The next generation of talented stars from the Eredivisie are set to break out in 2015-16. Andrew Gregory picks five players he expects to have a great season.

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Nearly every summer, Eredivisie stars move out of Holland to continue their careers elsewhere. This leaves opportunities for other young stars to show their talent and promise outside of the shadow of their predecessor. The summer of 2015 was no different as PSV saw the departure of Memphis Depay to Manchester United and Feyenoord let Jordy Clasie move to Southampton to play under his old boss Ronald Koeman. These are the five players that could be poised for a breakout term in 2015-16:

bazoer ajagjRiechedly Bazoer- Ajax

Although Ajax have yet to lose any midfielders to the summer transfer window, Bazoer is still perfect for this list. It is widely predicted that the 18 year-old will start in Ajax boss Frank de Boer’s three man midfield. After coming into the first team from Jong Ajax in the Jupiler League, Bazoer started 18 matches across all competitions in 2014-15 scoring only two goals. Playing in a deeper midfield position is not all about scoring, though, as Bazoer had a passing percentage of 86.9% in the Eredivisie.

The young Dutchman has been likened to fellow countrymen Frank Rijkaard and Clarence Seedorf, but prefers a comparison to former France international Patrick Vieira. Whichever comparisons he may draw, Bazoer is set for stardom, and will be looking to prove it in his first full Eredivisie season.

ziv willRichairo Zivkovic-Willem II

After netting eleven goals for Groningen during the 2013-14 season, a lot was expected from the 18-year-old wonder-kid when he joined Ajax last summer. However Zivkovic had a frustrating first season with the Amsterdam club, as reported problems with the youngster’s attitude saw him languishing in the reserves, and only making seven Eredivisie appearances.

Coach Frank de Boer has now sent the striker on loan to Willem II for the season, which could prove to be a huge deal for the Tilburg club, if Zivkovic can find form. The youngster was top scorer for Jong Ajax last season with 18 goals, and with a point to prove, he could well be one of the stars of this season.

VILHENA AAAFEYTonny Vilhena – Feyenoord

Vilhena started 29 games for Feyenoord in 2013-14 scoring 6 goals, but the number of games in the starting eleven for the 20 year-old diminished to 10 with no goals under Fred Rutten in 2014-15. With Clasie leaving, and a change in management with Giovanni van Bronckhorst taking the reigns, the attacking midfielder will most likely see his playing-time increase in 2015-16.

He was rumored to join his old boss Koeman over the summer, but the change in management spurned his decision to stay at De Kuip.

This season will be a chance to prove that he deserves a starting spot with the 14-time Eredivisie champions.

bruma psvJeffrey Bruma – PSV

Bruma had his chance in England, being picked up by Chelsea while he was still a youth player in the Feyenoord academy. The defender made four appearances for the current Premier League champions before going on two loan spells to Leicester City and Hamburg SV. After his loan spells were up, he was sent back to the Eredivisie and PSV, where he made 31 league appearances in 2014-15.

The 23 year-old will begin to garner more attention from the top-5 leagues in Europe, but sees his future at the Philips Stadion, as he and the club are working out the details of a new contract through 2018 or 2019 according to Voetbal International.

fischer ahjaViktor Fischer – Ajax

Fischer’s candidacy on this list is partially based on the rumors regarding Ricardo Kishna’s impending move to Coppa Italia runner’s-up Lazio. According to Italian sports giornale Corriere dello Sport, Kishna will be in Rome this week to complete a medical and finish his move to the Serie A.

If/when that move goes through, the 20 year-old Fischer will take over Kishna’s position on the left attacking flank. The danish forward has been around the Ajax first team for the last three seasons, and probably would have gotten quite a bit of time last term had he not fell to a hamstring injury. He came back with a force at the end of the 2015 season.

The ‘Flying Dane’ will look to continue that run into the 2015-16 season at the Amsterdam ArenA. Having been targeted by most of the top teams in England, Fischer may get a chance to show his immense talent in a starting role with Ajax, filling in for the imminently departing Kishna.

The Eredivisie has been known to produce great talent over the years, with names like Arjen Robben, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Luis Suarez coming through it’s ranks, and that is only within the last 15 years. It doesn’t seem as though the Dutch League will stop producing incredible talent any time soon. These players are just the next generation of world-class players set to come out of Holland’s top tier.

All statistics and data courtesy of WhoScored.com




Andrew Gregory (2 Posts)