Scout Report: Find Out Why Liverpool And Tottenham Are Fighting To Sign This German Winger

According to the latest reports, Liverpool and Tottenham are in a race to sign Leroy Sane from Schalke. Let’s scout him and find out why these top teams are fighting for his signature.

Scouting Report: Leroy Sane

Occasion – UEFA Champions League, RO16 second leg.
Location – Estadio Santiago Bernebeau, Madrid, Spain.
REAL MADRID CLUB DE FUTBOL v FC SCHALKE 04

Everyone who has followed the champions league as a competition would be familiar with the game I have cited above. Schalke were already doomed to be done with the competition and go out crashing, but manager Roberto de Matteo had other plans. The man who pulled a rabbit out of the hat v Bayern Munich in 2012 at the final, did it once again, but it wasn’t enough to qualify over the Spanish giants to the Quarter final stages.

The game had stand-out performances and when the team in the spotlight is Schalke, there is bound to be talks of its youngsters. The known stars Meyer, Huntellar, Howedes all were going about doing their regular magic, but 2 other players who really stood out that game was an u19 goalkeeper – Timon Wellenreuther who got his chance due to the injury crisis and the other was one more u21 German international – Leroy Sane. Talk about dream debuts, this was one that the young German would not have even dreamed of. Silencing the crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu is the dream start for any youngster. But Sane had more than just that. He was an unknown quantity and that worked to his and Schalke’s advantage. The youngster took advantage of Fabio Conetrao’s shoddy defending and was cutting in from the right flank like he was Arjen Robben. He even scored a Robben-esque goal to cap of the brilliant performance, although one could argue Iker Casillas should have done better, but for Sane, it was the start of something special.

Sane comes from a family of sports professionals. His dad was a Senegalese international footballer while his mother was a rhythmic gymnast champion for Germany. Sane has shown his potential in the same field of his dad and there are high expectations for sure from this youngster.

Strengths:

Sane is a player who has the basic ingredients to be one of the best-inverted winger the game has seen. With blistering pace and exquisite technique, with proper guidance, training and development, Sane will be one of the most sought after wingers in the game. Like the new Bayern sensation – Douglas Costa, Sane has an effective burst of acceleration. Like Costa, he is always looking to take on defenders and wants to play around with the ball at his feet especially while running towards the opposition defenders, as he tries to trick them with his skills. So young yet so mature, Sane’s level of composure in front of goal is quite surprising. When he hits the ball, it stays hit, this skill with his composure and ball control makes him a real engine for his side while a troublemaker and a pest to handle for defenders both around and inside the penalty box. The German under 21’s ability to take on and get past defenders does the talking in games, Schalke are really lucky to have this gem in their squad. There are quite a few more excellent qualities or traits, one worth mentioning though is his willingness to contribute defensively as well. This also makes his a constant threat during counter attacks. He has the ability to win tackles and tracks back when needed and as the opportunity for a counter arises, Sane is the first on the scene to grab it by its neck. Not only all this, he is also a good dead ball specialist and this makes him an extra (now one of the first) choices to take set pieces. Soon, Sane will be one player who Schalke cant do without.

Weakness:

– Awareness and Strength: The youngster is not always aware of the surroundings, this affects his link up play though he has been a key role in several intricate build ups. And due to his physical nature, he is constantly out-muscled but these are things that can be worked on and with time, corrected too.

– Perhaps too selfish in front of goal, but when he has the ability to score great goals like Robben, or Bale it is not exactly a handicap if he gets more of those shots on target. He should keep it simple and not try too much.

Conclusion:

There is a long road ahead in this footballing journey and Sane should not lose his head and read too much into the media when they are praising him. He needs to maintain this level of the game that people are accustomed to from him and keep it in sync with his development. There will obviously come a point where he has to leave Schalke for something bigger, maybe Spain or England or even Bayern. Only time will tell if young Leroy gets that far or not but right now, things are for sure looking bright.