Spurs Scouting Thread

I would like to have a Scottish star at Spurs - particularly as a CF (but yes, any top class CF would do for me).



http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jack-harper/profil/spieler/147524

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...al-Madrid-Scottish-youngster-Jack-Harper.html

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/who-jack-harper-you-need-4280337


Who is Jack Harper? All you need to know about the Real Madrid and Scotland wonderkid

ust four Scottish players have played in La Liga. Steve Archibald famously played for Barcelona in the 1980s, while Ted McMinn and Alan Hutton had less famous spells with Sevilla and Mallorca respectively. Records also reveal a gentleman named Jack Watson featured for Real Madrid in the late 1940s.
So when Ryan Harper, two years ago, predicted his then 16-year-old brother, Jack, would "definitely make it as a footballer in La Liga", many Scots may have been inclined to laugh at his prophecy. However, as Jack was about to sign a five-year contract with Real Madrid, it wasn't that outlandish.

And with the return of the UEFA Youth League this week, Scottish youth international Jack, now 18, demonstrated why his brother had so much confidence in him with a goal and a fine all-round performance in Madrid's 2-0 win over Basel.

The Harper family, from Barrhead in East Renfrewshire, moved to Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol nearly 20 years ago when Ryan was just seven. Jack was then born in Spain, while there's a third brother, Mac, who’s the youngest.

All three are footballers. Ryan, 27, plays for Algeciras in the third tier of Spanish football following a spell with Real Betis, where he featured for the B team, while Mac is hopeful of getting spotted at Fuengirola.

But it is forward Jack, who can play through the middle or out wide, who Scotland should be keeping an eye on.

On the verge of signing for Sevilla when he was just 13, Madrid swooped in and beat the Andalusians to a deal. Jack would later claim there was never any doubt about what to do once Madrid, a club he had supported, made an approach.




Initially on one-year rolling deals, he proceeded to make his way through the youth system on the back of technical ability and goal scoring prowess, prompting Madrid to hand him a five-year deal in 2012, securing his future at the club until he turns 21.

One of his early coaches at Los Blancos, Santiago Sanchez, always felt, like Ryan, that Jack was destined for the top.

"He has a lot of talent and, while he has a lot of developing to do, I really believe he will play for Real Madrid in years to come," he said.

Last season he played under Fernando Morientes, top scoring for the Juvenil B side with 25 goals; this season he's playing for Juvenil A and next season he should make the step up to Castilla, who are currently coached by Zinedine Zidane - he's already been a teammate of Zidane's eldest son, Enzo.

It's the Juvenil A side who are tasked with representing Real Madrid in the highly-regarded UEFA Youth League and it was Jack who ensured they got off to a winning start this week.

The competition took the place of the NextGen Series and follows the same format as the Champions League, with each clubs’ youth teams facing each other around the same time as the senior sides meet.

In the opening game against the Swiss side Basel, Jack was the star. He scored with a header and it was his bicycle kick, which ricocheted back off the bar, which created the second in a 2-0 win.





Throughout the game all of his qualities were on show. His imagination and creativity often set him apart from his peers, but he is also an impressive finisher - as he himself admits on Real Madrid's official website.

Scottish football's performance director Mark Wotte has compared him to Manchester United's Robin van Persie, and it is Wotte who has been key in keeping Jack away from representing Spain.

A regular visitor to Madrid, Wotte quickly incorporated the middle of the Harper brothers into the youth set up in Scottish football and Jack insists, despite being born away from his parents' homeland, he only ever wanted to play for Scotland.

"Even though I live in Spain," he explained, "I feel Scottish - so I want to make my family proud and play for my country."

He'll be 20 by the time Euro 2016 arrives and if Scotland qualify - they kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 defeat in Germany - then they, like Wales with Gareth Bale, may be able to head to France with a Real Madrid star in their side.

Barcelona's Munir El Haddadi starred in last season's UEFA Youth League, notching a brace in the final and finishing the competition as the top scorer. Six months later, he's scored his first goal for Barca, been capped by Spain and debuted in the Champions League on Wednesday night against APOEL Nicosia.

Could Jack Harper be about to embark on a similar journey? Scotland will hope so.


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i went to watch coventry city v exeter city last night and a lad called James Maddison played the second half and he reminded me of a young modric the way he recieved the ball from defence sdropped his shoulder and turned towards the opposition goal.
only downside is he is very small and needs to get on the weights and protein shakes, but looks good at 17 years old
coventry are fielding loads of youngsters because of their financial situation, the other week against wycombe wanderes 9 of the 11 that finished the game were from their acadamey

mark timms said:

i went to watch coventry city v exeter city last night

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I'm so sorry.








