Signing players in January has never been easy and even less when you look for strikers. Trying to add goals is the instinctive thing to do when things aren’t working but in a market where all teams look for the same, it’s often very difficult to find reliable options at a decent price.
This market window has been especially quiet in La Liga. Most teams are still readjusting their finances after the pandemics and only two teams Barcelona and Granada have spent more than €10m. However, there have been some interesting movements that could help some teams in the bottom half in their relegation battles.
In this data analysis piece, we’ll have a look at three new La Liga strikers whose signings may have gone under the radar and could change their new teams’ seasons. For each of them, we’ll provide a statistical profile with their data of the last calendar year and a scout report.
Matías Arezo River Plate (URU) to Granada
Despite being in the 16th position, Granada’s situation isn’t as bad as it may seem. They’re six points away from the relegation positions and after a bad start of the season, the team is starting to perform better. They have played both games against Barcelona and Real Madrid too so their calendar is quite good.
However, the team coached by former Spain and Monaco coach Robert Moreno has been one of the most active ones in the January transfer window. Granada completed six signings and spent €10.5m, the second-highest amount behind Barcelona’s €55m. Their top signing was Matías Arezo (2002, Uruguay), for whom Granada paid €5m for 50% of his rights.
Arezo comes from River Plate in Uruguay, where club where he played since he was a kid. He made his debut for La Dársena in 2019 aged just 16 and since then, he has played 91 games, scoring 37 goals and providing 14 assists. He has played for Uruguay at U17, U20 and U23 levels (32 caps, 12 goals) but is still waiting for his first senior call up. He’s been considered one of the most promising players in Uruguay for some time now.
At his young age and despite his tendency to appear in the second line, Arezo is a striker that stands out for his scoring instinct. His 0.48 xG per 90 are in the top 20% among the strikers in the Uruguayan Primera División and his scoring record (0.45 goals per 90 in his senior career so far) only supports that. Arezo shoots every time he has the chance and his 3.52 shots per 90 put him in the top 2.5% of the league.
Standing at 1.80m / 5’11’’, Arezo doesn’t look like a teenager. He’s very well-built and his strength makes him a very difficult to stop player once he engages in duels. Winning 35.15% of his offensive duels, he’s in the top 25% of the league, even against defenders as tough as the Uruguayans. He uses this power to get past the last defender and get into the box and also to protect his position and create space to finish.
