Semih Aydilek (75 -> 76)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Semih Aydilek
Date of Birth: Jan. 16 1989 (Age: 20)
Current Club: Kayserispor
Position: Striker / Attacking Midfielder / Winger
Height: 1.87 m
Nationality: German / Turkish
Rating: 75

Semih Aydilek is a youth prodigy from Eintracht Frankfurt, where he's been playing since a young age. He then moved to England, where he spent another year with the Birmingham youth team, before he was officially promoted to the first team in 2008. After getting not one single minute for Birmingham, he was loaned out to Motherwell. After not making his break-through there either, he also had a few test trainings in Germany, but then moved to Turkey, where he was finally given a few chances. I'm no expert of the Turkish league, I only know that he's been getting 4 short sub appearances and one start there, where he was subbed out at half time though as well. He must have been added only recently, as he was a Free Agent in newer Game Worlds as well.

Here he's playing for MSV Duisburg during summer before decided to go to Turkey

So, if he's never seen him play and his club record looks anything but impressive, what qualifies him having his own thread?
Reason is quite simple, I've seen him play for the German U-20s and he's quite impressed me there. He was an important man for the side during the WC earlier this year, where he scored the first goal for Germany in the whole tournament with a penalty, after he was fouled in the penalty area.
In total, he's played 12 games for German youth teams scoring 5 goals, and that even though he was earlier used as an atticking midfielder or a winger, before he started to play as a forward.
Before playing for Germany, he also represented Turkey for the U-17 and U-18. He's still eligable to play for both nations.

You can see him celebrating his goal against the USA here

All in all, atm it's a big risk to already invest in him, as it could well take a youple of years until he establishes himself as a starter somewhere, but looking at his talent and what I've seen of him, it can't take too long any more. He might be worth the investment in a GC (I ask you not to bid for him in GC 1, 8, 18, 19, 30, 31, 43, 44, 60, 65 and 83 as these are the GCs I'm in and where I'm bidding for him) if you have a bit patience.

Update: (May 20 2010) Rose to 76

Andre Schürrle (NoDB -> 72 -> 80 -> 85)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Andre Schürrle (Schurrle on the DB)
Date of Birth: Nov. 11 1990 (Age: 18)
Current Club: 1. FSV Mainz 05
Position: Striker
Height: 1.75 m
Nationality: German
Rating: 72

Andre Schürrle joined Mainz at the beginning of the 2006/2007 and was used in the youth team there first. He was an important part of the team which won the youth championship 08/09 against Borussia Dortmund who were regarded as the favourites by most experts.

He's in the bottom row in the middle just above the space between Deutscher and Meister

This season, after Mainz coach Jørn Andersen was fired just before the start of the season, Mainz's youth coach Thomas Tuchel was named the new first team coach. He's one of Schürrle's biggest admirers, and after Schürrle played a great pre-season, he got his first chance in the DFB-Pokal, the German cup, when he was subbed in in the 64th minute. Despite Mainz losing to a 4th division team, he could impress, and one week later he made his Bundesliga debut when he started as the sole striker in Mainz's match against Leverkusen. Mainz dominated in the first half, and Schürrle almost scored his first goal, but Rene Adler could just stop his shot on the line.

He's also a regular for Germany's U-19 with 11 games and 4 goals, who only missed the recent Euros after losing to Spain.

He is not on the DB, but seeing how highly he is regarded by his former youth coach and how well he did in his first games, I expect him to feature regularly this season, maybe not always as a starter but he will get his minutes. With a bit of luck he picks up enough games/minutes before the changes, where he'll probably get added at around 75-77. If he gets added before the changes another small rise might be possible, but potentially he's a 85+ player and should be snapped up as soon as he gets added.

Update: (Aug 15 2009) added to the DB at 72

Update: (Nov 5 2009) rose to 80; positional change to AM/Wing

Update: (Jun 8 2010) Rose to 85

Tolgay Ali Arslan (NoDB -> 74 -> 75)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link


(not on DB)

Name: Tolgay-Ali Arlsan (short: Tolgay Arslan)
Date of Birth: Aug 6 1990
Club: Currently Borussia Dortmund U-19; Hamburger SV next season
Position: AM/Fwd
Height: 1.79m
Nationality: Turkish & German

Tolgay Arslan is a 18 year old midfielder from Borussia Dortmund's Under-19 team, who recently attracted attention from some major clubs. In the end, it was Hamburger SV who managed to sign him until June 2013. His move will be completed this summer. In 13 appearances this season, he managed to score 21 goals, an that as an attacking midfielder.
He probably won't make any professional appearances too soon, but he's definitely a hot prospect for the future.

