A free agent with an eye for the spectacular – that’s Luke Molyneux
A free agent with an eye for the spectacular whose stock is at a high.
That’s what Pompey will be landing in Luke Molyneux, in a season where he finished as Hartlepool’s top scorer, with his place as a key player at the club cemented after being named both fans’ and players’ player of the year.
His progress has been monitored in recent months, with Danny Cowley watching the 24-year-old in person at Northampton in March.
According to the latest reports, Derby County and the Blues are keen on the former Sunderland man.
Delving into the data room underlines the progress Molyneux has made, as he establishes himself as one of the most promising attacking players in the lower leagues.
Using information from professional football data platform, Wyscout, it’s clear Pompey would be landing a versatile talent with an eye for producing something special.
Molyneux spent much of 2021/22 operating as an inverted winger, playing down the right where he can cut in and shoot with his left foot.
He’s also been used through the middle as a striker, mainly early in the season, returning 12 goals in all competitions as Pools reached the EFL Trophy semi-final and FA Cup fourth round.
Molyneux’s return has seen him outperform an expected goal total of 8.18 this season.
It’s been goals more than assists which have been the staple of his game, with Molyneux returning just two assists from his 4,100 minutes - an average of 75.1 minutes per game.
In terms of going up against the rest of League Two, he compares favourably when it comes to his progressive runs and smart passes.
A total of 80 progressive runs ranks him 26th in the division with 25 smart passes seeing him 29th of all League Two players.
Molyneux’s wing play stats saw him undertake 259 dribbles with 49.4 per cent of those completed, while 24.7 per cent of his 89 crosses were completed. He completed 74.9 per cent of his 1,069 passes, with 38.5 per cent of his long passes finding a team mate.
Molyneux took part in 1,122 duels with a success rate of 37 per cent, with that figure dropping to 25.7 per cent in his 210 aerial duels.