Top 5 Belgian Pro League’s Winter Arrivals 2023/24 – Scout Report

All around European football, this January transfer window was relatively quiet in terms of critical players switching teams midway through the season.

The Belgian Pro League was no different, with many teams making smaller moves to offer their squads depth going into this crucial part of the season.

However, some clubs did make some more significant signings

and how they will fit into the tactics of their new managers.

Franck Surdez Scouting Report At KAA Gent

The first January signing we will examine is Franck Surdez.

The 21-year-old Swiss winger will join Gent from Swiss second-division side Neuchâtel Xamax.

The current Swiss U21 international is an exciting prospect and one that is highly rated in Switzerland.

Surdez played 17 matches in total with Xamax in the Challenge League, scoring seven goals and seven assists, establishing himself as the Swiss side’s critical chance creator.

In fact, Surdez’s 14 total goal contributions led the Challenge League this season.

At the same time, his quality on the ball and ball progression have also shone through, with Surdez attempting the second-most overall dribbles and the third-highest attempted dribbles per 90 minutes.

His success rate of 53.6% is also very respectable, though he did not rank in the top 10 in the Challenge League.

The 21-year-old has also attempted the most key passes this season while ranking in the top five in progressive runs, highlighting his ability to create chances constantly, both on and off the ball.

Franck Surdez Ball Progression Map

The data visualization above shows Franck Surdez’s ball progression during his time in the Challenge League this season.

As the data shows, most of the Swiss U21’s actions have occurred down the left flank, with Surdez able to play anywhere along that flank.

He usually starts in more attacking positions, though he has been deployed as a left-back occasionally during his time with Xamax.

Most of the 21-year-old’s dribbling attempts occur just outside the 18-yard box, with Surdez still looking to get forward often, even if he starts in a more defensive position.

When it comes to thinking about how Surdez may fit into Hein Vanhaezebrouck’s tactics, a first glance at both position and preferred side suggests that he may be a great fit to replace 18-year-old Belgian wingback Malick Fofana after he moved to Lyon in the January transfer window.

Under Hein Vanhaezebrouck’s style of play, Gent preferred to play in some version of a back-three formation, usually either a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-1-2.

Fofana was typically deployed on the left side.

While he was tasked with defending, the 18-year-old tended to start in a higher position and become heavily involved in attacking moves for Gent.

Looking at the pie chart graphs above, we can see that Surdez and Fofana are actually quite similar, with the Swiss U21 international being more prevalent on the defensive side of the game.

While his dangerous passes per 90 and pass success rate are not as good as Fofana’s, he still looks like he could become a capable replacement once he has adjusted to his new manager’s tactics and style of play.

Felipe Augusto Scouting Report At Cercle Brugge KSV

Another signing that could turn into a critical transfer, but maybe more for next season, is 19-year-old Brazilian forward Felipe Augusto, who joined title playoff chaser Cercle Brugge this month from Brazilian Serie A side Corinthians.

With Kévin Denkey having a fantastic season as the current top scorer in the Belgian Pro League, it would be unsurprising if he was poached by a bigger European side this summer.

Most of Augusto’s success in Brazil came in the Corinthians youth ranks.

He scored nine goals in 23 appearances for the U20 side, while he only managed two goals in 29 appearances for the senior team.

Augusto is very much a player with a high ceiling and plenty of potential, but one that has yet to make a real impact at the senior level in football.

Still, he projects to be the attacker head coach Miron Muslić relies on to eventually take over the starting striker role, especially with the rumoured €3m fee paid by the Belgian club.

Felipe Augusto Shots Map

Although the sample size for Felipe Augusto’s senior professional career so far is rather limited, the data visualization graphic above shows all the shots the young Brazilian has attempted throughout his career.

Augusto tends to get into reliable positions to get shots off, with the majority of them occurring inside the 18-yard box.

The 19-year-old has not gotten many minutes yet under Muslić, but this is likely due to the striker’s adaptation process after coming over from Brazilian football with few senior minutes under his belt.

The pie chart graphic above compares the metrics of both Kévin Denkey and Felipe Augusto this season.

Of course, the first problem we run into when looking at this comparison is the fact that the 19-year-old Brazilian striker only played 418 minutes for Corinthians in the Brazilian Serie A this past campaign.

This has led to his relatively low possession and attacking metrics, but the early indications on his defensive metrics show that the forward is the perfect type of player in this position for Miron Muslić’s tactics.

The Brazilian ranks relatively high in the metrics for both defensive duels won percentage and aerial duels attempted per 90 minutes, two things that the 41-year-old coach values in his players.

With Cercle Brugge playing a very aggressive, high-press style, the forwards usually are heavily involved in the defensive side of the game and are constantly told to put pressure on the opposition’s backline when they are in possession.

While he is still not the finished product, Cercle Brugge is very good at talent identification, so it would not be surprising if Felipe Augusto becomes another fantastic addition to the Belgian Pro League.

Kelvin Yeboah Scouting Report At Standard de Liège

Another transfer that could be key but is interesting nonetheless is the loan signing of Kelvin Yeboah by Standard de Liège.

Since joining Genoa from Austrian side Sturm Graz in January of 2022, Yeboah has not been able to find consistent playing time, with plenty of loan spells following his arrival in Italy.

Loans to Augsburg and Montpellier followed, before this current one in Belgium.

The former Italy U21 international has managed to hit the ground running, scoring right after coming on in his debut match against RWD Molenbeek.

However, goals have been rather challenging for the 23-year-old striker to come by, with Yeboah making only 13 Ligue 1 appearances for Montpellier in the first half of this campaign and not contributing a goal.

Yeboah has struggled with this since joining Genoa, scoring only three goals during his time with the Italian sides Augsburg and Montpellier.

Kelvin Yeboah Ball Progression Map

With Yeboah’s goal-scoring form not the greatest in the last 18 months or so, it is interesting to see what else the 23-year-old has excelled at in recent seasons.

The answer is his ability on the ball, more specifically, his dribbling ability and progressive runs.

In the last couple of seasons, between his previous three stops, the forward has averaged 6.18 attempted dribbles per 90 minutes, with a success rate of 50.3%.

This shows Yeboah is very capable of running at opposition defenders while in possession and attempting to take them on.

His positional flexibility also contributes to this, with the 23-year-old capable of playing on either wing rather than just through the middle.

The former Italy U21 international also averages 1.78 progressive runs per 90 minutes and 3.96 touches in the penalty area per 90 minutes, showing his constant involvement in attacking moves in and around the penalty area.

This will be rather useful for Ivan Leko as he looks to get more goals out of his attacking unit.

Kelvin Yeboah Shots Map

The two data viz graphics above show the shot maps of both Kelvin Yeboah and current Standard Liège starting striker Wilfried Kanga from the past two seasons.

As we can see, both strikers have not had the greatest campaigns in front of goal recently, but both are relatively similar strikers, at least from a statistical point of view.

With Ivan Leko preferring to use a 4-2-3-1 formation with Standard Liège, there is only space for one of the two forwards unless Leko tries to play Yeboah in a wider position, something he has done at previous career stops.

Standard Liège and Ivan Leko will hope the 23-year-old can rediscover his form from his time at Sturm Graz in Austria.

His goals are needed if the Belgian giants are to avoid an unthinkable relegation.

Adriano Bertaccini Scouting Report At Sint-Truiden

This analysis piece will examine Adriano Bertaccini, the fourth player.

Thorsten Fink’s side won the race for the 23-year-old Belgian striker.

Bertaccini was linked with many clubs during the winter transfer window.

In the first half of the campaign, he was the top scorer in the Challenger Pro League for RFC Liège.

The former Belgian U19 international joins a forward group that has been spearheaded by United States striker Kahveh Zahiroleslam and Mauritania international Aboubakary Koita this season.

The 23-year-old will bring a different dimension to Sint-Truiden’s attack for the second half of this campaign and into the future, as Bertaccini is not just a poacher inside of the penalty box.

Standing at only 5’7”, Bertaccini offers a skill set similar to Koita and not Zahiroleslam.

While he was the Challenger Pro League’s top scorer in the first half of the season, Bertaccini will bring an ability to link play well.

The 23-year-old often looks to make off-the-ball movements to drop into pockets in the midfield to link play together.

Adriano Bertaccini Touch Map

The data visualization graphic above shows Adriano Bertaccini’s touch map this season in the Challenger Pro League for RFC Liège.

As we can see, he tends to be involved in attacking moves all over the pitch, with the 23-year-old very active in the attacking half of the pitch.

