Tag: Eredivisie

Patrick’s Prospect Picks: Kees Smit – The Flying Dutchman

October 6th, 2025
Hello everyone, here’s another excellent prospect recommendation from Patrick! Article Below:

Kees Smit:

Age: 19
Height: 1.85 m (6′1″)
Position: CM
Club: AZ Alkmaar
Team Shape: 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 Formation (Game Dependant) / 4-4-2 defensive shape

From the quiet Dutch town of Heiloo, a community of around 25,000 residents, Kees Smit has rapidly established himself as one of the Eredivisie’s brightest young midfielders. Born on January 20th, 2006, Smit joined AZ Alkmaar’s academy at nine years old and progressed through every age group before making his senior debut at 17.

Smit’s youth career was marked by standout performances in the 2022–23 UEFA Youth League, where he helped AZ defeat Barcelona and Real Madrid, culminating in a commanding 5–0 victory over Hajduk Split in the final. His calmness in possession, balance under pressure, and ability to control tempo were key traits throughout the tournament.

At the professional level, Smit made 4 appearances for Jong AZ during the 2022–23 season before truly breaking through the following year, where he registered 29 appearances and 2 goals. His progress accelerated in 2024–25, scoring 8 goals in just 13 matches for Jong AZ before being promoted permanently to the senior squad midway through the season — a decision made by the club due to his outstanding form and leadership within the U21 setup.

Smit had already made his Eredivisie debut for AZ’s first team in 2023–24, gradually earning more responsibility across domestic and European competitions. In that same 2024–25 campaign, he logged 20 Eredivisie appearances and 7 UEFA Europa League outings, contributing 1 goal and 1 assist while showcasing his growing maturity in midfield.

So far in the 2025–26 season, Smit has appeared in 7 Eredivisie matches and 6 UEFA Conference League fixtures, continuing to cement his place as one of AZ Alkmaar’s most exciting homegrown midfielders.

Youth & Senior Career Stats:

AZ Alkmaar Academy:
• U16: 6 appearances (2021–2022)
• U17: 7 appearances (2022–2023)
• U18: 3 appearances (2023)
• U19: 16 appearances, 4 goals (2024–2025)
• U21 (Jong AZ): 1 appearance (2025–present)

Professional Career (Jong AZ / AZ Alkmaar):
• 2022–23 (Jong AZ): 4 appearances
• 2023–24 (Jong AZ): 29 appearances, 2 goals
• 2024–25 (Jong AZ): 13 appearances, 8 goals
• 2023–24 (AZ First Team): Eredivisie – 4 appearances | UEFA Europa League – 1 appearance
• 2024–25 (AZ First Team): Eredivisie – 20 appearances, 1 goal, 1 assist | UEFA Europa League – 7 appearances
• 2025–26 (AZ First Team): Eredivisie – 7 appearances | UEFA Conference League – 6 appearances (13 total)

International Play

Internationally, Smit has represented the Netherlands across multiple age groups:
- (2021–2022) U16: 6 appearances
- (2022–2023) U17: 7 appearances
- (2023) U18: 3 appearances
- (2024–2025) U19: 16 appearances, 4 goals
- (2025–present) U21: 1 appearance
Notably, during the 2025 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, Smit captained the Netherlands to victory, scoring 4 goals and providing 1 assist across 5 appearances, including a decisive performance in the 1–0 final win over Spain, earning the Player of the Tournament honor.

I was fortunate enough to attend AZ Alkmaar’s match against PEC Zwolle on September 24th at AFAS Stadion. Let me tell you — Smit did not disappoint. In the 2–2 draw, he showcased a composed long-range finish, effortless dribbling, and relentless pressing. Alongside standouts Pinto, Daal, and Mijnans, he was crucial in AZ’s midfield that day, reinforcing exactly why he is regarded as one of the most promising midfielders in Dutch football today.

Technical Attributes

Smit has the kind of press-resistance you expect from a modern central midfielder. His first touch and ball control are clean, allowing him to receive on the half-turn and roll out of tight areas. Smit can dictate tempo in midfield – his short passing is crisp and accurate, and he is very comfortable playing one-two’s in buildup. From deeper zones he’s capable of punching forward balls into attackers, while also striking longer diagonals to switch play and stretch opposition blocks.

On the dribble, Kees Smith is agile and has a quick first 2-3 steps, using shoulder drops and body feints to beat pressure in 1v1 midfield duels. He averages over a successful take-on per 90, making him a useful carrier to advance possession. Additionally, crossing and set-piece delivery are part of his arsenal. He’s a regular on corners and wide free kicks, delivering out swinging balls with pace and shape.

