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Home , Ansu Fati, Arne Slot, AZ Alkmaar, AZ Alkmaar (women), Diogo Jota, Eduardo Camavinga

Accelerating the adoption of data analitycs in football

WONDERKIDSWONDERKIDS 2021 - Outlook January 2021

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Who we are Data gathering solutions

We are a Milan-based startup with the In our view, at the moment the most scalable ambitious mission of accelerating solution to gather performance data is the adoption of data analytics in represented by wearable technologies. football and bringing a higher degree of objectivity to the Beautiful Game. In five to ten years, artificial intelligence will probably permit reliable video recognition Our ultimate is to reach all tiers of and any event happening on a football pitch football, including non-professional players will be captured and analysed through a and coaches. We strongly believe that a smartphone (video analysis is currently done more widespread adoption of unbiased with human intervention and is therefore not methodologies for evaluating performances scalable). would greatly benefit the sport we love in the long term. We are not there yet though and, for the time being, wearables seem to us as the only In order to achieve our mission, we are applicable methodology to gather data at focusing on two main tasks: scale. In the past three years we have been developing our first wearable device, a pair of 1. developing the most scalable and smart shinguards able to track the technical automated solutions to gather football events of any football match or training statistics; session, on top of the athletic performance.

2. designing the most compelling, user- For more information visit soccerment.com/ friendly and intuitive analytics tools and wearables or contact us directly (sales@ extract the highest level of intelligence soccerment.com). from performance data.

Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football 04 Soccerment in a nutshell

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Data analytics Research and advisory

Data alone isn’t enough: you need analytics. There are two other activities which create For example, if football clubs are flooded interesting synergies with the aforementioned with huge streams of numbers, but lack the tasks: research and advisory. internal know-how to interpret them and extract actionable information, data becomes Research is a fundamental part of what we almost pointless. It’s like giving all the prices, do, for two main reasons. On the one hand, ratios and indicators on stocks, currencies it increases our internal knowledge and and commodities to a person who doesn’t stimulates us at developing new algorithms know about financial markets: the data itself and data visualisation and forces us at doesn’t make that person an infallible trader. continuously improving the outstanding To make good decisions, football teams need ones. On the other hand, it allows us to data, of course, but they also need analytics to exchange know-how with the outside world. make sense of it. For instance, our research blog, active We believe that in five to ten years all the top since 2017, has given its small contribution football clubs will probably have the internal to popularizing football analytics concepts know-how to easily understand the most and has created some stimulating chances to advanced stats and extract valuable insights debate them. from complex raw data and that by 2050 this will likely apply to any football club (including Advisory is an activity which is very much non professionals). connected to research. As we discover more and more about how data can help a football However, at the time of writing, the situation club at making better decisions, our know- is different. Most professional football clubs how becomes helpful to various entities in the do not showcase structured teams of data football world: the clubs, obviously, but also scientists and their decision makers need many other actors gravitating around them, actionable information. This is why we including players, scouts and player agents. are putting so much effort into analytics and find solutions to intuitively show data If you are a football professional and would and easily evaluate and compare players. like to know more about our advisory Our analytics platform makes intensive services, feel free to contact us via email use of data visualisation to comprehend ([email protected]). football players in a few seconds, despite skimming through a vast amount of data (analytics.soccerment.com).

Soccerment Research - Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook Contents (as displayed in the original document)

01. 6-9 The project

02. 10-15 The methodology

02.1 Initial List of 100 Players 12 02.2 Ranking methodology 14

03. 16-117 Wonderkids analysis 03.1 Summary table 18 03.2 Adil Aouchiche (AS Saint-Étienne) 20 03.3 (Blackburn Rovers F.C. - on loan from Liverpool F.C.) 24 03.4 Nuno Mendes (Sporting CP) 28 03.5 Rodrygo (Real ) 32 03.6 Nathan Collins (Stoke City F.C.) 36 03.7 (FC Barcelona) 40 03.8 (Stade Rennais F.C.) 44 03.9 Jude Bellingham () 48 03.10 (Manchester United F.C.) 52 03.11 (PSV ) 56 03.12 Rayan Aït-Nouri (Wolves - on loan from Angers SCO) 60 03.13 (PSV Eindhoven) 64 03.14 (AZ ) 68 03.15 (Arsenal F.C.) 72 03.16 (Borussia Dortmund) 76 03.17 Flavius Daniliuc (OGC Nice) 80 03.18 Jérémy Doku (Stade Rennais F.C.) 84

Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football 03.19 Odilon Kossounou (Club Brugge KV) 88 03.20 Florian Wirtz () 92 03.21 Eduardo Camavinga (Stade Rennais F.C.) 96 03.22 Curtis Jones (Liverpool F.C.) 100 03.23 Lassina Traoré (AFC Ajax) 104 03.24 (AFC Ajax) 108 03.25 Benoit Badiashile (AS Monaco FC) 112 03.26 Ansu Fati (FC Barcelona) 116

04. Soccerment 120

Soccerment Research - Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook January 2021

02 THE METHODOLOGY

10 Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football January 2021

time constraints, which ensure statistical Initial List of Around relevance, drastically reduced the number of 100 Players players that we could include in our Outlook, which means that we had to exclude some very interesting prospects. Here below is a partial list of some of the most interesting We took into consideration all players who U-19s that were excluded from our Outlook, were born on 1st January 2001 or after due to time constraints (data related to the and who – as of 31st December 2020 – had leagues we cover, as of 31.12.2020). played at least 500 minutes in total and at least 270 minutes in the current season, in one of the fourteen leagues we cover (tiers 1 and 2 in , Spain, Italy, and France, and tier 1 in the , Portugal, and Turkey). The playing

Figure 01 - List of some of the most interesting U-19s that were excluded from our Outlook, due to time constraints | Data related to the leagues we cover, as of 31.12.2020

Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football 02. The Methodology

We thus easily filtered the top 50. Here are Ranking methodology some statistics regarding the top 50 list:

• the average age is 18.6 years; The methodology by which we arrived at the • the most represented leagues, with 8 wonderkids’ final ranking was divided into players each, are: , , and the two stages. Jupiler Pro League; • the most represented nationality is First step: selecting the best 50 French (8 players); • the most represented clubs are Rennes The first stage consisted in ranking the and Club Brugge (3 players each). initial list of around 100 players by using our Soccerment Performance Rating (‘SPR’), the algorithm we have developed to evaluate the performances of football players.

SPR focus

The SPR takes into account every match event, weighted through ad-hoc coefficients. The various events (rebased to ‘per 90 minutes’) form the contribution of a player to the defensive, buildup and attacking phase of her/his team. These contributions are then weighted according to the player’s role (for example, the attacking contribution will weigh more for a forward and less for a defender).

In line with what we do for the overall stats, we show the SPR of a player when she/he has accrued at least 270 minutes of playing time.

In order to reward consistency of performance and limit short-termist hype, the SPR is adjusted by taking playing time into consideration. At 270 minutes of playing time the adjustment is 84.7%. It reaches 100% when the footballer has played at least 1,800 minutes in the league (in most leagues, this equals half a season, plus one match). Therefore, every additional minute above 270 and up to 1800 minutes is worth 0.01% of SPR.

It is worth mentioning that the five players with the highest SPR at the moment are (in terms of total SPR, i.e. the weighted-average SPR for all the seasons available in our database):

• , with 84 • Jr, with 76 • , with 75 • Robert Lewandowski, with 70 • Kylian Mbappé, with 70

A total SPR of 70 is the threshold that we use to define the so called “world- class” players, while for the “elite players” the threshold was set at 60.

It is also worth mentioning that the maximum level of a seasonal SPR was set at 100 and corresponds to the performances reached by Lionel Messi in the 2011/12 La Liga: 50 goals (plus 8 shots against the woodwork), 16 assists (from 92 chances created), 176 successful dribbles, almost 2000 accurate passes, plus other kind-of-unreal stats.

Soccerment Research - Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook January 2021

Second step: ranking the top 50 The performance curves, however, differ substantially depending on the playing roles. It is pretty intuitive to consider, for instance, The second step in our analysis was to find how goalkeepers can play at a high level a quantitative methodology to rank the when they are 35 years old or older, while the top 50 players, excluding any subjective same cannot usually be said about central inputs. In order to do that, we built a simple . The differences in annual growth model, which included all the key variables rates for performance output, as expressed by and indicators at our disposal to allow the our Soccerment Performance Rating (‘SPR’), assessment of both the “internal” and “external” for players who are younger than 20 years factors that influence player development, old and depending on their role is shown in especially when compared to players’ the matrix below. The matrix was derived by typical performance curves over their entire looking at the historical stats in our database careers. These factors combine to define the and calculating the average yearly growth outperformance or the underperformance of rates for each age group depending on the a player’s career trajectory, when compared players’ roles. to her/his peers. But first, let’s define this trajectory, or what we call the ‘performance curve’.

