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Dutch teenager Kees Smit is destined to leave the Eredivisie in the coming weeks and months with Premier League clubs among those keen to add the midfielder's progressive profile to their ranks.
Smit has come through at AZ and will almost certainly make the Dutch club a lot of money. For those who follow the UEFA Youth League, Smit and the unfancied AZ were crowned winners of the competition in 2022/23 despite the presence of many more prestigious and established academy sides.
Kees Smit is one of European football's most sought-after players in 2026
That same year, Smit represented AZ in the REWE Junior Cup - an indoor football tournament held in Germany, contested by professional sides. Unsurprisingly, Smit was named the competition's best player, shining as the tournament's most technically-gifted individual, amongst a crowded field, both figuratively and literally.
Arguably the highlight of Smit's tournament display was a goal versus Fulham in which he stole possession, rode challenges as he drove forward and despite being forced away from goal, had the foresight to kick the ball off the perimeter board and into the net, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and looking very smart in the process. We don't know if snooker is big in the Netherlands, but it was a perfect example of doubling in off the cushion.
Smit is all-action, and there's little hesitation to his game - he's got a certain tiki-taka about him.
Comparisons have been drawn to Spain's anchor Pedri, and while the Barcelona man is currently the more accomplished player, Smit probably has greater athleticism, which probably lends itself better, from an intensity and physicality standpoint, to adapting well to the Premier League.
As mentioned, Smit backs this up with great feet and all-round technical ability. He's flighty and robust, operates well in tight spaces and doesn't overcomplicate it.
FourFourTwo's long-running 'The Boy's A Bit Special' feature has been going since the magazine's first issue, highlighting the best young players in the United Kingdom and abroad.
As of September 2025, we've given it a revamp. Our youth football expert Joe Donnohue will be profiling four teenagers each month, explaining why they're, well, a bit special.
Take his performance against Crystal Palace in the Europa Conference League, for example; the Eagles pretty quickly identified that stopping Smit at source - when he received the ball whilst facing his own goalkeeper - was the key to preventing AZ playing out from the back. The 19-year-old had other ideas, of course, with delicate dexterity and composure to break the first line of Palace's press, whenever appropriate. The youngster's decision-making shouldn't be overlooked, either.
It's emblematic of Smit's game as a whole - he finds gaps and bursts through them with a dribble or carry. Unlike other progressive players who are useful in transitional teams but less effective for possession-heavy sides, Smit does both.
Rarely is there a 'sure thing' in football as players can promise so much and see their progression derailed by injury or intra-club politics, but if we were to hedge our bets, we'd say Smit is a future Premier League star, not so far off the Kevin De Bruyne mould.
DID YOU KNOW: En route to winning the UEFA Youth League with AZ, Smit scored an audacious lob from the halfway line against Barcelona
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