Right now, Manchester United are revving up the gears to kickstart their rebuild under Erik Ten Hag. If United choose to go down the route suggested by current interim Ralf Rangnick, then a squad overhaul looks almost certain, with new faces in almost every position needed. So, it’s no surprise that Borna Sosa has been linked with the Red Devils as a potential replacement for Luke Shaw and Alex Telles. However, interest from Chelsea, Barcelona and German champions Bayern Munich might come as a surprise to some that haven’t heard about the Croatian left-back, who currently plays for Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart. Sosa’s stats this season make these links a lot more reasonable.
According to fbref.com, Borna Sosa looks like a real creative force compared to other fullbacks in Europe. Over the past year, he ranks in the 95th percentile, or top 5%, for expected assists. The difference between expected assists and actual assists per 90 minutes is 0.6; this small difference suggests that his high actual assist ranking, in the 96th percentile, is a product of his creative output and not the overperformance of his strikers – Tiago Tomas ranks highest for xG overperformance of Stuttgart’s regular forwards with a low 0.03 per 90.
It’s not only assisting that Sosa excels in. Ranking in the 89th percentile for progressive passing distance and for attempted long passes makes him a direct, forward-thinking player. He’s decisive in the final third as well: a 98th percentile ranking for key passes and a 97th percentile ranking for shot creating actions emphasise his direct influence on chance creation, whilst 96th and 97th percentile rankings for passes and crosses into the penalty area respectively highlight his ability to continuously ask questions of opposition defences.
Sosa can create from the final third with crosses and key passes and can create from further back with his long passing range, but he can also do the bit in the middle – his transitional numbers also stand out. A high volume of progressive carries, including those into the final third, as well as his high dribble completion rate of 66% (93rd percentile) show a willingness to drive forward, before putting a cross or teasing ball into the box. Stuttgart rely on Sosa for their attacking play – he ranks 3rd in the squad for received passes, with the top two being centre-backs. Off the ball, he’s able to put himself in good positions as well, ranking in the 92bd percentile across Europe for progressive passes received. Clearly, the 24-year-old can carry the attacking burden of the team well in all aspects.
Defending, however, is not one of Sosa’s strong points. Ranking in the bottom 5% for attempted tackles and tackles won, as well as in the 6th percentile for pressures suggest that the Croatian isn’t very active in defence – perhaps as a result of him surging forward to support attacks. However, a 75th percentile ranking for pressure success rate suggests that these low numbers aren’t necessarily down to a lack of tackling ability, but rather a case of not being in defensive positions. Stuttgart have often played in a back three, deploying Sosa in the left wingback role. In formations like this, if the centre backs can stretch out wide or are capable of lateral shifts, the wingback isn’t needed as prominently in defence compared to a left back in a back four. Stuttgart’s mid table position for expected goals conceded (1.51 xGA per 90) backs up the idea that Sosa’s low defensive output hasn’t hindered the team.
But the question is: would Borna Sosa fit into Erik Ten Hag’s new Manchester United? Judging from Ten Hag’s Ajax side this season in the Champions League, Sosa’s crossing volume and ability would be greatly appreciated, with Ajax topping the list for crosses into the penalty area per 90. Ranking in third for progressive passing distance suggests that Sosa’s directness and forward thinking will also benefit United should Ten Hag decide to play a similar style next season. Most of Ajax’s progressive carries came from Antony, another United transfer target, but given right back Noussair Mazraoui’s second place ranking for regular starters, it isn’t crazy to suggest that Sosa’s on the ball abilities could become a real attacking focal point for the Red Devils. United haven’t had too much joy down the flanks this season from the fullbacks, with Telles and Dalot only picking up a combined four assists this season compared to Sosa’s eight.
Sosa wouldn’t be able to get away with being a passive defender, however. With Ten Hag favouring a back four and United’s back line being notorious for poor positional awareness, Sosa bombing forwards would leave gaps in behind for opposition forwards to exploit – Alex Telles and Diogo Dalot have suffered from this consistently under Ralf Rangnick to varying degrees. With links to Jurrien Timber and the hope that Ten Hag may be able to cause a resurgence for the likes of Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire, this defensive liability may not be so much of a problem.
Bolstering other positions before signing a fullback is reasonable for United, with centre back cover needed and the massive midfield hole in the squad (that will grow even larger with the departures of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic). With his transfer value set at 18 million euros right now (via transfermarkt) however, Borna Sosa could be something of a bargain buy for Manchester United regardless of position, but one whose value – especially in attack – could be worth a lot more.
