After breaking into Groningen’s first-team last season, the exceptionally talented Ludovit Reis will be looking to fill the void left by Juninho Bacuna’s exit.
- By Michael Bell
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Born in Haarlem to Slovakian parents, Reis SV Hoofddorp academy before being signed by Groningen in 2015 at the age of 15.
During the 2016/17 season, Reis was a regular at U19 level and last summer was promoted to the U23 side that plays in the Derde Divisie. Reis also trained with the first team and impressed enough to be included on the bench for five of the opening seven games.
Eventually, against AZ Alkmar, Reis was handed his first team debut from the bench and two weeks later he started for the first time. The match ended in a 2-1 defeat to Sparta Rotterdam, but the youngster scored his first Eredivisie goal.
The 18-year-old was a regular from then on but was limited to 16 Eredivisie appearances by a muscle injury. Groningen has clearly been impressed by the midfielder’s development and have promoted Reis permanently to the first team squad and tied him down to a contract until 2021.
Despite having Slovakian parents, Reis is determined to represent Netherlands at international level, but this was delayed due to him lacking a Dutch passport. This summer, he was finally granted citizenship and will be hoping for a call-up to the U19’s or U21’s next season.
Style of Play
An energetic and versatile box-to-box midfielder, Reis can play deep in midfield or push forward into a more creative role.
The youngster is a strong tackler and reads the game well but also has good dribbling ability and the vision to spray passes around the pitch.
Reis likes to shoot from distance, but isn’t a regular goalscorer, while he needs to watch his discipline having picked up more yellow cards than goals or assists last season.
What to expect from Reis this season
With Juninho Bacuna departing Groningen for Huddersfield Town this summer, Reis will be looking to slot into the centre of midfield alongside Tom van de Looi and Ritsu Doan. The young trio will form an exciting partnership in the Euroborg and if they click, Groningen could be heading for a top ten finish.
If Reis maintains his place in the Groningen starting line-up then he could earn his first call-up at international level for Jong Oranje and could earn himself a transfer to one of the countries biggest clubs. The youngster has spoken of his dream to play for Liverpool, but a move to Ajax, PSV or Feyenoord would be a good step.
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