Finally, a short video of him: http://www.myvideo.de/watch/2025992/uebler_tunnler

Update: (Nov 7 2009) added to the DB with a rating of 74

Update: (Jun 9 2010) Rose to 75

Eugen Gopko (NoDB -> 74 -> 75)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Eugen Gopko
Date of Birth: Jan. 5 1991 (Age: 18)
Current Club: 1. FSV Mainz 05
Position: Midfielder (Defensive/Right)
Height: 1.70 m
Nationality: German
Rating: -

Eugen Gopko is the next Mainz youngster which made it through the youth ranks of Mainz and now had his debut in the Bundesliga. He came on in the 57th minute for Karhan. Mainz at that time were leading by 2-0, and Mainz coach Thomas Tuchel, who has already shown that he gives his youngsters a chance after using Andre Schürrle and Antonio Grimaldi in some games, opted for a slightly more defensive player. However, the first time he was seen was with a great chance only a few minutes after he was subbed in, but he didn't keep his cool and wasted a chance standing 10 metres in front of an open goal with only the keeper in between and hit the ball wide. Fir the rest of game he fulfilled his defensive duties quite well, and didn't take part in the offensive play too often.

He's in the bottom row on the right side above the DFB logo

Just like Schürrle and Grimaldi, he was part of the title-winning Mainz U19-side last year, where he also played in the final and was a main part of a great defensive line.

I really had to think a while before I posted about on him as I'm not totally sure on his potential yet, but looking at Tuchel's strategy, he might get another couple of games. I don't expect him to 'do a Schürrle' (but I didn't expect that from Schürrle either) and burst into the scene so fast and become a regular, but he could be a worthy long-term investment.

Update: (Nov 7 2009) added to the DB with a rating of 74

Update: (Jun 9 2010) Rose to 75

Ibrahima Traoré (76 -> 80)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Ibrahima Traoré (Traore on the DB)
Date of Birth: Apr. 21 1988 (Age: 21)
Current Club: FC Augsburg
Position: Left Winger / Attacking Midfielder
Height: 1.72 m
Nationality: French/Lebanese
Rating: 76
Prediction: 80-82

Usually I'd wait a bit longer before praising a 2nd division player, but Ibrahima Traore has been an absolute revelation this season so far.
Only been a sub in the cup first round and the first match in the league, he impressed Augsburg coach Luhukay enough to become a starter in the second match of the season. He managed to keep Tobias Werner, a player rated very highly by staff and fans, out of the team.

He started the match against Rot-Weiss Oberhausen, and definitely was the best man for Augsburg, maybe even on the pitch.
He first gave an assist to the 1-1 equalizer, and later on scored the 2-1 lead with a wonderful shot himself. Augsburg were unlucky as the match ended in a 2-2 draw. His impressive performance also earned him a starting place in the next 2 matches, where he managed to score again against Bielefeld and again was the best man on the pitch for Augsburg against high-flyers Union Berlin.

jump forward to around 5:40 to see his goal; also listen to the fans chearing his name afterwards although it was just his third game for the club

He arrived in Augsburg at the beginning of the season, when he was signed from Hertha for an undisclosed fee rumpoured to be somewhere around 200k-500k. He grew up in France and was scouted by Hertha BSC Berlin while playing for a 5th division team in France, and moved to Germany when he was 19. He couldn't break into the first team there and only had one short sub appearance in the Bundesliga, but was a regular and usually one of the best for their reserve team in Germany's 4th division, including being top-scorer for his team last season.

His greatest strength is his pace, he's incredibly fast and has been compared to Odonkor on German TV, but he has better technique than him. He's great at dribbling, but always has an eye for his team-mates as well. He's also calm in front of goal and a good finisher.
However, he lacks defensive skills, and should still work a bit on his physical attributes.

