Tag: Transfer Market Analysis

Why Moussa Diaby is perfect for Aston Villa

by Rhys Desmond, posted in German Bundesliga, Player Analysis, Premier League, Recruitment & Scouting, Subscriber Exclusives, Winger

In one of the steals of the summer so far, Aston Villa have pulled off an absolute coup in signing Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen, one of the most highly sought after players in the world. Diaby could have gone to a Champions League club with ease, but has chosen to work under Unai Emery's growing project at Aston Villa. It's a clear sign of the pull Emery has in the transfer market, but also a clear demonstration of Aston Villa's ambitions, and their awareness of which players perfectly fit the way they want to play. Here is why Diaby is perfect for the Villains.

Why Mateo Kovačić is perfect for Manchester City

by Charlie Ellis, posted in Central Midfield, Data Analysis, Player Analysis, Premier League, Recruitment & Scouting, Team Analysis

After five fairly stellar and underappreciated years at Chelsea, Mateo Kovačić has left the club and signed with Manchester’s most recent treble winners. New ownership at Stamford Bridge led to a drastic rebuild from their 2021 Champions League winning squad, and the time came for one of their most consistent performers over the years to exit the building. Manchester City took full advantage, making him an apt replacement for the loss of Ilkay Gündoğan and the potential loss of silky smooth Bernardo Silva.

Why Levi Colwill is perfect for Chelsea

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Centre Backs, Data Analysis, Player Analysis, Premier League

In the last few years, Chelsea have given away several superstar centre-backs in the making. The likes of Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guéhi went for very little money, only to completely shine at new clubs and prove their worth elsewhere. This season has to be the one where Chelsea stop the nonsense. They have to keep hold of their young, talented centre-making superstars in the making. They have to play Levi Colwill and make him an essential part of their plans. Here is why the former Brighton and Huddersfield loanee should be one of the first-choice centre-backs for the Blues this campaign.

Why all footballers need to be versatile

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, Player Education

As young players develop their game and often get pigeon-held into certain positions and roles, I often encourage them to develop variety and versatility within the number of roles and positions they can play.

Why Dominik Szoboszlai is perfect for Liverpool

by Charlie Ellis, posted in Attacking Midfield, Central Midfield, Data Analysis, German Bundesliga, Masterclasses, Player Analysis, Premier League, Recruitment & Scouting

Without ever fully setting the Bundesliga on fire, Szoboszlai had two solid seasons at Leipzig, hitting a high of 6 goals and 8 assists in 31 matches last campaign, primarily playing as a '10'. Liverpool must be confident however that the Hungarian midfielder can make his mark at the centre of the park, perhaps even as they continue to push Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield alongside Fabinho, thus creating more opportunity to have roaming attacking midfielders like Mac Allister and Szoboszlai ahead. With that, here is why Liverpool made their move for the Hungarian, and what he brings to the Reds.

The complexities of scouting & recruitment at the pro level

Featured by Rhys Desmond, posted in Data Analysis, Masterclasses, Recruitment & Scouting

One month removed from the 2022-23 European season, all the attention continues to be on the transfer market. Transfers are the talk of the town across the globe at the moment, with each European club preparing to enjoy happier times next season, and handle all their ins and outs as efficiently as possible.

Why Mason Mount is perfect for Manchester United

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Attacking Midfield, Central Midfield, Masterclasses, Player Analysis, Premier League, Recruitment & Scouting

While it's true that Mason Mount didn't hit quite the same high notes in 2022-23, the same could be said of any Chelsea player. For Manchester United to now swoop in for one of the most highly rated midfielders on the planet at even a £60 million fee could be one of the signings of the summer. With that, we assess why Mason Mount is perfect for an Erik Ten Hag team, and why Mount's career could be set to progress from here.