W e’ve reviewed the most exciting young players to watch in 2013 from England, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and The Netherlands. Now The 10 Series is back with our 2014/15 edition – the lowdown on 60 of the best young players in Europe this season.

First up, The 10 Series 2014/15 – Eredivisie: our pick of the Eredivisie best young players to watch this season, by Michiel Jongsma:



Terence Kongolo

(Feyenoord, 20 years old)



Only 25 league games over two and a half years, but a World Cup game to his name and a bronze medal to show for it. Welcome to the wondrous world of Terence Kongolo. The young defender, part of the talented trio that rose through the ranks at Feyenoord together with Jean-Paul Boëtius and Tonny Vilhena, made his debut in April 2012, but had to be patient to get his first real chance with the first team.

After around 22 months of mostly sub performances and oddly productive cameos in KNVB Cup games Kongolo was slotted into the team during a Feyenoord slump, as Ronald Koeman reverted the system from a four man backline to five.

As a left wing back, Kongolo impressed so much that he emerged as a shock contender for the Dutch national team. Louis van Gaal had always been vocal about the young defender and eventually picked the strong and pacy defender for his versatility.

Kongolo featured in the game against Chile and was one of five Feyenoord players to appear for the Dutch in Brazil. Whereas Stefan De Vrij, Bruno Martins Indi and Daryl Janmaat chose to leave Feyenoord this summer, Kongolo, together with Jordie Clasie, extended his contract, an immense boost for the club from the harbour city.

There was no shortage of interest and what perhaps is most telling is that Ronald Koeman didn’t attempt to sign Martins Indi at his new club Southampton, but was very keen on signing the youngster that he never really gave a chance until recently. Kongolo has been tested and approved by both Koeman and Van Gaal. The youngster looks the real deal.

Hakim Ziyech

(FC Twente, 21 years old)

Heerenveen’s strikers have been lucky getting a lot of input from their wingers over the years. In the case of Alfred Finnbogason, the Eredivisie top scorer of 2013/14, it was mainly Hakim Ziyech taking care of things. The playmaker had a difficult task in filling the boots of 10 Series alumni Filip Djuricic, but by the turn of the year hardly anyone mentioned the stylish Serbian anymore.

Blessed with an eye for a killer pass and possessing a left foot as good as anyone, Ziyech became the main provider for Finnbogason at Heerenveen and carried the side to a fifth place finish. Apart from his assists, Ziyech showed outrageous vision, scoring goals from outside the box, his 25 yard chip against RKC Waalwijk a particular highlight.

A transfer to FC Twente was earned and there he is expected to take up the creative burden left by Quincy Promes and Dusan Tadic. Hakim Ziyech has the skills for it, now it’s time to show that he has got the nerves and maturity to take up such a mantle.

At Twente Ziyech will be given the space to roam just as he had before. The playfulness (and wastefulness) he showed at Heerenveen is what makes him so fun to watch but can also make him a bit frustrating. Creativity-wise though, Ziyech is everything you wish for in a 10.

Jean-Paul Boëtius

(Feyenoord, 20 years old)

To make your professional debut for Feyenoord against Ajax is special. To cap your first performance with a goal is spectacular. All at Varkenoord knew that a special talent was on its way to the first team in Jean-Paul Boëtius. The Rotterdam-born player joined Feyenoord’s academy aged six and it was easy to identify his immense potential.

His debut came later than expected due to injury problems – although he was still only 18 when he made his first senior appearance for Feyenoord – but since he made his mark in October 2012, he has been a mainstay in the first team.

After a decent first season, Boëtius really made his mark last term scoring 10 league goals and assisting nine other. Feyenoord’s big man was of course Graziano Pelle, but there can be no mistake that the big Italian very much profited from the variety Boëtius offered to the front line.

Being fairly two-footed, young Jean-Paul can run past his opponent on either side and he has both the pace and technique to execute a dribble to perfection. What stands out is his intelligence and movement.

Wherever he runs, there’s always that element of purpose to his game. After a slight slump in form this season, Boëtius came in for some criticism, but there is hardly any doubt that he will become one of Europe’s most exciting wingers in the coming years.

Davy Klaassen

(Ajax, 21 years old)



It only took 42 seconds for Davy Klaassen to make an impact at Ajax. On his Eredivisie debut in November 2011 against N.E.C., the midfielder joined players such as Johan Cruijff and Marco van Basten in scoring in his first senior appearance for the Amsterdam side.

