U21 Wingers – Under the Radar

Data Analysis

In this thread, I will try to identify the best young wingers from outside the top 5 leagues with the help of data.

Charts, rankings, and introductions – as usual

Let's start with chance creation:

Chance creation is essential for wingers. My favorite metrics to measure it are xA and Key Passes. Trincão stole the show but we can spot some other familiar names too.

Trincão leads the line in shooting as well. Hlozek (17) from Sparta Praha coming in second place is huge!

I added a chart about dribbling too. Although I won’t calculate the attempted dribbles into the rankings, I think it helps to create a bigger picture of our players.

To estimate the crossing and passing abilities, I used crossing % and passes to penalty area %. Both statistics are more descriptive than general passing accuracy in my opinion.

Trincão’s dominance starts to get scary

The final chart is attacking output. These are the raw statistics: goals and assists.

Not much surprise here, the standout players already performed well on the other graphs.

Scoring-system:
- below average: 0
- slightly above average: 1
- in-between slightly above and significantly above average: 2
- significantly above average: 3

SCORESHEET

Francisco Trincão – SC Braga (20)

Barca had agreed on a €31m deal for the Portuguese super talent who remains at Braga until the end of the season. Trincao can play anywhere across the front three and his numbers put him into the brightest talents in the world.

MV: €16.00m

Cody Gakpo – PSV (20)

Gakpo has benefited from Bergwijn’s move to Spurs, making that LW spot his own. He has a strong tall physique and a great pace but his biggest strength is his vision. Stats: 7 goals and 6 assists in 25 Eredivisie appearances this season.

MV: €7.20m

Santiago Rodriguez – Nacional (20)

Rodriguez is able to cover the LW or even play as a second striker. His style is very similar to Dybala, low center of gravity, great ball control and technique. He contributed to 13 goals on 23 games during the 2019 season.

MV: €1.30m

Calvin Stengs – AZ Alkmaar (21)

Stengs is a 187 cm tall, inverted right-winger. Dangerous cutting inside, playing a key pass or curling the ball to the back post. His 5 goals and 8 assists in Eredivisie earned him his first call-up for the Oranje in November.

MV: €18.00m

Kamil Jóźwiak – Lech Poznan (21)

Kamil is an old-fashioned winger who can cover both flanks with great pace and dynamism. Based on stats he looks like an efficient dribbler who still misses the end-product. Jóźwiak was rewarded with his first senior cap in November.

MV: €2.70m

Honorable Mentions

from Championship: Eze and Diangana
Nordsjælland’s duo: Atanga and Damsgaard
17-year-old sensation: Hložek from Sparta Praha

This thread is not a clear indicator of the quality of the players. Stats can be affected by many factors, including the style of play, teammates, the strength of the league, etc. However, I think these comparisons are useful for further scouting and analyzing.

data: @Wyscout
market values: @Transfermarkt

I hope you liked this one, if you did, likes, RT’s and feedbacks are appreciated.

Feel free to DM me with requests or suggestions.

Next up is our only one remaining position: strikers!