Angelino re-signing

After just one season away, PSV's Angelino completed his move back to Manchester City for just £5.3m.

Considering the talent of the player involved, as well as his youthful age and his fairly high ceiling, it looked as though the Dutch club were securing a discount deal at the time. However, City shrewdly included a buy-back clause which they activated to bring him back to the home of the Champions.

Pep Guardiola and his staff were obviously very impressed with his performances for PSV who finished second in the Eredivisie, just three points behind Champions League semi-finalists Ajax.

But how did the player develop so significantly in the 2018/19 campaign?

Angelino played 3860 club minutes this season for PSV, having made 43 appearances in three different competitions. The Dutch side used a variety of formations, but a back four was always present, with 4-2-3-1 being the most prominent having been deployed roughly 74 per cent of the time.

As a left-back, Angelino has demonstrated a modern profile by being able to contribute effectively to both the defensive and offensive side of the game. The domestic football in Holland is far from the standard witnessed in England, but nevertheless, his output has been impressive.

Angelino's defensive duel success rate this season is marginally better than Benjamin Mendy's , Oleksandr Zinchenko's and Fabian Delph's, all of whom have operated as a left-back under Pep Guardiola at one time or another. The Spanish defender also averages more interceptions per 90 minutes this season than the trio, although that may stem from the stylistic differences between PSV and City.

Offensively, though, is where Angelino appears to shine, as he's mobile and attack-minded. This season, he scored once and amassed an impressive 12 assists in all competitions, which is significant figure for a defender. Also, 10 of those assists came in the Eredivisie, which resulted in the Spaniard finishing joint 6th in the table for assisting goals, behind only attackers in the division. The nearest defender to Angelino in the table had just seven assists, and interestingly, he also played for PSV - Denzel Dumfries.

The majority of Angelino's assists came from crosses, with the 22 year-old averaging around 6.8 per 90, a figure that was bettered by only Dusan Tadic with 6.95, based on players to have played at least 1500 minutes.

The full-back appeared to benefit from the presence of Luuk de Jong in the penalty box, as the Dutchman notched 28 league goals this season, with 13 of those scored with his head. That headed goals figure of 13 is more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues, and it offers an insight into how suitable Angelino's profile is when he's feeding a physical presence.

As well as offering a crossing threat, Angelino was also a fairly active dribbler, attempting 3.47 per 90, which is more than a typical full-back. For context, that average is greater than those posted by Mendy, Danilo, Zinchenko, Delph, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan and David Silva .

Ultimately, Angelino has always demonstrated promise, but given the demand to win showcased by City and Guardiola, it made sense to allow the full-back to develop elsewhere. By doing so, the player has grew into a starring full-back who may be ready to play a big part in City's up and coming campaign.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/angelino-man-city-transfer-16443633

This Angelino deal earlier this month seems to have gone through under the radar. Potentially a master stroke, especially with Mendy's injury sagas. A 22 year old replacement for Delph, who is a LB by trade and familiar with the setup. Makes a lot of sense.