Who is Charles De Ketelaere? Raphinha's potential replacement at Leeds

 

Having played such an influential role in Club Bruges' title success, it's surprising that interest in Charles De Ketelaere isn't higher. That said, on the back of such a fine campaign, there is no denying that the attacker will be on the move this summer. One of the hottest prospects in Belgium, De Ketelaere has been slowly cropping up on radars of Premier League sides, notably Leeds as they gear up for life without Raphinha. 

 

Arsenal, Tottenham and Barcelona have all been credited with a serious interest in the Brazilian winger, with the former believed to be leading the race for Raphinha, though Leeds are demanding a hefty fee for the 25-year-old. Nevertheless, Leeds are scouting potential successors for Raphinha, with De Ketelaere reportedly eyed by the Whites and for good reason. 

 

At 21 years of age, De Ketelaere is considered one of the next bright talents off the Belgian conveyor belt and part of that is due to his versatility. While primarily utilised as a striker, forging a solid partnership with Noa Lang in the process, De Ketelaere is able to play out wide, which just adds to his appeal. Considering Jesse Marsch largely favoured a 4-2-3-1 system following his appointment last season, the Club Bruges star could feasibly play in any of the four attacking positions, and, if they need an additional attacking presence to drive the ball forward from deep, he could drop into one of the two anchoring midfield roles. 

 

Having put up returns of just four goals and six assists in 2020/21, the Club Bruges star took his game to the next level as he hit the back of the net 14 times and provided an additional nine assists. In turn, De Ketelaere returned a WhoScored rating of 7.37; only Brighton striker Deniz Undav (7.42), then on loan at Union St.Gilloise, earned better. 

 

What is striking about De Ketelaere, though, is his height. At first glance, you'd presume he is nothing more than a target man, which isn't a shock given he stands at 6'3", and he does use his standing to good effect, just not in the way onlookers would believe. Crowbarring a cliche in, he does have good feet for a big man. A return of 1.5 successful dribbles per 90 was a respectable return for De Ketelaere and while he did return a success rate of just 54.5%, that can be put down to inexperience with the young forward perhaps trying to do too much rather than knowing when to release the ball in time. 

 

Even so, the Belgian is still able to create for teammates and that has helped develop a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'key passes'. Indeed, De Ketelaere ranked eighth for goalscoring chances created in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League last season, while 16 clear-cut chances placed him fifth. With a penchant for creating for others, this would be a boost for a Leeds side that ranked 10th for key passes per game (9.2) in the Premier League last season. 

 

 

For a player who is able to shake off the pressure of opponents with ease, De Ketelaere is still able to provide these goalscoring opportunities for teammates and while his decision making could do with some refining, there is plenty to be excited about surrounding his future. 

 

Even off the ball, he is a player willing to get stuck in for the good of the team. De Ketelaere has developed a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'defensive contribution' and for good reason. A return of 1.4 tackles per 90 was a commendable return for a player who largely operates in attack, and given he was dribbled past just 0.5 times per 90, he is difficult to get the better of when he does look to get stuck in. 

 

And from an attacking viewpoint, he knows when to time his runs in behind defences very well. From his 26 starts as a forward last season, De Ketelaere was flagged offside just 0.5 times per 90 in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, this key for a Club Bruges side that did rank sixth for attempted through balls (32). There are question marks over his overall link up play, with a 72% pass success rate low for a player in a Club Bruges outfit that did rank first for possession (58.6%) in Belgium's top tier last term. 

 

Nevertheless, in the grand scheme of things, De Ketelaere's career is in its infancy and this a weakness can be ironed out with the appropriate coaching. As a potential replacement for Raphinha, Leeds will do well to beat off competition from elsewhere to land De Ketelaere, whose stock has soared over the last 12 months.

Who is Charles De Ketelaere? Raphinha's potential replacement at Leeds