Daan the man! Charleroi midfielder coming of age for the Zebras | OneFootball

Prior to the season, during the Belgian Football Podcast preview of the Belgian Pro League, I predicted that Daan Heymans of Charleroi would have a good season under Rik De Mil. At the back end of last season, under the former Westerlo head coach, the 25-year-old had shown signs that he was ready to really contribute in terms of goals.

Seven games into the season and even I did not see him having such a good start to the season. In just seven games he already has six goals. Heymans best season was for Beveren back in 2020/2021, where he scored nine goals in 34 games. In 2022/2023 he scored seven in 34 for Charleroi, both numbers he should comfortably surpass this season.

Heymans has really found his role playing just off the striker, and for a side that have struggled to find a reliable goal scorer to play in the forward role, Heymans has been crucial this season. Two of his goals have been from the spot, but he has then scored others with both his head and his feet. He has taken 29 shots and has an xG of 4.63. All of his goals have come from inside the box, with De Mil giving him that license to get into the area when the ball is out wide.

Outside of Heymans goals, the Zebras have only scored five, with Parfait Guiagon and Antoine Bernier scoring two each. They are sitting in third with four wins and three defeats, a far better record than in previous seasons. Heymans and De Mil could be the catalysts for a return to pushing for European football for Charleroi this season.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson