[Novo]

Sky Sports Scout is our exciting feature where we scour the globe looking out for the best talent and bring you a report on what we find.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/n...andro-florenzi



The scout reports...

Next up is one of the main men behind Roma's great form this season but one who has been over-looked by many, and that is Alessandro Florenzi.

With the likes of Francesco Totti, Daniele De Rossi and Miralem Pjanic capturing many of the headlines - the work of Florenzi has perhaps gone unnoticed by some.

Florenzi was born a Roma fan - born and raised in the i Giallorossi part of the city, ever since he could pick up a ball the youngster has aimed to play for Roma.

Florenzi was picked up early by Roma and progressed through the ranks as a talented central midfielder.

He made his debut in 2011 for the senior side, before he was sent on loan to Serie B side Crotone - where he really excelled with 11 goals from midfield.

His form prompted Crotone to take up their option to buy half of his registration for 250,000 euros. Just two weeks later, Roma returned to buy back his half, paying Crotone an extra 1million euros on top of their original fee.

Already an Italian Under-21 international, the summer of 2012 saw Florenzi promoted to Roma's first team at which point Zdenek Zeman unleashed him on Serie A.

But it was under Aurelio Andreazzoli that Florenzi really matured in a three-man midfield.

Florenzi was soon noticed by national coach Cesare Prandelli and he gave him his debut against France in November 2012.

Now under his third coach in a little over a year, Florenzi is again maturing under Rudi Garcia's tutelage and his technical abilities are being allowed to flourish.

Florenzi is a brilliant midfielder - of that there is little doubt. Genuinely capable of playing anywhere across the middle, he perhaps has looked best out wide and coming inside - using his football brain to its maximum.

Four goals in 12 games so far for Roma highlight, though, just what a danger he is in the final third. He can read the game so well and break into the box, causing a constant menace.

The scout says...

Roma have a real little superstar on their hands, and they know it - and he could follow in the footsteps of De Rossi and Totti by staying put for much of his career.

Looks highly likely to go to Brazil with Italy, where he could be given a real platform to impress.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 7 out of 10

Passing: 8 out of 10

Tackling: 6 out of 10

Heading: 6 out of 10

Pace: 8 out of 10

Vision: 8 out of 10

Current ability: 7 out of 10

Potential ability: 10 out of 10

OVERALL SCOUT RATING:60/80

Current value: £20million

Potential value: £40million

[Novo]

Just going to add all these in this thread in the future so we can see how they turn out and discuss what we think of them etc

[King Gizzard]

Surprised they have taken so long to scout him

[Novo]

a few recent ones



The scout reports...

Alberto Moreno has recently made the breakthrough into the full Spanish squad and we check on one of the latest starlets to emerge from La Liga.

Born in Seville, Moreno is a life-long fan of his hometown club and was signed up by their youth set-up aged 13.

It did not take long for him to progress and in 2011 he was promoted from the youth to Sevilla's B side, where he continued to impress.

In 2012 he was handed his first-team debut when he came off the bench in a match with Athletic Bilbao but he had to wait another 12-months before making his first start - but from that moment on he has not looked back.

He signed his first professional deal in February after making his full debut, and he was then called into Spain's Under-21 squad.

Suddenly Moreno was in the limelight and after a great finish to the season, he started this campaign as first-choice left-back ahead of Spanish international Fernando Navarro.

Then in October, just six-months after becoming a regular for Sevilla, he was called into Spain's senior squad, and he made his debut in the World Cup qualifying win against Georgia.

Now many are tipping Moreno to make the squad for the World Cup finals - providing the back-up for Jordi Alba ahead of Arsenal's Nacho Monreal.

And after looking closely at Moreno, there really is nothing to suggest that he could not make it.

Although Moreno seemingly come from nowhere, the fact Sevilla have taken their time with him has paid dividends, as they did not rush him and then when he made his first-team bow earlier this year - he was clearly more than ready, as he performances have shown.

Diminutive at 5ft 7in, Moreno is full of power and pace - but unlike many modern full-backs, he is a top quality defender.

