When Takumi Minamino moved from RB Salzburg to Liverpool in January 2020, there was so much hype around the transfer.
The Reds were getting a player just entering his prime years after an excellent record in the Austrian Bundesliga.
But the hype surrounding the transfer died down the following season, and Minamino was no longer part of the Liverpool setup and was loaned to Southampton for the remainder of the 20/21 season.
Last season, the 28-year-old signed permanently for Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.
After a slow and steady start, the Japan international seems to have finally found his stride this year.
The below visualisation shows where Takumi Minamino ranks for some key metrics compared to the other attacking midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues.
Takumi Minamino Radar Map
Minamino has six goal contributions — three goals and three assists — to his name this season so far.
That is more than any other Monaco player, and only Kylian Mbappé has more goal contributions than Minamino in Ligue 1 this season.
This has helped Monaco ascend to the top of the table after five games into the new season.
Playing in his most effective role as a no.10 for Les Monégasques, Minamino’s attacking numbers look solid – 2.17 shots per 90 minutes (third highest among attacking midfielders to have played at least 150 minutes), 4.14 touches in the box per 90 minutes (third highest), 0.29 xA per 90 minutes (third highest).
In possession, the Japanese international is not a high-volume progressor of the ball but has the vision to find his teammates quite often with dangerous line-breaking passes.
Defensively, Minamino is hard-working, given that he already has played under Jurgen Klopp’s intense pressing tactics.
The 2023/24 version of Takumi Minamino seems like a breath of fresh air, and seems to be the same version that caught the eye of not just Liverpool but a lot of others a few years back.
Both Minamino and Monaco will be hoping to continue their respective good starts to the season.
