AS Roma are aiming to return to UEFA Champions League football. Daniele De Rossi returned as the manager and took his side to a sixth-place finish. Italian sides enjoyed a bit of success in Europe last season. They were awarded five places in the upcoming UCL season.
De Rossi and his team will be charged up for the upcoming season. They are already doing some transfer business. One player that came to Roma’s ranks is former Juventus youngster, Matias Soule. The Argentine forward is one of the big names in football. He is just 21 and joined the Italian club in 2020. After making 15 appearances for the first team in the Serie A, he was loaned out to Frosinone for the 2023-24 season. Soule had an incredible run with the club.
Juventus appointed Thiago Motta as their new manager. The Italian has some new plans and is happy to offload some players. Matias Soule was allowed to leave on a reported $28m plus $4m in bonus deal. Let’s look at how this 21-year-old will be a key in Roma’s attack.
First full season in Italy
Matias Soule got his first opportunity to play regular top-division football. He played in 15 matches for Juventus in two seasons. Soule decided to join Frosinone on a season-long loan. The team failed to survive in the league but Soule proved why he is a big player. He played regularly on the right wing.
By looking at the pizza chart, we can observe that the Argentinian had a high percentile rank among all the other players on the right wing in Tier 1 of league football. Soule’s percentile rank is high in the possession and attacking department.
There were plenty of progressive runs made by the winger last season. Matias Soule likes to take on defenders. He stretches the defence and gets into great crossing positions. On several occasions, he has won a free kick in the final third.
Another amazing ability that the player is blessed with is ball recovery in danger zones. Most of these recoveries end up as dangerous recoveries. This shows how helpful Soule can be for the team everywhere on the field.
Creative machine
The Argentine ended the season with three assists. He delivered plenty of balls into the penalty box but only three chances were converted. Frosinone could have spaced relegation if more goals were scored by their attackers. Matias Soule can deliver crosses and is a candidate to take set pieces.
Soule ended the season with 11 goals. He converted five of the six penalty kicks taken by him. His shot map shows that the attempts were taken from a similar angle. He tries to find the near post on most occasions. The xG rate per shot is on a bit lower side.
AS Roma have a new star in their team. There are big expectations from Soule, who will aim to deliver at the top level.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine