We assess the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) credentials of midfielder Bryan Gil (£6.0m) in our latest Scout Report.
Whilst most of the UK has basked in glorious sunshine this summer, ever-darkening clouds have continued to develop along Tottenham High Road.
The debacle that surrounded Nuno Espirito Santo’s eventual appointment as manager after a list of top European managers turned Tottenham Hotspur down was reminiscent of a cringe Love Island pieing narrative rather than a Premier League “big six” side securing their immediate managerial future.
The second coming of Gareth Bale came and went just when it seemed that the Welsh wizard was finding his groove again towards the end of last season – and we shan’t even broach the Harry Kane (£12.5m) predicament.
In all the gloom, the signing of attacking influence Gil may well offer a much-needed chink of light to Fantasy managers and Spurs faithful alike ahead of the start of a new season.
THE HISTORY
A product of Sevilla’s academy and able to count Barcelona star Ansu Fati as one of his youth team colleagues, Gil debuted for the Andalusian side in August 2019 as an 18-year-old in a home draw against Celta Vigo.
Featuring only once more in a similar half-hour cameo in the league, he was utilised with more frequency during the Europa League group stages, grabbing a single goal before a post-Christmas loan to relegation-doomed Leganés in which he made only four starts.
While Gil suffered another relegation whilst on loan at Eibar last season, he did at least establish himself as a first-team regular.
Four goals, three assists and six yellow cards doesn’t scream FPL gold and at this point, one could reasonably write him off. But in terms of his underlying stats from a Fantasy perspective, Gil offers intrigue at worst and hope at best for managers looking for a cheaper route into the Spurs attack.
UNDERLYING STATS AND SPURS COMPARISONS
The young Spaniard interchanged between left-wing and right inside-forward roles whilst at Eibar last season, with such interchangeability a massive draw in what we see as the modern-day Premier League wide-man.
In 28 La Liga appearances for a side that would eventually finish the campaign propping up the division, he conjured returns of 1.4 shots, 1.8 key passes and 2.4 successful dribbles per game. Whilst not pulling up trees, it does offer some eye-raising comparisons with what looks to be his main competition at Spurs.
The departed Bale aside, it was Lucas Moura (£6.5m) and Steven Bergwijn (£6.0m) that shouldered much of the responsibility in the attacking right position of a 4-2-3-1 last season.
Brazilian Moura disappointed in large parts throughout last season, offering only seven attacking returns in 30 Premier League games, albeit that he featured from the bench more often than not.
Dutch winger Bergwijn fared no better; four attacking returns in 21 appearances.
But it is those underlying stats comparisons that perhaps make the strongest case for the incoming 20-year-old talent.
Moura offered only 0.6 shots, 0.5 key passes and 1.1 successful dribbles per game. Bergwijn tallied 0.7 shots, 0.6 key passes and 1.0 successful dribbles per game. It won’t come as much of a surprise then, that only 28.8% of all chances created by the north Londoners came from the right flank last season.
That being said, only 29.7% originated from the left, with a league-high 41.8% coming from the Kane spearheaded central positions.
Nuno’s arrival
With Nuno’s appointment may come a distinctly different pattern to approach play this coming campaign.
The success the Portuguese had during his time at Wolves was chiefly built upon the width offered by his preferred wing-back system, and in particular, the goal and assist threat of Matt Doherty (£5.0m) – who Nuno conveniently offloaded to Spurs at the beginning of last season – down the right-hand-side.
In fact, throughout the course of the season before last, no team came close to the number of chances that Wolves created from the right-hand side, with just shy of four-in-every-ten coming from that flank. Doherty himself helped himself to four goals and eight Fantasy assists and a total of 167 points from his wide berth, during 2019/20.
There’s a strong argument to be made for deploying the same strategic template at Spurs, even if Nuno has so far preferred a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 hybrid in pre-season. Not only has he inherited quintessential wing-backs in Sergio Reguilón (£5.0m) and the already proven Doherty, deploying a back three in front of Hugo Lloris (£5.5m) may help to steady a side that has seen their goals conceded per game numbers creep to 1.18 (2020/21) and 1.24 (2019/20) from as low as 0.68 in 2016/17.
Further adding to left-footed Gil’s appeal may be how his potential inclusion on the right-hand side of a narrower front three works as a natural fit in implementing a formation characterised by the width offered by marauding wing-backs. Moreover, a propensity to dribble at defences directly in a fashion similar to that which fellow countryman Adama Traore (£6.0m) enjoyed during that 2019/20 season at Wolves and in which new teammate Son Heung-Min (£10.0m) terrorises defences weekly in the Premier League, could reap attacking reward.
Final thoughts
Gil has already been deemed good enough to represent his national side at senior level, featuring in Spain’s World Cup qualifying fixtures against Greece and Georgia back in March and despite not making Luis Enrique’s Euro 2020 squad, the youngster is currently in Japan vying for a medal with Spain’s currently unbeaten Olympics squad. No mean feat for a player that doesn’t turn 21 until next February.
His involvement in the Olympics married with his lack of experience within the Premier League, a new manager and a start to the season that sees Spurs encounter Man City, Chelsea and north London rivals Arsenal within their first six fixtures, firmly underlines his place in the “wait-and-see” column.
But given the winger’s charm as an under-the-radar differential (literally boasting a 0.0% ownership at the time of writing) in a traditional “top six” side that is crying out to add to their attacking avenues outside the over-reliance on Messrs Kane and Son, it may not be long before £6.0m looks a very silly price tag, indeed.
Let’s face it, outside the bulging outputs of Kane and Son, there isn’t much else on offer. The attacking assets that remain at the club – Dele Alli (£6.5m), Moura and Bergwijn – combined for a total of 165 Fantasy points between them in 2020/21. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£8.0m) – despite his three names – is one man who managed the same haul on his own from a £7.0m price point.
A Spanish starlet with the name of a middle-aged accountant from Walsall. Bryan Gil. He may surprise you.
