Written by Ronan Manning
The advent of widespread data in football has revolutionized the scouting of players in lesser-followed leagues; increasing data coverage of previously “unknown” leagues has provided teams with opportunity to dig up hidden gems where they couldn’t have in the past. In this article, I’ll use Win Factory’s expansive player database to find and analyze several under-23 talents outside of the world’s top 20 leagues (per Opta’s league rankings).
Conan Noonan (Shamrock Rovers)
Racking up 800 league minutes in his first full season of senior football, 2003-born midfielder Conan Noonan has established himself as one of the League of Ireland’s best young players.
Typically playing in the midfield pair in a 3-4-3 shape (but also making appearances on the left of the front 3), Noonan’s most obvious strength from the data is his passing ability, both in progression from deep and penetration from further forward. He also takes set pieces frequently - with either foot.
While the young midfielder’s numbers are certainly influenced by both playing for a dominant team and frequently coming off the bench, his output is still significant - in the 2024 season he ranked joint-second in the league in xG assisted per 90 (0.33) while maintaining an 81% pass completion rate.
He’s also shown he can contribute from deep in addition to further up the pitch as highlighted in his progressive pass map:
While it’s important to consider the context that comes with the data, Noonan’s passing numbers are excellent for a player of his experience, and his performances for Rovers - who are bound for the Conference League knockout stage - next season will be worth keeping an eye on.
He’s still breaking into the first team at Rovers where he has plenty of room to develop, but a possession-dominant team like Swansea City might make sense if he does eventually make the move overseas.
Pape Moussa Fall (RFC Seraing, on loan from Metz)
At 6’8”, 20-year-old striker Fall is a difficult player to miss on the pitch. A product of Senegal’s famous Génération Foot academy, the Metz loanee is making waves in the Belgian second tier.
Fall’s aerial ability is what you’d expect from a player of his height - of the 66 strikers in the Win Factory database to engage in over 15 aerial duels per 90, he ranks third in win percentage. His aerial dominance is clear, seen here compared to other strikers in the Belgian second tier:
Video analysis reveals that Fall’s open play contributions are far from weak - he’s deceptively quick over short distances and displays a passing range beyond what one might expect from a player of his stature, in addition to an impressive 0.45 non-penalty xG from just 2.36 shots per 90 - but he poses his most significant danger on set pieces. He’s an obvious target in the air but is also a threat on loose balls in the box. With Seraing down 4-2 to RWD Molenbeek entering stoppage time in a recent match, Fall notched two goals from set piece second phases to complete a hat trick and earn his side a late point.
At just 20 years old with a season and a half of professional football under his belt, Pape Moussa Fall has already displayed a very high level of play in several different areas. Already one of the most aerially dominant players you’re likely to come across, he’s also a significant goal threat and looks to only improve in years to come. While he currently plays in a league significantly below the level of his parent club’s, making the jump to Ligue 1 level play might not be far off for the young striker.
Yeremay Hernández (Deportivo La Coruña)
The Spain U21 international pops off the screen as a high-volume, high-success dribbler - his 9.2 dribble attempts per 90 are good for second in the league while he completes them at a respectable rate. His 0.43 combined xG and xG assisted per 90 is also very impressive considering Deportivo lie in 15th place in Spain’s second division.
Taking a look at event data, we begin to get a better picture of the value Hernández adds through his dribbling:
While Deportivo currently sit 17th in the Segunda División, Hernández seems capable of making the leap up a division. A side like Las Palmas, who have a high similarity score to the Spaniard’s current employers, could be a good fit.
These are just a few instances of the talent that has been made more visible with the increased global data coverage of the last several years. Thanks to databases like Win Factory’s, clubs can perform the first steps of an expansive search in a fraction of the time it would otherwise take and unearth some hidden gems.
