Today’s highlighted player from the U21 Euro tournament is France’s left-back, Quentin Merlin. The 23 year old defender became a regular starter for Marseille in Ligue 1 over the past season, and has carried that momentum into the U21 Euros. The quick summary that you came here to see is that this is the best chance creating fullback in the tournament.

Over the course of four 90’s this tournament, Merlin is averaging 2.72 chances created per 90, which is the highest in the tournament both overall and per 90. This comes from an average of 2.5 successful crosses per match and a 23% cross accuracy rate. While this does not seem particularly high, it is very impressive. If nearly 1 in 4 of Merlin’s crosses reach a teammate of his in the box, that is very good delivery. Crosses that are recorded as “unsuccessful” can still cause problems for the defense and lead to a corner kick, or are cleared back out to Merlin’s teammates. Also near the 90th percentile in the U21 Euros for successful dribbles per 90, this starts to paint the picture of the type of player Merlin is.

Merlin is very intelligent with where to position himself when his team has the ball. He identifies space to be exploited, and times his runs well to provide a passing outlet that can quickly be turned into a chance created. His short passing and buildup is no weakness, and he can comfortable help his team move the ball up the pitch with shorter passing. His greatest strength, and the ability that impressed me the most, was definitely his crossing. More specifically, it was how he delivered his crosses. Often in football, it can be rather predictable when a wide player is going to look to put a cross in. Defenders watch for their wind up and will attempt to block the cross. Merlin’s delivery is so quick that it was near impossible for a defender to block his crosses through reaction time. He does not have a big wind up with his leg, and the time from when he starts a crossing motion to when it is on its way under a half second every time. This caused significant problems for the defenders that France faced in this tournament. To prevent Merlin from getting crosses in, they would need to be tightly marking him before he receives the ball, however, doing so left the likes of Mathys Tel with far too much space to operate in, giving the defence a “lose-lose” decision to make.

While I wouldn’t market Merlin as having Wan-Bissaka levels of defensive ability, he is certainly no defensive liability. He is not the greatest aerial strength, but is an effective counter-presser and interceptor of the ball, averaging 6+ recoveries/interceptions per 90, while only committing 1.3 fouls per 90. At 173cm, Merlin is not a very tall player, but has a strong build that allows him to retain possession and challenge for ground duels rather effectively. His biggest weakness, and the weakness that could be exploited the most, is his aerial ability. A back post cross to a striker would likely cause Merlin difficulty in defending it, and this could be taken advantage of on set pieces.

However, his overall brilliance shown in creating chances and pressure for his team when in possession more than outweigh any minor defensive weakness. Merlin looks to have the potential to become one of the best crossers of the ball in world football, not just the best at the U23 level. His workrate level is high, and is most definitely still young enough to have room to grow. I would be very surprised to see him stay at Marseille much longer, as his performance at the U21 Euro’s was very impressive and showed his capability to perform at an even higher level. There is certainly a future for Merlin in the French senior national team, as I do not believe they have a player of his type available at LB right now. He is most suited to play for a possession based team – his incredible on the ball ability and movement would fit perfectly into a squad that is looking to control possession and apply consistent pressure on the opposition defence. I would not be surprised to see the likes of PSG or Bayern Munich take a chance on Merlin, as his delivery is already at a very high level, and could easily fit into their squads. Overall, Merlin was the best LB at the U21 Euro’s, is an elite chance creator, and looks destined for bigger things in the future.

Quentin Merlin, One to Watch.