There is a moment every season, usually sometime between the last frost leaving the training pitches and the first real pressure matches for the first team, when I allow myself to step back and look not at the present squad but at what is coming next. At Chur we do not just build teams. We build continuity. We build footballers who understand why we play the way we do before they ever wear the senior shirt.

Right now there are six boys I find myself watching more closely than the others. Not because they are perfect – none of them are – but because they each carry something that cannot really be coached. Personality. Adaptability. Courage. Intelligence. Different qualities in different measures, but all pointing in the same direction.

I work with them almost every day. I see how they react when training goes badly, how they speak to younger players, how they process feedback, how they behave when nobody important is watching. These things matter as much as their first touch or passing range.

Some will make it here. Some may build careers elsewhere. That is the reality of development. But all six have something that makes you believe they have a real chance in the professional game.

These are my notes on the ones currently shining brightest in our academy.

Óscar arrived in Chur as a twelve-year-old from Premià de Dalt, just outside Barcelona, through a recommendation from one of our Spanish coaching contacts. What struck us immediately was not just his technical comfort, which you might expect from a Catalan player, but how quickly he adapted to everything around him. New country, new language, new expectations, and within months he behaved like he had always been part of the academy.

That ability to adapt is one of his biggest strengths. Some young players need stability around them to perform. Óscar seems to grow when he is challenged. On the pitch he plays with the same mentality. He is quick, aggressive in his movements, and always willing to try something progressive even when the safer option exists. That bravery is something we try to protect rather than restrict, because you cannot teach that instinct to play forward.

Where we are working with him now is understanding rhythm. At youth level his pace allows him to escape situations easily, but at senior level the question becomes when to accelerate rather than simply if he can. We spend a lot of time talking about recognising moments in the game, when to drive forward and when to combine more patiently with teammates.

He is also one of the more receptive learners in the group. After training he often asks small, very specific questions about body shape, timing, or movement rather than general reassurance. That tells you he is thinking seriously about his development rather than just enjoying his talent. He is not yet a natural leader personality, but he improves consistently and players like that often become very important over time because coaches learn they can trust their progression. If he continues approaching his development with this openness, he has a very real pathway into our first team structure.

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Joseph is one of those players who reminds you why academy football is about more than development plans. His parents came to Switzerland from Ivory Coast before he was born, looking for stability and opportunity, and the club has supported the family quietly over the years. Joseph has never forgotten that. His loyalty to the club is not something he talks about, but you see it in how seriously he takes his work.

If I had to describe him simply, I would say he is one of the most reliable young players we have. Not spectacular in a way that draws immediate attention, but consistently good in the ways coaches value most. He is probably the best trainer of this group. Every exercise done properly, every tactical instruction applied, every session approached with professionalism.

Technically he is very clean. His touch is secure, his passing decisions are usually correct, and he understands positional rotations very naturally. What makes him especially valuable is his versatility across attacking midfield roles, which suits how we like to rotate and overload spaces.

The main thing we encourage him to develop now is risk. Because he is naturally responsible, he sometimes chooses the safe solution when he has the ability to attempt something more decisive. My conversations with him often revolve around understanding that his technical level gives him permission to be more assertive in the final third. Emotionally he is very mature. He understands where he comes from and what has been invested in him, and that perspective often produces players who become cultural pillars inside a club. I would not be surprised if, over time, he becomes one of the players who defines what it means to come through Chur’s academy.

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Every academy cycle produces certain players that immediately change the level of a training group. Dylan was one of those the moment we saw him in the youth candidates match. He did not just perform well, he seemed to operate at a different speed mentally, seeing passing options and movements before others recognised them.

Being Chur born and developed gives him a natural connection to the club, but what really stands out is his internal drive. He is extremely determined without being arrogant. After his standout performance in that youth match, instead of enjoying the recognition he came asking what physical areas he needed to improve to compete with older players. That mentality is usually a very strong indicator for long term success.

