In our latest scout report, it's time to shine a spotlight on Ajax's central midfield dynamo, Branco van den Boomen. Operating in the engine room of one of the Eredivisie's elite techniques, Van den Boomen's style of play is distinctly progressive, with his passing skills standing above and beyond his peers (ranking him in the top 2% of his league position). He complements this with robust goal efficiency, setting him amongst the top 15% of his positional counterparts, and a strong capability for creating chances, indicating a key role in Ajax's midfield build-up play.
While Van den Boomen lacks robustness in ball recovery and retention, sitting well below the average, he makes up for it with his attacking flair and keen sense for carrying the ball progressively. As seen from his activity and possession areas, Van den Boomen is dominant in the midfield third and consistently threatens in the attacking third, but he sees less action in defensive areas.
His defensive weaknesses are further underscored by his modest rates in aerial duels and overall duel wins, hinting at the need for support from more defensively inclined teammates. However, despite his orientation more towards the offensive side of play, Van den Boomen shows restraint in his defensive work, rarely committing fouls or enthusiastic enough to earn yellow cards.
Overall, Branco van den Boomen is an enigmatic presence in the heart of Ajax's midfield line-up. His player stats underscore a player more at ease when driving his team forward than when tasked with defensive duties. His progressive play style and goal threat make him one to watch on the Eredivisie pitches. He may not be your traditional midfield anchorman, but van den Boomen certainly carves his style of play deeply into the Eredivisie's pitches.
Branco van den Boomen Key stats
Branco van den Boomen Career Trend
Branco van den Boomen Shot Maps
Branco van den Boomen Shot Summary
In the 2023-2024 season, Branco van den Boomen took 20 shots, scoring 2 goals. This output came from an Expected Goals (xG) of 0.95, averaging 0.05 xG per shot.
Right Foot: 2 goals from 18 shots. A 11.11% conversion rate. 0.04 xG per shot.
Left Foot: 0 goals from 2 shots. A 0.0% conversion rate. 0.08 xG per shot.
Headers: 0 goals from 0 headed attempts. A 0% conversion rate. 0 xG per shot.
