Belgian Pro League 2023/2024 season preview: OH Leuven | OneFootball

OH Leuven started well, then slumped away before a late run saw them almost make play-off two. With the new play-off system, OHL will be sure to land in a play-off spot this season. The side linked with Leicester City have one of the most experienced coaches in the league, yet he has for the past few seasons had to operate without a well balanced squad, especially in the striking department.

Head coach: Marc Brys (Returning)

Transfers in: Konan N’Dri (Eupen), Ezechiel Banzuzi (NAC Breda), Raz Shlomo (Maccabi Netanya), Kento Misao (Santa Clara), Alexandro Calut (Standard Liege)

Transfers out: Louis Patris (Anderlecht), Casper De Norre (Millwall), Mousa Al-Tamari (Montpellier), Joao Gamboa (Pogon Szczecin), Dylan Ouedraogo (Free)

Player to watch: Konan N’Dri

N’Dri had his best season of his young career last time out for Eupen, contributing his highest amount of goals and assists for the Pandas. The talent has always been there in terms of dribbling ability, which alongside his reasonable speed makes him a handful. OHL lack scoring, so having N’Dri push on to another level in terms of scoring goals and creating for teammates could go a long way to give them a successful season.

Transfer needs:

The side could really do with another out and out striker. Mario Gonzalez led the line for the side last season, but he has returned to SC Braga. N’Dri can play as a striker, but he is better out wide or in a two, as is Nachon Nsingi. Nathaniel Opoku returns from Leicester after impressing at the back end of last season, but the 22-year-old cannot carry the scoring load alone.

Prediction:

OH Leuven should have enough to stay out of trouble, while they also have a very good coach in Brys. However, if they don’t find a goal scorer then they will likely just have another mid table season without troubling the top six. This is by no means bad, but it would be nice to see OHL pushing for a higher position rather than just settling in to the mid to lower reaches of the Belgian Pro League.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson