However, Bayer Leverkusen is an exception to this rule and as we’ve seen in the transfer market recently, the club were able to replace the Chelsea-bound Andre Schurrle with the impressive new signing Heung-Min Son from Hamburg SV.

On paper both players are almost identical. Both tended to play on the wings for either of their clubs and were relied upon to produce goals as well as create opportunities for other forward players in their team.

As we can see from Squawka’s own stats table, both players were incredibly potent in their goal scoring. Son edges it with a single goal more in one less game, ensuring his goal to game ratio stands at 36% while Schurrle’s sits slightly lower at 32%. A stat Bayer fans will welcome.

Heung-Min Son

Andre Schurrle

Yet when we look into where these goals were scored, we begin to see a divergence in the style of play between both players that could alter how useful Son may be at Leverkusen next season.

Schurrle’s pitch view of goals scored shows a rather obvious point: the forward loves to shoot. As we can see from the three goals outside the box and the number of shots taken from outside the six-yard box, it’s evident that the forward is used to cutting in and comfortably tucking the ball away from some distance from a central position.

Now when we consider the position of Son’s goals, it looks a little different. The most striking feature of Son’s goals scoring is that they almost always come from either side of the box – as if to suggest that the Korean forward is more inclined to go past the fullback and then cut in deeper down the line.

Because Son played as a striker for large parts of Hamburg’s season, we do have a number of goals within the box – a side point, but one worth noting when we consider that the player is unlikely to play as an out-and-out striker for Leverkusen.

Due to the nature of both players’ positions for Hamburg and Leverkusen this year, the manner in which they both contributed to team goals also differs greatly.

As we can see from the above table, Schurrle was significantly more useful in providing assists for his teammates than Son, with the German player contributing a further five to Son’s pitiful two. Equally Schurrle provided more key passes – passes that led to goal-scoring opportunities – than Son over the course of the season with thirty three to the Korean’s twenty three.

This could be down to a number of reasons, but the most probable of note is that Leverkusen has a dedicated target man in Stefan Kießling which allowed Schurrle, and the rest of the Bayer side, to focus their passing towards a single point. This would have meant that more of Schurrle’s passes would have been likely to have been converted to goals, via his efficient team mate.

Son on the other hand had no such focal point, with the only goal scorer of sorts at Hamburg being Artjoms Rudņevs – a more of a pacey forward rather than a target man.

It’s also worth pointing out that Bayer Leverkusen were quite comfortably the third best team in the Bundesliga last season. While Hamburg finished seventh in mid-table obscurity, leading to the fair assumption that Schurrle probably played more games on top of the opposition, while Son and Hamburg were more of a counter attacking side, if attacking at all.

One final point worth noting about both players is their Duel take on ratio – the amount of times they dribbled past defenders – and how vast the difference between the two players is.

Although the novelty of a tricky wide player dribbling past an opponent is rarely as important as scoring goals or creating assists, the sheer amount that Schurrle’s attempted (109) over the course of the season is incredibly impressive – in fact it’s the fifth best in Europe – and seems leagues ahead of Son’s (46). Although both players have a similar success rate (51% for Schurrle and 46% for Son), those sixty-three extra runs a season may be quite notable to Bayer’s fans and the team’s success.

On paper the acquisition of Son looks like an incredibly well-thought out move by Leverkusen in replacing one of the most impressive players to ever play for the club. Yet when we dive in to the differences in both players’ styles there is room for error and the risk that Son may not be as effective for this side as Schurrle once was. Whether that’s down to the player or the club he played for, is a question we’ll simply have to allow the next season to answer for us.

The post Analysis: Can Hamburg’s Heung-Min Son Replace Andre Schurrle at Leverkusen? appeared first on Squawka News.

As shown throughout his performances for Spain in the U21 Euros, Illarramendi is certainly capable of retaining possession and keeping things ticking over. Throughout his domestic season, the central midfielder posted a pass completion of 81%, reinforcing the fact that the Spaniard isn’t one to give the ball away too often. This would compliment the likes of Arteta and Cazorla nicely, as the former in particular was instrumental in terms of distribution. What Illarramendi also brings to the table, is the ability for Cazorla to be consistently played further forward without sacrificing quality in the middle of the park, as the former Malaga star has shown this season how he can contribute goals to the Gunners’ league campaign. Illarramendi would certainly allow for his compatriot to do this, as he is content to sit back and allow play to develop ahead of him.

