Tag: Quentin Merlin

Interesting Football Transfers: August 1, 2025

August 1st, 2025
Hello everyone, we’re back with more interesting transfers to keep you up to date on! I’m going to try to go through most of these in quick-fire style so that I can include more players here.

Luis Diaz, LW, Bayern Munich
The tricky Colombian winger has been underpaid and undervalued at Liverpool for years now. He was making a fraction of his teammates salaries last year and his move to Bayern should finally give him the contract he’s earned. Honestly, a Diaz-Musiala-Olise trio behind Harry Kane sounds terrifying. I expect this to go better than the last Liverpool winger that Bayern signed.

David Hancko, CB, Atlético Madrid

If you didn’t know, I’m Slovak-Canadian, and David Hancko is one of my favorite players (I even own his matchworn kit from the 2024 Euro Round of 16 vs. England). I knew he was ready for a step up from Feyenoord and the Eredivisie, but when initial links came out that Saudi side Al-Nassr was going to sign Hancko, I was pretty disappointed. Obviously Saudi money is life changing, but at 27 Hancko is only just entering his prime as a defender and has the ability to play in the Champions League for a top club. This move to Simeone’s Atlético Madrid is PERFECT for Hancko. He fits into their system like a glove, and will be a favorite of Simeone’s. I’m expecting this Atléti team to be dangerous this season, so watch out for them.

Dan Ndoye, RW, Nottingham Forest

Now, as someone who doesn’t have time to watch Bologna matches regularly, I’ve mostly seen Dan Ndoye showing up for Switzerland at international tournaments, where he has performed admirably. Last season, Ndoye produced 12 goal contributions in 30 Serie A matches; however, it is worth noticing that he outperformed both his xG and his xA. How he may fare in the Premier League is still fairly unknown, but going to Forest means that he won’t be relied on to play every match. Ndoye might turn out to be a very sensible signing for Forest.

Quentin Merlin, LB, Stade Rennais

Who remembers the Quentin Merlin “Ones to Watch” post? Oh, you do, scouts of Stade Rennais? Great. I joke, but Merlin was one of the most standout players of the U21 Euro’s in my eyes, and both occasions I got to watch him live I was very impressed. I am not surprised, but I am pleased to see Rennes notice the same things I did. Merlin’s best attribute is his crossing/delivery. He can create some space for himself, then release a cross quick enough to be un-blockable for a defender. The low-driven crosses that Merlin can produce are that of a very high level. I really do hope he gets a major role for Rennes this year.

Robin Roefs, GK, Sunderland

Another player on my Euro U21 One’s to Watch list after his performances for the Dutch U21 team, Robin Roefs looks to have everything a top level keeper needs. I only got to watch him live twice at the tournament, so the only thing that could stop Roefs from becoming a very solid Premier League goalkeeper is consistency (which I could not evaluate off two matches). Roefs’ performance in the Eredivisie with Nijmegen did show signs that he is a consistent keeper. He has a very large frame at 193cm, and the aerial reach to match. Already a strong shot stopper, Roefs looked quite competent at playing out from the back with the ball at his feet. This is a fantastic signing for Sunderland.

Granit Xhaka, CM, Sunderland

Sunderland have made several good transfers ahead of their return to the Premier League, but my other favorite has to be Granit Xhaka returning to England at the Stadium of Light. A veteran, PL-proven presence to bring experience to the locker room and help the younger players on the squad is never a bad signing, and I think Xhaka still has a few good years left in him!

Mikey Moore, LW, Rangers

Fresh off his breakout season into the first team squad as Spurs’ youngest ever debutant, Mikey Moore is headed to Scotland on loan for the season with Rangers. Having already gained Premier League and Europa League experience, Moore is set up well to succeed this season if taken care of by the Rangers staff. He is Spurs’ brightest gem of a prospect, and one of England’s finest at that. It is definitely worth watching a few Rangers games this year to see how Mikey gets on.

