00:00Welcome back to our new 4-4-2 video feature, The Boys A Bit Special,
00:03in which we're highlighting the best and brightest teenagers world football has to offer.
00:07Don't forget to comment your suggestions below if there's a player we really should be spotlighting.
00:11We might cover them, we might not. You'll just have to keep watching.
00:18Giovanni Cuenta could be Chelsea's answer to Pakao Saka,
00:21but only if the Portuguese winger is given the same trust and the same pathway.
00:24We really think he's got that much potential.
00:26Football in the modern era is all about athleticism.
00:29Coaching has come a long way in the past couple of decades,
00:32raising the floor of elite footballers' general ability,
00:35but the truly elite players combine that on-ball ability with athleticism
00:38that would blow most pros from the 80s and 90s out of the water.
00:42Giovanni Cuenta is among them, and that's exactly why Chelsea bought him.
00:46Their stockpiling of young talent in recent years has irked fans of rival clubs,
00:50and rightly so, especially if your team has also been linked with the same player.
00:54But one thing you can't knock is their talent ID.
00:56Cuenta was born in the former Portuguese colony of Guinea-Bissau,
00:59and moved to the mainland as a youngster,
01:01eventually joining Benfica's renowned academy.
01:04But when those in charge failed to make good on their promises to house Cuenta at their club facilities,
01:08he moved across town to sporting instead.
01:10Talk about backing yourself.
01:12Fast forward six years, and it's a move which has definitely paid off.
01:16He's got great feet, great confidence, and an even greater price tag,
01:20thanks to that lot from Stamford Bridge.
01:22Chelsea agreed a £45 million fee for the teenager back in March 2025,
01:26and Cuenta is set to join up with the rest of the squad at the beginning of the 2026-27 season.
01:31He was a standout at the under-17 euros in 2024,
01:34and even better for Portugal at the under-21 euros a year later, despite their early exit,
01:40making Chelsea look pretty smart for securing his long-term future months in advance.
01:45Cuenta is a creative player first and foremost, and an intelligent one too.
01:49He can play on either flank, creating chances from both sides,
01:51and due to his Nuno Mendes-esque athleticism, covers ground from byline to byline.
01:57And that could make him a useful wing-back option as he matures.
02:00It's something Ruben Amorim has done previously at Sporting,
02:02although we think he's best suited as a right-winger.
02:05His trademark move is receiving on the back foot near the touchline,
02:08pausing for a brief moment to draw in a defender,
02:10and then knocking it past him, and accelerating into the space.
02:13Cuenta is the type of player to make his marker look pretty daft for getting too tight,
02:16but doesn't overdo it, which I have to say is a particular gripe of mine,
02:20beating his man just the once because that's all that's necessary.
02:23Chelsea may have Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittins, Alejandro Garnaccio and Estevão to deploy in wide areas,
02:28but soon they'll be joined by Quenda.
02:31Here's hoping stiff competition is what's needed to get the best out of him.
02:37There aren't many players who make the jump from France's second tier to the Premier League
02:41as seamlessly as Eli Jr. Kruppi appears to have done for Bournemouth this season.
02:45And that's what makes him a little bit special.
02:47We're big fans of Kruppi at 4-4-2,
02:49and we're surprised there was little fanfare over the summer for the French teenager's arrival.
02:53Although that was largely due to the fact that he signed for Bournemouth from the Cherries' partner club, Lorient.
02:57And the deal that was pre-agreed at the beginning of the year.
03:01Nevertheless, Kruppi was signed on the back of a big breakout year in France,
03:04scoring nine and assisting twice for the would-be Ligue des Champions during the first half of 2024-25.
03:10It was then, after his Premier League move had been confirmed,
03:13that Kruppi's goal scoring really took off, scoring 13-13,
03:17and in doing so firing Lorient back to the top flight.
03:20Upon arriving in England, Kruppi scored four goals from the first eight shots in just 165 league minutes.
03:27That's how you get everybody at your new club on board and match-of-the-day pundits sitting up to take note.
03:32In terms of his style, Kruppi is an extremely effective striker of the ball,
03:36marrying up placement and power to great effect.
03:38He turns good shooting opportunities into great ones and great chances into the unsaveable.
03:43His goal against Nottingham Forest in a 2-0 Bournemouth win earlier this season was typical of his style.
03:47Finding the corners of the goal, giving goalkeepers little chance of saving his efforts.
03:52Okay, I know what you're thinking.
03:53How on earth did football's big clubs miss out on the £12 million teenager
03:57who scored 22 times in 30 appearances last year?
04:00Well, dear 442 subscriber,
04:02the answer lies in the multi-club model under which Bournemouth operate.
04:06Don't you just love modern football?
04:08Lorient are one part of wealthy US businessman Bill Foley's Black Knight football and entertainment stable.
04:13And without doubt, Bournemouth's Kruppi acquisition wouldn't have happened
04:16without Foley's minority holding in the French club.
