Most Improved U21 defenders This Season
The most improved U21 defenders, ranked on Field Insider.
At a glance
W. Zaïre-Emery of Paris Saint Germain is the standout for raw talent across U21 defenders, with a Field Insider Rating of 93, and Jacobo Ramón Naveros has been the form player this season, grading 68.3, and I. Baouf leads the scoring with 6 goals.
The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: Jacobo Ramón Naveros has improved his Season rating most, up +63.1 on last season, while A. Faye's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +53.3 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.
By our market-value index, Álex Jiménez of Bournemouth is the most valuable name in this group at 98.
50 players · ranked by most improvedCustomise →
| Player | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacobo Ramón NaverosCentre-back |  Como | 21 | +63.1 24/25→25/26 | 681213.5% | 8711.8% |
| 2 | E. BáezFull-back |  San Lorenzo | 21 | +39.3 24/25→25/26 | 67141.9% | 5817% |
| 3 | M. RotsFull-back |  Twente | 20 | +34.2 24/25→25/26 | 42456% | 8430.1% |
| 4 | Tiago GabrielCentre-back |  Lecce | 21 | +29.4 24/25→25/26 | 44205.6% | 8349.7% |
| 5 | M. MendozaCentre-back |  Godoy Cruz | 21 | +29.3 24/25→25/26 | 48160.1% | 569% |
| 6 | W. Zaïre-EmeryFull-back |  Paris Saint Germain | 20 | +29.3 24/25→25/26 | 6484.4% | 9310.7% |
| 7 | K. KosugiFull-back |  Djurgardens IF | 20 | +27.6 24/25→25/26 | 42195.7% | 4217.5% |
| 8 | O. NaaseiCentre-back |  Granada CF | 21 | +25.9 24/25→25/26 | 29809.4% | 6715.7% |
| 9 | Noah MarkmannCentre-back |  FC Nordsjaelland | 19 | +25 24/25→25/26 | 29568.2% | 4519.6% |
| 10 | M. YoungCentre-back |  Sparta Rotterdam | 20 | +24.3 24/25→25/26 | 5969.4% | 757.6% |
| 11 | Hjalte BidstrupFull-back |  Viborg | 20 | +24.2 24/25→25/26 | 27834.5% | 429.8% |
| 12 | J. KaluluFull-back |  PAU | 21 | +23.6 24/25→25/26 | 39155.3% | 6717.3% |
| 13 | I. BaoufCentre-back |  Cambuur | 19 | +23.4 24/25→25/26 | 39150% | 6442.7% |
| 14 | H. AhanorCentre-back |  Atalanta | 18 | +23.3 24/25→25/26 | 27568.3% | 7814.4% |
| 15 | A. FayeCentre-back |  Lorient | 21 | +22.8 24/25→25/26 | 40134.1% | 84176.5% |
| 16 | Amine ChabaneCentre-back |  Amiens | 19 | +22.6 24/25→25/26 | 31272.3% | 606.8% |
| 17 | Juan MoranFull-back | Godoy Cruz | 20 | +22.3 24/25→25/26 | 33212.4% | 519.2% |
| 18 | Pau NavarroCentre-back |  Villarreal | 21 | +21.7 24/25→25/26 | 32210.7% | 848.4% |
| 19 | Álex JiménezFull-back |  Bournemouth | 21 | +21.3 24/25→25/26 | 4398.6% | 9118.7% |
| 20 | Maximilian HennigFull-back |  TSV Hartberg | 19 | +20.7 24/25→25/26 | 26422.4% | 4823.3% |
| 21 | S. van der PlasCentre-back |  Jong PSV U21 | 20 | +20.3 24/25→25/26 | 28270.7% | 5718.6% |