Just kidding, interesting report, will keep an eye out on him. Can't say I've ever heard the name.

will be watching coventry in the johnstones paint trophy and under 21s a fair bit this season as my mate plays for them so will keep you updated regarding james and also jack finch who can play cb and cm

Dharmabum said:

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Seems like the newspapers are reading this thread now

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footb...tenham-eye-transfer-toulouse-striker-4427419?

am_yisrael_chai said:

Seems like the newspapers are reading this thread now

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footb...tenham-eye-transfer-toulouse-striker-4427419?

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Six goals in nine, not bad at all. Have to wonder though how he'd fare in England being 5'7". Undoubtedly he's very quick, but that's also very small for a striker in the modern Prem.

Edit: Having watched the vid now, he very much looks more the creative type and very versatile rather than an out-and-out striker. Quite a bit of the vid is Braithwaite feeding off him rather than he himself being the finisher. Would actually be a good thing, as the versatility would of course be very beneficial for a Poch system.

I think MF Taylor Moore (Lens) has been mentioned before. He's got 2 other brothers at Lens' academy.
CB Danny Collinge, an England academy international, who plays for Stuttgart.
CF Jack Haper (Scotland) at Real Madrid.

Just a shame we can't get Martin Ødegaard. Had his official international debut today, at the age of 15. The youngest ever in a European Championship qualifier.

He's absolutely brilliant, and just keeps on impressing me. Too bad he will go to Barca or Real..

bobbof said:

Just a shame we can't get Martin Ødegaard. Had his official international debut today, at the age of 15. The youngest ever in a European Championship qualifier.

He's absolutely brilliant, and just keeps on impressing me. Too bad he will go to Barca or Real..

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Im curious where he will end up, he was heavily linkend with him, they even brought him and his family over to check out the set up, but now that their ban is in effect i assume Chelsea, City or Munich will snap him up. Klopp wants him as well. We would never have a shot im sure.

DaSpurs said:

Six goals in nine, not bad at all. Have to wonder though how he'd fare in England being 5'7". Undoubtedly he's very quick, but that's also very small for a striker in the modern Prem.

Edit: Having watched the vid now, he very much looks more the creative type and very versatile rather than an out-and-out striker. Quite a bit of the vid is Braithwaite feeding off him rather than he himself being the finisher. Would actually be a good thing, as the versatility would of course be very beneficial for a Poch system.

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I would prefer Lacazette. He offers everyting Ben Yedder does, is a better dribbler, a couple of inch's taller, stronger and has a higher ceiling IMO.

Ben Yedder is like a Defoe+ upgrade. Bit smarter, not offside as much and gets a bit more involved outside the box to better effect but in other ways is quite similar, he's quite nippy and neat and likes to play off the shoulder of the defence quite a lot. He's got ability but I'd hope we could do better to be honest.

I see Ben Yedder more at like a Newcastle level (and not just because the French/Ligue 1 thing).

That goal scoring, assist making and hard working midfielder playing and scoring last night for Iceland isn't too bad eh.... I wonder how much he would cost?

Be interesting to see how Arkadiusz Milik does this season. Like the look of him.

THOWIG said:

Be interesting to see how Arkadiusz Milik does this season. Like the look of him.

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and 2 sugars please.........

mark timms said:

i went to watch coventry city v exeter city last night and a lad called James Maddison played the second half and he reminded me of a young modric the way he recieved the ball from defence sdropped his shoulder and turned towards the opposition goal.
only downside is he is very small and needs to get on the weights and protein shakes, but looks good at 17 years old
coventry are fielding loads of youngsters because of their financial situation, the other week against wycombe wanderes 9 of the 11 that finished the game were from their acadamey

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It's great news if the lower league teams are playing academy kids for whatever reason. Maybe the current wage deflation in normal jobs is encouraging younger kids to abandon their play stations and look at sport to get a good living?

THOWIG said:

Be interesting to see how Arkadiusz Milik does this season. Like the look of him.

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On loan from Leverkusen to Ajax. Leverkusen themselves have a potential top class player on loan at them, Tim Jedvaj. He was the kid we were trying to do a double deal with in summer 13, Halilovic & Jedvaj....

Salomón Rondón, plays for Zenit. Big strong player, but most importantly he is a lethal finisher. He also has a bit of pace about him.

Some may remember him from his time at Malaga, where he was a promising but not particularly spectacular player, but has really improved since then. Still has some problems though, he seems to score in patches and has not always performed the against the bigger teams. Still, at 25, he has the potential to explode and may be worth the risk, though maybe overpriced. One to look out for though.

If we could get Luis Fabiano from Shaktar we would have a Gem of a player.

Hoddle&Waddle said:

If we could get Luis Fabiano from Shaktar we would have a Gem of a player.

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I'm thinking you meant Luiz Adriano. He also apparently has a contract expiring this summer.