FotMob's own positional tag lists "Center-back" as his primary 2025-26 role alongside DM/CM — consistent with reporting that Peter Bosz has used Schouten in a deeper, build-out CB/libero role in possession phases this season, not just the holding-mid role he played at Bologna and in his first two PSV seasons. That's a real, sourced tactical detail — not a scouted judgment about how well he performs it.

Jerdy Schouten is a 29-year-old Dutch defensive midfielder and captain of PSV Eindhoven, signed from Bologna for a reported €12M on 16 August 2023. Born 12 January 1997 in Hellevoetsluis. 184cm. Contract runs to 30 June 2030 after an extension signed 6 August 2025, two weeks after he was named captain. Career: ADO Den Haag → Telstar → Excelsior (Player of the Year 2018-19) → Bologna (2019-23, Serie A, 109 apps) → PSV (2023-, 3× Eredivisie champion, captain). This report is built entirely from public statistical sources (FotMob, Wikipedia, Transfermarkt, Grokipedia) and published tactical writeups — it is not a Tier 3 video-scouted assessment. No match footage has been reviewed for this player under Empire's evidence-first methodology.

Workload — 2,381 Eredivisie minutes, 28 starts, 0 sub appearances (FotMob, 2025-26). Wikipedia's squad appearance log through 21 Feb 2026 already had him at 33 total appearances across all competitions — the most of any player in the PSV squad table, all as a starter. That is a captain who does not get rotated, right up until the ACL injury that ended his season on 4 April 2026, one day before PSV clinched the title.

Distribution — 91.2% pass completion on 1,806 successful passes, 24 chances created, 2.40 xA vs 2 actual assists (FotMob). Bologna-era data shows the same profile maturing over time: passing accuracy rose from 82.4% (2019-20) to a career-high 86.7% (2022-23). Multiple independent sources (Grokipedia, Daily Mail) describe him as a "Busquets-like" deep-lying orchestrator rather than a progressive ball-carrier — Helden Magazine's profile is literally titled "Dirigent van het [PSV-]orkest" (conductor of the orchestra).

Defensive volume — 172 total defensive contributions, 44 tackles, 50 interceptions, 68 clearances, 160 recoveries, 10 blocked shots, 33 aerial duels won at 49.3% (FotMob). These are real, sourced totals. What they cannot establish — anticipation quality, positioning discipline, pace exposure — requires the video-based OBI/SII evidence layer Empire's methodology is built around, and that layer is empty for this player.

2025-26 context. FotMob tags his primary 2025-26 role as center-back alongside DM/CM, consistent with reports that Peter Bosz occasionally deployed him deeper in a build-out CB/libero role. 2 goals, 2 assists, and a 7.37 average rating across 28 Eredivisie starts before the injury. 2 yellow cards, 1 red card in that span.

International — Netherlands, 17 caps, 0 goals (FotMob). Debut 8 June 2022 vs Wales. Started all 6 matches of the Netherlands' run to the UEFA Euro 2024 semi-final after Frenkie de Jong's late injury withdrawal — a tournament that produced the "unsung hero" tag from British press.