Spent some time at Aston Villa academy. Good player as well, great start at Malmö.
My shout is that we should look more towards the Scandinavian markets. There are several players with the same quality, ambition and drive as AA, but in other positions that could strendthen the team. Maybe not now, but doing proper research would benefit us if we lose someone in the next transfer window or two.
I think there are several other players from the Swedish league that I believe could make a similar impact as Anel's, given the right circumstances (system, use to strengths etc etc) . I very much hope AAs performances can open a door for other Scandinavians coming (more or less) directly from one of the leagues.
Players based in in Sweden tend to be cheaper compared to transfer made from the Danish and Norwegian leagues (based on the ranking and financial situation of the clubs). But the quality is still there. I really like Lucas Bergvall. Casper Widell and Johan Bångsbo are also good prospects. Inexperienced, yes - but top talents. And with Anel doing well, why not try to use and showcase that to players of the same quality and level?
Previously, it would never have been possible to buy top class players from the Swedish league as long as we were a Championship club. But, with Anel doing well in a progressive and high scoring team, it would be interesting to see if it could lead on to something more? Why not try to use his status and performances in a strategic way, put a bit more effort on scouting in Scandinavia the next months and see what comes up? Instead of just see it as a lucky shot on the transfer market. I think (and hope) it will be discussed by the people engaged in the football operations at our club - capitalizing on his (initial) success should come by default, imo. His impact could (and should perhaps?) be used to showcase our club and the environment for same type prospects in similar markets.
Ive been shouting for Gyökeres, Anel, Karlsson, Wålemark etc, but always thought they were out of reach. Now, with AA, it seems like they are not, actually.
Some other players that I like:
Yasin Ayari
Wilmer Odefalk
Benie Traoré
Omar Faraj
Oscar Uddenäs
Hampus Finndell
Jacob Widell Zetterström
Nathaniel Adjei
Michael Baidoo
Jacob Ondrejka
Arnor Sigurdsson
Carl Gustafsson