Georginio Rutter - Scout Report
Leeds United have just announced a new record signing for incoming forward Georginio Rutter. The young striker has played just over 1,000 minutes this season and so far contributed with two goals and two assists this season.
Market Value
Using Transfermarkt’s market value predictor we can see that it estimates Rutter is currently worth £14,000,000. This is an all-time high for a player who rapidly becoming a more valuable asset.
Fabrizio Romano has stated that Leeds have negotiated a deal in the region of 30 million Euros. This suggests Leeds are overpaying for their man, paying the German club over double what he is worth however this is to be expected for a January signing.
On-Field Performance
Using our recruitment model we estimate statistically that Rutter is the 6th best striker under 23 years old currently. If we take a look at the former Hoffenheim man’s radar we can get a better idea of the player’s strengths, weaknesses and playstyle.
Strengths:
As expected for a Victor Orta buy and a potential player in a Jesse Marsch squad, the player is defensively proactive. So far in 2022-23 Leeds have the lowest PPDA ( Passes per Defensive Action ) in the Premier League. This means that Leeds’ oppositions have the least amount of passes before Leeds get the ball back. This highlights the effectiveness and intensity of The Whites’ pressing.
This is a huge strength for Rutter as his “Tackling” score is .87 out of 1. The Hoffenheim man wins 76% of the tackles he attempts, so he will fit well into the high-tempo, high press style Leeds are looking for.
Very few people are discussing the greatest strength in Rutter’s game. His ability to pick a pass and create chances for his teammates is exceptional. Compared to other strikers Rutter is in the top 30% in a range of statistics: Progressive passes per 100 passes, Expected assists per 90 minutes and Shot Creating Actions per 90 minutes. In essence he passes forwards well, passes into dangerous areas and creates shots for his team mates more often than two thirds of his competition. If you want an elite passer, so far the flamboyant Frenchman looks to be just that.
Weaknesses
There have been several accounts on twitter including @Squawka publicising the fact that Rutter has the most successful dribbles in the Bundesliga. Whilst this is true, I believe this stat isn’t a true representation of ability. In the past three years he has made 70 successful dribbles but these have only come at a success rate of 45% which is below average. The 20 year old isn’t dribbling past people because he is better at it, but because he tries to do so more than others.
A big aspect of Leeds United’s football this year is how direct they are, according to Opta’s data hub, Leeds have the highest direct speed in the league when they are in possession of the ball. Consequently, it should be important to find an attacking player who can receive these direct passes and who is strong aerially, especially given the lack of height across the Whites attackers. This shows his first red flag, Rutter only wins 46% of his aerial duels, slightly less than the average striker. In a period of time where the Elland Road faithful are demanding a focal point, a 5”11 striker isnt the solution for that problem.
As with all strikers, the ultimate judgement point comes through his ability/or lack of ability to score goals. So far this season, the eight figure player has not found himself in excellent positions in and around the box, he has accumulated just three expected goals and converted these chances slightly worse than the rate expected of him, scoring just two goals so far this season
Positional Scores
Using the positional scores in my recruitment model we can see where Rutter will fit best within a team, and where his skills are best designed for.
A combination of his lack of goalscoring threat and excellence in creating chances means that I estimate he works best as a playmaker in attacking midfield or acting as a shadow striker similar to where Aaronson is playing within the current starting lineup.This is highlighted when comparing to Patrick Bamford’s radar and the difference Patrick offers Leeds as an attacking threat,
A combination of his lack of goalscoring threat and excellence in creating chances means that I estimate he works best as a playmaker in attacking midfield or acting as a shadow striker similar to where Aaronson is playing within the current starting lineup.This is highlighted when comparing to Patrick Bamford’s radar and the difference Patrick offers Leeds as an attacking threat,
To summarise, Rutter is an exciting young talent with identifiable strengths and it is obvious why he has been scouted by Orta, Marsch etc however it can also be questioned whether this is the striker that Leeds need currently, as a striker this is a imperfect signing but if he plays deeper for his new club there is exceptional value to be found. Time will tell whether Leeds have solved their problems in open play chance creation.
