Rodrigo de Paul has become a wanted man. The 26-year old Argentine midfielder has been at the heart of Udinese’s midfield since 2016, and during that time, has become one of the most consistent midfielders in Serie A, with his recent performances linking him with a move away from I Friulani and to one of Europe’s elite. This following piece will feature a small scout report on the Udinese captain, as well as look at the possible clubs that could go in for him this summer if he chooses to leave Udine.
Rodrigo de Paul: A small scout report
In Luca Gotti’s 3-5-2 formation, de Paul plays in the center of the three midfielders, where he is able to dictate play going forward, while also putting in a defensive shift as well. By definition, de Paul is a true box to box midfielder, with his outstanding work rate allowing him to consistently put in a 90-minute shift for I Friulani.
Going forward, de Paul is the player that Udinese entrust to their chance creation as well as progressing the ball up the pitch. According to one-versus-one.com, de Paul ranks 1st in Serie A in key passes (28), key passes outside the box (23), chance creation (34), passes into the box (10), and xA (0.62). He also ranks 2nd in Serie A in passes into the final third (40), and pass progression value, while also ranking in the top 10 for passes in total. So far this season, de Paul has attempted 1,233 passes in total, with a staggering 80% success rate. As the stats above show as well, these are not all sideways or backwards passes, they are passes to progress Udinese into attacking positions, something that de Paul is key to. Add in his 5 assists and 79 touches/90, and Rodrigo de Paul is a midfielder who excels with the ball at his feet. With 5 goals as well this season, de Paul is also a player who has the potential to consistently score as well as create, making him a complete midfielder going forward.
Defensively, de Paul is good, but not great. He does not attempt many tackles (29), but he has won 62% of those attempted tackles. He does however, excel in ground duels, with him winning 60% of the 346 that he has attempted this season. While good in duels on the ground, the same cannot be said about his aerial presence, with de Paul only winning 33% of his aerial duels attempted. With him standing at 5’11”, he should be able to have a bit more aerial presence, something that he could work on refining in the future. All in all, de Paul is a very competent midfielder defensively, and his well-rounded attributes make him a great fit for any side lacking a good box to box midfielder.
When it comes to de Paul’s mental qualities, not much stands out to me that would be concerning for a future club. He is disciplined on the pitch with only 2 yellow cards this season (both ironically coming in the same match), and is a genuine leader as well for this Udinese side. He can always be seen shouting at teammates and pointing where he wants passes to be played, and is constantly asking his side for more. It can be easily seen why he was given the captaincy for the Udine based side. The next question to be answered then is, where would de Paul fit best if he were to move clubs? This next section answers that very question.
Rodrigo de Paul: Possible club options
Realistic option: Leeds United
Rodrigo de Paul was linked heavily with Leeds United last summer, and there would be no reason not to assume why Marcelo Bielsa would not go back in for his fellow countryman this summer. Looking at the physical, and more closely, the technical attributes of de Paul, and you can see why Bielsa was so determined to bring him to Elland Road last summer. Rodrigo de Paul fits Bielsa’s style perfectly, a tremendous work rate midfielder who excels going forward and tracking back defensively. In Bielsa’s usual 4-1-4-1 formation, the two central attacking midfield spots are occupied by Mateusz Klich and one of either Stuart Dallas or Tyler Roberts while Kalvin Phillips sits as a 6 to protect the back four. Klich has been a standout performer for Leeds this season, and being able to possibly put de Paul next to him could potentially take Leeds to the next level. Comparing the metrics for these players tells a similar story. Compared to Dallas, de Paul has performed better than Dallas in every metric except G90 and xGBuildup90, with both players having 0.20 and 0.32 respectively. Key passes per 90 has the biggest difference, with de Paul’s 2.30 KP90 shattering Dallas’s KP90 of 0.80. With Tyler Roberts, albeit on a very small sample size, he is outperforming de Paul on A90 (0.28 compared to 0.20), while being closer on KP90 (1.40 compared to Dallas’s 0.80.)