Yes Moreno loves to get forward, but the accuracy of his crossing and passing is a stand-out feature.

The fact he maybe offers more in defence than somebody like Monreal clearly has pushed him to the forefront of Vicente Del Bosque's thoughts.

Sevilla have also moved quickly to hand him another new deal - this time a five-year contract befitting of his stature as an international and they hope that will be enough to fend off interest.

Both Chelsea and Manchester United are said to be closely monitoring his situation and Sevilla could do well to hang on to him.

The scout says...

Barring any stupid bids in January, Moreno should finish the season with Sevilla - which would clearly be the best thing for him.

His main focus is to make the plane for Brazil and if his progress continues then a big move is a matter of when and not if.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 6 out of 10

Passing: 8 out of 10

Tackling: 7 out of 10

Heading: 7 out of 10

Pace: 8 out of 10

Vision: 7 out of 10

Current ability: 7 out of 10

Potential ability: 10 out of 10

OVERALL SCOUT RATING:60/80

Current value: £12million

Potential value: £30million

[King Gizzard]

Moreno > Alba

Wonder if Liverpool regret not getting him

[Novo]

he scout reports...

Juan Agudelo could soon be plying his trade in the Premier League, we check on the American starlet.

Agudelo is currently with New England Revolution although a pre-contract is already in place for him to join Stoke City in January - but what is Mark Hughes getting?

Well Agudelo is an exciting young striker, of that there is little doubt.

He stands at 6ft 1in, but there is much more to his game than a mere target man - indeed you could argue his main asset is his speed and dribbling prowess, although he is capable of holding up the ball if needed.

Agudelo is a mixture of styles, and it is easy to comprehend that being a mix himself - born in Colombia, and where he first tasted football - but he was raised in America from the age of seven.

Agudelo was picked up early by New York Red Bull Academy and was soon emerging as one of the top prospects in the country and he was called up to the USA Under-17 squad for the World Cup in 2009.

Despite impressing for the Red Bulls, before he signed for the senior squad - in 2010, Agudelo accepted a trial back his native Colombia with Millonarios, who were keen on finalising a deal.

However, Agudelo opted to stick with Red Bulls and officially signed for them in March 2010. He made his debut in the October and the following month made his international bow for Jurgen Klinsmann.

In the winter during the American off-season, at Klinsmann's behest and like many of his compatriots, Agudelo travelled to Europe for the first time to a couple of training stints, firstly with Stuttgart and then Liverpool.

By mid-2012 and Agudelo was on the move as he was signed by Chivas USA. Despite an in-different season, Agudelo was invited back to Europe for trials with Celtic and West Ham both taking a close look, but deals did not materialise and he began the 2013 campaign with Chivas.

He started the season well before another trade came his way, with New England Revolution signing him.

Then came the European summer and another move was on the table, but this time the interest was from England with Stoke agreeing a deal for him - but Major League Soccer would not release him early, so he has to wait until January.

The scout says...

It remains to be seen if Agudelo can make an instant impact at Stoke - but one thing is for sure is that he certainly has the potential to become a real force.

If Mark Hughes can get hold of him, then they could certainly have top quality striker on their hands and Stoke seems like an ideal starting point for his European career.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 7 out of 10

Passing: 6 out of 10

Tackling: 5 out of 10

Heading: 7 out of 10

Pace: 8 out of 10

Vision: 6 out of 10

Current ability: 7 out of 10

Potential ability: 10 out of 10

OVERALL SCOUT RATING:56/80

Current value: £2million

Potential value: £18million

[King Gizzard]

18m

[Novo]

The scout reports...

Eder Alvarez Balanta made his senior debut less than 12 months ago, but he is already being spoken of as a winter target for European giants Barcelona.

We check on the Colombian making a name for himself in Argentina.

Balanta was born and raised in the Colombian capital Bogota, and he began his footballing journey with Academia - now Llaneros - helping them to a series of youth titles.

His progress caught the eye of a number of scouts, and River Plate invited him for trials in early 2011 when he had just turned 18.

He did well and was snapped up by River and played a big part in their Under-20 Copa Libertadores success in 2012, and his performances saw him promoted to the senior squad.

In March 2013, he made his debut - starting against Racing Club and he helped River keep a clean-sheet as they won 2-0. From that day he has been an ever-present in Ramon Diaz's side.

After just a handful of games for River, he was reported to have been the subject of a bid from Inter Milan - but River rejected this, instead offering him a professional deal.

Balanta signed a three-year deal in July this year, but because he was still on a youth deal River did stop him participating in the Under-20 World Cup with his native Colombia.

Indeed despite his rise to prominence, Balanta is yet to represent Colombia at any level - although he has confirmed he would not think about representing Argentina, after it was claimed they were looking into naturalising him.

One thing that is clear, is that it is very easy to see why Argentina, Barcelona and the like would all love to have Balanta playing for them - River have unearthed a real gem.

Almost un-South American like, Balanta is a ball playing centre-half who oozes class.

Left-footed, Balanta's reading of the game is first-class - and the fact he stands just below 6ft does not interfere in his game, as he does have a tremendous leap if needed.

Balanta is also hugely powerful, and you would expect him to be robust with it. But that is not the case - he rarely dives into a tackle, instead allowing his outstanding pace to get him out of trouble.

His passing is very good, as he loves to bring the ball out of defence and find a team-mate - although perhaps too often he looks for the long cross-field ball.

But finding a fault with Balanta is not easy and many think he could very well push himself into Colombia's World Cup team, let alone squad, before next summer's finals in Brazil.

In light of Barca's reported interest, River have placed a £12million price-tag on his head and many in Argentina think he could be bound for Europe as early as January - astonishingly less than 12 months after his River debut.

The scout says...

Balanta really does look like the real deal, and one who would really settle well into European football - therefore it is no surprise that Europe's biggest clubs are looking at him.

Balanta has come from nowhere but by the World Cup next summer, he could be one of the players to watch in Brazil.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 5 out of 10

Passing: 7 out of 10

Tackling: 8 out of 10

Heading: 7 out of 10

Pace: 8 out of 10

Vision: 7 out of 10

Current ability: 7 out of 10

Potential ability: 10 out of 10

OVERALL SCOUT RATING:59/80

Current value: £10million

Potential value: £30million

[Novo]

this scout loves bigging up the Potential Ability

[Drew.]

they all seem to be Usain Bolt

[King Gizzard]

have they done juan quintero yet

[Novo]

They have Draxler and Januzaj on here but they are pretty much household names to us so i'll leave them out

[Drew.]

we need an Adnan and Gnabry comparison please Mr Novo

[Novo]

you can have Temps instead



The scout reports...

The Sky Sports Scout travels to Scotland this week as he checks out Hearts' highly-rated young forward David Templeton.

The diminutive Glaswegian began his career with Aberdeen, but things did not work out and he was soon on his way to Stenhousemuir, where he made his debut aged just 16.

Despite his small stature, Templeton's skill and drive saw him succeed at the lower-level, grabbing 11 goals in just 30 appearances for The Warriors.

His form saw him called up to Scotland Under 19s and he was also invited for a trail spell at Premier League Newcastle United.

A few months later, in January 2007, he was snapped up by SPL side Hearts who took a gamble on his potential. The second half of that season he spent on loan with Raith.

The follow season he spent in Hearts' reserves as he built up his strength and technique, but he shone for the second-string and was handed his debut towards the end of the campaign.

Injury curtailed his progress at the start of the 2009/10 campaign, but he started against Celtic at the end of the year and soon become a regular member of the squad.

He was handed a new contract in March of this year as his progress continued and an excellent start to this season has seen him called into the Scottish U21 squad.

Templeton is now beginning to win plaudits for his play, which has come on leaps and bounds under Jim Jefferies' guidance.

The youngster really came to the fore with his brilliant solo goal against rivals Hibernian earlier this month. The goal was selected as our SPL Goal of the Month for November - you can watch it here now.