Defensively, his anticipation stands out. He steps into passing lanes with good timing and shows sharp recognition of when to press. Recovery runs and covering positions are consistent, and he’s effective at blocking angles and narrowing spaces in AZ’s compact 4-4-2 block. Showing visible improvement this season, Smit is competent in tackles, but not elite at this stage. He is helped by the structure around him and the guidance of Jordy Clasie, who often provides cover and balance. The trend suggests he’s developing into a more reliable defensive presence with time.

Mental Attributes

What elevates Smit is his maturity. He scans constantly, finding space between lines and opening up options for teammates. His game management is impressive for 19 years old. Smit knows when to recycle possession, when to drive forward, and when to take risks. His support play is intelligent, offering himself as a safe outlet while still progressing attacks.

Smit’s vision and creativity come through in how he links play and identifies runners. He regularly releases overlapping fullbacks or threads passes into the final third. Off the ball, his positioning in half-spaces gives AZ structure both in attack and when transitioning into defense.

His leadership is a defining trait. Captaining the Netherlands U19s to a European Championship showed not just composure under pressure but also a vocal presence that lifts teammates. His communication in pressing sequences helps maintain compactness, while his overall attitude reflects a motivated, team-first mentality.

Physical Attributes

Smit is still developing his frame but already shows durability, having handled the transition from Jong AZ to first-team football without drop-off. His stamina base is excellent, sustaining pressing intensity across 90 minutes. His mobility is strong — agile enough to spin out of pressure and maintain balance when carrying the ball.

He’s not a physically dominant midfielder yet, but his sharpness in tight spaces compensates for that. Smit’s speed over longer distances are improving, though his anticipation and positioning often make up the difference.

Statistical Snapshot (FBREF Data)

Attacking Output:
- Kees Smit npxG + xAG (per 90): 0.41
- AZ Alkmaar Team Rate (per 90): 3.10
- Contribution: 14.3% of team’s attacking output
Progressive Passing:
- Kees Smit Progressive Passes (per 90): 5.83
- Team Progressive Passes (per 90): 47.1
- Contribution: 12.37% of team total
Progressive Carrying:
- Kees Smit Progressive Carries (per 90): 1.98
- Team Progressive Carries (per 90): 22.1
- Contribution: 11.16% of team total
Take-Ons:
- Kees Smit Successful Take-Ons (per 90): 1.20
- Team Successful Take-Ons (per 90): 8.88
- Contribution: 22.29% of team total
Touches:
- Kees Smit Touches (per 90): 60.8
- Team Touches (per 90): 630.8
- Contribution: 9.63% of team total
Passing:
- Kees Smit Passes (per 90): 43.0
- Team Passes (per 90): 421.9
- Contribution: 10.19% of team total
He has already chipped in 1 goal and 2 assists, accounting for 11.5% of AZ’s total G+A and an impressive 30% of their total assists at just 19 years old.

Projection

Smit has the profile of a complete midfielder: technically secure, mentally mature, and with the transitional instincts that modern top-level football demands. New-age midfielders are expected to adapt across all three central roles, and Smit has shown he can operate as a 6, 8, or 10 depending on the system.

The data, however, makes his optimal role clear. As a central midfielder he posts stronger outputs in progressive passes, carries, and take-ons highlighting his influence in build-up and transitional phases. As an attacking midfielder, his pass volume and completion improve slightly, but his ability to progress play and contribute defensively diminishes. The difference underscores that his best work comes from deeper, where he can dictate tempo, launch attacks, and offer defensive support. With his mix of technical ability, tactical awareness, and growing physicality, Smit embodies the modern midfielder. He can dictate play from deep or drive forward when needed — a true talent worth tracking.

-PMC III
The Best Surprises from Europe’s Top Leagues

October 3rd, 2023

Hello football fans, I hope you’ve all been enjoying the interesting start to the season across Europe’s leagues! Today I’d like to look at some of my favorite success stories that were perhaps unpredicted heading into the year. With that, let’s start from the top of UEFA’s league rankings and go from there.

