In the latest in a series of articles for this magazine I will be looking at wingers, or wide forwards, that I think are players to watch going into the second half of the 2021/22 season and then on to the 2022/23 season.

In the modern game the role of wide players has changed significantly and now there are different profiles of players that we have to consider from a talent ID perspective. Do you want a wide player who performs as a traditional winger type with the ability to attack defenders down the outside? Or are you looking for a wide attacker who will mainly position himself in the half-spaces with the intent to break into the penalty area through incisive diagonal movements? Understanding the differences between these roles and the key attributes and data points that will point you to these players is key.

In this article I am using data analysis to consider which wide players I think are looking interesting. All data is taken from Wyscout and then fed into Tableau and the data visualisations used within this article are custom dashboards that have been built on Tableau.

I should also make it clear that I am not saying that these five players are the best young wingers in football, just that I think that they will be interesting players to track going forward.

#1 Diego Valencia, 22-years-old, Universidad Católica and Chile

The first player on our list is the 22-year-old Chilean international Diego Valencia. The young winger is a versatile attacking player who very much makes the list as an inside forward who carries a genuine goal threat. He can play as a central forward but is much more effective when playing and attacking from wide areas.

He has been capped four times at international level and the fact that he also holds an Italian passport suggests that he may be in line for a move to Europe in the near future.

Firstly, though, we need to discuss what Valencia is not. He is not a dynamic ball carrier who is going to take possession of the ball before driving at opposition defences and he is more of a ‘give and go’ type who will take possession of the ball and then look to link with teammates before moving forward aggressively into dangerous advanced positions.

He averaged 2899 minutes and in that time he only averaged 2.82 dribbles per 90, remember he is not a ball carrier!, but his goal output was very impressive with 0.43 goals per 90 from an xG per 90 of 0.32. This came from just 1.79 shots per 90.

Going forward I believe that Diego Valencia will move to Europe and to a top-five European country with the likes of the Spanish and Italian markets likely being a good fit for him.

#2 Pablo Solari, 20-years-old, Colo Colo and Argentina

Next up we have the 20-year-old Argentinian winger Pablo Solari. At the time of writing he has just moved to the Chilean club on a permanent basis having been on loan from the Argentinian side CA Talleres. That loan move had a buy-option attached which Colo Colo have triggered in what should prove to be a very shrewd move as Solari looks like a player who is more than capable of moving to the European heavyweights.

Solari is the very definition of a dynamic wide player who is comfortable either when receiving wide or when receiving in the half-spaces. He is capable of combining with teammates to move the ball into dangerous areas and driving on himself and creating chaos on the opposition defensive structure.

He averaged 2423 minutes in the Chilean top-flight and in that time he averaged 10.96 dribbles per 90 with 4.31 crosses per 90 and 4.20 passes into the penalty area per 90. He also showed that he could carry a goal threat with 0.22 goals per 90 from an xG per 90 of 0.16.

Solari is a wide attacker who would thrive in a transition based attack. A move to the German or English leagues would make a lot of sense here.

#3 Jack Rudoni, 20-years-old, AFC Wimbledon and England

Next up we have the young English winger Jack Rudoni. The attacker is currently contracted to AFC Wimbledon in England’s League One although his form this season is attracting considerable interest.

Rudoni is a graduate of the excellent youth academy at the London club and his versatility has seen him play either wide or as a central midfielder/second striker. He tends, however, to be better when played wide with the freedom to come inside and attack from the half-spaces where he can link in with his strikers and teammates who are moving forward from deep areas.

So far this season he has played 1809 minutes in league one and in that time he is averaging 3.53 dribbles per season, more of a creative player than a player who will carry the ball past opposition players, he is also performing well in front of goal with 0.35 goals per 90 from an xG per 90 of 0.38. Rudoni is a versatile attacking player with an average of 2.24 shots per 90 and 1.94 passes to the penalty area per 90.

There is very little chance that Rudoni will stay with AFC Wimbledon in the medium to long term with clubs in the Championship lining up to sign a promising young English attacking midfielder.

#4 Daniil Khlusevich, 20-years-old, Spartak Moscow and Russia

The next player on our list is the 20-year-old Russian U21 international Daniil Khlusevich. The young Russian has just completed a move to Spartak Moscow having impressed while playing for Arsenal Tula. He is a left-sided player who is comfortable playing as a left-sided attacking player but also as a wingback with more of an emphasis on his defensive duties.

This is a move indeed as we see Spartak try to be more aggressive when recruiting young players from the domestic markets.

This season so far, while still at Arsenal Tula, we have seen Khlusevich play 1276 minutes in the top flight of Russian football. In that time he averaged 6.14 dribbles and carries per 90. He was consistently a threat in front of goal with an average of 0.28 goals per 90 from an xG per 90 of 0.21 while taking 1.76 shots per 90.

With the move to Spartak Moscow having only just happened he is unlikely to be moving again in the near future. It is worth knowing Khlusevich’s name as I believe he will be someone who will break into the Russian national team going forward.

#5 Nico Williams, 19-years-old, Athletic Bilbao and Spain

The final player that we will look at is the 19-year-old Spaniard Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao. Nico is the brother of Inaki Williams, the speedy forward who, of course, also plays at Athletic Bilbao, and this season has seen Nico also break into the first-team squad where his speed and creativity have been a real asset for the Basque club.

Athletic Club (as they are generally known) are well known of course for only playing players of Basque origin and as such having a player like Nico breaking through has been a huge boost for the club.

He is a winger who has great pace and the ability to carry the ball past opposition defenders at ease. While he is yet to score a league goal this season his underlying numbers suggest that he will become an effective attacking player going forward.

So far this season he has played 931 minutes in La Liga and he is averaging an incredible 11.7 dribbles per 90 with 3.96 crosses per 90 and 2.22 shots per 90. While he has an xG per 90 if 0.22 he still has to actually find the target.

Nico Williams is possibly the player on our list with the most potential and I would not be surprised to see him follow in the footsteps of his older brother in staying at the Basque club for the long term.

Conclusion

While all five young wide players, or wingers, that I have shortlisted in this article have the potential to enjoy true breakout seasons for their clubs over the next 12 years it is interesting to note that none are playing at what we would call a superclub (sorry Athletic Club fans) but all have the potential to grow and play significant roles for their club going forward.