Michael Parensen (73 -> 77)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Michael PARENSEN
Date of Birth: Jun 24 1986 (Age: 22)
Current Club: 1. FC Union Berlin
Position: Left Back
Height: 1.80 m
Nationality: German

Michael Parensen started a very promising career in Dortmund, where he regularly featured for their youth teams and later the reserves. He also played for the German U-16, U-17 and U-18. However, he moved to FC Cologne in 2006, and was promoted to the first team in summer 2008. As he didn't get any playing time for the first team, he moved to Union Berlin in January 2009, where he is now the regular at the LB spot since his arrival. Union Berlin just secured their promotion today, so he'll probably get some 2. Bundesliga experience next season. He'll probably reach around 78 in the coming changes, and will easily get 80+ if he regularly plays for Union in the 2. Liga which is very likely IMO.

Stats: (last update May 24)

Games (Subs in / out): 18 (0 / 3)
Minutes: 1548
Goals (penalties): 0 (0)
Yellow / Red cards: 3 / 0

Prediction: Union Berlin gained promotion, and if they do well in the 2. Bundesliga, I can see Parensen to around 82/83 within the next year, in the next changes he should reach around 77/78.

Update: (Nov 3) rose to 77, but lost his starting place

Rouven Sattelmaier (75 -> 78)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Rouven SATTELMAIER
Date of Birth: Aug 7 1987 (Age: 21)
Current Club: Jahn Regensburg
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 1.87 m
Nationality: German

Rouven Sattelmaier, actually only 2nd goalkeeper behind Bastian Becker, profited from the injury of the 1st choice goalkeeper, but has since then impressed, and is currently the highest rated keeper by Kicker, and also on top of the Top Players List. He had 1 sub and 2 full appearences at the beginning of the season (after Becker got sent off), but has now played every game since turn 15, which makes a total of 1286 minutes, in which he conceded only 20 goals and kept 5 clean sheets.
Jahn Regensburg is currently fighting relegation, but that's rather a problem of their weak offence.
For Sattelmaier, I expect a small rise to about 77/78 next time, but he definitely has the potential to play at least for a better side in the 2. Bundesliga or a weaker Bundesliga team, IMO he's a 85+ keeper.

Stats: (last update May 24)

Games (Subs in / out): 27 (1 / 0)
Minutes: 2367
Goals (penalties): 0 (0)
Yellow / Red cards: 2 / 0

Prediction: A goalkeeper I rate very highly, since he took over Regensburg halfway through the season, he always impressed, IMO he's the best keeper in the 3. Liga, and should therefore get a rise to around 77/78. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays for a better club next season or the season after.

Update: (Oct 29) rose to 78

Holger Badstuber (NoDB -> 80 -> 85)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Holger BADSTUBER
Date of Birth: Mar 13 1989 (Age: 19)
Current Club: Bayern Munich II
Position: Defensive Midfielder / Centre Back
Height: 1.89 m
Nationality: German

A regular player for Bayern Munich's youth teams, who debuted in their reserve team last year, and is now one of the top performers for them in the 3rd Liga. He played 19 games and never got subbed in or out, which makes 1710 minutes.
He also was capped for Germany's U-19 squad already, and might be able to get a professional contract at Bayern soon, or should at least get a move to a smaller club from the Bundesliga in the near future.

Stats: (last update May 24)

Games (Subs in / out): 32 (0 / 0)
Minutes: 2820
Goals (penalties): 3 (0)
Yellow / Red cards: 5 / 1

Prediction: A very talented and versatile player, who already made it to the bench of the first team twice this season, but didn't get any playing time. I'm pretty sure that either SM decides to add the Bayern reserves to the DB or that he manages to get at least a short appearance for the first team next season, and should definitely be snapped up then.

Update: (Aug 16 2009) added to the DB with rating of 80

Update: (Nov 7 2009) rose to 85; positional change to CB/LB

Update: (Jun 9 2010) Rose to 88

Jens Möckel (NoDB -> 77)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Jens MÖCKEL
Date of Birth: Feb 21 1988 (Age: 20)
Current Club: Rot-Weiß Erfurt
Position: Centre Back
Height: 1.88 m
Nationality: German

A phisically very strong defender playing for Rot-Weiß Erfurt, currently placed 7th in the league, and looking for a promotion place.
He played 12 complete games out of possible 21, and was brought on as a sub twice, totalling in 1184 minutes. Rot-Weiß Erfurt have the 6th best defence in the 3rd Liga.

