Talents Calendar
With an unchallenged 4-0 win over Banik Ostrava on Matchday 4 of the Czech Fortuna Liga, SK Slavia Prague maintained their lead at the top of the table. After the game, one name echoed through the dressing room: Daniel Samek. At 17, the defensive midfielder is the youngest player in the team, and he is also one of the 20 most valuable talents in his age group, with a market value of €1.5 million. In the match against Ostrava, he registered his first assist for the team from the capital, before his first goal followed a little later, after which he burst into tears. “A dream came true,” the youth international later commented on Instagram. His teammates celebrated the youngster as he was named man of the match after the final whistle and was showered with eggs and flour by the team.
A few months later, Samek, who made his professional debut at the end of last season, has become an integral part of head coach Jindrich Trpisovsky’s starting eleven. The Czech has played 16 games (three goals/two assists) across all competitions this season, including on the international stage in Europa League qualifying and the Europa Conference League. He managed 613 minutes of play in the domestic league, making him one of the most used talents in his age group in Europe, as a look at the TM database shows. Samek ranks fifth behind Djordje Gordic (638 minutes; Mladost), Gavi (793 minutes; Barça), Andreas Schjelderup (976 minutes; Nordsjaelland) and Mohamed-Ali Cho (1,107 minutes; Angers).
“I have to say he just has balls,” said the head coach, who sees Samek as a possible successor to West Ham midfielders Tomas Soucek and Alex Kral. Both made the step abroad via Slavia and were sold for a combined fee of over €28 million. Thus, the duo ranks first and second in the ranking of the most expensive departures in club history.
Samek, meanwhile, is a player who, compared to his predecessors, can be used not only defensively but also in a more advanced role. Although the talented player has so far been active mainly in the position in front of the back line, Trpisovsky can imagine deploying Samek further forward – as for example in attacking midfield or even up front. It is not uncommon for the Czech to create chances. “Overall, he’s a really intelligent player,” TM user and data scout for the Czech Republic Juanja thinks. In addition, Samek is “extremely good at reading the game and seems very experienced for his age.”
Gavi, Moukoko & Co.: The most valuable players born in 2004
The fact that Samek’s qualities are also noticed abroad is also known by Trpisovsky. “Everyone is looking for a player for this position, as soon as one appears, there is immediate interest in him,” the head coach is sure. Thus, there would be “a great demand” for Samek. In recent months, the youngster had been linked with Italian Serie A side Bologna, who apparently made an offer of €2.5 million, but it was rejected.
From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2004. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.