However, Illarramendi’s abilities do stretch further than simply playing the easy ball. Creating 31 chances over Sociedad’s season, the 23-year-old displayed that while he can do the simple things effectively, picking out a scything pass is also within his armoury. This is complimented by his 118 successful long balls during the previous season and his slightly higher than average pass range of 19 metres, showing that this midfielder is more than capable of picking a long pass too. Whether or not this could be beneficial in hitting Olivier Giroud’s feet or putting Theo Walcott in behind opposition defences, it’s certainly a useful tool for any deep lying midfielder to have.

Although La Rojita’s European exploits may have highlighted Illarramendi’s technical attributes, in terms of being comfortable on the ball and technically gifted, there is also a possible tenacity to his play too. As can be expected when playing for Real Sociedad, who are less likely to dominate games than Spain at international level, there is also a degree of midfield steel required of Illarramendi in domestic football. His 97 successful tackles last season shows that he can also break up play and perform well off the ball. However, the Spaniard picked up a worrying 11 yellow cards last term for Sociedad, which could be cause for concern in a long Premier League season.

It has been clear for all to see over the course of Spain’s conquest of the U21 Euros that there are many outstanding talents, of which Asier Illarramendi is one. Comfortable on the ball, armed with a good range of passing and the ability to break up play when required, Illarramendi could be argued to be among the brightest defensive midfield prospects currently in European football. Though he may be 23, no youngster in terms of U21 football, there is certainly room to believe that the Real Sociedad midfielder could turn into yet another revelation for Arsene Wenger’s side. He may now merit a large fee to move, with Sociedad on the brink of Champions League football, and many more clubs watching his progress as a result of his performance for Spain, but Arsenal fans should be extremely pleased if their club can prise such a talent from the Basque region this summer.

The post The Spain U-21 Star Who Could Complete Arsenal’s Iberian Midfield. Transfer Scouting Report appeared first on Squawka News.

Even consistent qualification, to the Champions League hasn’t stopped Valencia being stripped of their star assets. In recent seasons Jordi Alba, Juan Mata, David Silva and David Villa have all been moved on in favour of money.

And, with one ground which they can’t afford to build, another which they can’t sell and their ownership recently passed on to local city government, it’s likely they’ll have to sell one or two more players this summer.

No doubt several owners of English clubs’ ears will have perked up when they noticed that Valencia had missed out on the Champions League, so which players may continue the trend of bucking Spanish football for the Premier League?

The post Three Valencia Players Who Could Interest Liverpool, Tottenham Or Chelsea appeared first on Squawka News.

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It’s no secret that Joachim Löw’s greatest assets lie in his midfield, offering him a countless bevy of options and, as a result, a very enviable dilemma come this time next year.

In the following slide, we’ll consider just who among those has shown the most creative promise last season, whether it be from a central position or somewhere more offensively orientated.

Taking into account factors such as successful passes, passing accuracy and the effect of those passes, the following five Germans may not always grab the headlines themselves, but they certainly help ensure there’s any headlines in the first place.

The post The 5 Playmakers That Have Changed The Way We See German Football appeared first on Squawka News.

With only Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor as recognised strikers, it was thought that Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas would move heaven and earth to bolster his attacking options in the January transfer window, but Spurs fans were left perplexed when no one arrived.

With a stretched squad, and an enigmatic Adebayor leading the line, Spurs were overtaken by bitter rivals Arsenal once again and surrendered fourth spot, and a place in next season’s Champions League.

However, come July 1 the indisputable fact is that AVB has to sign a proven goal-scorer, or face agonising disappointment again in 2013/14.

Here are three hitmen who love to do nothing more than score goals, and can turn Spurs into a regular fixture in the top four of the Premier League.

The post Top 3: Goal-scorers To End Tottenham’s Striking Problem appeared first on Squawka News.

Mkhitaryan has impressed the world’s media ever since he joined Shakhtar in August 2010. Since joining the current Ukrainian champions, he’s scored 38 goals in 72 league games and was the Ukrainian top-flight’s leading scorer with 25 goals in 29 league outings last season. Mkhitaryan made his international debut in January 2007 in a friendly against Panama, since then he’s scored 11 goals in 38 appearances for his country.