Stats: (last update May 2)

Games (Subs in / out): 27 (2 / 0)
Minutes: 2281
Goals (penalties): 0 (0)
Yellow / Red cards: 9 / 2

Update: (Mar 11) added to the DB with a rating of 77

Prediction: A regular player for Erfurt, who finished the season as 10th. 77 is a fair rating for one of the best performers of the team. Should definitely work on his disciplinary record though.

Tufan Tosunoglu (NoDB -> 78 -> 77)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Tufan TOSUNOGLU
Date of Birth: Jul 22 1988 (Age: 20)
Current Club: Kickers Offenbach
Position: Forward / Winger / Attacking Midfielder
Height: 1.78 m
Nationality: Turkish

Another very versatile forward, can be played up front, on the wings or behind the attackers. Has played in all 20 games, with 6 subs out and 3 subs in, which makes a total of 1341 minutes. He's scored 7 goals so far.
He has already played for the Turkish U-21 team as well in a friendly tournament last summer.
Before his move to Offenbach, he played for MSV Duisburg reserves, but never made it to the first squad. This season, Offenbach might get promoted to Division 2, they're currently placed 5th in the league, and the first 2 are getting promoted automatically and the 3rd has to go through play-offs.
I haven't personally seen him play often, but I've seen quite a few of his goals, he looks like a very decent striker with a good understanding of the game as well.

Stats: (last update May 24)

Games (Subs in / out): 27 (6 / 4)
Minutes: 1967
Goals (penalties): 9 (0)
Yellow / Red cards: 4 / 0

Update: (Mar 11) added to the DB with a rating of 78

Prediction: Despite interest from clubs like Sivasspor, Tosunoglu stated that he wanted to stay in Offenbach. Has missed the last 7 games due to injury, but should still remain at 78 IMO.

Update: (Oct 30) dropped to 77 due to his club's bad form

Jan-André Sievers (NoDB -> 78)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Jan-André SIEVERS
Date of Birth: Aug 5 1987 (Age: 21)
Current Club: Kickers Emden
Position: Right Back
Height: 1.80 m
Nationality: German

Jan-André Sievers is a regular for currently 3-rd placed Kickers Emden. He has played 19 games, with only being subbed out 4 times, totalling in 1640 minutes. Kickers Emden have the 3rd best defense in the 3rd Liga, only conceding 17 goals in 20 matches, 2 of them in the game Sievers missed. He started his career at Lüneburg, and made it into the Hamburger SV youth and reserves squad as well as some other lesser clubs before moving to Emden at the beginning of this season.
Personally, I haven't heard much of him yet, which is not neccesarily a bad thing for a defender.

Stats: (last update May 24)

Games (Subs in / out): 36 (0 / 11)
Minutes: 3069
Goals (penalties): 0 (0)
Yellow / Red cards: 4 / 0

Update: (Mar 10) added to the DB with a rating of 78

Prediction: Being a regular at a club who only missed closely promotion by being 6th, he definitely deserves high rating, however I don't think he can get much higher when he stays in the 3. Liga.

Julian Schieber (76 -> 78 -> 82 -> 83)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Julian SCHIEBER
Date of Birth: Feb 13 1989 (Age: 19)
Current Club: VfB Stuttgart II
Position: Forward
Height: 1.86 m
Nationality: German

Julian Schieber moved to Stuttgart in 2006, and after playing in the youth teams, he made his debut for the reserves at the start of this season. He has played in the first 17 matches for his team, while getting subbed in 3 games and being subbed out in 4, which totals in 1272 minutes for the reserves. In the last 3 games of the season, he has even played for the first team after getting subbed in late, adding another 22 minutes of playtime for him. He has scored 8 goals, making him the 6th best scorer in the league.
Since he has already played for the first team, he's definitely one who will get added soon, either if he gets a bit more playing time or maybe already during the routine German rating changes in the coming weeks.

Stats: (last update May 26)

Games (Subs in / out): 28 (5 / 17)
Minutes: 1931
Goals (penalties): 4 (0)
Yellow / Red cards: 2 / 0

Prediction: Since making his debut for the first team, he hasn't since played for the reserves team. With Gomez rumoured to leave, his chances to get even more playing time in the Bundesliga are getting better and better. Might get a small increase to around 80.