Technically he already shows advanced qualities for his age. His awareness between lines, his composure receiving under pressure, and his creativity in tight spaces all suggest a player who could eventually become a central organiser of attacking play. At the moment we are careful not to overload him physically because his technical and cognitive development are the priority.

What I personally enjoy most about working with him is his curiosity. He asks about tactical structure, about why we position certain players in certain ways, about how midfield rotations function. Those are not typical questions for a sixteen-year-old and they show how seriously he is thinking about the game. Inside the club we rate him highly, but we are also careful to manage expectations. Talent at this age is only potential. What matters is whether the mentality continues to match the ability. With Dylan, there are good reasons to believe it will.

Ourdy brings a different kind of story to the academy. Born in Congo, raised in Serbia after his family fled conflict, and now developing here in Switzerland, he has experienced more change than most players his age. He speaks seven languages, which sometimes makes him one of the easiest players to communicate complex tactical ideas to because he processes information very quickly.

Interestingly, he originally developed as an attacking midfielder before we gradually moved him deeper. His technical ability and flair are still evident, but his physical commitment and competitive mentality suggested he could influence the game more from a slightly deeper role. To his credit he embraced the change completely, which says a lot about his character.

On the pitch he is very committed and emotionally invested in his performances. Sometimes we still work on maintaining concentration when the game becomes tactically demanding, but his development over the last year has been significant. He is beginning to understand defensive positioning and transitional responsibilities much more naturally. Off the pitch he is thoughtful and reflective, very aware of his own journey and what football represents for his family. Players with that perspective often show strong resilience because they understand opportunity differently.

Arriola values his adaptability. I value his willingness to evolve his game without resistance. If his tactical discipline continues to improve alongside his natural technical quality, he could become a very modern type of central midfielder for us. Players with his background often develop a quiet strength. You can already see that forming.

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Josua represents something very traditional in Graubünden football culture. Born in Landquart with Spanish family roots, he combines a grounded local mentality with a technical education influenced by his background. He plays with courage and takes responsibility in central areas without hesitation, which is not always common at seventeen.

His game is built on balance. There are no dramatic strengths or weaknesses, but rather a steady development across all key midfield attributes. Passing, positioning, decision making – all progressing together. Players like this often become extremely important because they allow more creative teammates to function. One of his biggest strengths is how coachable he is. Feedback is applied immediately. Adjustments appear in the next training session. That responsiveness makes long term development much more predictable from a staff perspective. Our main focus with him right now is improving anticipation and scanning habits so he can control space earlier rather than reacting late. The more he reads situations before they develop, the more naturally he will fit the structural midfield roles we use.

He is not a naturally expressive personality, but there is a seriousness about his approach that staff appreciate. You trust players like him because they respect the discipline required to play central roles. He may never be the most talked about player in his age group, but I suspect he could become one of the most trusted.

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Nicolás may be the youngest of this group, but in some ways he already behaves like one of the most mature. Born in Cebreros in Spain, he attracted interest from larger academies near Madrid when he was younger, but his family chose stability over early exposure to elite systems. That decision eventually brought them to Chur, which may prove to be very fortunate for us.

For fifteen he shows unusually advanced mentality. His determination, discipline in training, and willingness to learn all stand out consistently in staff reports. Several coaches already consider him among the highest potential players we have seen at that age, although we are careful not to rush that judgement. Positionally he could develop into either a ball-playing central defender or an inverted fullback depending on how his physical profile evolves. For now we focus heavily on fundamentals such as positioning, clean distribution, and understanding defensive spacing because those will support either pathway.

What stands out personally is his humility. There is no sense of missed opportunity or entitlement. Only focus on improvement and appreciation for where he is. That usually reflects strong family influence, which in his case is clearly present. He approaches training with the seriousness of someone older, listens carefully, and applies corrections without needing repetition. Those are small indicators but they often separate players who progress steadily from those who stagnate.

He is one I watch very closely, not because he is finished, but because his starting point is already very strong. If managed correctly, his ceiling could be very high.