How Bajamich came on Cats’ radar & data to back it up
As football changes, so too does the way in which potential transfer targets are identified.
While the ‘old-fashioned way’ of scouts heading out to games, armed with a notepad and report template, still has its place, clubs are increasingly turning to data-driven means of recruiting players.
As scouting departments are stripped back and, with o ve r s e a s t a l e nt- s p o tt i n g trips coming increasingly difficult in this window in particular, alternative approaches have to be pursued.
T h at’s w h e re s ys t e m s such as wyscout come into play. The software hands clubs a raft of data, making it far easier to watch targets wh o m ay oth e r w i s e h ave been tough to track.
And it’s through wyscout that Sunderland can perform checks on the likes of Mateo Bajamich – Phil Parkinson’s latest attacking target.
The young Argentine has been the subject of a six-figure bid from the Black Cats, and is also attracting interest from MLS outfit Houston Dynamo.
But why has he been identified as a target? Using wyscout, we take a look at the data that saw him crop up on Sunderland’s radar:
More than goals: As with any striker, Bajamich will ultimately be judged on goals.
It’s the first statistic that will be viewed by potential interested clubs, and the 21-year-old’s record stands up to scrutiny.
Since his emerge at Instituto, who play in the second division of Argentina, Bajamich has averaged a goal every 252 minutes.
In comparison, since the start of the 2019/20 season, Will Grigg has averaged a goal every 279 minutes and Charlie Wyke has netted once every 375 minutes.
He’s clinical, too. Bajamich’s xG stood at 0.32 goals per game last season, but he actually scored 0.36 goals per game – meaning he performed slightly better than expected in front of goal.
But Bajamich’s game is about more than goals.
A look at his footage on
wyscout – which is widely available to clubs such as Sunderland – shows a player who stretches the opposition. Comfortable playing off the shoulder of the last line of defence, Bajamich has bags of pace and is intelligent in his use of it.
He runs the channels well and is comfortable holding the ball up, a key prerequisite for any striker playing in Parkinson’s 3-4-3 system. His six assists during the last twelve months show another side to his game (according to wyscout, Wyke failed to register a single assist last season, while Grigg made just one).
T h e h i g h p re s s : I n a n empty Stadium of Light, you could hear every instruction barked by Parkinson during the 0-0 draw with Hull City.
He regularly called for his forward players to press higher up the field, urging Grigg forward and praising his work as he closed down the visiting backline.
Over and above scoring goals, Parkinson expects that kind of high work rate from
his strikers – and it’s the ability of Bajamich to do just that which likely brought him to the attention of the Black Cats.
The Argentine averages 1.71 interceptions per game while also recovering the ball in the opposition half over 1.8 times during every 90 minutes, highlighting his ability to press high and regain possession in the final third. They are impressive statistics, particularly for such a young forward.
Versatility: With squad caps coming into play from this season, versatility is becoming increasingly key.
Scope to recruit two players for every position may soon become near-impossible meaning those in the 22-man squad (which will reduce to a 20-man squad by the time the 2022/23 season begins) will have to be able to play a variety of positions.
And Bajamich can certainly do that.
I n d e e d , wh i l e h i s p re - ferred position is as a central striker, the youngster has played a great deal of defender Arbenit Xhemajli – football on the right flank or a similarly left-field signing in behind the striker. Anothand one who was monitored er big tick in his favour – and in a similar way. indeed, another reason why Parkinson confirmed he he’s seen as an attractive tarhad watched ‘just about eveget for Sunderland. ry game’ that Xhemajli had
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Local reports in Argenrecruitment since their drop tina have suggested that Bainto League One. jamich is represented by his "Like I said when we relatives, but EHM Sports signed Arbenit, we have to Management have claimed spread our net wide to add responsibility for the player the quality we need into the on wyscout – meaning it is squad,” said Parkinson on Bathey who will be contacted by jamich. potentially interested clubs. "He's a player we've ob
EHM are developing a repviously looked at and along utation for identifying young with a number of targets, South American players and we'd like to add another couclaim to have noted talentple into the group sooner spotter Andrea Bramerio – rather than later.” who has helped many such And with the League One youngsters move to Europe salary cap set to make land– working for them.‘We have ing EFL players increasingly to spread our net wide’ difficult, expect Parkinson
Sunderland’s interest in to be spending plenty more Bajamich comes just days time on wyscout in the comafter they clinched a deal for ing weeks and months.