October U23 hotlist: Guiu, Openda, Jörgensen among stars،
Welcome to the ESPN FC Hotlist, which highlights some of the most in-form talents aged 23 and under across Europe each month.
Typically, young but established stars like Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham or Barcelona’s Gavi aren’t included – otherwise they’d be on the list every month – but we’ll highlight some of the deserving ones. praise for their performances and who could potentially be the next big name in European football.
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Marc Guiu, 17 years old, ST, Barcelona
Although their La Masia academy has an incredible track record, Barcelona aren’t exactly known for developing world-class No.9 strikers. But Guiu could well break the pattern. Alongside Barça winger Lamine Yamal, he stood out for Spain at the European Under-17 Championship earlier in the year, scoring four goals to finish as top scorer with his teammate.
A renowned goalscorer in Barca’s youth ranks, Guiu went viral after coming on as a substitute for the senior team in a 1-0 win over Athletic Club earlier this month. Although a surprise inclusion in the team, the 6-foot-2 forward ended up deciding the match 33 seconds into his match when he beat the offside trap to skillfully shake the goalkeeper.
Guiu has top-notch finishing abilities, a well-developed first touch, good aerial strength and remarkable poacher instincts, so he should go far.
Isaak Touré, 20 years old, CB, Lorient
The tallest outfield player in Europe’s top leagues at 6ft 9in, Touré is an imposing presence at the heart of Lorient’s defence. Recruited by Marseille in 2022 after impressing at Euro U19, Touré was allowed to leave the struggling club at the end of the summer transfer window for around €8 million while Bamo Meïté was loaned in the opposite direction. But judging by their first performances, Marseille could regret this decision.
Due to his size, the central defender has been the subject of much discussion within the scouting community. But Touré mitigates some of his lack of mobility with smart positioning, has a proactive defensive style and highlights three plays to his strengths. He is calm on the ball (although he generally leaves the longer distribution to his teammates) and clearly poses an attacking threat from set pieces when allowed to venture forward.
Lény Yoro, 17 years old, CB, Lille
Just when you thought France were running out of promising young centre-backs, Yoro appears. Another graduate of Lille’s prestigious academy, Yoro began to earn first-team minutes in the second half of last season, but this campaign the 17-year-old is a regular in Paulo Fonseca’s defense.
In addition to playing with the confidence of a more seasoned defender, the French U21 international possesses excellent mobility and game-reading skills, which allow him to see danger early and intercept passes before the opponents cannot react. His confidence on the ball is also high, with a passing accuracy of 93% per 90 minutes, which proves useful against high-pressing teams and allows him to dribble his way out of trouble.
Loïs Openda, 22 years old, ST, RB Leipzig
Recruited for 38.5 million euros from Lens this summer, Openda began his Bundesliga career in spectacular fashion. The Belgium international has scored eight goals in the first 10 matches and is fast approaching his fourth consecutive season in the league with a double-digit goal tally.
Openda is primarily recognized for his exceptional finishing skills, which often result from piercing runs behind the opposition defense. Always on the move looking for spaces to exploit, he is not as active in the build-up phase and does not tend to drop deep, but when the ball enters the final third he gets to work.
A natural finisher with the DNA of a goalscorer, he quickly maps the defenders around him and makes a few decisive touches before finding the right angle to shoot.
Filip Jörgensen, 20, GK, Villarreal
Although young goalkeepers don’t often feature regularly in this column – mainly due to lack of playing time – the Danish U21 international is one to watch. After just two La Liga matches, Villarreal were happy to put their faith in the 20-year-old and so far he has risen to the challenge.
Jörgensen was particularly impressive in the 0-0 draw at Getafe, producing an exceptional range of saves, from solo saves to first-class reaction efforts. However, it’s not just on the goal line that he excels; he plays with vigilance and often picks up balls outside the area thanks to his keen anticipation and courage.
Although his distribution still needs some fine-tuning, Jörgensen, 6-foot-3, already presents a pretty well-rounded profile for a goalkeeper and will only improve with more first-team minutes.
Bryan Zaragoza, 22, FW, Grenada
Used primarily as an impact player on the second division bench last season, the right-footed left winger has been in stunning form in La Liga for newly promoted Granada. Indeed, his double – including a superb finish with the outside of his foot – in the 2-2 draw against Barcelona in early October and his call-up to the Spanish national team have definitely put him on the map.
While still slightly messy from a tactical perspective, Zaragoza’s temperament-driven style and directness – always wanting to advance into the box – makes him extremely exciting to watch. Endowed with an unpredictable and natural recovery capacity (3.7 successes per 90 minutes) and a powerful shot, his style resembles that of a young Franck Ribéry. Regardless of Granada’s ranking this season, Zaragoza is unlikely to be at the club in a year’s time.
Matìas Soulè, 20 years old, AM, Frosinone
The Argentina U20 international has had a fantastic start to the season on loan with Juventus. After 10 matches, Soulé found the net five times and delivered an assist.
Having distinguished himself at youth level at Juventus – he started five Serie A matches for the Turin giants last season – the playmaker has come out of his shell at the newly promoted side. Stylistically, a little trequartisa looking back, Soulé is blessed with magnificent technical ability and vision. In addition to his new goalscoring abilities – two of his goals this season have come from headers – he has also become more progressive in his passing, often picking out a teammate’s runs with a beautifully angled through ball.
Although overly dependent on his left foot, he still manages to slip between opponents (3.6 successful dribbles per 90 minutes) and float between the lines, often cutting in from the right wing.
