Below the Radar Analysis

Image: Femke Kruize By: Kees van Hemmen A couple of months ago I wrote on Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech  and how he was well overdue for a big money transfer to one of Europe’s biggest clubs. At the end of the January window, he finally got his move. It was a long time coming, as Ziyech had long outgrown the Eredivisie. Now, at the risk of beating the Ajax talent treasure trove to death, I’d like to direct your attention towards the Dutch giant’s other under-appreciated superstar: Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana. Onana, now 23, has been the first-choice keeper for Ajax since the 2016-17 club season, and for the length of that time he’s been a reliable presence between the sticks for the Eredivisie leaders. However, starting last season, Onana elevated his play to truly world class heights. Publicly available xG2 or post-shot xG data is essentially non-existent for the Dutch Eredivisie, unfortunately. However, what we can look at are Onana’s Champions League numbers. And boy a...

Image: Olaf Kraak, AFP By: Kees van Hemmen By now, most football fans know who Hakim Ziyech is. Last season, Ziyech and his team, AFC Ajax, made an incredibly improbable run to the Champions League semi-final, beating the reigning champions and arguably the best player in the world on their way to a heart-breaking loss to Tottenham Hotspur. It’s a story that everyone in the football world knows, and it brought Ajax, its players, and the Dutch Eredivisie onto the international stage for the first time in more than twenty years. Every player in the side was rumored to be making a major move to one of Europe’s top clubs over the summer, and some of them did. But I can’t seem to shake the feeling that Ziyech was overlooked. Generally linked with moves to teams only as a potential backup, his true quality didn’t seem to be appreciated. Hakim Ziyech should be starting for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Here’s why... Ziyech has had double digit assists in the Eredivisie in...