Together with Viktor Fischer, Klaassen had been one of the stars in the Next Gen Series and at 18, the time seemed ripe for the blond midfielder to take his first steps at the highest level. But injury hampered Klaassen’s development and the youngster hardly got any game time in 2012/13.

2013/14 showed why Klaassen was always highly rated at De Toekomst, Ajax’s famous youth academy. Profiting from an injury to Siem de Jong, Klaassen filled in perfectly and ensured his captain was not missed.

He ended the season as Ajax’s joint top scorer in the league with 10 goals and earned the Talent of the Year, succeeding another 10 Series graduate Marco van Ginkel. He’s also been capped at international level.

Klaassen has already been compared to Dennis Bergkamp. But while Klaassen has outstanding technique and control of the ball, he does not offer the same creativity the current assistant manager of Ajax once did.

Klaassen is very much a 10 in the mould of his predecessor De Jong or maybe Bayern’s Thomas Müller. Tipped by many experts to become even more influential for the reigning league champions this season, it’s up to Klaassen to show what he can do.

Daley Sinkgraven

(sc Heerenveen, 19 years old)

‘So you want Djuricic? That’s fine, we’ve got Ziyech. Oh you want Ziyech? Well, we’ve got Sinkgraven.’

Heerenveen used to be known for its endless stream of excellent centre forwards. While this still seems to be a recurring theme, it looks like delivering 10s has become a new quality for the Friesland club.

A son of former professional footballer and coach Harry, Daley Sinkgraven’s talent was identified early as he joined sc Heerenveen’s academy when he was just 10 years old. Sinkgraven has profited from Heerenveen’s recent change of policy, as, under especially Marco van Basten, several young players have been given a chance in the first team.

In the few matches Daley has played, he has impressed. A long-time admirer of the football of Ajax and Barcelona, the former even came in for him before the closing of the transfer window, but the Frisian club were determined to hold on to their newest asset.

In the end it could well become his next step because Sinkgraven is a typical Ajax or Barcelona player. Blessed with great technique and vision, the youngster is somewhat reminiscent of Andres Iniesta, albeit not of the same quality.

Most comfortable as a 10, Sinkgraven has played as a left forward and was an underestimated talent for quite a while due to his lack of physique. He also enjoys an assist more than a goal and with Sinkgraven still awaiting his first successful strike for Heerenveen it is definitely something he should work on. Sinkgraven is part of a whole wave of talented midfielders, but he might just be the most outstanding one.

Hans Hateboer

(FC Groningen, 20 years old)

After the sale of Bruno Silva to Ajax in January 2008, FC Groningen’s search for a formidable right back had, for years, been unfruitful. Luckily, though, for the Trots van het Noorden, an unlikely successor emerged at the beginning of 2014. Still an amateur at the time, Hans Hateboer was thrust into the first-team and put in a remarkable performance to remember visiting RKC Waalwijk.

The local boy was a constant threat on the flank throughout the game, opening his career with an excellent assist. However, he came crashing back down to earth soon after when the referee flashed a red card in his face for a reckless challenge.

Coach Erwin van de Looi, though, had seen enough. Within a month, Hateboer was a regular starter and a professional footballer. With the reliable and inexhaustible right back on the flank, FC Groningen went on to secure Europa League football.

Hateboer had impressed so much that Feyenoord approached the youngster, having seen him as a candidate to succeed Daryl Janmaat. FC Groningen rejected the advances. They want to enjoy the 20-year-old for a while longer yet.

Hateboer, originally a central defender, has the pace and power that modern football demands and the stamina and vision to play the whole flank. If 2014 is just a taste of what Hateboer can do, then the Dutch Under-21 international can go on and follow recent FC Groningen alumni such as Leandro Bacuna and Virgil van Dijk and secure a move to a higher platform.

Lucas Andersen

(Ajax, 19 years old)

Before making his transfer to Ajax age 17, Lucas Andersen already had 40 first team appearances at Aalborg under his belt. Andersen is now 19 and is still waiting for his big break. Of the Danish contingent, he is the one and only player who can succeed Christian Eriksen.

A silky technique, the vision of a man that had seen it all, Andersen was an adult walking among children in the Jupiler League. Over the last couple of years, the main problem with Andersen has been that he has looked a kid walking among adults in the Eredivisie.

