🇺🇸 Rokas Pukstas (CM, ‘04) — Hajduk Split Rokas Pukstas will soon complete his move to Middlesbrough, and it's a transfer for the American that was expected for some weeks. @MichalWJK's analysis here: Two years ago, I profiled him as a promising box-to-box midfielder at Hajduk Split, and it's fair to say his game has taken real steps forward since then. Since then, he played more offensively and regularly moved more often towards a wing. Back then, Pukstas had a decent physical profile. Fine in ground duels, strong in the air relative to his size, but with a shooting technique and first touch that let him down. He also leaned heavily on jogging back into position rather than sprinting, which limited his defensive value despite a box-to-box tag. However, he's clearly worked on his end product. He's scoring more regularly and not just from headers anymore. His composure in front of goal has improved, and he looks a more reliable receiver of the ball under pressure. What hasn't changed is the total package of what makes him an exciting player. He's a versatile, roaming attacking midfielder who's comfortable drifting into wide areas or dropping deep, with genuinely good short passing and the ability to dribble past opponents in tight spaces. Two years ago, I said that his aerial ability and heading as a weapon for him, and that's still there. That should suit well for set-piece situations in the Championship. He might need a break here and there, though, as he might need time to get used to a season with the number of games of a Championship team. For Middlesbrough, his profile fits a coach who wants a number 10 who can also contribute defensively when needed, even if pure defensive work was never his strongest suit. He has flashes of creativity, but finishing is rather his stronger suit. If his improved end product carries over into English football, Boro have picked up a player who could realistically be one step closer to a leap into a bigger league next. His 4 American teammates who already play at Middlesbrough will definitely help him to settle in.

Zavier Gozo and Real Salt Lake are in advanced talks with Crystal Palace on a rumored £11M move. @Trigam1605’s thoughts on the potential transfer: Zavier Gozo is a direct, explosive player who thrives in wide areas. At only 19, Gozo stands out due to his natural athleticism. He’s a player who loves running at defenders and using his blistering pace to make runs in behind. This move is exciting for the young American, especially due to his rapid growth in the last 18 months. I do have some concerns, as he still has areas to grow in, such as his physical strength and decision-making, and making the jump directly from the MLS to the Premier League is a big leap. However, Gozo has shown he has a strong mentality and good work ethic which could help him with his transition. Despite starting out as a winger, Gozo has been deployed as a right wingback this season with Real Salt Lake where he hasn’t looked out of place. It will be interesting to see whether Gozo is deployed similarly at Palace or in a more attacking role. I think this move has its risks for Gozo, but it can be a good challenge to see how he fairs against some of the best competition in the world. Furthermore, Palace’s participation in the Europa League this season offers him invaluable exposure to European football. #CPFC

Finding potential replacements for Mika Godts (AFC Ajax) based on data analysis Using only data analysis, the Target Scouting team have used their own new data models to find potentially interesting players for Ajax to (also potentially) replace Mika Godts, who could be on the move after a stellar season for the Dutch side. The data was grabbed on 26/03/2026.

Three new additions to the Target Scouting team! We are excited to add three new aspiring scouts to the Target Scouting team, after impressing us with their consistency and high-quality reports on both X and TSC, our Target Scouting Community. 1. @GXSscouting 2. @C90Scouting 3. @BMfootballscout

'The cruelty of the football industry' As someone who aspires to help aspiring scouts reach their goal, becoming a professional football scout, I feel like it is also my 'job' to mention the not-so-fun things about the football industry. Today, I (Jeroen) am going to share a little bit about my own scouting journey, as I've had to deal with many setbacks myself, and I believe it could help aspiring scouts to manage their expectations when certain things happen. Obviously, I won't share any names, clubs or organisations as I believe that would be very unprofessional. Even saying, "I was in talks with [Club A]" is something that you'll never hear me say publicly on X. I'll share some of my experiences and will add the lesson I learned from it. My first ever experience with a club (~5 years ago) was when a befriended scout helped me to get in touch with [Club A]. The Head of Scouting sent me some messages and said he would call me on Monday. That call never happened, and after another few messages, the contact stopped. This has happened around 4-5 times in the last few years. One time, the contact even stopped after the first message on WhatsApp. Lesson learned: Receiving a message from a scout, Head of Scouting, or any other contact from a club does not mean that you're getting a job. It means that your work is recognised, and there is still a long way to go before you get the job. Another type of experience I had was when I was invited to do trial reports for [Club X], just like a couple of other TS writers. I submitted the report, and they really liked it, but still chose a different applicant. That applicant was an ex-colleague of the Head of Scouting. Lesson learned: When you see an application on LinkedIn, it's 9 out of 10 times already decided who is going to be the successful candidate. This does not mean that you should not apply, but keep it in mind (manage expectations)! There are some experiences that I can't share as (some of) you'd know which club it's about, but I want to share one of the things a 'recruiter (can't mention job title)' said to me: "We know you were in talks with [Club C], how did that go?" Lesson learned: Scouts talk. If you're in talks with Club C, other clubs will probably know this and talk about how you did. The final type of experience that I want to talk about is one I had very recently. I will not go into it due to professional reasons, but... Lesson learned: Don't celebrate too early. Things can change very quickly in the football industry. It takes a lot of mental strength (imo) to keep working hard because you will have to deal with things that don't happen in other industries. Over the past couple of years, but especially since starting my job at Prime11, I have learned a lot about the football industry. I am proud of my journey so far, but I still have big dreams and ambitions, with one of them being to inspire and help others to not make the same mistakes as I did.

