Player Profile: Tosin Adarabioyo

Lets take a look at our newest recruit....

Good Evening Ladies and Gents,

Today I am bringing back a series that you haven’t seen from me for almost a year, this is an article I really enjoyed last summer when profiling all of our new recruits. I will continue to do these through this summer whenever a new signing is confirmed.

Tosin Adarabioyo

Player profile;

Age: 26

Nationality: English (Uncapped)

Position: Centre Back (Right-footed)

Height: 6ft 5in

This is an overview of the type of Centre Half he is. He’s progressive in nature, had lots of touches in a team that didn’t hold a lot of possession.

Style of play;

Tosin is exactly the right kind of player for Maresca. He looks most impressive when skipping past a challenge, or wriggling through a crowd to recycle possession and get his team back on the front foot.

“It's not done, but [Tosin] has all the quality,” Guardiola said way back in 2016, when Tosin was 19. “He is fast, strong in the air, and has the quality to look forward behind the line for the next pass. He definitely has a future in the first team.”

Out of possession, Tosin sticks out for his aggressive and assertive style, using his power to win aerial duels and jump out into challenges.

That willingness to get tight and stick out a leg is reflected in the numbers. He averaged 2.56 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season, higher than most Chelsea centre-backs.

He wins 3.12 aerial duels per 90 minutes, putting him in the 88th percentile among centre-backs in Europe’s "big five" leagues over the last 365 days, according to FBRef.

He also wins 66.7 per cent of his aerial duels, which is higher than Silva’s 66.2 per cent for Chelsea in the Premier League last season and better than all 2023/24 Chelsea defenders apart from Disasi, who averages 69.6 per cent.

A couple of clips below that are worth watching;

Verdict;

An incredibly smart signing, a free transfer and a really adequate player for Enzo Maresca’s needs. He is aggressive, fast and agile. He seems to have good leadership skills and he’s coming into his prime still with room to improve and get better.

A very positive move and hopefully there are more smart and financially efficient deals made this summer.

Luke Rushbrook