But it should only be a matter of time before that potential will shine through. Whereas Fischer is a more direct player, Andersen is a Dane full of subtle surprises, like Eriksen was. With the current lack of creativity in the Ajax midfield and attack, this surely is the time for the young Dane to step up. Andersen has already shown he has the ability to read the game before anyone else and with his skill set he is a player that can execute his ideas perfectly in any competition.

Will he show he is worthy of the faith? That is the big question. At Just Football, we give him the benefit of the doubt.

Ryan Thomas

(PEC Zwolle, 19 years old)

Only a year ago, Ryan Thomas was an 18 year-old trialist at PEC Zwolle, an unknown who had to pay for his own ticket to the Netherlands. Nowadays, Thomas is one of the Eredivisie’s brightest talents, a full New Zealand international and subject of many a big club’s interest.

‘The rise & rise & rise of Ryan’ is a story in itself. Born and bred in a country hardly known for its football, Thomas took a punt by going on trial at a club he had never heard of. But he didn’t take long to convince PEC Zwolle manager Ron Jans. After a few sub appearances, confidence in the youngster grew and by the end of the season Thomas was a regular starter.

But it was in the Dutch Cup where Thomas stood out most. After impressive performances leading up to the final, it was on the biggest stage where Thomas put in his best game to date. Instrumental in a legendary 5-1 thrashing of Ajax, Thomas scored two goals and looked frankly unstoppable.

Still only 19, the youngster is now a regular fixture in the PEC Zwolle side and the only way he’ll lose that is by leaving for a bigger club. He’s an industrious winger who tends to tire out his opponent with constant runs and decent dribbling.

While the end product is still something for the boy from Te Puke to work on, if Thomas can continue his rapid development he might become one of the most memorable New Zealand footballers ever.

Bilal Basacikoglu

(Feyenoord, 19 years old)

A triumphant reaction on social media after his debut for Heerenveen against RKC Waalwijk, in which his opponent received a red card, ensured that the whole of Eredivisie immediately knew who Bilal Basacikoglu was. But despite his error taking away some of the shine from what was an impressive first few minutes, Marco van Basten started him in their next game against PSV.

As part of an exciting quartet in attack with Ziyech, Van la Parra and Finnbogason, Basacikoglu developed at tremendous pace. The frivolous dribbler hit six goals in 24 league matches showing promise on the goalscoring front.

After being linked to Ajax and FC Twente, it was Feyenoord who snapped him up for a reported €3.5m Euros, making him Feyenoord’s second biggest signing, a sign of faith in his ability. Feyenoord is notorious for its demanding atmosphere, but Basacikoglu – a former Ajax academy player – looks the type to relish that kind of pressure.

Terell Ondaan

(Willem II, 21 years old)

From Ajax to Haarlem and from the Eerste Divisie to the Eredivisie and Jong Oranje: Terell Ondaan has had a very similar career to Quincy Promes. And in his first season in the top flight, the young winger will be eager to emulate the success of his former team-mate and friend. Ondaan had a similarly restless football education as Promes, two years his senior, and played for Ajax and Haarlem before joining AZ Alkmaar.

After graduating from the AZ youth academy, Ondan’s third stop at a professional football club, the young winger found himself without a club. Telstar gave him a chance on an amateur basis in the second tier. It turned out to be his shortest stay at a football club.

Only 15 days after his Telstar debut, Ondaan joined Willem II after scoring four goals in three games for the club from Velsen, signing a three-year pro deal. At Willem II, he was one of the driving forces behind their title surge, showing incredible skills as a dribbler.

In 2013/14, Ondaan was widely considered to be one of the brightest talents in the Jupiler League, a remarkable turnaround for a player who started the season without a professional contract.

After winning the Jupiler League title with Willem II, the club feared Ondaan would already be on his way to bigger things as the youngster had a €1.5m release clause in his contract. But a crafty construction ensured that the clause would not be in effect in the last week of the transfer period. Interest from FC Groningen and others was fended off.

Ondaan will be instrumental in keeping Willem II up this season and has made his debut for Jong Oranje too. It won’t be long until he moves onto bigger things

Thoughts on the list? Which talents are the Eredivisie best young players to watch in 2014/15 in your opinion? Let us know below or on Twitter @JustFootball.

(Photo #1 courtesy of Terence Kongolo, #2 courtesy of Gerard Nijkamp via Twitter.)