The Armenian and his current club Shakhtar mainly caught the world’s media’s attention throughout their Champions League run last season which took them to the Last 16 after a string of superb performances against Chelsea (h), Juventus (a) and Nordsjælland (a). Mkhitaryan put on a superb performance in the opening group game at home to Nordsjælland, where he stuck twice to see his side to a 2-0 victory. Although these were the only two goals Mkhitaryan scored throughout Shakhtar’s Champions League run, he performed well in all of the games without making many mistakes.

So, what will Mkhitaryan bring to Liverpool and where will Rodgers play him?

Throughout his career, Mkhitaryan has been played just behind the striker; I imagine Rodgers will keep this tradition going, with him playing just behind Suarez (if Rodgers and the LFC board get their own way). One of Rodgers aims is for Mkhitaryan to add another 20 goals to Liverpool’s goal count next season; this isn’t overly-un-realistic, in my opinion, with the playmaker scoring 25 in 29 games last season playing as a trequartista (the ‘number 10’). I think this statistic tells you that if the Liverpool boss plays him where he’s natural, he’ll score you goals. Because I think Rodgers will play him in his natural position, I think Liverpool’s midfield come the start of the season will be; Gerrard and Lucas, then further forward; Sturridge – Mkhitaryan – Coutinho, with Luis Suarez up front, if he stays, of course! Apart from his goal-scoring ability, the former Metalurh Donetsk player is well known as a player who can pick a pass from that playmaker role. As seen on the graph below, Mkhitaryan’s passing accuracy (86%) is very good, especially for someone whose job (if played as a trequartista) is to set up scoring opportunities.

If the deal goes through, Mkhitaryan would join summer arrivals Iago Aspas (to be confirmed) and defender Kolo Toure at Anfield. If the Armenian player joins The Reds; they will be getting an attacking talent with no shortage of technical ability whatsoever. Mkhitaryan’s finishing is razor sharp and his work rate is such that he will drag defenders all over the field when making his trademark runs into the box or playing that defence-splitting ball that could well set up the majority of Liverpool’s goals next season. The idea of an attacking trio of Sturridge, Mkhitaryan and Coutinho will make even the league’s best defences stand up and take note. The three, on their day, could be Liverpool’s not-so-secret weapon to launching a campaign for a top four finish.

The post Henrikh Mkhitaryan Set To Join Liverpool. What Can He Add To The Team? Transfer Scouting Report appeared first on Squawka News.

Turan has been a fine player for the Spanish club since signing from Galatasaray in August 2011. With a Performance Score of 779 points from 32 league appearances, ranking him as the club’s sixth-best player, he no doubt proved key in helping Atletico earn a Champions League place for the first time in four seasons.

Primarily an inverted left winger, he is a player with great vision in the final third.

He is also a good at taking set-pieces. Half of the four assists he made this season came from taking corner kicks. His overall contribution of 38 created chances is the third-best tally at the club, behind only Koke (80) and Gabi (40).

Additionally, he is a player with a commendable work rate. Off the ball, he works hard to track back and tackle opponents in possession. He attempted an average of two tackles per game this season, winning all but eight of them, which is highly impressive for such an attack-minded player. But he can be a little too enthusiastic in the challenge at times, as well as unprofessional, picking up a rather high seven yellow cards for a combination of fouls and hand-balls.

On the ball he is quite a handful, attempting around three take-ons on average per game this season, completing just about half of those. He loves taking on opponents and cutting inside onto his stronger right foot to either play in team-mates or get into goal-scoring positions himself.

Looking at where his goals came from this season, it’s clear he has good timing in his runs as well as a good understanding of what positions to take up. He can also line up a good shot from range. He may have only notched five goals this campaign, but a 55 percent shot accuracy offers hope that he may better that tally next season.

And from the looks of it, Turan should indeed be at the club next season to help get Atletico as far in the Champions League as possible. The club may no longer have Falcao, but in Turan, Simeone has a player who can make quite a difference.

The post Why Atletico Madrid Must Keep Chelsea & Liverpool Target Arda Turan .Transfer Scouting Report appeared first on Squawka News.

So what would Tottenham be getting with Lamela? Well for anyone who has been watching Serie A last season Lamela has been one of the more exciting players. Roma can boast of a number of exciting young midfielders but Lamela has comfortably outshone Miralem Pjanic and Alessandro Florenzi this season. His performance score of 1,254 means he has only been outscored by club legend Francesco Totti and defender Leandro Castán and if you look at Spurs’ attacking midfielders he outscores all of them bar Gareth Bale. Yet Spurs may soon be in search of a replacement for their lighting-fast Welshman, with Italian football journalist tweeting today that PSG have made contact over a potential transfer.