🇳🇱 Tim van der Leij - RKC Waalwijk by @matskienhuis

ICYMI: Today, we launched TSC, a Target Scouting community, with the primary aim to help aspiring scouts with their report-writing and database-building. However, it could also offer a solution to more experienced (aspiring) scouts who find it difficult to store their reports and update their database in one central place. With our private report building (see image 1), you can automatically update your database (see image 2) while keeping your reports private. You may also add players to your private watchlist (see image 3). The ratings as shown in the image are (kind of) randomized. Sign up following the link down below: ts-community.vercel.app

𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐒𝐂: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 We are excited to announce the launch of TSC (Target Scouting Community). The aim of the website is to create and expand our community, in which aspiring scouts can write reports, create a database and learn from each other. Sign up for free now using the link down below: ts-community.vercel.app For questions, feedback or bugs you can send a direct message or email.

📌🇨🇭Johan Manzambi – SC Freiburg Position: Central Midfield Date of Birth: 14/10/2005 Preferred Foot: Right Link to the video: xitter.cf/TargetScoutingW/status… Johan Manzambi is a 20-year-old Swiss attack-minded box-to-box midfielder or no. 10 for SC Freiburg in the German Bundesliga. He stands at around 1.82 m with a lanky yet fairly strong frame, which gives him long, powerful strides. He covers lots of ground, being an explosive accelerator with elite long pace, gaining tons of separation. He is not dominant in duels yet, but is effective enough at shielding the ball from pressure, displaying quality press resistance at his current level. In possession, Manzambi’s strength is ball carrying, combining his creative dribbling in 1v1s with his athleticism to progress up both the middle channel and wide areas. He is comfortable receiving under pressure and on the half turn, which also allows him to cleanly combine play within two touches on either foot. He can break lines or spread play wide with his passing precisely, but is restricted by his decision-making losing a touch of speed. Regarding end product, he must become more precise when creating, though he often arrives in dangerous areas, followed by powerful yet inconsistent ball striking. Out of possession, Manzambi covers shadow attentively enough centrally and tracks runners well, though he can be late into duels. When shoulder-to-shoulder, he does not shy away from contact and can be overaggressive. He needs to improve his timing both there and when stepping into lanes to intercept. His recovery runs are strong and timely, while also allowing him to be disruptive when chasing. Manzambi has a high ceiling due to his elite athletic traits and skillful dribbling, which make him impressive in progression. He has a €50m asking price that will limit his movement options to European contenders, but these qualities make it a favorable gamble that he will adapt to the environment of a top Premier League club or Bayern Munich.

In the next report of our partnership with @Hudl and @Statsbomb, we've used their on-ball value (OBV) model and physical data to analyse Ryunosuke Sato (AM, '06, 🇯🇵). Take a look at their website to read more about their products. @a_mc80's full analysis here👇 targetscouting.com/2026/05/0…

🧵𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗔𝗖𝗔𝗙 𝗨𝟭𝟳 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 Beginning our coverage of CONCACAF U17 World Cup Qualification is @ClintVens with the United States. 🇺🇸Malik Jakupovic (CF, '09) 🇺🇸Vinny Garcia (CM, '10) 🇺🇸Prince Forfor (LB, '09) 👇

𝗘𝗰𝘂𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 - 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝗪𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱, 𝗯𝘆 @𝗝𝗣𝗧𝟱_ Here's my thread covering the most interesting players I watched in Ecuadorian youth football in 2023. It will be posted in three parts and includes 27 players.

20. Holger Quintero ▫️ Club (in 2023): Independiente del Valle U-15 ▫️ Position: CM/AM ▫️ Date of birth: 15/08/2009

3. Edwin Quintero ▫️ Club (in 2023): Independiente del Valle U-15 ▫️ Position: AM/RW ▫️ Date of birth: 15/08/2009