English Premier League: West Ham and Wolverhampton

At the start of the season, West Ham and Wolves both had a troubling lack of signings, and there were well-merited concerns that both clubs could be in relegation danger if things did not go their way this year. West Ham addressed their lack of signings, bringing in Mohamed Kudus, Edson Alvarez, and James Ward Prowse. The latter has been as sensational as you would expect the best set-piece taker in the league to be under David Moyes, a set-piece enamored manager. West Ham have marked wins over Chelsea and Brighton to start the season, with their only losses being to Liverpool and Manchester City. After just 7 games, I believe West Ham have shown enough for relegation concerns to be a thing of the past, and they very well might have their sights set on European places again! It will be interesting to see the toll their Europa League campaign takes on their Premier League season.

Wolves on the other hand, did not address their lack of signings, as their financial troubles handcuffed their player recruitment. However, Gary O’Neill deserves plenty of praise for the way Wolves have played to start the season. He has great attacking options in Matheus Cunha, Hwang-Hee Chan, and Pedro Neto, who have proven to be very dangerous breaking in the counter -attack against teams playing a high-line possession game. Wolves were unlucky not to get a point from Old Trafford in the season opener, with THAT Onana non-call robbing them of a last-minute penalty to secure a draw. I must say that they have been inconsistent. Wolves were heavily outplayed by Liverpool and surprisingly Luton Town, but were able to match Manchester United, Brighton, and Manchester City in terms of xG produced during those matches. A win over Manchester City last week is the biggest surprise of the Premier League so far, with few people expecting Guardiola’s men to lose their first game to Wolves. I cannot say that Wolves are guaranteed safety from relegation yet, but their performances have certainly been much better than that of a relegation side. If they can find some more consistency against the lower teams in the table, then I believe Wolves have every chance to stay up, and even finish in a mid-table position.

Honorable Mention: Spurs

(Disclaimer: I support Spurs)

I was optimistic about Spurs entering this season under Ange Postecoglu, especially with the signings of James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario, and Micky van de Ven. Several problem areas from last season were addressed with those signings and I rate Postecoglu highly as a manager, he seems to be a perfect fit for Spurs so far. That being said, I did not expect Spurs to have this good of a start to the season. Postecoglu’s teams usually take a while before getting into their true stride, but the speed at which this new-look Spurs squad have adapted to his system is truly impressive. Maddison has been a revelation, being arguably the best player in the Premier League so far, producing 2 goals and 4 assists through 7 games. Yves Bissouma looks reborn in midfield, with everyone questioning why on earth Antonio Conte didn’t play him last year. No player across Europe’s top 5 leagues have had a more all-around impact in midfield than Bissouma, who is winning tackles, breaking presses, and making progressive passes constantly throughout each match. Even against strong pressing teams like Arsenal and Liverpool, Bissouma calmly kept possession under a press countless times, showing his class. Currently Spurs sit 2nd in the table, having notched wins over Manchester United and Liverpool, while showing incredible spirit to fight back twice to earn a 2-2 draw at the Emirates in the North London Derby. Squad depth and injuries are a potential issue for the team, but with no other competitions until January, Spurs can be optimistic about their chances of continuing this start into the January transfer window, where more reinforcements will be needed to mount a serious charge for the top spots in the table.

La Liga: Girona

After a 10th place finish last year, and being promoted from the 2nd division of Spain the year prior, I don’t think many expected Girona to start this La Liga season right up at the top of the table. Ukrainian attacking duo Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsigankov have been stellar for Girona to start the year, notching 3 goals and 4 assists between them. Savio Moreira, on loan from Troyes, is a promising Brazilian youngster who is the third main man in attack, with 4 goals and 2 assists through 8 games. Youth is a common theme in this team, with 3 out of 4 members of Girona’s most regular starting XI being 22 years old or younger. Veteran Daley Blind leads the young backline, complemented by Eric Garcia on loan from Barcelona, with Miguel Gutierrez and Yan Couto supporting from fullback. The one criticism of the hype around Girona could be their strength of schedule. They have not yet beaten a team that finished in the top half of La Liga last season, drawing Real Sociedad and recently losing 0-3 at home to Real Madrid. Time will tell if this young squad can maintain this blazing start and challenge the established elite in La Liga.