04:19For a team who've made their mark on the Premier League throughout 2025,
04:22their latest revelation could prove to be their next big sale.
04:25Because now Kruppi's at the spear tip of Foley's multi-club structure,
04:29Europe's major clubs know that the next step is signing for one of them.
04:33Spacey for Ozzin!
04:35There's something very Dimitar Berbatov about Eintracht Frankfurt's Schan Ozzin.
04:39And we couldn't get enough until he picked up an injury just as we'd finished planning this episode.
04:43The turkey forward mixes nonchalance, brilliant feet and plenty of shots
04:47to create an attacking profile that would fly off the shelves if he was sold in a footballing department store.
04:53Ozzin is an elegant player, shifting the ball from his left foot to his right and vice versa,
04:58often in the penalty area or close to it and usually under intense pressure.
05:02Eintracht have a reputation for honing and developing forward players.
05:06They've sold Sebastian Haller, Luka Jovic, Randall Kolomuani, Omar Marmouche and Hugo Eketike,
05:11all for big money in recent years. Ozzin is probably going to be the next.
05:14Born in Germany to Turkish parents, Ozzin broke through at Nürnberg in the second tier,
05:19stepping up to the plate in 2023-24 after the club had parted ways with several of their more
05:24senior attacking options the preceding summer.
05:26In his first and only full campaign for the club, Ozzin notched 19 goals in 32 appearances across all
05:32comps. So, understandably, the Bundesliga's foremost striker factory came calling.
05:37Ozzin isn't even a centre-forward, even though his strike rate suggests he is.
05:41He plays slightly deeper, more as a supporting forward on number 10,
05:45and you might assume because of his goals output that the creative side of his game suffers,
05:49but that couldn't be further from the truth.
05:51In fact, Ozzin thrives on having runners around him, loves threading through balls into space
05:55and is a really effective link player to have between an opponent's defensive and midfield lines.
06:00Trying to find the right word for this proved difficult, but I think we've nailed it with this.
06:03He doesn't seem bothered under pressure, or by anything for that matter,
06:07and there's a real calmness and composure when he's on the ball, which translates directly to his finishing.
06:13He strokes the ball into the net almost like he's passing it beyond the goalkeeper.
06:17This season, he beat last year's goal tally by September, doing so in 25 fewer matches.
06:23Outstanding, right?
06:24Nah, that's part for the course for a player who scored 27 times in 24 games for Nuremberg's under-17s,
06:29and then hit 20 goals in 19 appearances with the under-19s.
06:34Mokio! Mokio!
06:3717 years old, left-footed, defensive midfielder, playing regularly for Ajax.
06:41They've done it again, haven't they?
06:42One of the world's best academies.
06:44Well, not quite. Not this time.
06:46Jolte Mokio didn't come through the Amsterdamers' world-famous De Toukampst Academy.
06:50The club's reputation for developing talent certainly played a part in Mokio signing for the club on a free last summer.
06:56Mokio is a full Belgian international already, and for good reason.
07:00He's versatile, first and foremost, playing at left-back, central midfield, defensive midfield and centre-back.
07:06He's had three Ajax managers so far, Farioli, Heitinger and the unfortunately named Grimm,
07:11none of whom have had any qualms deploying him in a variety of positions,
07:15primarily because his style is that of a sweeper-upper.
07:18Mokio wins possession when games are stretched and puts his team back in control.
07:21If there's danger, he'll attempt to snuff it out, get a handle on things and drive with the ball at his feet.
07:27Critics will say his barrelling style needs polishing, and that's true.
07:30But come on, he's 17 and more than makes up for it with his ability to protect the ball.
07:35Just try and get it off him without being shrugged off, just as many defenders in the Eredivisie have found this season.
07:40Mokio's journey, albeit a brief one so far, saw him come through at Belgian club Ghent prior to the Ajax move.
07:45In February 2025, Mokio scored a first senior goal on his full debut in European competition,
07:51and then, a month later, made his debut for Belgium.
07:54Fast forward to present day, and Ajax is arguably the best finishing school in Europe for Mokio to be at right now.
07:59The club have pedigree when it comes to trusting in youth and providing opportunities,
08:03that teams in more established or competitive leagues simply don't.
08:07And that's something Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberg can attest to.
08:10So, if you were looking for a household name to compare Mokio to, look no further,
08:13because there are definitely similarities between his Amsterdam breakthrough and Mokio's currently.
08:18Remember to let us know in the comments what you think of 442's selections,
08:21and which teenagers we need to be spotlighting in the near future.
08:24Thanks again for tuning in, but if this is your first time watching The Boys A Bit Special,
08:28we've got a few more episodes in the back catalogue, and we'll be releasing plenty more in the weeks to come.
08:33So make sure you subscribe to get the lowdown on the future of football.
08:36Or, if you like football analysis you can physically hold in your hands,
08:39have a look at maybe getting yourself or someone you know a 442 magazine subscription,
08:44in which there's more Boys A Bit Special every month.
08:46Bye for now.
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