So, here it is the list of my picks of players to watch in 2012, I’m going to pick two players from each league from the countries I’ve selected to cover. Obviously it’s a very hard process to narrow it down to just two players so some of the choices you may not agree with but that’s football and this list is just my opinion.
Argentina
1. Sergio Araujo
Boca Juniors
So, my first pick from Argentina is the exciting young Boca forward Sergio Araujo. He’s been really impressing for the youth and reserve side over the last year which has led to interest from both Real Madrid and Barcelona with the former purchasing a first option on his transfer. I think 2012 could be the year where he pushes on and makes himself a regular first teamer for Boca which may lead to a move to Spain in the summer.
2. Ruben Ramirez
Godoy Cruz
My second pick is this seasons top marksmen from Argentina, Ruben Ramirez has been in great form for Godoy Cruz over the course of the campaign seeing him find the net 19 times in his 35 appearances. He was also in great form in the previous campaign where he netted 20 times in 38 appearances so he’s getting some consistency now and seems to be peaking at the age of 29, with the prospect of a few good seasons ahead of him you may see a lower Premier league side taking a look at him in the near future.
Belgium
1. Jeremy Perbet
R.A.E.C. Mons
First up in Belgium is the composed French striker Jeremy Perbet, he’s had two absolutely great campaigns with Mons and even though he was limited to 21 appearances in his first season due to a knee injury he managed to find the net 21 times. He carried this form through to this season which has seen him score 15 goals in 15 games, as you can see his striker record is phenomenal and this hasn’t gone unnoticed with Everton preparing a January bid reported to be around the £1m mark. I think 2012 will see Perbet coming to the Premiership for a bargain fee, it will be very interesting to see if he can adapt to English football and bring with him his form from Mons.
2. Matias Suarez
Anderlecht
Next up is the Argentine forward Matias Suarez, after struggling in his first season at Anderlecht he managed to become a regular in the squad that took the title in 2010. During the campaign he scored 11 goals among them was the winner in the thrilling 2-1 win at Club Brugge which won them the league title. This season he’s made a great start he was the only hat-trick scorer on UEFA Europa match-day one, he’s bagged 11 in all competitions and seems to have become allot stronger both physically and mentally this season. This 23 year old is definitely one to watch over the next year.
While we’re on Belgium I’d like to mention a great young talent who I’m tipping to be a big success when he’s older (fair few years yet). Charley Musonda Jr who’s looking a tremendous talent for the future just keep an eye out for this guy.
Brazil
1. Neymar Jr
Santos
Well first up in Brazil has to be the brilliant Neymar Jr, he’s probably the most talked about youngster in football at the moment and he doesn’t disappoint using his agility, pace and flair accompanied with his dazzling dribbling to manufacture chances in which he usually finds the net with lethal finishing. Over the last three seasons he’s really shot into the limelight and in his 159 appearances for Santos in that time he’s managed 81 goals and 39 assists. His performances for his club has seen him promoted into Brazils first team and in two years he’s played 15 times for them scoring 8 goals and getting 1 assist. This form has seen allot of big clubs sniffing around him but it was Barcelona who took action and have agreed a deal with Santos to sign Neymar in 2014.
2. Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva
Sao Paulo
Next up from Brazil is the attacking midfielder Lucas, this man has made a name for himself by weaving his way past players on a regular basis. At just 18 his pace, agility and genuine hard working attitude along with his ability to play deadly defence-splitting passes has led him to become one of the most wanted youngsters out there. With many clubs interested in securing his signature there is just two factors stopping a move to a big European club, the first being the colossal £80m buyout clause Sao Paulo have reportedly attached to his contract and the second is his personal fear of a move away from his native Brazil. 2012 could see a big move for Lucas if a club could convince him that a move would be best for him, maybe then a deal could be negotiated with Sao Paulo.
This was a really difficult pick as Paulo Henrique (Ganso) was close to being in here but I made my decision totally on this seasons performances and the fact that Ganso’s knee injury may inhibit his development over the next year. Also I’d just like to say that you should keep an eye out for Danilo who has just agreed to leave Santos to join Porto in the new year as he’s looking a good talent as well.
