03.09.2019, 11:10
Top five teams with the best young talent

FIRST-HAND INSIGHT: With the start of the VELUX EHF Champions League approaching fast, we have a detailed look at some key characteristics, continuing with the teams who have the best young talent

Top five teams with the best young talent

Every season in the VELUX EHF Champions League, we see young players break into the spotlight, proving their worth at the highest level in club handball.

As part of the series of articles on the top teams in various aspects of their squads, the focus here is on which clubs boast the most talented young players.

5. RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko

It would be a crying shame to leave Celje out of this list, a club which is renowned in the handball world for producing young talents. However, it is a young player they have brought in who sparks much intrigue.

21-year-old Diogo Silva from Portugal was the best right back at the Under 21 World Championship and there are few better clubs at giving a player like him a chance to excel. A number of players who impressed last season have earned themselves contracts elsewhere, which leaves the door open for more young players to impress. The question is, who will?

4. Montpellier HB

It would have been fascinating to see what Melvyn Richardson could have done at the business end of last season’s competition, but he had to settle for 87 goals in the preliminary round. Aged 22, he is their biggest talent and one of the very best young talents in the sport.

Kylian Villeminot already proved he is capable at this level last year and fresh from starring in the Under 21 World Championship, the 21-year-old playmaker is set to shine even brighter. 18-year-old Giorgi Tskhovrebadze has been banging in the goals for fun with Georgia this year and may be given an opportunity to show what he is capable of in Europe’s elite club competition.

3. THW Kiel

20-year-old Gisli Thorgeir Kristjansson is the exciting new prospect at Kiel this season. Despite joining them last season, early indications suggest he will become a more regular first team player this season.

Although they are regulars in the squad, Nikola Bilyk and Lukas Nilsson are both just 22 and it will be great to see them back in VELUX EHF Champions League action, while 24-year-old Magnus Landin has come a long way since his last appearance in the top flight in 2016, including winning the world championship.

2. Barca

Although the squad as a whole contains plenty of experience, it is important to remember that a number of the club’s key players are still very young.

And the youth is very much in the starting line-up with Dika Mem and Aleix Gomes aged 22, Ludovic Fabregas aged 23 and Lasse Andersson still on his prolonged way to the top at the age of 25. The VELUX EHF FINAL4 was a disappointment at the time for these players, but it will also have been a huge lesson learned for these players and they will be stronger for it.

1. PGE Vive Kielce

No team will rely on youth as much as Kielce this season and they have a wealth of talent to choose from.

A pair of fresh faces, Montenegro’s Branko Vujovic and Turkey’s Doruk Pehlivan, are both 21. Blaz Janc and Arkadiusz Moryto were exceptional last season and are just 22, as is Daniel Dujshebaev.

Then we have Belarusian pair, left back Uladzislau Kulesh and line player Artsem Karalek, who are 23. All things considered, the future looks very bright for Kielce if they can keep this squad together.

TEXT: Chris O'Reilly