PSG have contacted Tottenham for Bale

— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) June 18, 2013

He could well end up being the man to replace Bale if the Welshman joins AVB at PSG and his versatility is one of his big plus points. A left footed player who normally plays in from the right he is equally capable playing central or on the left hand side. Lamela was Roma’s second highest scoring player with 15 goals in Serie A last season, just one behind Pablo Osvaldo who bagged 16. Obviously he cannot compete with Bale’s scoring record but he did outscore the rest of the Spurs squad. Similarly to Bale there have been criticisms that Lamela doesn’t create enough chances or weigh in with enough assists, he has made five assists in comparison to Bale’s four. Oddly enough much like Bale, Lamela is actually one of his side’s best creators. Only Totti created more chances at Roma whilst no-one created more chances than Bale at Spurs.

Lamela’s passing accuracy is a very healthy 82% and his dribbling and ability to beat players would make him a very valuable asset for Spurs. If AVB does eventually turn Tottenham into a very efficient 4-3-3 side, like his Porto team, then Lamela could be the right hand side of the three with Bale on the left and a potential new striker in the middle. It is a formation that has worked for Spurs in the past, most noticeably in the 3-1 victory over Manchester City in April when they changed formation after going a goal behind.

Given Lamela cost Roma just over £10 million when they signed him from River Plate it is probable that the Italian side would look for a fee of at least double that. Whether or not Tottenham would be prepared to pay that is a different matter. The North London side are chasing the likes of David Villa and the Brazilian quartet of Doria, Paulinho, Bernard and Leandro Damiao so you’d think at least two of these six won’t be signed. Nevertheless Lamela has been so impressive this season that I would feel Spurs have missed out if they do not sign this talented player should he become available.

The post PSG Signal Interest In Bale While Spurs Target Talented Roma Forward . Transfer Scouting Report appeared first on Squawka News.

Subotic’s desire to stay is fantastic news. The Serbia international has established himself as one of Europe’s finest centre-back’s since moving over from Mainz 05 in 2008. And he kept his good reputation up this season — even despite battling injury — by earning a Performance Score of 973 from 25 appearances, ranking him as Dortmund’s sixth-best player.

Dortmund play a high line and employ a vigorous pressing strategy when not in possession. Subotic, though not the quickest across the ground, has still managed to work along well with Klopp’s philosophy, generally speaking, successfully making an average of almost two tackles and two interceptions per game this season.

His 1.93 metre frame is ideal for standing up to the directness and physicality of the Bundesliga, and by winning an average of 2.7 of the 3.8 headed duels he was involved in per game, it’s clear he knows how to use his body well.

This applies not only to the defensive phase of play, but to the attacking phase as well. All three of Subotic’s goals this campaign came from set-piece situations, proving that he is one to watch when in the opposition’s penalty area, especially with the likes of Marco Reus and Ilkay Gundogan being as reliable as they are with their deliveries.

Another great facet of Subotic’s game is his ability to play out from the back. Both he and his defensive partner, Mats Hummels, are very comfortable on the ball, often waltzing into the opposition’s half with it like no one’s business before either lofting it over the top or between bodies along the ground to free the likes of Jakub Blaszczykowski and Marco Reus on the flanks, or Lewandowski and the outgoing Gotze through the middle.

A pass completion percentage of 84 despite averaging a huge pass length of 24 metres is quite good, especially when one considers the fact that Subotic attempted an average of 11 long balls per game this season.

At 24, this is still very much the beginning of Subotic’s career. He is keen to go from strength to strength, and is confident he is in the right place to do it.

“In January I signed a new three-year deal and I plan to stay,” he told Happy TV. “It is a great risk when a player changes his club — how will you get around, who will be your manager, how long will you remain, how many of the players will be sold. Because of all that I really believe that Dortmund is the best club for me.

“I have had the same manager for the last five seasons, the players don’t change a lot — and that is so important in football.”

He seems to have a level head on his shoulders. That said, Klopp can expect this defender to play a bigger and bigger part in his club’s efforts to stop a Bayern Munich train that, on this season’s evidence as well as given the master-stroke appointment of Pep Guardiola, seems a runaway.

The post Dortmund Star Set To Stay Despite Interest From Manchester United & City. Transfer Scouting Report appeared first on Squawka News.