England
So, we arrive at England and there’s so many players I could of chose here but I narrowed it down to the two that I want to keep an eye on in 2012 and I’l explain why…
1. Phil Jones
Manchester United
Now firstly it’s Phil Jones, it’s been a great year for this man so far firstly by breaking into Blackburn’s first team and then securing a summer move to Manchester United. Phil Jones has been a regular in Manchester United’s team so far this season but I think that 2012 will be a huge year in this man’s career, he still has allot of potential for development and during the next year I think he can push on and become the best player to come out of England in a long time. We have all seen the effect Sir Alex Ferguson can have on a players development and with his guidance along with regular football in the United team the future can only look bright for this young man.
2. Michel Vorm
Swansea
So, my second pick is probably a rather unexpected one but this Dutch goalkeeper has been an absolutely great signing for Swansea. Vorm has been in great form so far this season playing 16 games and keeping 8 clean sheets, he’s made 63 saves so far and a few of them being from the penalty spot which should be no surprise since he’s nicknamed ‘The Penalty Killer’. Vorm signed for a fee of around £1.5m and surely has to be one of the signings of the season so far, it will be interesting to see if he can carry on his current form in 2012 and if he does this could see the 28 year old accumulating some interest from bigger clubs.
I’m not going to mention players who run me close on this one as I have on other countries, and the reason for this is quite simple….there was too many.
France
1. Eden Hazard
Lille
First up in France is the explosive attacking midfielder and winger Eden Hazard, he is well known for his creativity, speed and incredible technical ability. He often changes games in a blink of an eye with a quick turn of pace or a scintillating dribble. His performances this year have seen him nominated for UEFA Team of the Year for the 2011 calendar year. 2012 will hopefully see Eden move to the Premier league where I believe he will shine.
2. Javier Pastore
Paris Saint-Germain
Next up is Javier Pastore, he was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea in the summer but they were unsuccessful in their pursuit and after a summer of speculation Paris Saint-Germain won the race to sign him for a reported €39.8m of which Palermo only received €22.8m the rest went to a third party ownership. This exciting Argentine attacking midfielder has been in good form so far this season and in his 14 appearances he’s managed 6 goals and 4 assists. He is definitely one to watch this year and hopefully he carries on not only scoring but creating goals for others if this is the case then the summer may see Chelsea renew their interest in him.
Just a quick mention to a few others from France who could of made it, Olivier Giroud who’s scored 13 and made 5 assists, Matthieu Valbuena who’s been regularly performing well for Marseille domestically and on the European stage, Mamadou Sakho who’s been tremendous all year and lastly Yann M’Vila the defensive midfielder has been great this year and just missed out on Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year.
Germany
1. Mario Gotze
Borussia Dortmund
First up in Germany is Borussia Dortmund’s home grown attacking midfielder and winger Mario Gotze, he is described as ‘one of the best talents that we’ve ever had’ by German Football Association’s technical director Matthias Sammer. This guy is really exciting with his speed, creativity and flair he often makes chances for his team mates. Gotze played a big part in Dortmund’s championship winning team weighing in with 6 goals and 15 assists. He’s also carried on his good form in this seasons campaign and has managed 6 goals and 7 assists so far. At just 19 he’s looking a great prospect for the future and may be on many clubs radar come January or even in the summer but I’m sure Germany won’t want to lose him to another country.
2. Klass-Jan Huntelaar
Schalke 04
Well everyone should know this guy and it may be a shock to you all that he’s made my list but oh my ‘The Hunter’ is back with vengeance this season after having two bad spells at Real Madrid and Milan many people would have been writing this man off but Schalke took him on and partnered him up with Raul upfront. In his first season at the club he managed to score 13 goals in 35 appearances, coming into his second season in Germany he settled down and put all the hard work in to prepare himself for the campaign, he scored 4 goals in a friendly match which was the first sign of what was to come this season. He’s gone on this season to score 26 goals in 26 appearances for Schalke, averaging a goal per game ‘The Hunter’ is definitely one to watch in 2012 and still only being 28 years old he may attract interest from other clubs.
Germany was also a country that was really hard to pick from and I’d just like to mention three players who ran me really close on this one, the first is Mats Hummels who’s looking a really composed central defender with great positioning and tackling he’s helped his team to the best defensive record in the league. The second is Hummels defensive partner Neven Subotic who’s been excellent up until his recent facial injury lets hope he comes back and plays just as well in the new year. The third is just a little mention for Julian Draxler who’s looking a good prospect for the future.
Holland
So I’ve been following Dutch football allot this season so I also had a big shortlist for this country, I’ve narrowed it down to two but I’l give a few others a quick mention afterwards as well.
1. Georginio Wijnaldum
PSV Eindhoven
First up in Holland is a player I’ve been really impressed with this season, Georginio plays as a central playmaker in midfield and has been linked with a move to the Premiership quite a bit in recent years but in June this year he made the move from Feyenoord to PSV Eindhoven for a reported €5m. He’s been a key man in the centre this season dictating PSV’s play and creating chances almost at will. I’ve also been really impressed with his ability to skip past players with ease and then stay composed enough to pick out a defence-splitting pass. I think during the next month or maybe in the summer we’l see a renewed interest from English clubs.
2. Christian Eriksen
Ajax
Next up is Ajax’s Danish attacking midfield sensation Christian Eriksen, this man at the age of just 19 has really been sensational this year and like Georginio for PSV Eriksen has been the main playmaker for Ajax this season and has really been a key man. His performances this season have seen him win Dutch Football Talent of the Year as well as Danish Football Player of the Year, this has also led to interest from Manchester United who may go on the pursuit of his signature in January.
Just a quick mention to a few others who came close to being in this they’ve also had a good start to the season, Luuk De Jong, Jozy Altidore, Ola John and Miralem Sulejmani.
Ireland
1. Rory Donnelly
Cliftonville
My first pick from Ireland is the teenage striking sensation Rory Donnelly, he’s been in great form for his club this season bagging 14 goals which has attracted the attention of a few Premiership clubs some of these being Liverpool, Everton and Swansea. Swansea are reportedly the front runners in the race to sign the teenage sensation and have reportedly had a £100k bid accepted by Cliftonville for the striker.
2. Eoin Doyle
Sligo Rovers
Next up is the guy known as ‘The green Messi’, he’s also been in great form this season helping his side to second in the league and winning the FAI Cup with his 25 goal contribution. He may be another player that lower Premiership clubs take a look at in January.
Italy
1. Edinson Cavani
Napoli
First up from Italy is a man you’l all be familiar with by now, this commanding Uruguayan striker nicknamed ‘El Matador’ or in English ‘The Killer’ for his commanding presence has been taking Europe and the world by storm. During the last two seasons at Napoli he has really been prolific scoring 33 goals in 47 appearances last season and 13 goals in 17 appearances so far this term, his great form has been noticed and with Manchester City sniffing around the striker we may see him leave Italy for England very soon.
2. Gabriel Torje
Udinese
Second is the versatile right winger Gabriel Torje. Well Udinese did an excellent job in finding the replacement for Alexis Sanchez, Gabriel Torje ticks all the boxes blistering pace with great dribbling and flair, Gabriel is very inventive in and around the oppositions box. He arrived in the closing days of the summer transfer window and had the Udinese coaches in awe of his talent within 15minutes of his first training session scoring six goals, he’s gone onto be a key man for Udinese popping up on the right, left and down the centre in almost every attack they have and for just €3.6m he certainly looks a great purchase.
Now, another quick mention for some promising talent in Italy, firstly it’s Erik Lamela who signed for Roma from River Plate in August for €19m he certainly looks a great one for the future and secondly Khouma Babacar, this promising young striker is looking like he’s got a really big future and he’s well worth keeping an eye on.
Portugal
1. Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Sporting CP
First up in Portugal is the versatile striker and attacking midfielder Ricky van Wolfswinkel, this guy was highly linked with a move to the Premiership towards the end of last season but ended up making the move from Utrecht to Sporting in the summer signing a 5 year deal for €5.4m. He’s wasted no time in Portugal and made an instant impact showing everyone how deadly he can be in front of goal, he’s scored 13 goals already in his 18 appearances and probably won’t stop there. He’s certainly one to watch in 2012 as he hopes to continue his great form.
2. Nicolas Gaitan
Benfica
Next up is the Argentine attacking midfielder Nicolas Gaitan, well throughout his career he’s been compared to Juan Roman Riquelme and having attracted interest while playing for Boca Juniors he was signed up by Benfica for €8.4m as a replacement for fellow Argentine Angel di Maria, in his first season he made 47 appearances scoring 9 goals and making 9 assists. He’s continued to impress this season and as of the 7th December 2011 he had made the most assists in 2011-2012 UEFA Champions League season. He’s been linked with Manchester United allot recently but I don’t think theres any truth in it, but he’s still certainly one to keep an eye on this year.
I also highly recommend watching Sportings youth team in The NextGen Series (youth champions league competition) or just watch the whole tournament for that matter as the talent on show is great.
Scotland
1. Nikica Jelavic
Rangers
Scotland’s first pick is the highly rated Rangers centre forward Nikica Jelavic, he was signed by the Glasgow club in the summer of 2010 for £4m from Rapid Wien. He had a great first season for Rangers helping them win the SPL with 19 goals in 27 appearances. He also helped the team in their Scottish League Cup success. This season he’s made a good start with 14 goals and 5 assists in 23 appearances and has been heavily linked with a January move to the Premiership.
2. Gary Hooper
Celtic
Closely in second for Scotland is Celtic’s English striker Gary Hooper, although Hooper is English he has never represented the national team at any level. Hooper has spent most of his days in lower leagues and has gradually made his way up through the leagues and eventually secured a transfer to Celtic from Scunthorpe United for £2.4m. In his first season with the club he was top scorer with 22 goals in 36 appearances. This season he’s also been in the goals scoring 15 times in 25 appearances and although he’s never represented England he’s still only 23 and is certainly one to keep an eye on.
Spain
Now we’re on Spain I’m aware that the amount of talent in Spain is huge so I had to try and narrow it down, so I decided on my two picks for this list but I’l also give a small mention to some other promising talent.
1. Javi Martinez
Athletic Bilbao
Ok so the first of my picks for this talented country is Athletic Bilbao’s Spanish midfielder Javi Martinez who a few years back was heavily linked with Liverpool as the replacement for Xabi Alonso this rumour eventually died down and Martinez carried on being the midfield driving force of the team. He’s probably best when deployed in the centre of the park as a box to box midfielder but under new manager Marcelo Bielsa he’s been used regularly as a central defender. He’s been highly linked with a move in January or the summer with Real Madrid and Manchester United reportedly front runners, but he has a €40m release clause which has been put in place to deter clubs from trying to sign him.
2. Thiago Alcantara
FC Barcelona
Next up in a very close second is yet another product of Barcelona’s youth system, the central midfield playmaker Thiago Alcantara who was born in Italy moved to Brazil where his father former World Cup winner Mazinho was from. He started playing at the lower levels of Flamengo and at the age of five moved to Spain with his father and his cousin Patrick Gude, they both played for Galician team Ureca, at the age of 10 he once again moved back to Flamengo but in 2005 returned to Spain signing for FC Barcelona who also signed his cousin Patrick. Thiago then progressed through the youth system and eventually made it to Barcelona’s first team where he has looked really promising and composed in central midfield, his keen eye for a defence-splitting pass is one of his main attributes. He was also linked with a move to the Premiership in the summer with both Chelsea and Manchester City reportedly interested but ending the speculation he signed a contract renewal keeping him at Barcelona until 30 June 2015, this included a buyout clause of €90m.
Also some talent who ran me close on this one, firstly Sergio Canales of Real Madrid a very promising attacking midfielder who should hopefully develop into a great player under Jose Mourinho’s watchful eye, next player is Koke who’s looking like a good player for the future let’s hope he becomes a midfield dynamo. And Finally Iker Muniain this 19 year old is really looking promising as well and has all the attributes required to develop into a great player.
So that concludes my list of players I think you should watch in 2012, if I’ve missed anyone off you think should be on the list they may have just missed out or maybe I’ve totally missed them so just leave a comment and we’l check the player out.
All Stats accurate on 20th December 2011
Make sure you look out for my Best Premiership XI for 2011 which I will post early January.
Thanks.