Performance Curves

Footballers’ performance output grows substantially over the beginning of their careers, until they peak at around 28-30 years of age and then start to gradually decline. Graphically, it looks something like the chart here below, which we originally published on our Instagram account on 23rd December 2020, where we plot players’ performance output (as expressed by our Soccerment Performance Rating) and their age. In the chart we highlight the names of the main outliers by age group.

Figure 02 - Age vs Performance 2020/21 - data as of 23.12.2020 | analytics.soccerment.com

Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football 02. The Methodology

Factors leading to under- or lineup. Again, a useful indicator of how outperformance of the average growth well the manager considers the player. rates • Percentage of times in the correct role. Our model, as mentioned above, considers a This mainly tells whether the footballer number of factors that can influence relative is playing in a team that uses a suitable improvements compared to the role average. formation and/or fits well in the squad. When it comes to “player-specific” factors, we use the following variables:

• SPR’s recent trajectory. This gives an indication of how the player is reacting to the increased level of attention and scrutiny. In some cases, young players are able to continue meeting the higher expectations. In other cases, especially following a breakout season, the players experience a performance decline, which needs to be carefully monitored and managed.

• UCL exposure. Playing in the Uefa Champions League, in our view, is not only an achievement for a young footballer, it is first and foremost an occasion to grow and improve by experiencing the highest level of football, which gives them valuable experience. We take it into consideration in our model.

• Body Mass Index (BMI). We use this as an indicator of a player’s current muscularity and its potential growth over the following few years. When a young player approaches senior football and the training sessions that come with it, muscular growth is often impressive and with the added strength and explosiveness performances normally improve. Some noteworthy examples are the transformations experienced by the likes of Adama Traoré and Leon Goretzka.

As for external factors, i.e. the so called ‘context’, we took into consideration the following:

• The player’s league level (average SPR for the league) and the player’s team level (the team’s SPR). These are useful indicators of how brightly the player’s can shine, when taken either singularly or in combination (it is easier to do well and gain confidence when playing for a team that finishes up in the table).

• Playing time as a percentage of availability (adjusted for the games missed due to injury). This is useful to understand whether the player fits well into a team and the team’s manager appreciates their contribution.

• Percentage of times in the starting

Soccerment Research - Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook January 2021

03 WONDERKIDS ANALYSIS

16 Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football January 2021

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Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football 03.1 Wonderkids analysis > Summary table

Figure 03 - List of the top 50 players born in 2001 or after, ranked for xSPR (Expected Soccerment Performance Rating) | SPR and xSPR data as of 31.12.2020

Soccerment Research - Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook January 2021

HARVEY ELLIOTT 24

24 Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football 03.3 Wonderkids analysis > 24 Harvey Elliott

SPR xSPR

41 46 team league nationality Blackburn Championship England

Date of birth 04.04.2003

Height 170 cm

Weight 67 kg

Prefered foot Left

National team (U-21) 0 apps | 0 goals

National team 0 apps | 0 goals

Contract’s term 30.06.2021

Agent - - -

Injuries nothing significant

Attacking

Defending

Dribbling

Heading

Passing

Vision

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Vision: 0.5 through balls per 90 Heading mins and 0.24 Expected (22% success ratio) Assists per 90 mins strengthsS Wweaknesses

Shoot more often Another season in the Loan to an EPL side after Championship would risk his successful stint at stagnating his improvement Blackburn opportunitiesO threatsT

Soccerment Research - Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook January 2021

Biographical notes

Harvey Scott Elliott was born on the 4th of April 2003 in Chertsey, Surrey, approximately 29km southwest of central London. Elliott started playing football at a very early age and immediately showed great skill and decision-making at Fulham FC’s academy, playing with older players at most levels and still being one of the best players on the pitch. This led Fulham to realise that they had an exceptional talent on their hands. He went on to break numerous records: the youngest player in the EFL cup (at 15 and 174 days); the youngest player to play in the (at 16 years and 30 days); and the youngest player to appear for Fulham. In July 2019 he signed on a free transfer for Liverpool. He is currently on loan at Blackburn.

