Blessed with a thrilling fusion of dodgy defenders, lethal hitmen and attack obsessed tacticians, the Eredivisie predictably ranks as Europe’s most prolific league. From Ruud Van Nistelrooy to Klaas Jan Huntelaar, the Dutch top flight is simply synonymous with up and coming goal getters. While admittedly inconsistent (for every Wilfried Bony there is a Mateja Kezman), Holland’s World Cup renaissance coupled with a lucrative Sky Sports contract inevitably introduced the Eredivisie to a wider audience. If anyone actually cares about Cambuur vs Willem II that is.

A scout’s haven, the Dutch top flight offers a glimpse into tomorrow. A shop window through which the next generation of esteemed marksmen can be viewed, and acquired, for a mere fraction of their potential value. However, splashing the cash on a relatively unknown goal getter is risky business; especially where the Eredivisie is concerned. Blitzing NAC Breda is hardly a true test of a player’s potential of course. A quick teaser. Which £12m, ahem, “striker” netted seven against Heracles in 2007? Anybody? Afonso Alves of course! You know…that Pitbull lookalike who once played for Middlesbrough? Oh well. Point proven.

Nevertheless, a gamble, a daring leap of faith can occasionally reap unimaginable rewards. Yes Southampton, we’re looking at you. Graziano Pelle? Bargain. It is a risk. Russian roulette. So, plucking up an ounce of Dutch courage, which Eredivisie hotshot will prove more formidable than forgettable?

Arkadiusz Milik

An eternal array of fresh faced alumni have graduated from the Ajax finishing school. A prolific production line of top class talent. Johann Cryuff, Patrick Kluivert, erm, Ryan Babel. Nethertheless, Arkadiusz Milik, unlike his prestigious predecessors, embarked upon a rather different route. At just 20 years old, his rapid rise to prominence has been anything other than straightforward. He is not your archetypal overnight sensation. Milik’s story is an inspiring tale of discipline and determination.

A prodigious talent in his native Poland, Milik’s budding reputation caught the eye of Bundesliga big-hitters Bayer Leverkusen in 2012. However, via a discouraging loan at Augsburg, Milik arrived at the Amsterdam ArenA this summer with a reputation to save and a point to prove. Job, emphatically, done. Boasting six strikes in just seven appearances, the on-loan hitman has taken to Dutch football like a duck to water. Combining outstanding hold up play, fearsome areal prowess and a lethal first time finish, comparisons with international strike partner Robert Lewandowski are an inevitability.

He is a fighter, an old pros head on young shoulders. After making history by scoring in Poland’s first ever victory over rivals Germany, Milik netted a screamer against Scotland; duly cementing his position as a focal point of Adam Nawalka’s ever improving side. And, to think, just a few months ago Leverkusen’s forgotten man was rapidly in danger of becoming yet another footnote of unfulfilled potential. Point proven? Yeah, you could say that.

Mark Uth

Despite flaunting a treasure trove of trequartistas, Joachim Low’s hunt for his jewel in the crown continues. His dearth of in-form forwards has been the talking point of Germany’s shockingly poor Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. They drew with Ireland for goodness sake. The misfiring triad of Mario Gomez, Max Kruse and Pierre Michel Lasogga are hardly World Cup winning material while doubts are increasing over Thomas Muller’s suitability to the inconsistent “false nine” role. However, with Low gazing into the future following the retirement of Miroslav Klose, could the answer lie a little further from home? Just across the border perhaps? Maybe so.

For Heerenveen’s Mark Uth is a young man destined for greatness. Who, you ask? Well, until recently, no one really knew. The phrase “exploding onto the scene” doesn’t quite do him justice. Uth’s sensational performances have taken the Eredivisie by storm; sprinting out of the blocks in the race for the Golden Boot. After star striker Alfred Finbogasson departed for the sun and sea of San Sebastien, Uth has rapidly remedied his club’s broken heart. Less a desperate rebound, more love at first sight. Capped once by his nation’s under-20s, Uth’s international career is hardly glittering. However, while Gomez’s goalless streak extends into its eighth month, European vultures are beginning to circle over the Abe Lenstra Stadion. And, given Germany’s unbridled reputation for producing budding superstars, who can blame them?

Michiel Kramer

The shining star in an ADO Den Haag outfit plummeting into shadow, classy frontman Kramer has dragged his struggling side kicking and screaming through the Eredivisie’s opening 13 fixtures. A one man team? Well, being responsible for over 50% of ADO’s goals this season, the stats speak for themselves. At 25, and with only a sentence and a half of information on Wikipedia to boot, the towering Dutchman is something of an unknown quantity. A late bloomer, if you will. Headers, volleys, penalties, you name it, Kramer’s scored it. At 6ft 5ins, his power packed frame and deceptively quick feet make him a nightmare for dodgy defenders everywhere. And, in the Eredivisie, there’s certainly no shortage of those. A Peter Crouch style throwback. Averaging a goal every 114 minutes, Kramer is rapidly outgrowing a relatively small pond as anyone who had the pleasure of witnessing his sensational individual goal against Willem II will testify. Valued at a pocket change sum of £800,000, the phrase “snap your hand off” comes to mind.

Aron Johannsson

After a serious ankle surgery curtailed his World Cup dream, US scoring sensation Aron Johansson has returned in style; netting a vital winner against Vitesse in only his third appearance of the season. How AZ have missed him. Floundering in mid-table, the 2009 champions were inevitably toothless in the 24 year olds continued absence. With 26 goals in all competitions last season, Johansson provides that attacking spark to transform AZ from underachieving also-rans into potential European contenders. Blessed with impressive acceleration, a startling first touch and trademark accuracy, the Alabama born hotshot appears destined for a bigger stage. However, having inked a new contract in May, AZ are well placed to hang on to their prized asset for the foreseeable future. Or blag a bigger transfer fee. Hint, hint.

Scouts, it’s over to you. Judges houses. As ever, it’s ostensibly difficult to decipher who possesses the quality to step up to the big leagues and who will flounder like a fish out of water (ahem, Luuk De Jong). Possessing pace and power in abundance, Milik’s potential shows no bounds. Mark Uth, possibly the foursome’s finest finisher, is certainly worth a punt with a rather cheap price tag. Kramer, the overnight sensation, has the frame and skill to succeed while Johannsson’s track record speaks for itself.

Whatever the future holds, the here and now glows ever brighter for this clinical quartet.

Written by Danny T Owen, 19

Twitter: @danny8195