Scout Report – Boban Lazic
Leeds United may well be set to make another summer signing as the club have brought in free agent Boban Lazic on a trial. The winger posted a picture of him in a Leeds training gear, indicating that the club had offered him a trial ahead of the new season. They are considering the possibility of signing the 23-year old.
Boban Lazic, vorig jaar @fcoss_09 (waarschijnlijk op proef) bij Leeds United. pic.twitter.com/Jfx4RlVzbY
— Jip Trommelen (@Jip_Trommelen) July 24, 2017
Lazic’s name wouldn’t ring many bells among football fans in England. So, here we bring you a lowdown on who Boban Lazic is and what will he add to Leeds, if signed.
Footballing Background
Born in Woerden, Netherlands, on 29 January 1994, Lazic started off his footballing career with Dutch outfit Alphense Racing Club (ARC) in 2000, as a six-year old. Having spent 4 years at ARC, Lazic swapped it for AFC Ajax academy in 2004, at the age of 10.
Having risen through the academy, the youngster broke into the Ajax A1 team – the highest youth level team at the club in 2011-12, and played an important role in their junior Eredivisie title triumph, playing along with the likes of Viktor Fischer and Davy Klaassen. In May 2012, he put pen to a professional contract with the club, signing for three years, until 2015.
He spent the 2012-13 season with the Ajax reserves side – ‘Jong Ajax’ in the Beloften Eredivisie and helped them earn promotion to the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football. In those two seasons, he made substitute appearances for the senior team in a friendly but continued to be part of the reserves in the 2013-14 season. He made 10 appearances, scoring and assisting one apiece before Ajax released him from his contract in January 2014.
Following his release, he had several trials with Hull City and Stade de Rennais but ended up joining Greek club Olympiacos. However, an injury kept him out for the entire season, following which he returned to Netherlands and signed a one year deal with PEC Zwolle ahead of the 2015/16 season. He made 10 appearances for the senior team, scoring once. He went on a one-month loan spell at VVV Venlo at the end of January, for whom he played just two times.
At the end of the season, he was released by Zwolle and he signed a one-year deal with FC Oss in the Dutch second tier. He impressed for the club, making 32 appearances, in which he managed 4 goals and 9 assists. Having been released again, he is currently on trial with Leeds United.
Lazic is eligible to play for Netherlands, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia. He played for the Netherlands U15 and the U17 sides during his formative years, but following his long layoffs due to injury, he was not considered for selection again. However, in September 2015, he was called up for Bosnia U21 setup and has informed that he would continue to represent them at senior level too.
Style Of Play
An out and out winger, Lazic can play on either flank with equal comfort. Having played down the right-hand side for most parts of his developmental years, he has been used on the left wing more recently with PEC Zwolle and FC Oss. He has occasionally been deployed in a No.10 role as well.
As with any winger, the 23-year old possesses the pace to burn and is good with the ball at his feet. He has the ability to hug the touchline and pull defences wide and cross the ball into the box accurately. He can cut in from the flank and link-up with his teammates too.
His finishing is a strong feature of his game. An intelligent operator as well, he makes those darting runs into the box and always tries to put himself in a goal-scoring position when not on the ball. But it is his dribbling and his composure in front of goal that stand out the most.
What Does The Future Hold?
Lazic has had a difficult career so far, largely due to injuries hampering his development. However, he showed last season with FC Oss that if he stays fit and is given the chances in the first-team, he can fulfill his potential.
Leeds have a number of options in the wide areas but if Lazic manages to get going, he can certainly make a big difference to the team and could turn out to be a bargain if signed for free.