Playing style

Elliott is 170cm tall and weighs 67kg for Figure 06 - Heatmap: Harvey Elliott a BMI of 23.18. He shows good agility and speed, although he tends to get away from opponents using skill rather than pace.

What makes Elliott really stand out as a success rate. player, especially for his age, is his creativity. Elliott’s shot selection is not the most He is capable of playing killer through- judicial (xG per shot of 0.085), although this balls for his teammates, of which he has is perhaps justified by his shooting skills. In completed 8 (0.49 P90) which is the most in any case, Elliott doesn’t take a high volume the Championship (the second-placed has of shots (1.58 per 90 minutes), but when he 5). He is also exceptional using the outside does he shows good accuracy (42.3%) and of his foot. Elliott has managed 0.36 Assists conversion rates (15.4%), resulting in a clear P90 (out of 0.24 xA) in his senior career, outperformance of xG (4 goals vs a 2.13 xG which ranks him 3rd behind this season). At Blackburn, Elliott usually and Callum Hudson-Odoi for U-20s. These plays as a right winger in a 4-3-3 system in numbers, coupled with 2.25 chances created which he can receive the ball wide and then P90, give him a remarkable 58 Vision Index converge on his stronger left foot towards the Score and make him the second-best assist centre to link up play, create chances for his provider in the Championship with 6, at the teammates or take shots. He is often trusted time of writing. Elliott likes to receive the with the ball and can also drop deep to help ball in wide areas from where he can initiate the midfield in possession. His long-passing one-on-one take-ons or play quick one-twos prowess also means that he can effectively with his teammates in order to develop switch play when one side is overloaded. attacks. His heavy involvement in his team’s Essentially, he acts as an advanced playmaker play is highlighted by the number of passes with the additional threat of his dribbling and he makes: 36.6 in the opposition half P90 shooting skills. (well above the role average of 24.6) with an above-average 73.3% completion rate. His Elliott has also played as an attacking playmaking abilities are also highlighted or a left winger, and played by his long-ball stats: he attempts 5.43 P90 well (providing assists in both positions), which is more than double the average for his demonstrating the versatility of his skillset. position, and his success rate of 63.3% is also For the 2020/21 season, he has been directly significantly above average. involved in 0.62 goals P90. Even though he prefers link-up play, he Even if he favours his left foot he can be is a talented dribbler with great flair and effective with his right foot when delivering completes 1.3 dribbles P90 with a 59.5% balls in the penalty area, especially for low- driven crosses.

Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football 03.3 Wonderkids analysis > 24 Harvey Elliott

up several possibilities for him: it is unlikely Potential and Outlook but not impossible that Blackburn will clinch promotion to the Premier League, in which case a renewal of his loan would give him Elliott is making a big impact in the continuity while playing in the Premier league. Championship, where he has the second A more likely option is Liverpool loaning him most assists at the time of writing. to another top flight side in order to continue his development and gain more experience. In the short term, Elliott seems to be fitting in Another year in the Championship would well at Blackburn, something not to be taken not be the best solution as he is already a top for granted for a loanee. In our model, Elliott’s performer in that league. Soccerment Performance Rating (SPR) is Finally, Elliott could be integrated into foreseen growing by 11.3% in twelve months, Liverpool’s first team. He would be unlikely to to 46. That level wouldn’t justify a consistent get many minutes as he would be competing presence in Liverpool’s squad, but would be with Salah, Mane and . But given consistent with a top-flight team, especially his talent and the staff’s faith in young considering that – Elliott being just 17 years talent he would surely get his fair share of old – his potential improvement rate will opportunities. remain very high for several years.

