Pervis Estupiñán is an international Ecuatorian left-back who has just completed his transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion, a Premier League side, to AC Milan for a transfer fee of €17m and a net annual salary of €2.5m.
Milan bought Estupiñán as a replacement for Théo Hernandez, who has recently joined Al-Hilal following a long period of success with I Rossoneri.
Therefore, it is apparent that Estupiñán will become Massimiliano Allegri‘s first-choice left-back.
There are no left-backs left in the squad except Davide Bartesaghi, who has not yet reached his full potential to be reliable as a starting Serie A left-back for a team like Milan.
This means that Milan made the right choice by signing a valuable and confirmed left-back like Estupiñán to be the starting player in that position, given that opting for Bartesaghi as a first option would have been a big risk for Milan.
That said, Bartesaghi can develop and improve significantly under Allegri’s management, especially if he receives considerable playing time during the season, particularly when Estupiñán is unavailable due to injury or unfitness.
Estupiñán is an experienced left-back accustomed to various leagues and levels.
He played in La Liga and the Premier League for numerous seasons, which makes the move to Milan less risky than it would be for other left-backs.
This is especially true if we consider that Estupiñán is not a fragile player and that he typically plays most of the season’s games.
Being a very disciplined player and someone who consistently gives his 100% on the pitch will certainly guarantee more balance for the team, especially on the left flank, as that is something that was lacking on certain key occasions when Hernandez held that position.
That said, there are other differences and similarities between Hernandez and Estupiñán.
In this tactical analysis and scout report, the aim is to compare Hernandez and Estupiñán’s attributes to identify whether this signing can represent an upgrade for Milan.
The analysis will also examine Estupiñán’s profile, strengths, and weaknesses, while considering his potential roles under Allegri’s tactics at Milan.
Pervis Estupiñán Possible Roles At AC Milan & Comparison With Théo Hernández
The 27-year-old defender began his footballing career with the Ecuadorian team LDU Quito in 2011, progressing to the senior level in 2015.
After one season with LDU Quito, Estupiñán signed a contract with Serie A’s Udinese and got loaned out to Granada’s B-team in the Segunda División B.
After just two appearances with the senior Granada team in La Liga, he moved to Watford at the end of his loan period and got loaned out once again, but to Almería this time.
He spent two seasons in the Segunda División, one with Almería and one with Mallorca, before moving to Osasuna, with whom he played one season in La Liga.
His adventure in La Liga became even more entertaining as soon as he joined Villarreal, the team with which he won the 2020/2021 UEFA Europa League and reached the semi-finals of the 2021/2022 UEFA Champions League.
As he gained more experience, he attracted the interest of numerous European teams during that period.
His successful season with Villareal allowed him to move to the Seagulls and confirm his abilities in the Premier League.
He put on excellent performances, providing seven assists and one goal in 35 EPL games.
In the following season, he suffered from several muscular and ankle injuries, making it difficult for him to play consistently.
However, he made up for that in the last season, playing 30 EPL games.
This means that Estupiñán can be considered a reliable player, but the coaching staff must be attentive to his injury record and help him avoid new recurrent injuries.
At the same time, Estupiñán is a solid option for the left-back role at Milan because he is a very powerful and physical defender who is tough to beat in offensive and defensive duels.
On this aspect, we can argue that Estupiñán would even represent an upgrade on Hernández since Estupiñán is certainly more disciplined defensively and positions himself well most of the time in the defensive phase.
His ability to be positioned as needed and mark wingers tightly would surely help Milan in the defensive phase and avoid conceding goals that can be avoided from that side.
Therefore, Estupiñán can be extremely useful in defensive roles, as he has proven on numerous occasions to be reliable in marking, covering, and aerial duels.
Moreover, Estupián’s ability to intelligently monitor when to advance and when to avoid advancing, as well as retreat quickly after advancing, makes Estupiñán a player who provides more security on that flank than Hernández.
The following radar comparison highlights the fact that Estupiñán is significantly better in terms of positioning, especially in winning defensive duels, which makes Estupiñán clearly more valuable in the defensive phase.
At the same time, it is essential to note that Estupiñán is excellent at shooting and can be very dangerous in this regard, especially since he usually attempts shots when he gets suitable opportunities.
