Playmakers that should be on Premier League radars: Part II - Bargain buys
Following on from yesterday's look at those that may represent good value to teams with big budgets this month, we've picked out five players that could prove a bargain in Part II of our playmaker series.
Any club on the lookout for creative talent outside of Europe's top five leagues need look no further than the following quintet.
Still a month shy of his 18th birthday, Mohamed Ihattaren has made a big impression on the PSV first team this season. Whether he be playing as an eight or a ten the teenager has excelled, chipping in with three goals and four assists in the Eredivisie and a further goal and three assists in the Europa League this season.
The youngster ended 2019 in sparkling form and will begin 2020 full of confidence. His averages of three shots, three successful dribbles and 2.6 key passes per 90 will not have gone unnoticed and Ihattaren is unlikely to remain in the Netherlands before his teens come to an end.
Utilised more often than not from the right flank, Calvin Stengs has proven more than capable of playing in a central position, with fine displays against both Feyenoord and PSV from the middle ground. His form has already earned international recognition, completing the 90 minutes on debut against Estonia in November, and has reportedly even sparked interest from the likes of Barcelona.
The Dutchman, who turned 21 last month, has four league goals and seven assists to his name in the league this season - with the latter haul enough to rank fourth in the Eredivisie. Like Ihattaren, he's averaging 2.6 key passes per 90 minutes and is set to be snapped up from the Netherlands' top-flight before long.
While Gabriel 'Gabigol' Barbosa stole the headlines in Flamengo's title winning campaign in Brazil, Uruguayan playmaker Giorgian De Arrascaeta was the star of the show not only for his side but in the league as a whole. The 25-year-old has 25 international caps to his name but after four years with Cruzeiro the South American really came to life last season in a big way.
After a move this time last year just shy of £12m De Arrascaeta repaid that fee and then some, leading the way in the Brasileirao in assists, with 14, and with a further 13 goals he became the only player to reach double figures in both categories. Said tallies came from just 23 appearances and a WhoScored.com rating of 7.82 was far and away the best in the division.
Another 21-year-old to have attracted interst from some of Europe's top clubs over the past six months, Pedrinho played much of last season from the right wing before ending the campaign in a more central position. He proved to be more creative when moved infield but that versatility can only be viewed as a positive at the Brazilian's age.
He boasted modest tallies of five goals and four assists across 28 appearances in the 2019 campaign but made huge strides from the season previous regardless. Three shots, 2.3 key passes and 2.8 dribbles per 90 minutes certainly caught the eye in his homeland and Pedrinho is thought to be edging his way closer to a first senior international call up.
Having spent the previous season on loan at Arsenal Tula, scoring eight goals in 25 appearances from the flanks, Zelimkhan Bakaev returned to Spartak in the summer. The 23-year-old has played from wide more often than not again but has flourished in recent outings from the middle of the park, bringing out his creativity.
Capped by the senior Russian side late last year, it's little wonder given the youngster has had a direct hand in ten league goals this season, assisting seven. Bakaev leads the way in the entire division for key passes per 90 minutes, with 3.4, whilst ranking sixth for successful dribbles (2.7 per 90). He's far from the finished article, with his finishing and passing in general both in need of improvement but there's a player there, that's for sure, and one that wouldn't break the bank either.
