Presenting Matias Soule: Argentina's next wing-wizard on the Juventus books

Argentina’s capacity to produce left footed attacking talents is unmatched. The latest to join the likes of Messi, Di Maria and Dybala, is Juventus winger Matias Soule. 

Soule came through the youth system at Velez Sarsfield, but followed his idols in making the switch to Europe in early 2020. He began showing his quality after a difficult start, first for the Juventus under 19’s, then the under 23’s, and finally forced his way into Massimiliano Allegri’s squad. 

Last season, the 20-year-old made 19 senior appearances, mostly off the bench, including some minutes in the Champions League. But it was clear that he needed more regular game time to accelerate his development. 

Now on loan at newly promoted Serie A side Frosinone, Soule is having a strong start to the campaign and his WhoScored rating of 7.85 is currently the second highest in the league, behind compatriot Lautaro Martinez (7.89) and ahead of established stars such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Rafael Leao. 

Soule has been growing into his role in the team, and his three goals and one assist in seven games have helped them to a comfortable mid-table position as they fight to stay in the Italian top flight. 

With the departures of Dybala, Cuadrado and Kulusevski over the past few transfer windows, the Bianconeri are in the market for a right sided attacker. Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi was a primary target, but their precarious financial position and Soule’s impressive performances mean that they might already have a solution in-house. 

Matias Soule Transfer Value (xTV) - how much is he worth? 

According to FootballTransfer’s player valuation model, Soule has a current Expected Transfer Value (xTV) of €10.7m. 

His xTV has almost doubled from €5.6m since the start of the year, and will likely move upwards as he continues to play regular first team minutes. 

Soule holds both Argentinian and Italian citizenship, and is still eligible to play for both nations. A fight for his allegiance might lead to an earlier than expected senior call up, and can drive that value even higher. 

Matias Soule’s strengths and weaknesses - what does the data say? 

Soule is a left-footed winger who most often operates as a wide playmaker on the right wing. He is not your typical fast winger who hugs the touchline and runs in behind, but rather a player who prefers to receive the ball to feet so he can cut inside on his stronger side. 

You will see Soule frequently drift inside to receive the ball in the half space and use his close control, vision and trickery to create chances for his teammates. His 3.1 key passes and 0.26 Expected Assists per 90 put him amongst the top 93rd percentile of wingers in the league this season. 

The Argentine displays great comfort in central spaces, which makes him capable of functioning as an attacking midfielder or second striker, drawing comparisons to his compatriot Dybala. This versatility might prove to be crucial to fit into Allegri’s 3-5-2 system next season, which does not typically use wingers. 

What will also help him make this change is his game intelligence that sees him make smart movements to attack the space in the final third. 

With 7.3 dribbles attempted per 90 at a 54.2% success rate, the wide man also stands out in his technical ability and confidence to run at defenders. Both metrics rank him very high among positional peers in the league. 

Soule’s out of possession contribution is an underrated part of his game. This is usually an aspect that most young players struggle with, but his impressive 7.2 ball recoveries per 90 put him in the top 2% of wingers in the league.  

Add to that his 1.6 blocks and 3.2 tackles and interceptions per 90, and we see a player who has great positional intelligence and is willing to put in a defensive shift for this team. 

Young wingers who are often very eager to impress usually get caught offside pretty often. Soule’s intelligence and maturity also shows in the fact that he has not been caught offside a single time this season. 

The Old Lady have been known to acquire talented players, only to regret their premature departure. It is still early in the season, but Soule looks to be their brightest prospect who they should ensure reaches his full potential in Turin.

This article was provided by FootballTransfers