There are shades of Arjen Robben in reported Aston Villa, Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur target Dario Osorio, talentspotter Lee Scott explains via The Scouted Football Podcast while tipping the Premier League-linked wonderkid with a move to Europe sooner rather than later.
Since bursting onto the scene back home in Chile, the 19-year-old winger has been likened to, amongst others, Gareth Bale, Raphinha and Angel di Maria.
Now, you can add a former Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Chelsea wideman to that list; Osorio’s penchant for cutting in from the right drawing rather inevitable comparisons with arguably the modern era’s greatest left-footed attacker not called Lionel Messi.
Is South America’s Arjen Robben on his way to the Premier League?
“He’s one who cuts inside, likes to get shots off at goal, likes to attack,” says Scott, who currently works for Spanish outfit Velez CF.
“When you watch him play, there are elements of Arjen Robben in that, when he gets the ball on the right-hand side, you know where he’s going. He just wants to come inside and look to get shots away.
“One of his goals, domestically, was a stunning strike when it cut in on his left boot from far out. He managed to hit the top corner with a swerving, dipping shot. That alone will have caught the eye.”
According to Chilean publication LUN, Aston Villa and Tottenham are keeping a close eye on Osorio. Wolverhampton Wanderers came close to striking a £7 million deal back in 2022. Leicester City and Southampton have also taken note of the teenager’s progress.
‘He’ll make a jump’
“He is a player that I don’t think is going to be in South America for much longer. I think he will make a jump straight to a top-five European league,” Scott adds.
“But I do think there is still a lot of raw edges to his game. He’s still a little bit, not slow, but casual on the ball at times. You know he’s got the ability to grab a game and make something happen. But he almost likes to slow down a little bit and toy with the opponent, instead of just bursting past.”
“He is quite stocky and powerful. Part of his game has been learning how to harness that. Because, while being casual, when he clicks into gear he can really move as well for someone who is relatively tall. He has a burst.”
Osorio, an ‘extraordinary’ talent, scored seven times in his breakthrough season for Universidad de Chile in 2022.
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