Yusuf Demir becomes a new addition to the Barcelona B squad. Austrian youngster joins the club on loan, for which the club will pay €500k. Furthermore, the club will have an option to buy the player at the end of the season for €10m.
Description
Yusuf Demir was born on the 2nd of June 2003 in Vienna, Austria. Yusuf started playing football at the age of 7 in his hometown club First Vienna FC. There he spent 3 years before joining SK Rapid Wien in 2013. In January 2019, Demir made a big impression in one of the biggest U19 youth tournaments in Germany. Eventually, he was named as the player of the tournament, despite being 15 years of age. He attracted some of the biggest clubs around the world including Manchester clubs. In May 2019 he signed his first professional contract.
That summer he was promoted from Rapid Vienna’s U18 straight to the first team. However, it wasn’t until December he made his official debut against FC Admira Wacker coming on as a sub. In the next game in the Austrian-Bundesliga, he received his first assist as a professional footballer in just 13 minutes. In the 20/21 season, he became a regular first-team, appearing in 32 games, while playing 1051 minutes of football also scoring 9 goals and assisting 3.
The youngster averaged a goal contribution every 87.6 minutes throughout the season in all competitions. Moreover, Yusuf Demir is a regular within the Austrian youth teams, playing with older players than him. For Austria U15 in 8 appearances, he picked up 10 goals, while for Austria U17 he picked up 9 goals and 1 assist in 14 games. Eventually at the age of 17 years 3 months and 2 days he made his debut for Austria U21. Yusuf was a crucial player in the UEFA Euro U21 qualifying phase, scoring against Estonia and assisting another one in the 2-0 win. 6 months later after making his debut for Austria U21, Yusuf made his debut for the first team of Austria against the Faroe Islands coming on as a sub.
Playing style
Similar player: Álex Collado & Lionel Messi
Yusuf Demir is a left-footed winger or an attacking midfielder that can play behind the main striker. In his game, you can see the admiration for Messi. Yusuf himself admitted that he tried to base his footballing style to that of an Argentine forward. Yusuf is an unpredictable dribbler that likes to have the ball under his feet. His ability on the ball and technique is similar to that of Lionel Messi.
He likes to cut inside and be that number “10” for the team, creating chances or change up the play with his passing ability. Yusuf flourishes when he has open space. He is a dangerous threat in the counter-attacks with his speed and acceleration. However, he also can break down low blocks, with his creativity and ability on the ball. Demir is a tempo controller who can influence the game with his vertical passing ability to find an opening in the opponent’s defence.
The lower centre of gravity makes it very difficult to knock him off the ball, with the player having great balance he can redirect his body during high-speed sprints. Yusuf isn’t scared to take risks and has enough ability to be the main leader and creator of the team.
Meanwhile, he is also a great set-piece specialist that can score free-kicks. However, one of his biggest weaknesses is his defensive ability and Sergi Barjuan will need to develop the player and help him grow during his time and adaptation at the club.
Collado replacement?
Despite being a very attack-minded player, he could become a key player to replace Alex Collado, who has been promoted to the first team. He is mainly a forward, however, don’t rule out that this season we could see him play a more interior role for Barcelona B, in a similar way as Collado during his time in the subsidiary team.
Future at the club
It’s no secret that Yusuf Demir is a big admirer of Barcelona, with his idol being Messi. His future at the club would depend on his performances for Barcelona B and the financial situation of the club next summer. If he impresses enough, he will be bought for 10m, however, with all the attacking options it can take a while for Yusuf to become a regular Barcelona player.
Despite this, the youngster has enough talent to become a future player for the first team. However, it will also depend on the player’s adaptation in Barcelona. Demir somewhat reminds me of Ilias Akhomach, how he plays however with more end product than the La Masia player. It will be interesting to see who will be able to grab their chances in the future. Yusuf will be undergoing the pre-season with the first team, meanwhile, Ilias has been out with the positive Covid case.
Talent Rating: 9/10
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