Albion Analytics: Ansu Fati

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Albion Analytics take a closer look at the numbers behind our new signing, Ansu Fati.

Liam Tharme

Albion Analytics

2023-09-12T06:00:00Z

Ansu Fati joined us on a season-long loan from Barcelona.

Albion’s final arrival of the summer transfer window was a significant one, with 20-year-old Ansu Fati signing on a season-long loan from Barcelona.

He will not turn 21 until next month but his age belies his experience. A graduate from the La Masia academy with over 100 senior Barcelona appearances — 17 in the Champions League and more than 80 in La Liga — as well as 9 senior Spain caps. Albion technical director David Weir highlighted the “impressive amount of experience both domestically and in European competition, despite his age,” that Fati brings, as “one of the most highly-rated young players in the world.”

Fati is one of just three players (alongside Lamine Yamal and Gavi) to make their senior debut for Spain while younger than 18, in the post-war era. He has already lifted the UEFA Nations League trophy and was part of the Barcelona side last season that did a double: La Liga and Spanish Super Cup, having also won the Copa del Ray in 2020-21.

There will inevitably be pressure for him to hit the ground running, and based on Fati’s breakout year in 2019, he is more than capable. That April he was part of the Barcelona squad who reached the UEFA Youth League semi-final, knocked out by Chelsea on penalties after a 2-2 draw where Fati scored both goals.

In August that year, he made his La Liga debut in the win over Real Betis, aged 16 years, 9 months and 25 days, becoming Barcelona’s youngest post-war La Liga debutant. The following week, he scored in the away draw to Osasuna. He is still the club’s youngest league scorer and the only to do so while younger than 17. And to cap a seismic calendar year, he became the Champions League’s youngest scorer when he got the match-winner for Barcelona away to Inter Milan at the San Siro in December — aged just 17 years, 1 month and 9 days.

It is easy to profile Fati as a winger but, primarily, he is a goal-scorer of impressive variety. His first five goals for Barcelona (including the aforementioned ones against Osasuna and Inter) included a header from a cross, a one-touch finish from a low cross, a shot from outside the box after a one-two, a run in-behind a full-back for a through ball and one-v-one finish, and a left-footed goal on the angle after the defender showed him outside.

Despite injuries having disrupted Fati’s development, comparing him to wingers and attacking midfielders in Europe’s top-five leagues, over the past year, shows his outstanding talent: he ranks inside the fop 5% for, per 90 minutes, shots (4.27), non-penalty xG (0.57), touches in the opposition box (8.32), progressive passes received (11.15) and also pass completion (83.6%). He will complement and elevate the Premier League’s best attack, in terms of goals scored and shots taken, after four games.

Isolating Fati’s statistics against his comparable-age peers further underlines his quality. Ranked among all current U23s in La Liga since the start of 2019-20, when Fati made his debut, he has scored the most goals (22), ranks third for shots, fourth for touches in the opposition box and 5th for progressive carries.

He became the youngest player to score a La Liga brace in 2020 when he scored both Barcelona’s goals in a 2-1 win over Levante; 10 of his 29 senior Barcelona goals, in all competitions, have been match-winners. Fati’s goal against Real Madrid in October 2020 made him the youngest scorer in an El Classico (17 years and 359 days), taking Raul’s record.

Last season, he made 12 starts but only finished one full 90 minutes in La Liga, and was Xavi’s most-used substitute (24 times) in the league. He is more than capable of playing the super-sub role, having become the first Barcelona player to be directly in three goals as a substitute in August 2022 against Real Sociedad. Fati entered the pitch with the score at 1-1, made two assists within four minutes and then rounded off the scoring.

“I think our style is very close with his characteristics, with his qualities,” said De Zerbi on Fati’s arrival. Fati cited the Italian’s personality and philosophy in making the switch for the season. It could be Fati and Brighton’s best so far.