Spoiler Alert – He’s Basically Marten de Roon!
In Atalanta’s endless attempt to find an acceptable midfield rotation for the stalwart duo of Marten de Roon and Remo Freuler, La Dea have been linked to a variety of names this summer. Nahitan Nandez, Cheick Doucore, Denis Zakaria, and Sofyan Amrabat have all filled the pages of a variety of rumor mills and speculation tweets.
But one name has stood out more prominently than the rest, with some even suggesting an imminent transfer. The man is Morten Thorsby of Sampdoria, and as I dug deeper into the Norwegian’s game, the feeling hit me that there is no better midfield replacement Atalanta could get at this point in the transfer window.
First, the price. It is highly likely Thorsby would be available for less than 10M euros, an equivalent price Atalanta already paid for the former Chelsea wingback Davide Zappacosta, and half the outrageous price that Fiorentina and Commisso is asking for Sofyan Amrabat.
Beyond the price, his stats and style of play just screams Atalanta double pivot midfielder – and with a little bit of coaching and offensive crispness, it is hard not to see him as a worthy backup to Freuler but especially De Roon.
Thorsby’s Midfield Coverage
By now it is quite evident to Atalanta fans what is needed in Gasperini’s double pivot midfield setup. High energy ball winners, capable of stifling opponent’s attacks, while simultaneously being contributors rather than initiators in the offense. Essentially defensive minded midfielders. While it is next to impossible to replace the dynamic duo that is the Dutchman and the Swiss, it is possible to come close by seeking out players with similar attributes and mentality.
Enter Thorsby. The Norwegian was one of the most high energy players in Serie A last year for Sampdoria, leading or finishing Top 2 in several interesting defensive categories:
– 1st in defensive pressures
– 2nd in successful defensive pressures
– 1st in aerial challenges won
– 1st in total aerial challenges
– 2nd in fouls committed
– 2nd in tackles won
That is a nice list for a player, and to me it screams one thing to me: engine. It’s exactly what Atalanta needs in a midfielder. While not every decision he makes may be perfect, he commits 100% in defense and is everywhere trying to win the ball back for his team. Whether on the ground or in the air Thorsby is there. Can we say that about Mario Pasalic or Matteo Pessina? Doubtful.
The De Roon Comparison
The stats speak for themselves, but what is so intriguing is how similar most of his statistics were to de Roon last year. Let’s start with pressures:
Interestingly the top 4 in total pressures are all either on or linked to Atalanta, with de Roon and Freuler slotting in 2nd and 3rd place. While pressures can be a misleading statistic, it is still a good proxy for work rate – and in four less matches than de Roon, Thorsby still dominated the statistic with his energy and work rate. Granted Sampdoria was often playing in defense, giving Thorsby more opportunities to hassle offensive opponents, nonetheless it is still impressive, and he undoubtedly has the lungs to do what Gasperini wants from his players in terms of stamina. Opposite of the double pivot Atalanta was forced to play against Torino, Thorsby perfectly fits the mold to cover acres of space in the middle comfortably allowing the wingbacks and centerbacks to contribute offensively and not be bogged down deep their defensive third.
In addition, de Roon and Thorsby are comfortably slotted into the Top 10 in tackles won and fouls committed, further demonstrating their likeness.
Fouls, like pressures, can also be a bit misleading. Yet, the fact that Thorsby is willing to gut it out and become a niuscance in the middle is more confirmation that he’s comfortable doing the dirty work that de Roon, and to a lesser degree Freuler, do without complaint.
The biggest liability in Thorsby’s game is still his passing contribution. Last year Thorsby only completed 76% of his passes to de Roon’s 87%. However, he attempted 50% less passes than de Roon (wow!), and was most likely handicapped more by Sampdoria’s offensive tactic which saw the club on the ball far less often than Atalanta. I would not be surprised to see that passing number shoot up into the 80% range if Thorsby slotted into an Atalanta midfield.
The Aerial Game
Beyond the ground game, Thorsby even stacks up to de Roon in the air. Comparing midfielders in aerial duels, de Roon was stout in actual percentage of headers won – and while Thorsby came in at a respectable 19th place, just look at that volume! Nearly 300 aerial duels contested, not just first among midfielders, but defenders and forwards, and everyone else in Serie A. A five percent differential in percent aerials won is only between 5 and 10 aerial victories, so as long as the percentages are close, give me that quantity in the air everyday.
Beyond the aerial ability, Thorsby’s prowess comes in handy in attack as well. Take the chart below courtesy of understat.com.
Neither de Roon nor Thorsby are dynamos when it actually comes to scoring, but the Norwegian is effective in around the penalty area for a midfielder. He scored three goals last year, all with his head, and can become an offensive weapon on set pieces and corner kicks. Much better than de Roon skying shots of deflected balls to him outside of the 18! Nonetheless Thorsby’s aerial arsenal would extend just beyond preventing Route 1 football, and could potentially squeeze out a couple of goals with his athletic and aerial combination.
Getting A Deal Done
By now if I haven’t convinced you that Thorsby is an ideal candidate to groom into a vice de Roon, I’m not sure what will. Everything on the stat-sheet indicates that they are similar players, but if you need further convincing just go watch him play. Against Milan this week, he was again the most active player on the pitch. He bossed Theo Hernandez around a few times, covered the most kilometers, applied the most pressures, and won the most aerial duels. Heck he even completed 89% of his passes! He’s ready for a next step up, and would be a huge asset for Atalanta in the early part of the season that usually kills the club depth wise once Champion’s League starts. Let’s get this deal done, and get Morten Thorsby in black and blue!