With Thorsten Fink’s style of play tending to lean towards a 3-4-2-1 formation during his time in charge of Sint-Truiden, it would be unsurprising to see a front three of Koita and Bertaccini playing behind and off of the 6’4” Zahiroleslam.

This would allow both Koita and Bertaccini the ability to roam more around the pitch and, more specifically, in the attacking third while also allowing the flexibility for Fink to switch to a two-front, with both players capable of playing in a more second-striker role.

As such, let us now compare Koita’s and Bertaccini’s metrics, as it would be a better comparison positionally and in regard to style of play.

As we can see, the metrics are actually pretty similar between the two, with both ranking near the top in shots per 90 and dribbles per 90 when it comes to the attacking metrics.

Bertaccini is more involved in the penalty area, as shown by the difference in their opposition penalty area touches per 90, meaning Bertaccini would likely be more impactful staying closer to the penalty area for Fink.

Their possession metrics are relatively similar, with the Mauritania international being slightly better in this regard.

They are also identical from a defensive standpoint, though Bertaccini ranks very highly in aerial duels won percentage, a slight surprise given his rather smaller height.

Overall, a front three of Koita, Bertaccini, and Zahiroleslam is likely the best route forward for Thorsten Fink and Sint-Truiden as the Canaries continue to push for potential European qualification for next season.

Ken Nkuba Scouting Report At KRC Genk

The last signing we will examine from the Belgian Pro League this January is Ken Nkuba.

The 22-year-old Belgian U21 international will join from fellow Pro League side Charleroi for a fee in the region of €4m.

The 22-year-old typically plays on the right side, and Nkuba can play in either an attacking or defensive role.

With Wouter Vrancken’s side losing both of their starting full-backs this winter, Daniel Muñoz to Crystal Palace in the Premier League and Gerardo Arteaga to Monterrey in Liga MX, Nkuba will likely find at least a short-term home at right-back.

That has actually already been the case, with Nkuba coming on for his Genk debut in their recent defeat to league leaders Union Saint-Gilloise at right-back for the final quarter of an hour in that match.

Nkuba has held his own defensively throughout his senior career

successful in 60.4% of those.

However, Vrancken will likely use him more offensively.

The Belgian wants his full-backs to get forward often and contribute to plenty of attacking moves.

Ken Nkuba Touch Map

The data viz graphic above shows Ken Nkuba’s touch map this season for Charleroi and Genk.

We can see that the Belgian U21 international spends plenty of time in both the defensive and attacking halves of the pitch but has more touches in the attacking half this season.

Looking at the attacking returns of both of Genk’s now departed full-backs, we can see how heavily involved Wouter Vrancken wants his wide defenders to be in attacking phases of play, especially on the right side.

Muñoz had five goals and one assist for Genk in the Belgian League this season, which is the player Nkuba will be replacing if he does start as more of a right-back for Genk.

The pie charts above show the metrics of both Daniel Muñoz and Ken Nkuba.

As we can see, both players are relatively similar from an attacking point of view, with both Muñoz and Nkuba in the top half for all of these metrics.

They are also quite comparative from a defensive point of view, with both of their strengths not really lying in this area.

Looking at the possession metrics, we can see the advantage that Muñoz has in this regard.

Now, in a stronger and more possession-oriented squad, Nkuba’s possession statistics will likely improve.

Charleroi is not really a squad that holds the ball often, with the Belgian side relying more on counterattacks to generate chances and reach the final third.

With both of his starting full-backs sold in this recent transfer window, Vrancken had to react quickly to secure replacements for them, and he did, with Nkuba coming in from Charleroi to likely replace Muñoz and former Club Brugge full-back Eduard Sobol coming in on loan from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg to replace Arteaga.

Ken Nkuba will definitely be a transfer to watch out for as the business end of the Belgian Pro League season gets underway.

Conclusion

As this tactical analysis and scout report show, there have been plenty of quality signings in Belgium throughout this winter transfer window.

While these five were picked out as key ones to watch, plenty of others did not make this piece but will likely be impactful, like Romeo Vermant to Westerlo, Momodou Sonko and Daisuke Yokota to Gent, and Eliot Matazo on loan to Antwerp, among others.

It will be an exciting end to the Belgian Pro League season, with all these players looking to play key roles for their new sides.