Player Focus: Why Spurs Fought to Sign DeAndre Yedlin
There was much talk during the World Cup over what the legacy of the tournament would be for the United States. The land that has long been considered football’s final frontier fully embraced Brazil 2014, but what would be lasting effect be? Certainly, in the short-term, that legacy has been DeAndre Yedlin.
Yedlin wasn’t even a starter for the USA at the World Cup, but his substitute performance against Belgium at the last-16 stage caught the eye, attracting a number of high profile suitors, including Liverpool and Roma.
Tottenham won the race for his signature, however, sealing a £2.5m deal to take the 21-year-old to north London on a four-year deal. But what kind of player have Spurs actually signed? What will Yedlin bring to Mauricio Pochettino’s side when he eventually makes the move to White Hart Lane?
After breaking through as a rookie last year, Yedlin quickly established himself as the Sounders’ first-choice right back and one of the hottest prospects in Major League Soccer.
He was even named in the MLS All-Star team against Roma last year, making him the first rookie to be named in the side since Michael Parkhurst in 2005. In just two years with Seattle, Yedlin has made 46 league appearances and has seven US international caps to his name.
The 21-year-old can be categorised best as a modern day full-back, sometimes even verging on wing-back. He is relentless in his patrolling of the right flank, providing an attacking outlet at every available opportunity. Yedlin appears tireless, even if his quality on the ball can, at times, be questioned.
In terms of key passes per game, Yedlin maintains the kind of stats normally associated with a midfielder, making an average of 1.1 per match. This is a significant improvement on his performance in the same area last season, when he averaged just 0.6 key passes per game. It illustrates to what extent Yedlin is still learning as a player.
His overall pass success rate has also improved on last year, rising from 74.6% to 81.9%. This is a result of a tightening up of his game urged by both Sigi Schmid and national team boss Jurgen Klinsmann.
Yedlin is involving himself in the game more frequently, even out in his often isolated role on the right flank, making an average of 41.9 passes as compared to just 35.6 per game last season.
However, one area of Yedlin’s game that has yet to progress as hoped is his final product. The full-back scored two goals and contributed two assists in 2013 as the Sounders made the playoffs. This season he has yet to involve himself in a single Sounders goal by way of a finish or an assist, and Seattle have scored 37 this term, making them the league’s second top scorer, behind FC Dallas and Portland Timbers (both 38).
But unlike most modern full-backs, Yedlin is also well aware of his defensive responsibilities. The 21-year-old is the Sounders’ second most prolific tackler, making an average of 2.5 tackles per game putting him behind only Osvaldo Alonso (3.5) on the team.
Yedlin’s positional sense serves him well on the pitch, allowing him to intercept attacking moves before they turn into a problem for Seattle. His average of 2.5 interceptions per game once again puts him high in the Sounders’ stats column, this time putting him ahead of midfield destroyer Alonso (2.2).
His average of 3 clearances per game also ranks highly from a defensive point of view, even blocking 0.4 shots per game, showing just how willing he is to follow his marker inside.
Although they are currently in something of a slump, having lost two of their last three league games, the Sounders are considered one of the strongest teams in MLS this year. They Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup challenge will be aided by the news that Yedlin will stay on loan at the club until January 2015, at the very least.
It’s probably best for the youngster that he remain in MLS to develop his game. Yedlin is a well-rounded player. His crossing, passing and dribbling statistics are all good, but Spurs are investing in a player who still has quite some work to do on his game.
As promising as he is, Yedlin is far from the finished product. At the Under-20 World Cup, he was even pinpointed as the USA team’s weak link, blamed for two goals in a 4-1 defeat to Spain.
However, it’s worth considering that Spurs have paid just £2.5m for the full-back, which in truth is fantastic value and represents a shrewd bit of business. Yedlin may well become a first-team player in the Premier League, but for the time being, he still has some growing in MLS to do.
Do you think DeAndre Yedlin will be a hit at White Hart Lane? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