In the long term, Elliott seems to have the talent to play under the Kop. Playing regularly Conclusion at Liverpool is going to be a tough challenge, but the manager and staff seem to have great faith in him and are willing to let him develop Harvey Elliott, a very skilled attacking and then ease his way into the first team. midfielder, is impressing in his loan spell It would be interesting to see if his future in with Blackburn, where he continues to a team like Liverpool could be as a false nine, hone his talents as part of a process that will playing killer through-balls to the likes of lead him back to his parent club Liverpool, and , à la Roberto sooner or later. According to our model, in Firmino. Liverpool would have to significantly 12 months he should be ready for a chance modify their playing style though, as Firmino in the Premier League, although a mid- and Elliott are very different players. According table side would be more suitable initially. to our “Similarity” machine learning algorithm, His best quality is undoubtedly his vision, the most similar player to Elliott, in terms of which allows him to deliver spectacular and statistical output, is another Liverpool player: effective through balls and a continuous . Elliott’s loan at Blackburn flow of assists. expires at the end of the season. This opens

Figure 07 - Performance indexes U-20 Players: Vision vs Passing

Soccerment Research - Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook January 2021

MYRON BOADU 13

68 Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football 03.14 Wonderkids analysis > 13 Myron Boadu

SPR xSPR

49 49 team league nationality AZ Alkmaar Netherlands

Date of birth 14.01.2001

Height 183 cm

Weight 67 kg

Prefered foot Both

National team (U-21) 8 apps | 8 goals

National team 1 apps | 1 goals

Contract’s term 30.06.2023

Agent Mino Raiola

Injuries nothing significant

Attacking

Defending

Dribbling

Heading

Passing

Vision

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Goal scoring Heading (24% non-penalty (35% aerial success ratio) conversion)

strengthsS Wweaknesses

Highly dependent on assists from Stengs and Wijndal Euro 2020 Managerial changes opportunitiesO threatsT

Soccerment Research - Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook January 2021

Biographical notes

Myron Boadu was born on 14th January 2001 in , where he started playing football for SC Buitenveldert. Aged 12 he joined the academy of AZ Alkmaar, one of the best in the Netherlands. Boadu quickly rose through the youth ranks at AZ and was included in the reserve team aged 16. He recovered very well from two severe injuries (knee and ankle) in time for a very successful 2019/20 season (14 goals and 6 assists in 24 apps), proving to have uncommon mental strength and determination, as well as an innate instinct for finding the back of the net.

Playing style

Myron Boadu’s playing style almost perfectly encapsulates the modern ‘poacher‘, i.e. a forward with an extreme focus on scoring goals. The most famous poachers in world football right now are probably Edinson Figure 22 - Heatmap: Myron Boadu Cavani, and Jamie Vardy.

However, in some ways we see Boadu as a more dynamic version of the typical poacher, one that is certainly more associative in his – the ability to deliver accurate through balls playing style compared to the aforementioned (0.6 per 90 minutes), which makes Boadu’s forwards, but who also shares many traits in life much easier, perfectly complementing common with them. Excluding penalties, on his ability to cut through defences. Owen average the forwards in our database convert Wijndal’s specialty, meanwhile, is reaching 13.5% of their chances into goals, or one in the goal line to deliver fast, low cutbacks every 7.4. Myron Boadu converts 24.1% of his towards the penalty spot for the upcoming chances, or one in 4.2, in line with Cavani and forward, often Boadu. Unsurprisingly, out of well above both Icardi and Vardy. 18 Eredivisie goals scored this season and last, Boadu displays a much better-than-average 5 were assisted by Calving Stengs and 4 by shooting accuracy (51.7% vs the 40% avg), . which comes as the result of him taking more favourable shots compared to the average The average forward in our database takes forward (xG per shot of 0.21, vs a 0.14 average slightly fewer than 12% of his touches in for the role). the opposition area. In Myron Boadu’s case, however, the percentage is more than 50pp Since the beginning of last season Boadu has higher, at around 19%. That said, this is still scored 18 goals from 76 shots. Interestingly, lower than Cavani’s, Icardi’s and Vardy’s all of those goals have come from shots taken percentages, as Boadu has a more associative from inside the box, and most from within playing style. Myron Boadu’s associative the six-yard box. To find the net, Myron Boadu playing style is also reflected in his heatmap. leverages his two principal “weapons”: spatial awareness and acceleration, which allow him to gain an edge on defenders in the first few meters, giving him more time to line himself up for a shot. It is fair to say that Boadu has a special bond with two players at AZ Alkmaar, both of whom developed through the club’s academy: creative attacking midfielder Calving Stengs and left back Owen Wijndal. Stengs’s main skill is vision and – in particular

Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football 03.14 Wonderkids analysis > 13 Myron Boadu

Potential and Outlook Conclusion

Following last year’s outstanding Myron Boadu, soon to turn 20, is one of the performances, which resulted in a direct best examples of a modern ‘poacher’, a contribution to 20 goals in 24 Eredivisie forward with an extreme focus on scoring appearances (14 goals and 6 assists), Boadu goals. A product of AZ Alkmaar’s talent hasn’t started the new season anywhere near factory, Boadu has demonstrated his as well, scoring just four goals in 911 minutes. special instinct for goals, although he does The young forward is suffering from AZ also seem inclined towards the associative Alkmaar’s fall in level this season, while he game typical of Dutch football. After last may also be having some trouble meeting year’s breakthrough season, Boadu’s the higher expectations that the public has performance levels have dropped, in line for him and the team. with AZ Alkmaar’s. Nonetheless, we believe that the transfer rumours about him will Moreover, transfer rumours regarding Boadu are intensifying and may be some distraction. Last year, before the Eredivisie was cancelled due to the pandemic, AZ Alkmaar were at the top of the league along with AFC Ajax, and many considered AZ favourites to win the title. The abrupt end to their title dreams, as well as the departure of key player are likely the main reasons why AZ haven’t performed particularly well at the beginning of the 2020/21 season.

AZ drew their first five league matches and were eliminated at the Europa League group stage. As a result, at the beginning of December, was sacked as manager and replaced by . Boadu’s agent is Mino Raiola, who also manages Stengs and Wijndal. With AZ out of Europe and off the pace in the Eredivisie, the player and his agent could even consider a move from Alkmaar during the ongoing transfer window. At the same time, AZ may prefer to wait until the end of the pandemic before selling Boadu, in order to book a larger capital gain from the transfer of one of their top assets. Moreover, Boadu is in the reckoning to feature in the Netherlands’ Euro 2020 squad, which would certainly represent a good opportunity to attract further interest.

Boadu’s contract expires in June 2023 (according to Capology his gross annual salary is €300,000), which gives AZ some negotiating power. AC Milan are looking for a possible substitute for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose agent is Mino Raiola. Milan and Raiola are supposed to meet at some point todiscuss Zlatan’s contract, which expires in June; might this be a convenient time to discuss Boadu?

Soccerment Research - Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook January 2021

EDUARDO CAMAVINGA 06

96 Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football 03.21 Wonderkids analysis > 06 Eduardo Camavinga

SPR xSPR

45 53 team league nationality Stade Rennais Ligue 1 France

Date of birth 10.11.2002

Height 182 cm

Weight 68 kg

Prefered foot Left

National team (U-21) 1 apps | 0 goals

National team 3 apps | 1 goals

Contract’s term 30.06.2022

Agent Stellar Football Ltd

Injuries 22 days (Knock)

Attacking

Defending

Dribbling

Heading

Passing

Vision

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Tackling (2.7 successful tackles P90) Shooting Dribbling (72% success ratio) (<0.7 shots P90; <0.08 xG per shot) Passing (84% accuracy in opp. half) strengthsS Wweaknesses

Complete the transition to Rushed transfer to a club box-to-box midfielder not suited for him

opportunitiesO threatsT

Soccerment Research - Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook January 2021

Biographical notes

Eduardo Camavinga was born on 10th November 2002 to Congolese parents in a refugee camp in Angola. At the age of 2, he and his family moved to Lille and then Fougères (both in France), where he grew up. The hardships for the Camavingas didn’t stop there, as his family home burnt down when he was 13. He has later recounted that the disaster really motivated him in his mission to become a professional footballer. His father Celestino told him that much of the family’s prospects were going to rest on his shoulders. After attracting interest from numerous scouts in his early teens, he joined Rennes’ academy.

