FOOTBALL – Three play-off matches completed the Dutch football season on Sunday so football here will take a break until mid-July when the Europa League qualification starts. Inspired by analytical blogger Ted Knutson, our head of analysis @simongleave decided to use the same methodology to take a look at which Eredivisie attacking players might be worth a look for clubs searching for transfer targets this summer.
Ted’s blog (read here) has identified assists as a potentially important statistic to spot players, defining 9 or more assists in a season by the age of 22 as something to look out for. Here at Infostrada Sports, we have assists for the Eredivisie going back many decades using a definition set down by John Fredrikstadt, the father of Dutch football statistics. Who is the record holder in a single season? A 21-year-old called Ruud Gullit who provided 22 assists in his second season at Feyenoord in 1983/1984.
To keep this analysis simple, let’s only go back to the beginning of this century to find which players have had 9+ assist seasons by the age of 22. Firstly, the players who have since left the Eredivisie:
Seventeen players make up that list with Wesley Sneijder, Salomon Kalou and Luis Suarez all appearing on more than one occasion. The players have generally gone on to bigger things which would tend to confirm that assists are an underused measure. The appearance of Arouna Koné nine years ago is of particular note given that he is one of a handful of Wigan players who are expected to be picked up by a Premier League club in time for next term.
So, what about the players with nine or more assists in a season who are still in the Eredivisie and perhaps worth a look?
Miralem Sulejmani
Sulejmani was signed by Ajax for an Eredivisie record 16.25 million euros at the end of the 2007/2008 season but he has not fulfilled his initial promise there, partially due to injury, and is now available transfer free. He will sign for another club this summer with Benfica being linked for some months now.
Christian Eriksen
The undoubted star of the current Ajax team, confirmed by the fact that he is the only player in the last 13 seasons to have assisted at least nine goals in three different Eredivisie seasons. Is expected to leave this summer with Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur all rumoured to be interested.
Leroy George
Has been at NEC for three seasons after moving from FC Utrecht and is now available on a free transfer. George has provided assists on just five goals for NEC in the last two seasons. He has also scored eight times in his 59 Eredivisie matches over that period.
Roy Beerens
The right winger signed for AZ two seasons ago but has not managed to come close to his season of nine goals and 10 assists in 2008/2009. He has eight goals and nine assists in the two seasons since signing for AZ.
Luciano Narsingh
Winger Narsingh’s 20 Eredivisie assists in 2011/2012 was the highest total by a young player since Gullit 28 years earlier. He moved to PSV for 4.1 million euros at the end of that season. He scored six goals and assisted a further five before suffering knee damage just before Christmas 2012.
Maarten Martens
The 28-year-old Belgian midfielder has remained with AZ and also recorded another nine assist season in 2008/2009. However, he has had injury problems, playing only seven matches in 2007/2008 and six this season.
Dusan Tadic
Midfielder Tadic has pretty much repeated his 2010/2011 achievements in the subsequent two seasons, totalling 41 assists and 26 goals. Last summer he moved to FC Twente for 7.7 million euros.
Marko Vejinovic
Midfielder Vejinovic is available transfer free this summer after four seasons with Heracles Almelo. This season, he provided six assists to add to the nine he recorded last term.
Kevin Strootman
The 23-year-old midfielder again recorded a profitable assist season with 11 to add to the nine in his first year with PSV. Strootman was signed by PSV along with his FC Utrecht teammate Dries Mertens for a combined total of 14 million euros in the summer of 2011.
Renato Ibarra
Whilst the focus on Vitesse’s success this season has been on Wilfried Bony and Marco van Ginkel, it is Ecuadorian winger Renato Ibarra who stands out on the assists metric. He provided the final ball for nine of Vitesse’s goals and is certainly one to keep an eye on.
So, 10 players to keep a further eye on, particularly the six who have met the assist requirements we have set over the last two seasons.
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