Ylber Ramadani has immediately caught the eye with his early performances for Aberdeen.
The Albanian international midfielder, who has 15 national team caps to his name, was Jim Goodwin’s first signing as Dons boss this summer.
Having made the £150,000 switch from Hungarian side MTK Budapest, the Reds’ capture of Ramadani set the tone for a busy summer which has seen a total of 11 players brought in.
It has become increasingly clear why Goodwin was so keen to make Ramadani such a central figure in his Pittodrie rebuild.
Having joined up with his team-mates midway through the Reds’ Premier Sports Cup group campaign, Ramadani has gone on to play the entirety of both of their Premiership matches so far.
In the 2-0 defeat away to Celtic and the 4-1 home victory over St Mirren, Ramadani’s pivoting role has been an important part of Goodwin’s team setup.
The graphic below illustrates Ramadani’s range of passing, with a noticeable desire to spread play to the Dons’ wide outlets.
Ramadani has shown willingness to receive the ball in tight spaces, often directly from the Reds’ rearguard.
Of the 129 passes he has made, 115 have been successful, ranking him eighth in the Premiership for each category.
This is an encouraging early sign for the Dons, given the upper end of these charts are likely to be dominated by Celtic and Rangers players.
The graphics point towards Ramadani being an effective screen in sitting in front of the defence.
The statistics also show the 26-year-old to be an efficient ball carrier, with the 40 carries in the opening two matches ranking him 10th in the division.
Clarkson has shown early signs of promising link-up with Ramadani
The link up stats between Ramadani and his team-mates paint an interesting picture of how the Reds will build their attacking play this season.
Remarkably, during the course of the opening two matches, Ramadani has completed more passes (21) to Leighton Clarkson than any other Dons player.
That is notable given they have only played 78 minutes together, which is less than the next nine players on the list.
Clarkson was quickly thrust in to the action against St Mirren, coming on as a 12th=minute substitute for the injured Hayden Coulson just hours after completing his loan move from Liverpool.
The 20-year-old wasted no time in making his mark, as he got off the mark for the Reds with an exquisite long-range goal.
Clarkson’s general pass map, above, shows he will typically receive the ball higher up the field than Ramadani, who occupies a deeper role.
His role in supporting Aberdeen’s attack also looks likely to be key, as he has completed more successful passes that have ended in the final third (28) than any other Dons player.
Goodwin to face tough midfield selection decisions
Although Ramadani and Clarkson have yet to complete a full 90 minutes together, the pair appear to have shown the foundations of a strong understanding.
Should they continue to form an effective partnership, Goodwin could soon be faced with a selection dilemma.
Ross McCrorie has been expected to play a midfield role this season, however, his services could be required in central defence depending on the severity of Coulson’s injury.
Should Coulson be sidelined for some time, it is likely Liam Scales will be shifted to left back, allowing McCrorie to partner skipper Anthony Stewart at the heart of the Reds’ rearguard.
Another midfielder nearing a return is Connor Barron.
The 19-year-old made a strong impact on the Dons side towards the end of last season, after returning from a loan spell with Kelty Hearts.
A knee injury in a pre-season friendly against Buckie Thistle has sidelined him so far this term, with Goodwin admitting Barron left a noticeable void in his side in the aftermath of the opening day defeat to Celtic.
American Dante Polvara has less first team experience, but was given the nod against the Hoops on that occasion, which is a sure sign Goodwin sees promise in the 22-year-old.
With Clarkson having since been added to the Dons’ ranks, Goodwin clearly has the benefit of options to choose from.
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