Scouting Report: Jorge Meré

It all began in 2005, in a mid-sized city in northern Spain, Asturias to be specific. An 8-year-old boy named Jorge Meré put on a pair of football boots and started training in the youth tiers of Real Oviedo. During this timeframe, Oviedo found themselves bouncing between the third and fourth divisions while battling a financial crisis. This didn’t make them an attractive destination for upcoming talents, and it was the rule rather than the exception that they left for better and more competitive clubs. Juan Mata went to Real Madrid when he was 15 and Michu, who despite staying for a couple of seasons in the first team, went to Celta Vigo as a 20-year-old. So it was far from remarkable when a 13-year old Meré chose to take the bus 30 minutes to Gijón everyday to train with Sporting Gijón.

The young central defender quickly advanced through the youth ranks, and as a 16-year-old, he made his senior debut with Sporting’s reserves in Segunda B, the Spanish third division. 19 more games during that season, 2013/2014, earned him a 4-year-contract with a release clause of €25 million. Meré’s appearances in Spain made him an exciting target for a lot of European heavyweights, but he stayed in Gijón, and in April 2015, he finally made his debut for the first team. Six days before his eighteenth birthday he earned the trust of Abelardo, Sporting’s then-manager, when they faced Real Zaragoza away at La Romareda. Meré got three more games that season when Sporting secured promotion to La Liga for the first time in three years. The very same year, he made his debut for the Spanish U-21 team, which was the last step for Jorge Meré in the pyramid of youth national teams in Spain. He had represented them all.

The following season, 2015/2016, Jorge Meré became a main factor in the first team and started 24 games in La Liga, as Sporting Gijón secured safety in the final matchday. It’s a testament to his mental strength that he was able to be a key figure in a team fighting for survival.

The development of Meré has proceeded and this season he has been an automatic presence in the line-up. He has formed a centre-back partnership with the seasoned Venezuelan Fernando Amorebieta. So far, Meré has started 21 out of 27 games in La Liga. With Meré, Sporting average 2.05 conceded goals per 90 minutes, while without him, they average 2.33 conceded goals per 90 minutes. It has been a troubling season for Sporting, hovering in 19th place with just 18 points, but this hasn’t stopped the 19-year-old from impressing.