Sunderland completed a multi-million pound deal to sign Nilson Angulo on transfer deadline day
While it's perfectly possible that he returns to Sunderland in the summer, Simon Adingra's loan switch to AS Monaco was a ruthless move from the Black Cats just months after his arrival from Brighton.
Make no mistake, it's a move that benefits both parties. Adingra has the chance to play regularly at a high level in a World Cup year, while Sunderland protect his value and potentially recoup their investment this summer. The interesting question is: to what extent did they pursue Nilson Angulo because of his imminent departure, to what extent did they want to make room for Angulo's arrival? The enthusiasm of Régis Le Bris and Kristjaan Speakman in reacting to the deal would suggest the latter, which should excite Sunderland fans.
Angulo neatly fits the profile of the bulk of Sunderland's targets since returning to the Premier League: He is a young player with significant room for growth but who also arrives with a good level of senior experience under his belt. A full Ecuador international, he has over 100 senior appearances to his name and the success of Noah Sadiki this season shows that even if the Belgian league is not considered one of Europe's very strongest, the standard and most importantly the intensity is very good. Like Ligue 1, Sunderland feel it's a league from which players can in time make the step to the Premier League.
So more specifically, why Angulo? First and foremost, he is a dynamic winger who will fit neatly into the club's favoured 4-3-3 shape of the left. Sunderland's playing style prioritises wingers who are good in 1-v-1 situations and can add a goal threat, which even a brief look at Angulo's statistics demonstrate he offers. Sunderland feel they are signing the Belgian league's best winger and so far this season, there's a very good case to argue that he is exactly that. According to Opta date, he is in the top 10% of wingers for what they deem to be tier two leagues (essentially the next batch after Europe's big five) for key attacking metrics such as chances created, big chances created and successful crosses. He's in the top 15% for expected goals, expected assists and successful passes. Even if we adjust this data to every 90 minutes played rather than total, Angulo still stands out - in the top 25% for assists, chances created and crosses completed. Crucially, his dribbling stats are excellent and this is vital to Sunderland's playing style: Angulo is in the top 15% for successful dribbles and the top 25% for fouls won. The Premier League represents a significant step up for Angulo but Sunderland know at this stage of their development they cannot go out and sign the finished article. They have to take calculated risks, and Angulo carries all the attributes need to succeed in a Le Bris side.
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The stats that really stand out from Nilson Angulo’s performances this season
What catches the eye most about Angulo's stats this season, however, are the way they demonstrate a player who contributes massively out of possession and this is perhaps the clearest area where Sunderland might feel he has the edge on Adingra in the long run. If Angulo's in-possession stats are good, his out-of-possession stats are genuinely exceptional. The winger is averaging 8.04 duels won per 90 minutes this season, which places him comfortably inside the top 10% of wingers in his league and others of similar standard. His 2.89 tackles per 90 is bettered by only 2% of wingers, and he also ranks very well both for interceptions and recoveries. For overall defensive contributions, Fotmob rank him in the top 4% of wingers and he also ranks well on aerial duels.
There are no certainties in football, but Angulo looks every inch a Sunderland and Le Bris winger.
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