This is nothing against both Dallas and Roberts, but de Paul has the potential to propel Leeds into challenging for European football next season. The only question that would present itself is would de Paul leave a consistent mid table side in Udinese to go to another potential consistent mid table side in Leeds United.
Intriguing Option: Liverpool
The case for Liverpool being in the running for Rodrigo de Paul is a rather interesting one, but can be understandable. Georginio Wijnaldum is out of contract at the Premier League champions in the summer, and signs are pointing to him leaving the club this summer, with Barcelona heavily linked. Looking at Liverpool’s squad on paper makes it hard to imagine why they would pursue a deal for de Paul, with Curtis Jones, Fabinho, Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson, and Thiago all midfield options for the Merseyside club. Digging deeper tells a different story. Jürgen Klopp has normally lined Liverpool up in a 4-3-3 formation, with constant rotation normally occurring between the three midfielders. Injuries at center back has also forced Klopp to be more creative, at times starting Henderson and Fabinho at center half. Curtis Jones is still young and developing, and Naby Keita can’t seem to get a game.
If Wijnaldum were to leave the club in the summer, replacing him with Rodrigo de Paul could be a great option for Klopp if he were to dip into the transfer market. Comparing the metrics for de Paul and Wijnaldum shows that de Paul would very much be a viable replacement for the Dutchman. However, comparing de Paul to Curtis Jones shows that the young Liverpool born player could be the one to step in the boots possibly left behind by Wijnaldum. Jones is outperforming de Paul this season in xGBuildup90 (0.38 compared to 0.32), while having the same xGChain90 (0.56). While he is not as good in the other attacking metrics, being 6 years younger than de Paul means Jones has more room to grow, and it would not surprise me if Curtis Jones is given the position possibly left behind by Georginio Wijnaldum if he departs for free this summer and Klopp decides to stick with the options that he has currently at the club.
Best option: Inter Milan
How about staying in Italy and joining possible soon to be Scudetto winners Inter Milan? Inter have been linked with de Paul recently, and it makes total sense why Antonio Conte would want to bring de Paul to the San Siro. First off, Conte operates the same system that Gotti operates at Udinese, a 3-5-2. This would allow Conte to get the best out of de Paul, while also still improving his squad. Currently, Marcelo Brozović and Nicolo Barella are nailed down starters in central midfield for Conte. This would mean de Paul would have to compete with either Christian Eriksen or Arturo Vidal for the final central midfield spot, so let us take a look at the metrics for the three players.
While comparing de Paul to Christian Eriksen, what stood out most was KP90. So far this season, Eriksen is outperforming de Paul in this stat (2.33 compared to 2.30). Granted it is a much smaller sample size, but it shows that impact Eriksen has had since being restored to the starting 11 by Conte. He also does not trail de Paul much in xA90 (0.24 compared to 0.36), but would still be an upgrade, as Eriksen has not yet consistently shown that he is a surefire starter under Conte at Inter.
When looking at Vidal’s metrics compared to de Paul, the first thing that stands out is that Vidal does not create nearly as many chances for his teammates as de Paul. However, Vidal does outperform de Paul in xG90 (0.22 compared to 0.18), but does not have a similar metric for G90 (0.08 compared to 0.20). What this means is that de Paul is more likely to convert goal scoring chances that he should. With Vidal 33 years old, time is not on his side, whereas at 26, de Paul is coming into the prime years of his career.
While Christian Eriksen is starting to find form and starting regularly in that final central midfield role, before, Conte could not find the right balance in that position. If de Paul came into the club and Conte polished up a few parts of his game, then Inter Milan’s potential midfield three of Brozović, Barella, and de Paul could become one of the best in world football.
Conclusion:
To wrap up, all three of Leeds United, Liverpool, and Inter Milan should be considered options if Rodrigo de Paul decides to move this summer. While each club has its positives and negatives, I just feel that Inter Milan would be the best place for Rodrigo de Paul to take his football to the next level.
Brandon's Scouting Network 