Pervis Estupiñán Vs Théo Hernández
The radar graphic also confirms that Estupiñán provides more passes per match than Hernández, and therefore can be more involved in the playmaking process than the French international.
That said, we cannot take away from Hernández the fact that he is way better in terms of explosive accelerations, dribbling abilities and goal contribution.
Estupiñán is also known for being a set-piece taker at Brighton, and this can certainly make him a favourite to take charge of corners and free-kicks at Milan, especially following the departure of the team’s principal set-piece takers, mainly Tijjani Reijnders and Hernández.
In addition, Estupiñán has outstanding crossing quality and can be very useful, whether through early crosses or after getting past opponents near the corner line.
Pervis Estupiñán Pizza Chart
With an overall passing accuracy of 79.8%, Estupiñán can be very helpful in terms of key passing and crossing inside the opponent’s half, knowing that his assist-making abilities have already been proven.
However, he needs to ensure consistency in this regard to become more impactful in the attacking phase.
His assist-making numbers were always inconsistent throughout the latest seasons, with high numbers in some seasons and very low ones in others.
Additionally, improving his dribbling skills and increasing the number of dangerous passes per game would be highly impactful, particularly in relation to his goal contribution statistics.
Pervis Estupiñán Playmaking & Shooting
Estupiñán is a quick left-back who often uses his acceleration on the wing, essentially with overlaps, to propose concrete passing solutions.
In that zone, Estupiñán usually opts for accurate crosses that reach their destination to create goal-scoring opportunities.
Estupiñán was able to provide numerous assists thanks to his crossing abilities, and Milan should continue to exploit his talent, with players like Santiago Giménez, Noah Okafor, and the rest capable of converting his crosses into goals.
Pervis Estupiñán Crossing Talent
The following picture highlights his ability to produce goal-creating crosses to his teammates at Brighton with extreme accuracy despite receiving the ball while running.
This confirms that Estupiñán is physically very solid and balanced, which helps him a lot in such situations.
Pervis Estupiñán Early Crosses
Furthermore, Estupiñán can be extremely dangerous with early crosses.
He predicts the movements of his teammates inside the box and provides very accurate crosses, as seen in the following example.
Finding the needed chemistry with a talented winger like Rafael Leão will be one of Estupiñán’s main challenges at Milan, knowing that both players can become complementary and dangerous upfront.
It will certainly not be difficult for both players to cope with each other, as Estupiñán has the passing skills and intelligence needed to get along well with a talented player like the Portuguese international.
When it comes to goalscoring, Estupiñán can be very dangerous, thanks to his shots from distance, which he usually executes with extreme power and accuracy.
He proved his ability to score goals repeatedly thanks to shots from distance, providing an unexpected solution and helping his team find the way to the net.
Pervis Estupiñán Shooting From Distance
Indeed, Estupiñán does not attempt to shoot as often, despite his excellent shooting qualities, and that’s why Allegri will need to encourage him even more to opt for shooting whenever possible.
Moreover, it would be very rewarding to train him to finish individually, as he has been doing with the attacking players since the start of pre-season preparations, which would make him even more crucial in this regard.
The following goal action highlights Estupiñán’s shooting talent and his ability to score goals from distance despite returning from a long journey.
This proves to Milan fans that the player has been consistent in terms of performances throughout last season and that he is 100% fit to become a key player for the Rossoneri.
Pervis Estupiñán Goal Vs Tottenham
Estupiñán did not score similar goals only on one occasion, but on many occasions, which confirms that he is not just scoring them without the intention of doing so.
Being capable of scoring a knuckleball shot from distance against Tottenham Hotspur can be considered the best example of his shooting prowess, which should not be underestimated or overlooked at Milan.
On the contrary, such skills should be valued and enhanced by Allegri and the whole coaching staff, knowing that Estupiñán has also been able to score direct free-kicks in a beautiful way too, and that confirms not only his goalscoring talent and shooting accuracy but also his strong personality and confidence in his skills and ability to score goals against big teams.
Conclusion
Based on the actual market and the players available for Milan in this transfer window, the choice of Estupiñán can be considered as the most adequate profile to replace Hernández.
Estupiñán guarantees consistent defensive performances, reliable playmaking skills that can be further improved, and excellent shooting abilities that should be encouraged to help Estupiñán reach his full potential at Milan.
We expect that he will adequately fill the void left by the departure of a skilled left-back like Hernández.
