Spanish midfielder Dean Huijsen is on the verge of joining Real Madrid during the upcoming summer transfer window.
It is noteworthy that Real Madrid chose Huysen as its first summer signing to bolster the defense.
The most prominent achievements of the Spaniard with Bournemouth
Opta, a website specializing in player records, reported that at the start of the season, the 19-year-old was called up to the Spain squad due to an injury to Barcelona's Iñigo Martínez, and then an injury to Pau Coparsi in the first half of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final against the Netherlands - Huysen's home country - earned him his first cap.
He ended up playing 49 minutes of that match, and performed so well that he was called upon to start the return leg, eventually playing all 120 minutes as Spain won on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League in the summer of 2024.
It's striking that Hoysen wasn't even a regular starter for Bournemouth until four months ago, having joined from Juventus last summer in a deal that now looks expensive, with an initial £12.8 million fee rising to £15.3 million.
He was given rare opportunities in his first few months in England, including a tough test as a starter on the September trip to Liverpool, but Bournemouth failed to win any of the five matches in which he played more than 25 minutes, including three matches lasting 90 minutes.
His impressive performances, including the winning goal in Bournemouth's 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the following match in early December, dispelled any doubts about the youngster's suitability for the Premier League.
He has long been backed by manager Andoni Iraola, but Premier League fans assume a teenager from another country would struggle to adapt to the physicality of the league, especially a lanky, wiry centre-back like Huysen.
Among Premier League defenders, Hossen is exceptionally strong in aerial duels. Only seven players have had more aerial duels than him, winning 59.3% of them. He is third among centre-backs for fouls per 90 minutes (1.2) – best when excluding players representing teams currently in the bottom four of the Premier League – and already has six yellow cards to his name, five of which have been for tactical fouls (one for arguing with an opponent).
Opta explained that Huijsen is very good on the ball, and the player has the best pass completion rate among Bournemouth players who have started more than two Premier League matches this season (84.3%), and with the presence of the Spanish team famous for their passing, he completed 90.4% of his passes in the second leg against the Netherlands.
However, he's not just safe with his passing, he ranks third in the Premier League among centre-backs with 1,500 minutes played this season for progressive passes per 90 minutes (4.0) - passes in open play that start in the attacking two-thirds of the pitch and move the ball at least 25% closer to goal.
Real Madrid were reportedly able to sign Huijsen, despite competing with Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Barcelona.
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