In Focus: Cherries have picked a ripe prospect in Kerkez

Bournemouth have completed the signing of young defender Milos Kerkez from AZ Alkmaar.

The Hungarian international left-back, 19, was being chased by several of Europe's biggest sides meaning his capture represents a coup for the Cherries and their new boss Andoni Iraola.

We take a closer look at what to expect from the teenage sensation.

Strong convictions

Although his career is still in its early stages, Kerkez has already shown a willingness to take risks in order to progress.

Two years after leaving Rapid Wien's youth academy for Hungarian side Gyor, the youngster received a phone call from AC Milan's now former technical director Paolo Maldini.

The legendary Italian convinced Kerkez to join the Rossoneri — but just six months later, he opted to depart the Serie A giants due to a lack of first-team opportunities.

Joining AZ on a permanent deal rather than going out on loan, the youngster explained: "We had a lot of offers to go on loan, but being a player on loan is a risky situation. 

"Maybe the team wants to play with their academy player instead of you, so I didn't like the loan decision very much.

"I wanted a permanent transfer if possible, and it was really hard because Milan didn't want to give me up so easily."

Star of Alkmaar

That decision quickly proved to be a shrewd one.

Playing a whopping 52 games across all competitions in 2022-23, Kerkez was an influential figure as Pascal Jansen's men finished fourth in the Eredivisie and reached the Europa Conference League semi-finals.

Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri is widely reported to have told his club chiefs to sign the youngster after he scored and starred for AZ in a shock 2-1 win at the Stadio Olimpico last March.

Meanwhile, Portuguese giants Benfica were also keen on Kerkez but were supposedly unwilling to pay the Dutch club's £18million asking price. 

That lack of conviction from other clubs has allowed the Cherries to strike.

Rough diamond

While Kerkez still has plenty to work on, his raw potential appears huge.

Lightning fast and a confident dribbler, he epitomises a modern-day wing-back and will look to bomb forward at every opportunity. 

In last season's Europa Conference League, he ranked in the top 10% of full-backs for touches in the opposition penalty area, while he was one of the Eredivisie's most progressive passers last term.

An impressive 12 direct goal contributions (five goals, seven assists) across all competitions shows the eight-cap international boasts end product, too.

Perfect fit

Kerkez admits the presence of new Cherries coach Iraola played a pivotal role in his switch to the South Coast.

He said: "The coach had a big impact on me to come here. He has come from the Spanish division and I like his philosophy."

Indeed, during his time as Rayo Vallecano boss, 41-year-old Iraola became renowned for deploying adventurous full-backs who made attacking their main priority.

That was clearly music to the ears of the Serbia-born starlet.

Kerkez looks destined for the very top, having been included in the 100-player shortlist for the prestigious Golden Boy award and the CIES Football Observatory’s top 10 players under the age of 20.

At the Vitality Stadium, he may have found the perfect platform to take his promising career to the next level.