In Focus: Five Eredivisie stars to watch from Tadic to Gakpo

The Eredivisie has long been a hotbed of footballing talent, offering plenty of quality and entertainment.

Ajax claimed a fiercely contested title last season, pipping PSV to the post by just two points. 

A number of standout performers have either left or look set to leave the Dutch top flight, but plenty of top players remain.

LiveScore picks out five of the brightest stars who will be looking to light up the Eredivisie next term.

Dusan Tadic

Dusan Tadic was seen as a mercurial, inconsistent talent in his time with Premier League side Southampton, but he has taken the Eredivisie by storm since returning to the Netherlands in 2018.

The Serbian has scored 91 goals and registered 91 assists in 192 appearances across all competitions for the reigning Dutch champions. 

Last season, his league haul was a division-high 19 assists, with an impressive 13 goals alongside it for a total of 32 direct goal contributions — more than any other player in the Eredivisie. 

Tadic turns 34 in November — but do not expect anything less than another stellar season from the forward in 2022-23.

Jesper Karlsson

One of Tadic's closest challengers for combined goals and assists in the Eredivisie last term was Jesper Karlsson. 

The winger scored 17 times and created an additional 13 goals for fifth-placed AZ, placing him joint-second on the league's assist charts and fourth in the top scorer race. 

At just 23, the Swede is young enough to improve even further and will look to finish next season as the league leader in at least one of those two departments.

If he does, he will be sure to attract plenty of attention in the 2023 summer transfer market.

Cody Gakpo

Cody Gakpo is yet another dynamic, technically gifted forward thriving in the Dutch top flight. 

The PSV winger matched Karlsson's assist tally of 13, scoring an additional 12 goals for the Eredivisie runners-up. 

Gakpo offers a varied threat, equally dangerous running at his man or standing over a dead ball. 

The 23-year-old has been turning heads across Europe with his displays and will look to continue in the same vein next term.

Ibrahim Sangare

Gakpo's PSV team-mate Ibrahim Sangare has continued to catch the eye since his move to the Netherlands from Toulouse in September 2020.

The defensive midfielder is being courted by a number of Premier League clubs and former PSV and Ajax manager Aad de Mos believes he would comfortably make the step up. 

He said: "Ibrahim Sangare is extraordinary. This season, he has been the king of PSV. You only miss Sangare when he's not playing. 

"He can easily keep up at an even higher club. He can easily play at Tottenham and certainly at Arsenal. 

"He's better than Albert [Sambi] Lokonga. Sangare is a great player. I think £30million is a good price. 

"[It's] a bargain. I think he is a good player who would be first on the board at all those teams. 

"You need someone like that, who picks up a ball and is always in between things with the point of his shoe. And lately he's also been getting dangerous towards the opponent's goal."

Vangelis Pavlidis

Vangelis Pavlidis' 18 goals in the Eredivisie last season were bettered by only Sebastien Haller (21) and Lois Openda (19). 

However, both of those players have moved on — joining Borussia Dortmund and Lens respectively — leaving the Greek centre forward as the highest scorer remaining from 2021-22. 

The 23-year-old formed a formidable partnership with Karlsson at AZ and will hope to claim the top scorer award for himself next term.