Challenger Pro League 2023/24: Three players you need to track from Belgium’s second-tier – scout report

While only a few weeks into the 2023/24 Challenger Pro League season, or Belgian footballs second division, there are a few players that should have an eye kept on them throughout this season. Like many football leagues worldwide, many young and talented players ply their trade below the first division, proving their worth on a lesser stage before being put on the grandest. 

This tactical analysis will look at some players to watch this season, highlighting some of their strengths and incorporating some data viz graphics to understand each players skill set better. 

Romeo Vermant  CF  Club Brugge Nxt  19 years old 

The first player to be included on this list is 19-year-old Romeo Vermant for Club Brugge Nxt. The Belgian U21 international has had a great start to the current season, with the German-born Belgian scoring four goals and contributing one assist through the first three matches of this new campaign. The 19-year-old leads the Challenger Pro League in combined goal contributions at the beginning of this season. 

As already mentioned, the 19-year-old forward has had an excellent start in front of goal, but just how good has he been? When looking at the underlying metrics and statistics, we can see just how impactful he has been for Club Nxt this season. Vermant is averaging 2.49 shots per 90 minutes, one of the leagues highest totals, and an on-target rate of 49.6%. The forward has also created an xG of 0.49, a relatively high total. While it is still early in the season, and all of this should be taken with a pinch of salt, it would be unsurprising to see Vermant keep up this early form throughout the entire season. 

The data viz graphic above goes into more detail about how good the Belgian U21 international has been in front of goal this season. While this is a small sample size, it can give a more general image of the type of forward the 19-year-old is. As the shot map shows, Vermant has been relatively consistent in his shot selection this season, with the majority of his shots coming from in and around the penalty spot and six-yard box. This demonstrates that the young forward has begun to find consistency in front of goal, which he can hopefully grow on.