Talent calendar
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Another promising talent from their own ranks could soon benefit from Bayer Leverkusen’s injury misery on the offensive. Kerim Alajbegovic is drawing attention to himself with good performances in the U19s and has already been in the Werkself matchday squad twice. There are great expectations of the 17-year-old, especially in his home country of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
“He is considered the greatest talent we have in this country at the moment. Some are already calling for him to play for the senior national team because we are not that well staffed on the outside,” says Bosnia expert and TM data manager “YanGuAmtoHui.” At the age of 16, Alajbegovic made his debut in the Bosnian U21 national team and is the bright spot in the U19 team, which failed to qualify for the European Championship without a point. “You can tell that he is superior to some of his teammates.” The team scored four goals in the three games, the left winger was involved in three.
In August 2021, Alajbegovic took a path that Bayer playmaker Florian Wirtz had previously taken: He moved to the Rhine side and left 1. FC Köln for the Werkself. In the U17 Bundesliga West last season he scored eleven goals in 18 games and prepared five more. In the meantime, Alajbegovic was able to show his qualities in the U19, where he has been shining as a goalscorer and provider since this summer. Only his teammate Artem Stepanov, who recently made his debut in the Champions League, has scored more goals in the U19 youth league F.
Alajbegovic is still waiting for his first appearance for Xabi Alonso’s team, but he was on the bench in the 1-1 draw against Bochum in the Bundesliga and the 3-0 win against Elversberg in the DFB Cup. Since four offensive players, Martin Terrier, Victor Boniface, Amine Adli and Jonas Hofmann, are out, his chances of playing have increased. In that case, Alajbegovic would be only a few weeks older than Wirtz was when he made his debut.
Alajbegovic: Strong technique and good mentality
Alajbegovic completes the majority of his missions on the left wing, but according to the Bosnia expert he is very flexible. “He can also play on the right wing or behind the striker. He can help his team in all three positions.” The preferred left wing position does not currently exist in the Leverkusen system, so he is more likely to be considered for the attacking midfield behind the only striker.
His strengths include technique and understanding of the game. “For his age he is technically very good. He has good dribbling skills, runs with the ball a lot and can hold his own. He also has a very good shot and takes strong set pieces. His game intelligence is particularly evident in his anticipation of second balls,” says “YanGuAmtoHui”. The current season’s statistics show that Alajbegovic can shine as both a goalscorer and an assist provider and is not afraid to lead the way on the pitch. “I heard from teammates on the national team that he is a leader, that he always wants to win and always pushes the team when things aren’t going well.”
According to the TM expert, the 17-year-old has a major weakness that accompanies many players at a young age: decision-making. “If you should shoot, he decides to pass, if he is looking for a shot, the pass would often have been the better choice. But that will go away with experience in the coming years.” His future in Leverkusen has not yet been clarified, as the contract ends in the summer of 2025. If he can show his performance in the long term, other top teams will compete for him.
Every day from December 1st to 24th, Transfermarkt will present a talent from the 2007 or 2008 vintage from a different country. Sponsors, data scouts and users act as experts and report interesting facts about 24 young players in our talent calendar who you should keep a close eye on in the future. For example with the TM-Watchlist.
