Jeampaul Herrera is a 19-year-old right-back who plays for Independiente del Valle. The defender made his debut for Independiente del Valle in 2022 after coming through their youth ranks. He mainly plays for Independiente Juniors in the Serie B, but Herrera was also a part of the Independiente del Valle U20 squad in the 2022 and 2023 edition of the U20 Copa Libertadores. Jeampaul Herrera also featured for Ecuador U20 in the U20 Sudamericano, but wasn’t called up for the U20 World Cup after not performing that well at the U20 Sudamericano.
Standing at 1.75 meters with a slim build, Jeampaul Herrera does not have a strong frame but he holds his own in physical duels, displaying decent strength in physical duels. Herrera uses his body well to recover possession. He has good acceleration both on and off the ball, while also displaying good speed over long distances. The Ecuadorian right wing-back displays good athleticism, looking agile and flexible while also changing directions quickly while dribbling. Herrera displays decent jumping reach and timing in aerial duels, but has an inconsistent success rate in aerial duels, also because of his height. Defensively, Herrera does well to cover central positions when the right central defender is out of position. He also quickly gets back into position after joining the attack. Jeampaul Herrera looks decent in defensive 1v1 duels, using his agility and acceleration to block shots and crosses. Though, playing as a wing-back in a 3-1-4-2 means that he does not get in a lot of isolated 1v1 duels on the wing.
Jeampaul Herrera either takes up an inverted or wide position in first-phase possession. He displays good positional play in both first- and second-phase possession, always participating and playing with the right intensity. Even though his first touch down the touchline can be slightly inconsistent, also because of lapses of concentration, Herrera has a decent first touch. He prefers to play first-time passes under pressure, often with his left foot. His passing with his left foot is sligthly inconsistent but mostly good. Herrera also likes to carry the ball inside, rarely losing possession and preferring to play one-two’s with teammates from this area. The wing-back also has a nice outside-of-the-boot passing technique. Herrera mostly likes to make overlapping runs, displaying his excellent but sometimes inconsistent crossing ability. He always puts his crosses into good areas and creates several shooting opportunities per game.
Jeampaul Herrera might be a very raw wing-back, which is also why he hasn’t featured that often for the first team, but on a good day he would add a lot of value to Independiente del Valle’s first team. I believe he is quite an intelligent player with a solid technique, while also having decent physical ability. He does have some lapses of concentration and can be inconsistent, but I think he will overcome this as he gains more experienced. Jeampaul Herrera would be a good low-cost signing for second tier teams in Belgium, preferably the ones with a team playing at the highest level too. Jeampaul Herrera has the potential to play for good teams outside of the top 5 leagues.