Jean-Paul N'Djoli has scored 11 goals in seven games for Heracles Almelo, with Premier League clubs reportedly monitoring his explosive start to the season. Brighton & Hove Albion are among those reportedly keeping tabs on the 25-year-old forward, according to several reports.
Remarkable scoring run in the Eerste Divisie
The French-Congolese striker has taken the Eerste Divisie by storm, firing in 11 goals in just seven appearances. He only arrived in Almelo during the summer transfer window after a relatively low-profile stint with Swiss outfit FC Wil 1900, yet he has swiftly established himself as one of the most lethal finishers in the Netherlands.
N'Djoli's latest strike came in Heracles' 2-0 victory over Vitesse, where he broke the deadlock after just 11 minutes with a well-worked finish from a rehearsed corner routine. That goal helped Heracles pull clear at the summit of the table, capitalising on slip-ups from title rivals Almere City.
Career journey to the Netherlands
Until a few weeks ago, N'Djoli had not pulled up any trees. He began his football journey in his native France, spending his youth career from 2016 to 2018 with Évreux FC 27 before transitioning to their senior squad. As a forward standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, he made 31 league appearances and scored 3 goals for Évreux FC 27 between 2018 and 2021.
In 2021, he moved to Spain, briefly joining Rayo Vallecano B where he did not make a league appearance, before finding more regular playing time with Hércules CF B. Over the 2021–2022 season, he scored 6 goals in 34 appearances for the B team, which led to a promotion to the main Hércules CF squad, where he made 31 appearances and scored 3 goals between 2022 and 2024.
Comparisons to club icon and future prospects
His goalscoring form then saw a significant increase; during the 2025–2026 season with SC Brühl, he scored 12 goals in just 16 appearances. This was followed by a stint at FC Wil in 2026, where he added another 5 goals across 15 matches. He then joined his current club, Heracles Almelo. It has also been claimed that both Brighton and the striker's current club share the same scouting system.
His electric run has drawn inevitable comparisons to club icon Joop Schuman in Dutch media, who famously netted 44 goals in a single 34-game Eerste Divisie campaign. N'Djoli is currently matching that legendary scoring rate. When pressed on the historic benchmark, however, the grounded forward brushed off personal plaudits, insisting he is entirely focused on helping his side secure promotion rather than chasing individual records.
While Heracles have the striker tied down to a long-term deal through to 2028, with an option to extend, holding onto their talisman could prove tricky if his prolific form continues to attract serious interest from England's top flight.