Serie A: Lautaro Martinez

With Romelu Lukaku departing for Roma in the offseason, and Andre Onana heading to Manchester United, Inter Milan needed someone to step up. That someone has been Lautaro Martinez. A whopping 9 goals through the first 7 matches of the Serie A campaign, with an average of 61 minutes played per goal. In addition, Martinez is outperforming his xG significantly, with those 9 goals coming from 4.6 xG. The addition of Marcus Thuram on a free transfer was priceless for Inter in a way, and the frenchman has found an instant chemistry with Lautaro up front in Inzaghi’s 5-3-2 system. Thuram has contributed 4 assists and added 2 goals of his own, to form Italy’s best attacking duo so far. Inter sit first in Serie A, ahead of their rivals AC Milan on goal difference, largely in part to the 5-1 win in the Milan derby. The Nerazzurri do not look to have lost a step from their UCL-final pace of last season, and should be considered early favorites for the Scudetto.

Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen

Xabi Alonso’s squad is firing on all cylinders to start the Bundesliga campaign. 5 wins and 1 draw, with the draw being away to Bayern Munich, and Leverkusen sit top of the Bundesliga table after Bayern’s draw with Leipzig. In the match against Bayern, nothing separated the teams, with the usual Bayern dominance seeming to fade. That’s not to say Bayern aren’t playing well, but we aren’t used to seeing legitimate contenders for the German title, in the past Bayern have often already been 5-8 points clear at the top after 6 games. Both Leipzig and Leverkusen look to have the ability to truly challenge Bayern this season, and it may be the most interesting title race Germany has seen in a while.

Honorable Mention: Serhou Guirassy

The Guinean striker in his first season as a full time Stuttgart player has almost single handedly willed them to 2nd place in the Bundesliga off his incredible 10 goals through 6 games. Now the only top team played in this stretch was Leipzig, where Stuttgart lost 5-1, but Guirassy scored the only goal. While Stuttgart shouldn’t be expected to maintain their standing in the table, Guirassy has put himself in a place to challenge for the Golden Boot this year!

Eredivisie: Heracles Almelo

So far, the biggest surprise in the Eredivisie is not a good one, Ajax sitting 1 point above the relegation places after winning just 1 of their first 4 games. That win came against our positive surprise, Heracles Almelo. The newly promoted club from the Dutch 2nd division play in the town of Almelo, home to just over 70,000 inhabitants. This is their first year in the top-flight of Dutch football in 28 years, and they have made the most of it so far! Following their opening day loss to Ajax, Heracles have only fallen to FC Utrecht since then, earning wins against NEC Nijmegen, Excelsior Rotterdam, and PEC Zwolle, in addition to a strong result drawing away to AZ Alkmaar. That is enough to put Heracles in 7th place after the opening 7 games, 7 points clear of the relegation zone. There will be no dreams of a title this year, but Heracles are giving their fans plenty to be happy about, showing that they might be deserving to stay up this season!

Ligue 1: Akor Adams

I have to stop and say I told you so on this one, because I told you so. In my previous article on the top talents in the Norwegian league I thought would be getting a transfer soon, leading the list was Lillestrom’s striker Akor Adams. Montpellier noticed his talents and acquired the Nigerian striker for 4.5 million euros entering this season. After Montpellier’s teenage sensation Elye Wahi moved to RC Lens after scoring 19 goals in 33 Ligue 1 games last season, there was a hole to fill. Akor Adams has come in from the Eliteserien and made an instant impact, with 5 goals already in his first 7 matches, on pace to surpass Wahi’s total from the season prior. Adams is just another example of the talent level that’s available to teams in Europe in the Eliteserien, and you can be sure I’ll be flagging the next Akor Adams as soon as I spot him in Norway.

Liga Portugal: Robert Bozenik

The much needed future of the Slovak national team’s attack, Robert Bozenik is a name that is likely unknown to most of you reading this, which is why I chose him as my best surprise of the season. Already capped 33 teams by the senior national team by age 23, Bozenik has been the best striker option for Slovakia more due to a lack of depth in the position than his goalscoring record. With only 6 goals in 49 games while under contract at Feyenoord, Bozenik was sold to Boavista in the Liga Portugal this summer after spending last season on loan at the club. Last year, Bozenik tallied 4 goals in 27 appearances. This season, he has already surpassed this, with 5 goals in his first 7 matches, including a brace in Boavista’s win over Benfica! The young striker looks to be hitting his stride now, and if he can maintain this form over the season, he will be crucial in Slovakia’s quest to qualify for Euro 2024 and Boavista’s goal of a finish in the European places.

It’s still early in the season, but I thought these players and clubs deserved a mention for their strong starts to the season, despite what was expected of them. Hopefully you’ve heard of a player you didn’t know before, or learned about a new club! Be sure to check back in for more player scouting, game analysis, and overall football discussions. Thanks for reading!

-LM