Jacobo Ramón, CB, Como

I found this transfer interesting because Real Madrid appear to be trying out the same path that worked for Nico Paz. Jacobo Ramón, a young CB who has come through the Real Madrid Castilla system, and earned himself 6 appearances for the senior team last year, is joining Como on loan in Serie A. To be honest, I don’t know much about this player! His progression over time is promising though, and at Como he will certainly get the opportunity to show what he can do more often. Como will yet again be a fun team to keep an eye on this year.

James Trafford, GK, Man City

Probably the most likeable Manchester City transfer of the last years, James Trafford is returning to his boyhood club! After several years at Burnley, Trafford is moving back to Manchester, presumably to serve as Ederson’s backup. A fee of just over 30M euros was enough for Burnley to part with the 22 year old keeper, who might be seen as City’s long term future #1.

Pervis Estupinan, LB, AC Milan

The Ecuadorian wingback is a player I’ve associated with Brighton in my head for so long now, it’s very strange to write “Milan” next to his name. After 3 seasons and 104 appearances for the seagulls, Estupinan is moving to Milan for a pretty modest fee of 17M euro. With the amount of talent and experience that he brings now, I believe this is a strong pickup for Allegri’s Milan, who will be looking to make some waves this year in Serie A.

Jonathan Fischer, GK, Metz

Jonathan Fischer is a very interesting keeper prospect that I first noticed while watching the Eliteserien. Tasked with being the keeper for newly promoted Frederikstad, over the past two seasons, the Danish keeper has been a major part in his club’s success. Frederikstad finished 6th in their first season back in the top flight AND won the Norwegian Cup, with Fischer conceding 35 goals in 30 league matches along with notching 13 clean sheets. To start the 2025 season, Fischer has only conceded 20 goals in 17 matches, with 5 clean sheets. These kinds of stats for a team that is at a financial disadvantage to the rest of the league are extremely impressive. This was enough for FC Metz to sign him, where he should be given the opportunity to take the next step up in his career. Just 2 years ago Fischer was playing in the Danish 2nd tier for HoBro, and now he’s in Ligue 1.

Aleksandar Stankovic, DM, Club Brugge

The young serbian midfielder who turns 20 in a few days is joining Club Brugge from Inter Milan. Last season, Stankovic played for Luzern in the Swiss league, where he had a very strong season, starting 34 of 38 league matches, contributing 5 goal contributions from a defensive midfield role, and operating as a high volume passer for his side. What stands out the most about Stankovic at the moment is his long delivery. His defensive game looks strong and that’s his main tool, but he averaged 5 accurate long balls per match for Luzern last season, which was up with the best in all of Europe. Club Brugge is a solid place to land for Stankovic, who I believe could have the chance to become quite the player. I’d like to watch him some more though before making a full scouting report.

Franjo Ivanovic, ST, Benfica

When Benfica goes and picks up a young player, it’s generally a good idea to take note of it. Franjo Ivanovic got his start at the Augsburg academy (known for having some of the best training facilities in the world by the way), before moving to Rijeka in the Croatian League. Strong performances in Croatia led to Union Saint-Gilloise searching for his signature – and honestly now, I think we might have to look at Union SG striker signings a bit differently. Victor Boniface, Promise David, and now Franjo Ivanovic all impressing in Belgium. So after 20 goals in 46 matches for Union SG in all competitions last season, Benfica got the deal done and will be hoping that Ivanovic can perform better than the outgoing Casper Tengstedt. Having already made his senior national team debut at just 21 years old, the future is bright for Franjo Ivanovic.
This has been some more interesting transfers from the past weeks. I didn’t feel I needed to inform you about deals like Hugo Ekitiké to Liverpool or Viktor Gyökeres to Arsenal, so I preferred to bring some news that you might not have heard about (or players you might not have heard about!). For any questions or requests, please email me at scouting.futbird@gmail.com.

Thanks,

LM
U21 Euro Ones to Watch: Quentin Merlin

June 27th, 2025

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.

Tag: Quentin Merlin

Interesting Football Transfers: August 1, 2025

U21 Euro Ones to Watch: Quentin Merlin