Asian Cup transfer targets: Which young guns will Europe's giants be eying?

DOHA, Qatar -- It's never been easier to discover, track, and zero in on young, talented footballers. Laboriously maintained highlights, detailed scouting reports, and more data than one can poke a terabyte at, are all available at a click of a button; and there is a growing industry of freelancers and specialists built around helping clubs find players who, in years gone by, would simply have flown beneath the radar.

And yet, it can sometimes feel like there are still many talented players flying under the radar completely or only beginning to gain recognition for their potential. For whatever reason -- be it their league's or nation's reputation, their game not coming across on film, their toiling at youth level or on the margins of senior football, or their existence as a large fish in a small pond -- they can be overlooked.

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"As Jordanian players, we are always treated unjustly," Jordan's Musa Al-Taamari said after his nation's stunning upset of South Korea to move into Saturday's Asian Cup final vs. Qatar. "For all 11 players, and all the bench players, I hope to see them all in Europe or the Gulf leagues because Jordanian players are well deserving of this chance."

A member of French Ligue 1 side Montpellier, Al-Taamari is the only member of the surprise finalists plying his trade in a European league; the majority of coach Hussein Ammouta's side is attached to the likes of Al-Faisaly, Al-Hussein or Al-Wehdat in the Jordanian Pro League. Some members of the squad play in the Saudi Pro League or the Qatar Stars League, but their coach hopes the triumphs of Doha will lead to other things.

"What you saw today was the fruit of several years of work," Ammouta said. "We have Musa Al-Taamari in the French league, and hopefully we will have four or five Jordanian players in the French league or the English Premier League. When you look at Japan or Korea, you see players who are playing abroad and they have great value to their national teams. This is what we should start planning for: How will we produce players who will play in the world's biggest leagues? This is a building block that's part of a bigger plan."

Indeed, a continental showpiece such as the Asian Cup can provide a springboard to bigger and better things.

"This whole tournament is a massive opportunity," Australia defender Jordy Bos told ESPN. "The teams that we play are very good teams. There's a lot of eyes on them as well. Every game that you can perform in and play well, there's going to be eyes on you. Every game is a big opportunity."

So with the tournament coming to an end, ESPN has assessed some of the most exciting players aged 23 and under who have featured in Qatar.

And yes, before you ask, the likes of Takefusa Kubo and Lee Kang-In fall within this article's age range, but, as two of Asia's premier rising talents, who are already playing for Real Sociedad and Paris Saint-Germain respectively, it's fair to say they've already broken out so there's no reason to include them in here.

Ali Jasim (Iraq)

The Lions of Mesopotamia's campaign ended far earlier than they likely would have been planning after their upset win over Japan in the group stages -- dramatically bundled out in the round of 16 by eventual finalists Jordan (to say nothing of what happened after the game) -- but there's reason to be optimistic about the years ahead for the 2007 champions.

Alongside Hussein Ali, Youssef Amyn and Zidane Iqbal, Jassim was part of a core of promising players selected by Iraqi coach Jesús Cases, and he grabbed his opportunity at a senior level less than a year after starring in Iraq's run to the final of the AFC Under-20 Championship.

The 20-year-old's three assists in Iraq's four games have him tied for the tournament lead with Iran's Sardar Azmoun and, per FotMob, he has created more big chances than any player other than Korean star Lee. Two of his assists came off pinpoint set pieces, while his third was a strong example of his burgeoning confidence and abilities on the biggest stages; he put Phạm Xuân Mạnh on skates as he drove past him on the left before placing a cross perfectly onto the head of Ayman Hussein.

Currently on loan at Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya from fellow Iraq Stars League side Al-Kahrabaa -- scoring four goals in just five games for Al-Soqoor during the AFC Champions League group stages -- Jasim has previously been on the radar of Belgian side KAA Gent as well as clubs in Turkey, going so far as to sign for Süper Lig club Antalyaspor last year only to terminate his contract by mutual consent within 48 hours and return to Iraq.

Jordy Bos (Australia)

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold spoke before the Asian Cup about how his side was undergoing a generational change, of how the shifting of the tournament from June last year to January meant he was heading to Doha with one eye on the Asian Cup and two eyes on the World Cup. Selection headaches followed but, in Bos, Arnold will feel assured that he has established a consistent contributor for the coming cycle.

The Asian Cup represented the 21-year-old's first major international tournament, and he quickly established himself as being ready for this level even though he was asked to play on the wing rather than in his accustomed left-back position. Scoring his first international goal against India, Bos started the Socceroos' three subsequent matches before being used off the bench in the quarterfinals loss to South Korea; on each occasion he gave a level of drive and purposeful possession that Australia otherwise struggled to fashion.

Bos led Australia in take-ons and successful dribbles per 90 minutes across the tournament -- sixth across the whole tournament in the former, per Opta -- and was agonisingly close to what surely would have been a match-winning assist against South Korea, perfectly placing a cross in front of Mitch Duke for a diving header that went wide rather than making the score 2-0 with scant time remaining in the second half. Now, one of the biggest questions facing Arnold is how he'll manage the presence of Bos and Aziz Behich in his squad, with the former the future at left-back but the latter, right now, still performing at a high level for his country.

On the books of Belgian side KVC Westerlo, Bos moved to Europe in the offseason from Melbourne City in a transfer that, at the time, set an outbound Australian record. He possesses a Dutch passport thanks to his parentage, making moves around Europe a much simpler proposition.

Vahdat Hanonov (Tajikistan)