And his goal against Hibs summed up his general play, full of drive and commitment, with good pace and an excellent eye for goal.

The scout says...

Templeton still has plenty to work on, but the basis is there for him to become a top-class player.

He has progressed brilliantly in last 12 months, and if he can continue along the same path could be one of the SPL's next big exports.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 7 out of 10

Passing: 6 out of 10

Tackling: 6 out of 10

Heading: 6 out of 10

Pace: 7 out of 10

Vision: 7 out of 10

Current ability: 7 out of 10

Potential ability: 9 out of 10

OVERALL SCOUT RATING: 55/80

Current value: £2million

Potential value: £8million

[Novo]

The scout reports...

We check on Portsmouth starlet Jed Wallace, who has made some startling strides in the game this season.

Wallace's footballing tale is becoming more and more common place. As a youngster he opted not to go in search of a league club at all costs - instead happy to finish his schooling whilst honing his skills in a Junior League.

Picked up by Farnborough - where he was playing first-team football at just 16, he was lined up for a move to Lewes in the summer of 2011 but after featuring for them in pre-season - he had league clubs then knocking on his door.

He accepted a move to Portsmouth as they handed him a two-year deal and he went straight into their Academy before a loan stint back at Farnborough in early 2012. After returning from Farnborough, Wallace made his Pompey debut in the League Cup.

Over the summer Wallace featured with the first-team but when the season started he was again sent out on loan - this time joining Isthmian League Whitehawk in October.

Wallace soon made an impact, scoring on his debut and going on to score an incredible 13 goals in 14 games. It was no surprise that his form soon began to attract the attention of other clubs, with Premier League giants Chelsea and Liverpool among those taking a keen interest.

With parent club Portsmouth struggling to keep players due to their off-field matters, Wallace was soon back at Fratton Park. January this year he made his league debut and continued his scoring form by getting on the score-sheet.

Since returning to Pompey, Wallace has been an almost ever-present and is increasingly becoming one of the most talked about players outside of the Premier League.

Wallace's form has also come to the attention of England and he has been placed on stand-by for the Under-19s - stunning progress for a player who only linked up with a pro club less than two years ago.

Wallace is a true prospect; he has taken to professional football like a duck to water, is full of running and guts and his box-to-box game is outstanding.

He is a genuine midfielder who likes a tackle and can pick a pass, but the way he has added goalscoring to his game in the last 12 months has seemingly taken him to another level.

The scout says...

If Wallace continues at anywhere near the sort of form he has produced in recent months it is hard to see how Portsmouth will hang on to him.

First-team football has done Wallace so much good and he is a real prospect to keep an eye on.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 8 out of 10

Passing: 7 out of 10

Tackling: 7 out of 10

Heading: 6 out of 10

Pace: 7 out of 10

Vision: 7 out of 10

Current ability: 7 out of 10

Potential ability: 10 out of 10

OVERALL SCOUT RATING:59/80

Current value: £2million

Potential value: £14million

[Novo]

one for nathan



The scout reports...

Andreas Cornelius is one of the latest band of Danish youngsters making a big impression and attracting major interest. We check on the Copenhagen striker.

Cornelius began playing from an early age and was with local youth side Fremad Amager, before being picked up by Copenhagen in 2011 aged 18 - by which point he was already a regular for Denmark at various levels.

Less than 12 months after arriving at the club he was handed his senior debut in April, after he impressed during a winter training camp.

Last summer saw Copenhagen sell star striker Dame N'Doye to Lokomotiv Moscow, which came just months after they sold starlet Kenneth Zohore to Fiorentina - and suddenly that meant that Cornelius was thrust into the spotlight.

And the youngster has taken his opportunity with both hands - still only 19 at the beginning of this season, and he was soon into double figures - indeed he is the quickest player in Danish football history to get to 10 goals in a league season, just 76 days.

As it stands Cornelius has 18 goals in 27 games, a record which has had the the scouts flocking to the Danish capital.

Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Stoke City are just some of the names said to be regularly scouting Cornelius.

His form has seen him called up to the Danish senior squad - and he scored his first goal for his country last week against Czech Republic.

Standing at 6ft 4in, he has been dubbed the news 'Nicklas Bendtner' - but that really is doing him a disservice. Much more than a target man, yes Cornelius is very good in the air - but he is also skilful and deceptively quick.

But Cornelius' eye for goal is his main attribute - a lovely left foot, he is capable of finishing from anywhere around the box.

The scout says...

His progress has been stunning in recent months, and it is clear to see why the English clubs are salivating over his potential.

Despite less than 12 months of first-team football, he looks like he could be ready to move - clearly another season at Copenhagen would benefit him and they may try and keep him until the summer of 2014.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 7 out of 10

Passing: 7 out of 10

Tackling: 6 out of 10

Heading: 9 out of 10

Pace: 7 out of 10

Vision: 7 out of 10

Current ability: 7 out of 10

Potential ability: 10 out of 10

OVERALL SCOUT RATING:60/80

Current value: £8million

Potential value: £20million

[Novo]

The scout reports...

Anderlecht's Cheikhou Kouyate is still only 23 but he has been a first-team regular for a number of years, and is he Premier League bound?

Kouyate has never hidden his desire to play in England and he is not short of suitors as Manchester City, Arsenal, Everton, Newcastle, West Ham, Norwich and Southampton are just some of the clubs to have watched him over the past 18 months.

Kouyate is a commanding 6ft 4in, but his physique is somewhat slender - reminiscent of Patrick Vieira - and some believe he is comparable to the former Arsenal star.

Kouyate operates at centre-half for Anderlecht, but he has been known to play in midfield for both club and his country, Senegal, and it does appear that he could have a future in midfield.

Good on the ball, Kouyate reads the game well and is able to stride forward at will, lending himself to a role further up the field.

Kouyate has long been seen as a star in the making, since being picked up by RWDM Brussels aged just 16 after they spotted him playing in his native Senegal for Yego Dakar.

However, due to financial issues, Brussels stopped paying Kouyate for a number of months and in 2008, at 19, he left them on a free transfer and was snapped up by Anderlecht on a four-year deal. They loaned him to K.V. Kortrijk for the rest of the season.

His spell with Kortrijk was enough to persuade Anderlecht he was ready, and since returning to the Constant Vanden Stock he has never been out of the first-team.

With Belgium showing an interest in him, he decided to stick with Senegal - making his debut in early 2012 - and he would go on to feature for them in the Olympics.

The scout says...

It is something of a shock that Kouyate is still in Belgium, having attracted so much interest from around Europe, but especially England.

He looks well suited to the Premier League, but something is clearly putting the scouts off - possibly the reason is that he does look like a midfielder in the making and they may be unsure about him in defence, but that would be harsh. He will be moving to a big league very soon.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 6 out of 10

Passing: 8 out of 10

Tackling: 7 out of 10

Heading: 8 out of 10

Pace: 7 out of 10

Vision: 7 out of 10

Current ability: 7 out of 10

Potential ability: 10 out of 10

OVERALL SCOUT RATING:60/80

Current value: £4million

Potential value: £20million

[Novo]

The scout reports...

One of the most coveted players in the Bundesliga is always likely to be a special player, so we check on Hamburg's Son Heung-Min.

The South Korean forward has nine goals to his name this season which have come from him playing in a variety of roles across midfield and attack.

Son has long dreamed of footballing stardom, and was spotted and snapped up by FC Seoul's highly acclaimed academy.

However, he bucked the trend in Asia of players finishing their education in their homeland as, in 2008 aged 16, he accepted the overtures of Hamburg, who had spotted his talents early on.

After starring for Korea in the Under-17 World Cup in 2009, upon his return he was featuring regularly for Hamburg's second-team before getting his big chance later in 2010.

He made his debut for the side in a cup match at Eintracht Frankfurt before three days later marking his league debut with a goal at Cologne, making him Hamburg's youngest goalscorer.

