proposition.

Tajikistan’s surprising run to the quarterfinals of their debut Asian Cup was built off the back of one of the tournament’s youngest sides — a unit that, in theory, should be able to seize the momentum of the past month and continue the slow but steady rise of their nation’s footballing scene.

Hanonov, 23, has racked up more than 30 international appearances for Tajikistan since becoming a regular starter for The Crowns in late 2020, but the Asian Cup is, by far, the biggest stage on which he’s played; alongside other young contributors such as Manuchehr Safarov (22), Shahrom Samiev (22), and Ehson Panjshanbe (24), he put in a strong showing.

Playing every minute of every game for coach Petar Segrt, the Persepolis centre-back anchored his side’s progression to the last eight, leading the team in combined recoveries and interceptions; that run ended, somewhat heartbreakingly for Hanonov, when Jordan’s Abdallah Nasib headed Mahmoud Al-Mardi’s corner in off the defender’s torso to claim a 1-0 win. Before that, he made a much happier memory by scoring his nation’s first knockout-stage goal when he put them ahead against the United Arab Emirates in the round of 16, a game in which he also slotted his spot kick in the eventual shootout win.

The defender has seen only sporadic minutes in the Persian Gulf Pro League since signing from Tajikistan Higher League powers Istiklol — deployed at centre-back and right-back — but he would be right to hope his Asian Cup augurs further minutes in Tehran or opportunities elsewhere, be it in Central Asia or further afield.

Saudi Arabia coach Roberto Mancini has pursued a strategy of squad rejuvenation since landing in the Gulf, and, younger players are reaping the benefits even if the Italian has come under significant pressure since his side’s round-of-16 exit to South Korea — not helped by his disappearing act during the penalty shootout.

Haji gets a nod in this list because he became the second-youngest player to feature at an Asian Cup (Syria’s Munaf Ramadan in 1988 is the youngest) when he was thrown in against Thailand at just 16 and 131 days. He came pretty close to scoring during his subsequent cameo, as well, almost heading in a Nasser Al-Dawsari’s cross only to be denied by keeper Saranon Anuin.

Radif, meanwhile, made an instant impact after being thrown on as a halftime substitute against South Korea, scoring within seconds and putting his side into a lead they would hold until the Taeguk Warriors equalised in the ninth minute of added time. The 21-year-old would have one final chance to win things in extra time, forcing a save from Jo Hyeon-Woo, but could then only watch as the Korean keeper saved penalties from Sami Al-Najei and Abdulrahman Ghareeb to send Saudi packing in the shootout.

Like Jasim, Radif just a year prior was playing in the AFC Under-20 Championship — scoring against Kyrgyz Republic as the Saudis were eliminated in the group stages — but the Al Shabab attacker seemingly has a promising future after being called up for the past two international windows.

Scorer of his nation’s first goal in their semifinals win over South Korea, Yazan Al Naimat is an example of the players Al-Taamari referenced as being worthy of greater international focus but, as a 24-year-old, he is too old for a full entry here. Instead, the focus turns to Olwan, who plays for Qatari club Al-Shamal; he missed the win over the Taeguk Warriors through suspension but had an important tournament for The Chivalrous Ones.

Olwan is second to Al-Taamari for take-ons for Jordan — 31 to 32 — and he has had a greater success rate with his attempts than his star teammate. Indeed, demonstrating his worth to coach Ammouta’s purposeful approach, Lee and Al-Taamari are the only players with more take-on attempts than Olwan to this point of the tournament, per Opta; and only Oman’s Salaah Al Yahyaei had a greater winning percentage among the top-20 ranked players.

Nearing 40 senior international appearances, with 27 starts, the 23-year-old has been a regular part of Jordanian lineups since mid-2021, playing pretty much every role across the front third. On a domestic level, he moved from Jordanian club Al-Jazeera to Al-Shamal in 2022, and he has become a regular starter.

Indonesia coach Shin Tae-Yong’s side was the youngest in Doha, with an average age of just 24. There were some learning experiences handed out along the way — the final group game against Japan, and the final 10 minutes of their loss to Australia among them — but Team Garuda’s first progression to the knockout stages, with promising signs on the pitch, will have been a valuable experience to a rising generation of players drawn from Indonesia and across the diaspora.

Ferdinan is approaching 20 caps despite making his debut only at the beginning of 2022, and he played every minute of Indonesia four games in Qatar, scoring an equaliser goal in their opening game against Iraq but unable to prevent them from eventually falling to a 3-1 defeat. The Jakarta-born midfielder, 19, played multiple positions, and he led his team in tackles, take-ons, and shots from open play, per Opta, and trailed only Jenner for ball recoveries. Formerly attached to Indonesia Liga 1 club Persebaya Surabaya, the teenager recently moved to Belgian second-tier outfit KMSK Deinze, with whom he logged his first minutes in a 10-minute cameo off the bench last week.

Jenner was born in the Netherlands — where he is in the academy of hometown club FC Utrecht — but represents Indonesia through his paternal grandmother; he switched his international allegiance alongside Hubner in late 2022, before making his senior international bow in friendlies against Palestine and Argentina last year. After missing World Cup qualifiers in October and November through injury, the 20-year-old logged his first competitive games for his nation in Doha, starting all four of Team Garuda’s games in midfield while logging full games in the upset win over Vietnam and losses to Japan and Australia.

Wolverhampton Wanderers prospect Hubner likewise started all four games for Indonesia in Qatar, playing in defence and midfield after making his senior international debut in a pre-tournament friendly against Libya. The powerfully built defender has returned to Wolves, for whom he is captain of the under-21 side in Premier League 2 and was named in his first Premier League team sheet in December.

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