| 22 | Abdulay BahCentre-back |  Nice | 20 | +20.1 24/25→25/26 | 27295.6% | 745.4% |
| 23 | D. JanseFull-back |  Groningen | 20 | +20 24/25→25/26 | 4193.5% | 7542.9% |
| 24 | I. M'BahiaCentre-back |  Clermont Foot | 21 | +19.9 24/25→25/26 | 23585.3% | 6119.1% |
| 25 | P. MillerFull-back |  New England Revolution | 18 | +19.5 24/25→25/26 | 26304.7% | 4615.2% |
| 26 | Emirhan BaşyiğitCentre-back |  Sivasspor | 21 | +19.4 24/25→25/26 | 23538.9% | 411.7% |
| 27 | J. LähteenmäkiFull-back | FC Nordsjaelland | 20 | +18.9 24/25→25/26 | 30173.4% | 4615.7% |
| 28 | S. HansenFull-back |  Randers FC | 20 | +18.8 24/25→25/26 | 27232.1% | 429.6% |
| 29 | I. RozhkovFull-back |  Rubin | 21 | +17.9 24/25→25/26 | 4860.5% | 350.8% |
| 30 | N. Fernandez-VelizFull-back |  Nancy | 21 | +17.9 24/25→25/26 | 29168.9% | 6210.8% |
| 31 | Jinairo JohnsonFull-back |  Jong Ajax | 19 | +17.3 24/25→25/26 | 24266.2% | 5312% |
| 32 | F. LubereckiCentre-back |  Motor Lublin | 21 | +17.3 24/25→25/26 | 3692% | 403.6% |
| 33 | P. KloosterboerCentre-back |  Jong Utrecht | 21 | +16.8 24/25→25/26 | 23289.7% | 5517.1% |
| 34 | A. Ait BoudlalFull-back |  Rennes | 20 | +16.6 24/25→25/26 | 27162.7% | 7834% |
| 35 | Ruairi McConvilleCentre-back |  Norwich | 21 | +16.6 24/25→25/26 | 18976.5% | 6717.8% |
| 36 | Mathijs MenuCentre-back |  Jong AZ | 21 | +16.2 24/25→25/26 | 20385.7% | 5310% |
| 37 | J. MeghomaFull-back |  Rangers | 20 | +16.1 24/25→25/26 | 24209.1% | 5215.8% |
| 38 | S. Gomez van HoogenCentre-back |  Club Brugge II | 20 | +15.5 24/25→25/26 | 23209.5% | 448.8% |
| 39 | Tomas GalvezFull-back | Cambuur | 21 | +14.3 24/25→25/26 | 3282.2% | 6415.6% |
| 40 | Y. KoledinFull-back |  Nizhny Novgorod | 21 | +14.2 24/25→25/26 | 19295.8% | 3118% |
| 41 | Noahkai Kai Daniel BanksCentre-back |  FC Augsburg | 19 | +13.9 24/25→25/26 | 21198.6% | 7815.8% |
| 42 | A. OuattaraCentre-back |  Strasbourg | 20 | +13.8 24/25→25/26 | 22179.2% | 772.9% |
| 43 | I. KrupskyiFull-back |  FC Kharkiv | 21 | +13.7 24/25→25/26 | 3181.1% | 413.1% |
| 44 | T. BlokzijlCentre-back | Groningen | 21 | +13.4 24/25→25/26 | 4149.1% | 768.3% |
| 45 | J. JacquetCentre-back | Rennes | 21 | +13.3 24/25→25/26 | 26103.9% | 7731.5% |
| 46 | W. MońkaCentre-back |  Lech Poznan | 19 | +13.2 24/25→25/26 | 21165% | 406.9% |
| 47 | I. GaniouCentre-back |  Lens | 21 | +13.2 24/25→25/26 | 4245.8% | 8436.6% |
| 48 | L. MolFull-back |  FC OSS | 21 | +13 24/25→25/26 | 141444.4% | 527.1% |
| 49 | Raf van de RietFull-back | Jong PSV U21 | 19 | +13 24/25→25/26 | 17351.4% | 5926.2% |
| 50 | Pau Cubarsí ParedesCentre-back |  Barcelona | 19 | +13 24/25→25/26 | 5134.3% | 93±0% |