Update: (Mar 8 2009) rose to 78

Update: (Nov 5 2009) rose to 82

Update: (Jun 9 2010) Rose to 83

Daniel Didavi (NoDB -> 77)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Daniel DIDAVI
Date of Birth: Feb 21 1990 (Age: 18)
Current Club: VfB Stuttgart II
Position: Attacking Midfield / Forward
Height: 1.79 m
Nationality: German

Daniel Didavi is a very versatile player, who can play anywhere on the offence. He's just signed a new contract until summer 2012.
After missing the first 5 games, he has since then established as a regular player. He's played 15 out of 20 possible games, while being subbed in 4 times and subbed out 8 times, totalling in 980 minutes. He has scored 3 goals, 2 of them at his debut. He has also played one game for the German U-18 team.
With Stuttgart having many injuries atm, he might make his 1st league debut this season, but is definitely one who will make his way in the next years.

Stats: (last update May 24)

Games (Subs in / out): 30 (6 / 15)
Minutes: 2100
Goals (penalties): 5 (0)
Yellow / Red cards: 3 / 0

Prediction: Regular for the Stuttgart reserves with constantly good performances, might have a small chance to play for the first team next year.

Update: (Nov 4) added to the DB with a rating of 77 as a LM/CM

Anton Fink (NoDB -> 78 -> 80)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Anton FINK
Date of Birth: Jul. 31 1987 (Age: 21)
Current Club: SpVgg Unterhaching
Position: Attacking Midfield / Forward
Height: 1.71 m
Nationality: German

Former youth and reserve player of 1860 München, who moved to SpVgg Unterhaching at the beginning of this season. After (surprisingly) not getting a contract with 1860's first team, he decided to leave 1860 and playing for former Bundesliga club SpVgg Unterhaching.
Used to play as a midfielder before his move, but is becoming more and more of a forward for his new team. He's started all possible 20 games before the winter break in the league as well as a start in the DFB-Pokal (cup), totalling in 1794 minutes. He's scored 10 goals in the league, making him the 2nd best scorer. He's well known for his great free-kicks and his pace.
One of the players I like to watch, he's definitely one for the future, IMO it's just a matter of time until he plays on a professional level, either by getting promoted with Haching (currently 6th in the league) or by moving to a bigger club.

Stats: (last update May 24)

Games (Subs in / out): 38 (0 / 23)
Minutes: 3386
Goals (penalties): 21 (6)
Yellow / Red cards: 1 / 0

Update: (Mar 10) added to the DB with a rating of 78

Prediction: Unfortunately, Unterhaching missed the promotion spot by one point. However, Fink has been a stand-out performer for his team, but is already high rated, so I can only see a small rise, if there even is one. However, due to his potential, I can easily see him getting a 85+ player in the future.

Update: (Sep) moved to Karlsruhe

Update: (Nov 2) rose to 80

Sebastian Jung (NoDB -> 74 -> 76 -> 82)

SoccerManager.com Forums Thread Link

Name: Sebastian Jung
Date of Birth: Jun. 22 1990 (Age: 18)
Current Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Position: Right Back
Height: 1.79m
Nationality: German

Sebastian Jung is an 18yo Right-Back, who only signed his first professional contract one month ago. He has already had 5 appearances for Germany's U-18 NT, and made a couple of games for the Eintracht Frankfurt reserves in the Regionalliga (Division 4 in Germany).
Today, he was sitting on the bench for the very first time, and after a small injury from Eintracht Frankfurt's regular RB Patrick Ochs, he had the chance to show his talent.
His greatest strength is his pace, but he also has a good view of the game and is strong going forward. He made a faultless game today, and depending on Patrick Ochs' injury, he might get another chance in the upcoming games.

Considering the German changes are underway atm, he'll probably get added next week if SM decide to rate the 1. Bundesliga before starting with the 3. Liga, and due to the fact that he only played 20 minutes so far, will probably get him added at a rating in the very low 70's, so should be cheap to pick up, but will definitely be a good investment.

Update: (Mar 17 2009) added to the DB with a rating of 74

Update: (Nov 4 2009) Rose to 76

Update: (Jun 8 2010) Rose to 82