VVCS | One's to Watch - Willem van Riel

Analysts Bar
5 days ago
6 min read

With the season finally getting into full swing and fans clamouring to watch their clubs’ new faces in new club kits, it is important to remember the plight of players still looking to find their next club.

The PFA have done a superb job in creating a supportive and professional environment for such players, ensuring that they receive both physical and psychological support to adequately prepare them for their step back into football.

Six weeks into the project and successes include Danny Andrew joining Stockport County, Shane McLoughlin to Cambridge United and Timothee Dieng moving to Dagenham and Redbridge. The current squad also includes some faces that we have been fans of for quite some time, particularly midfielder Ben Stevenson who offers a blend of technical quality with crucial promotion experience with Forest Green Rovers and Portsmouth. Progressive fullback George Harmon has also joined the squad following his departure from Ross County in the Scottish Premiership having attracted our attention playing in the National League South for Oxford City.

Their next opponents are the VVCS team, the Dutch equivalent of the PFA side consisting of players who are out of contract. Established in 2004, the VVCS is a fantastic way for these players to keep their dream alive or find new opportunities in a professional environment with skilled staff, facilities, group sessions, matches etc.

For scouts, both in the UK and across Europe, this could be an interesting opportunity to find squad solutions who are match-ready with games streamed live on the PFA’s YouTube platform and scheduled for a 1pm kick off on Wednesday 6th August.

Last year’s VVCS team saw Augustin Drakpe join Spakenburg in the Dutch 3^rd tier before FC Dordrecht signed him last winter break, performing well in the 2^nd tier and contributing to the club’s playoff campaign. Mohamed Hamdaoui was in the same squad, signing for Telstar and contributing to Telstar’s promotion push by scoring 3 goals and providing 6 assists including appearances in their playoff matches.

So who better to ask about the next key players for keep an eye on than our very own Willem van Riel (@DutchProFootballScout)...

Yuya Ikeshita

The first one is the Dutch Japanese midfielder Yuya Ikeshita (08-05-2002). I started following him a bit when he was at Young Utrecht (Dutch 2^nd tier), earlier in his career he played in Ajax Academy, Elinkwijk and Buitenveldert. He did play 107 matches in the second tier for Young Utrecht and was also their captain for a while which shows they saw some leadership in him. He is a box-to-box midfielder, playing as a Central Midfielder but could also play as a Defensive Midfielder. After the news came out that FC Utrecht did not want to extend his contract, FC Den Bosch immediately contacted his agency and signed him on a 2-year deal.

FC Den Bosch was a very different environment two years ago with an incredibly low league position in the second tier, however they really showed progress and took part in the play offs for promotion, only being beaten by Telstar. Ikeshita’s first season at Den Bosch started well but increasingly found himself on the bench. They did play a very different system and style to those he was used to (3 central defenders) and their coach Kaczmarek was fired in April 2024. Last season, with the progress of Mees Laros and other midfielders like Acheffay, Bakala, Van Leeuwen, Boumassaoudi, Soomets, there was not an opportunity or need to play Ikeshita more than he did.

His qualities are chance prevention, with his tackles, interceptions, numbers of ground duels won he is quite good when there is another player who could provide the more attacking contribution to the team. I compared him with Staring (NAC Breda, season 2023/2024, Dutch 2^nd tier) and his defensive metrics with his number of tackles confirming his defensive qualities.

Above you see Ikeshita’s success rate of all actions, to be honest this is a metric that is hardly valuable although it might say something. On the right is where his career started at Young Utrecht and on the left his last game for FC Den Bosch. At the end of his Utrecht period, you see some big ‘crashes’ (the match vs Heracles and two other matches against big opposition) but before this period it looks quite consistent and a slow progress. When he moved to Den Bosch, the average level looked almost equal but is more volatile.

Conclusion:

Ikeshita could be an interesting player for a midtable Dutch 2^nd tier side, in England I am not sure whether he will be able to compete in League Two or National League due to the physical demands.

Reda Kharchouch

Kharchouch is a 192cm striker, who played at several teams in the Dutch 2^nd tier as well as in the Saudi Arabian 2^nd tier and did also have some experience in playing in the Dutch Eredivisie. Last season he was at Telstar, finding himself mostly on the bench, which is not a shame considering the quality of the side. Before the winter break Eddachouri and El Khachati were two of the three attackers, and after Eddachouri left for Deportivo La Coruna, Correia (Telstar’s coach) opted for more contributors (like Hetli, Kaandorp) than a finisher like Kharchouch on the wings. So, he could be a vital player in a team who wants a strong player upfront who is able to hold himself so other attacking players could move forward. He is quite a direct, raw striker who will have a shot whenever there will be space, whether it is in an outstanding position or not, he will try.

When you see him, he might lack speed, but he is a clever player and could be a threat when passing the ball through (behind the defenders) as well. Apart from this, due to his physical presence, he is also an aerial threat which could be interesting if you need this kind of player in your club's playing style or when the match requires some sort of player. This month he will turn thirty. In the Dutch 2^nd tier he scored a total of twenty-seven goals in seventy-seven matches. Although his playing time had been limited last season, according to Twelve his pressing, run quality and providing teammates stands out. But be cautious because of these limited minutes.

Conclusion:

Kharchouch could still be a vital key in your team when you need a player who is able to stay in possession and contribute to your build up or a player who could break defences by running in behind or causing havoc with his aerial strength. In the Dutch 2^nd tier, he could be an interesting player to have in the squad for every team. In case he could cope with the physical demands of League Two I think he might also be an interesting option there as well.

Gladwin Curiel

Curiel has only been a professional player for a season when he was at FC Volendam. Before then he played at AFC Amsterdam in the Dutch 3^rd tier. He impressed when he was at AFC as a Right Wingback in a 3-5-2 (or 5-3-2), it gave him lots of opportunities to go forward. FC Volendam signed him, but he would always be second choice because Payne is their main player on the right side of the four backline.

When the season did start, Curiel played several matches because of the absence of other defenders (including Payne), and he did fairly well. His main contributions were a steady presence, chance prevention, active defence, and ability to maintain a solid structure, however his attacking contributions were limited. When the ‘normal’ back four were all back, FC Volendam had a great run and did not stop performing, resulting in direct promotion.

Given the fact that it was his first season on this level, Curiel did not disappoint but Volendam is now in the Eredivisie, and this might be a level too high now.

In the above mentioned chart it is visible that Curiel ‘s passing accuracy is quite consistent and even when he went to Volendam he still managed to keep his accuracy at the same level.

Conclusion:

Curiel did perform quite ok in his first professional season and is an interesting option for a lot of second tier Dutch teams. In England, also given the factor that there are more teams who play with wing backs, it might open doors as well in League Two.

The value of these types of showcase games means that clubs and their scouts get the chance to see these players in a competitive and challenging environment, with every player playing with shared intentions. Though their ultimate destinations will be different, the objective is the same - to find the next step in their professional pathway.

Written by Willem van Riel | @DutchProFootballScout

Editor: Colin Sisson | @colin_sisson

Editor: Richard Ogando | @notts_stats

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