Playing style

Camavinga is 182cm tall and weighs 68kg for a BMI of 20.5. His lean frame makes him an agile player, which in combination with Figure 34 - Heatmap: Eduardo Camavinga his good technique makes him an effective dribbler (72.1% dribble success rate), able to evade pressure with apparent ease. has the workrate to pressure opponents and make tackles. In the build-up phase, he was Camavinga is a surprisingly mature player one of the main passing options for defenders for his age, while his vision and passing are when the team was building from the back. remarkable for such a young player (91.7% His movement and spatial awareness help passing accuracy in his own half vs the 89.2% him find the right positions to receive and average for his role; 83.9% passing accuracy in then distribute the ball. the opposition half vs the 73.6% average; and 73% long pass accuracy vs the 53.6% average). In the 2020/21 season, Rennes have mostly Meanwhile, his composure is underlined adopted a 4-3-3/4-1-4-1 formation, with by the fact that he loses possession only 8.7 Camavinga slotting in as a right-central times per game (well below the average for midfielder. His broad skill set makes him his position of 12.7). a perfect match for this “mezzala” role as His impressive workrate and understanding of he has the offensive and defensive skills the game also enable the young Frenchman to necessary to impose himself in both phases attempt an impressive 4.3 tackles P90 (the 6th of play. This season, his change in position has highest in Europe). Camavinga still has plenty seen his chance creation and shot numbers of room for improvement considering his rise. Playing more in this role should help tender age, both in the physical and technical him improve even further in these respects. aspects of the game, which puts his ceiling Camavinga is already excelling in numerous at a really high level. This season, Camavinga aspects of the game at both ends of the pitch. has begun to take up more positions further His change of position hasn’t destabilized up the pitch, which has already boosted his him, rather his performances are getting even chance creation and shot numbers. This could better and he is becoming a truly complete be the final step to add to his game. The sheer midfielder capable of imposing himself both range of Camavinga’s skillset allows him to offensively and defensively. play in an impressive number of roles equally well. In his first games with Rennes at the start of the 2019/20 season he mostly played as a defensive midfielder in a 4-4-2 or a 5-2-1-2 formation, both on the right and the left side. His speed and understanding of the game make him an effective shield for his backline. But when his manager asks it of him he also

Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football 03.21 Wonderkids analysis > 06 Eduardo Camavinga

of the biggest clubs in world football, most Potential and Outlook noticeably Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus, along with many others. Just to add further uncertainty, Camavinga recently Camavinga is already excelling in numerous sacked his agent Moussa Sissoko to join aspects of the game at both ends of the pitch. Jonathan Barnett’s agency, Stellar Football His change of position hasn’t destabilized Ltd. But despite the rumours, the player has him, rather his performances are getting even come out and said that there is still time to better and he is becoming a truly complete negotiate a new contract with Rennes. midfielder capable of imposing himself both offensively and defensively. Camavinga is Moreover, Rennes president Nicholas Holveck currently showcasing a lot at Rennes, and a has stated that the club is keen on negotiating move to one of Europe’s big clubs seems to an extension to Camavinga’s contract, which be on the horizon. If he finds a good fit for expires on 30th June 2022. His price tag himself, Camavinga could quickly establish was said to be around €80m, but the latest himself as an elite midfielder. Playing with rumours suggest that the pandemic has elite players will help him mature and refine reduced that figure to around €50m. himself even further. Rennes discovered this young talent when Conclusion he was still very young, and as numerous youth coaches have stated they helped him develop without rushing him into the first team. Nonetheless, Rennes recognized that Already on the shortlists of many of his unnatural maturity for his age meant that Europe’s top clubs, Eduardo Camavinga he was already set to make a difference in showcases uncommon maturity, confidence Ligue 1. So far, Camavinga has played in an and composure, all qualities that he will environment in which he can express himself surely develop further thanks to his strong with continuity, something vital for a player attention to detail and work ethic. The next of his age. In fact, Rennes has been the team step in Camavinga’s on-pitch development that has conceded the most minutes to U-20s is to complete the transition from defensive in the top 5 leagues and Ligue 1 is a league to box-to-box midfielder, which should also that favours young talent such as his. Talent translate into more assists and goals. Off the like Camavinga’s is bound to attract interest pitch, Camavinga will soon have to move to from accross the football world, particularly a top club, something that the player and his when he puts in MOTM performances against entourage will have to manage carefully. clubs such as PSG and Marseille, and wins a Ligue 1 Player of the Month award aged just 16. There has been reported interest from some

Figure 35 - Performance indexes U-20 Players: Passing vs Defending

Soccerment Research - Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook January 2021

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120 Accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football The stats and the performance indexes used for this report were taken from:

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