Since his debut, Son has never been away from the first team and has already clocked up over 50 appearances, with 17 goals to his name.

Despite being viewed as a striker - even Son himself admits he does not have a favoured role and can play on either flank, behind a front-man or as a lone striker - his versatility is a huge asset and you can see that in his play that he relishes any role he takes on.

Genuinely two-footed, Son causes huge problems for defences, he has that rare ability to be as quick with the ball at his feet than without it.

Standing at over 6ft, his natural skill oozes through and that helps him appear majestic in full flight. And his finishing, although far from perfect, is good and his striking of the ball particularly from long range is already a key feature of his game.

Son is already, unsurprisingly, emerging as a key figure for South Korea with a dozen caps to his name and he is set to play a pivotal role in their quest for a place at the 2014 World Cup finals.

Son, though, does like to be different - as he showed when he was 16 and first joined Hamburg - he turned down a call-up to his country's Olympic squad last summer, something almost unheard of. But he wanted to commit to Hamburg and pre-season, and given he is now one of the top scorers in Germany, despite not playing as an out-and-out striker, who can question him.

The scout says...

He is now being very strongly linked with a move to England, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United all said to be keen on securing a deal.

Son, as he has proven, knows what he wants and it is already likely he knows where he wants to go and that decision is set to be made this summer as a move appears more than likely.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 8 out of 10

Passing: 7 out of 10

Tackling: 6 out of 10

Heading: 7 out of 10

Pace: 8 out of 10

Vision: 8 out of 10

Current ability: 7 out of 10

Potential ability: 10 out of 10

OVERALL SCOUT RATING:61/80

Current value: £18million

Potential value: £50million

[Novo]

turning down a chance to play for your country at the Olympics at 16, jesus christ.

[Novo]

he scout reports...

This week, we check on the Swiss left-back Ricardo Rodriguez, who has attracted attention from throughout Europe.

Born in Zurich, Rodriguez' father was Spanish and his mother Chilean - but his Swiss nationality has never been in doubt.

He began playing at the highly regarded youth club FC Schwamendingen before joining Zurich's youth system aged just 11.

Rodriguez progressed well and he was given his first taste of first-team football at the age of 16 when he was on the bench for a Champions League clash with Maribor.

But, before he made his debut, he linked up with the Swiss Under-17 squad which went on to win the prestigious Under-17 World title.

Upon his return to Zurich, he made his debut early in 2010 and never looked back, quickly becoming a first-team regular.

At this point Rodriguez was already attracting interest from a number of clubs, but it was German outfit Wolfsburg who snapped him up in January 2012 when they paid over £7million for his signature.

Upon his arrival in Germany, Felix Magath quickly installed Rodriguez as his first-choice left-back and he settled in well - and the likes of Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea were all rumoured to be keeping close tabs on the young Swiss.

However, a bad start to 2012 saw Magath lose his job and interim boss Lorenz-Gunther Kostner was not a huge fan of Rodriguez, preferring Marcel Shafer. But, following Dieter Hecking's appointment, the youngster is back in favour and looks to be getting back to his best.

It will be interesting to see if Rodriguez will again catch the eye of Europe's best. Strangely, for a modern day left-back, he is much more of a defender than most, although he does have decent if not electric pace.

Quite rangy, at first glance Rodriguez looks more of a centre-half given he is nearly six-foot - but that merely aids his defensive capabilities.

The scout says...

Rodriguez is a thoroughly capable performer and, given he is only 20, still has a lot of improvement left in him and regular football in the Bundesliga will see him progress.

A good defender and a big move could very well be on the cards for him sooner rather than later - but whether someone like Chelsea or Barcelona pursue their interest, remains to be seen.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 6 out of 10

Passing: 7 out of 10

Tackling: 7 out of 10

Heading: 7 out of 10

Pace: 7 out of 10

Vision: 6 out of 10

Current ability: 7 out of 10

Potential ability: 10 out of 10

OVERALL SCOUT RATING:57/80

Current value: £6million

Potential value: £18million