Oscar Gloukh: Profile, playing style, scouting report

Manchester United and Arsenal monitoring RB Salzburg starlet Oscar Gloukh

Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United are keeping an eye on Israeli sensation Oscar Gloukh.

During the break between internationals, scouts from the Premier League's top teams were keeping an eye on the 19-year-old.

He seems to have excelled when he scored the equaliser against Romania to increase his nation's hopes of making it to Euro 2024.

Oscar Gloukh, an attacking midfielder, stood out during this summer's European Under-21 Championship matchup versus England.

In the Euro 2019 final, he had earlier squared off against a Three Lions young squad and scored with a spectacular strike.

He transferred from Maccabi Tel Aviv to Red Bull Salzburg for £6 million in January. For the Austrian team, the teenager has scored three goals in 24 games.

Gloukh had previously been connected to Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, and Barcelona. The Catalans were reportedly quite close to recruiting the young player, but their interest only surfaced after Salzburg had come to an agreement.

Who is Oscar Gloukh?

Oscar Gloukh, an offensive midfielder for Austrian Bundesliga side Red Bull Salzburg and the Israel national team, was raised in Israel on April 1, 2004.

Gloukh's father, Maxim Gloukh, emigrated from Russia to Israel at the tender age of 13, where he was brought up.

On August 8, 2021, Gloukh made his debut as a senior for Maccabi Tel Aviv in a 1-1 Israeli Toto Cup contest against Hapoel Jerusalem (Hapoel Jerusalem won on penalties, 7-6).

He additionally made his professional Israeli Premier League club lineup appearance for Maccabi Tel Aviv on April 11, 2022, in a 1-1 tie with Maccabi Haifa. In the 28th minute of that match, he scored his first goal for the senior side.

Gloukh signed a 4.5-year contract with Austrian Bundesliga team Red Bull Salzburg on January 27, 2023, for a fee of €7 million.

Gloukh has played for the Israel under-19 squad from 2021, and for the second time in the team's history, he helped Israel qualify for the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2022. Gloukh finished the tournament with a total of 4 goals (third-best goal scorer) and 2 assists, including a goal against England in the championship game, which was lost 1-3 after extra time.

Gloukh got the competition's Goal of the Tournament award for his goal in the championship final, and ESPN called him one of the greatest players in the competition. He was also named to UEFA's squad of the championship.

Gloukh also competes for Israel's under-21 squad, earning his professional appearance on June 2, 2022, and participating in the team's third-ever qualification for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2023.

Oscar Gloukh: Style of play

Oscar Gloukh plays as a classic "number 10," elevating the performances of those around him by occupying small spaces to receive the ball and advance. He consistently demonstrated his dominance in possession and supported Israel's build-up play as they advanced to the Euro final.

Beyond build-ups, Gloukh became a crucial element of his team's attacking movements this summer, making the opposition cower in dread as he used his combination of speed and skill to expose their defences.

He even provided three goals and two assists further up the pitch, demonstrating his superior ability to work with others in the final third.

The only thing preventing Gloukh at this time from reaching the highest level is his lack of bodily concentration and energy when in control. But a decent-sized European club should be willing to take a chance on him this year because of his quick dribbling, fluid footwork, accurate passing, and deft finishing.

The Israeli midfielder excels in mobility and might be crucial to a team like Bayer Leverkusen, which is explosive on the break. We'll have to wait until the end of the summer to find out what will happen with Oscar Gloukh's future, but with a 6 million pound price tag, every club ought to be vying for his services before the 2022–23 season.