To be fair, not every player who looks slow on the eye is actually slow in terms of usefulness. Your numbers tell a clear story: someone who gets on the ball, keeps it and finds pockets of space. That 33 passes per game with an 86% completion rate screams composed, not pointless dawdling.

Numbers say more than pace

We all see pace and think it’s the be-all and end-all, but modern football rewards intelligence. A player making that many passes and keeping an 86% success rate is helping teams keep tempo and control transitions. Yes, he loses possession around 8.2 times per game — not ideal — but compared with the Motherwell trio you mentioned (Just 13.1, Maswanhise 14.8, Slattery 12.4) it’s a much cleaner output. It suggests he isn’t gambling as often and is more measured in his choices.

Chance creation and finishing

Creating under 0.75 chances per game makes it obvious there’s room to do more in the final third. He’s behind the likes of Slattery and Just in that respect, so the creative end needs work. The encouraging bit is his shot accuracy — better than most of the group bar Maswanhise. That points to someone who, when he does get chances, is reasonably efficient. You want your midfielders to both make things tick and take decent shots when they arise.

Confidence, pre-season and where he fits

He sounds like a proper confidence player. Give him a run of games, a manager who trusts him and a full pre-season to get sharp and conditioned, and you often see the step up. Pre-season isn’t just fitness; it’s familiarity with teammates, patterns and the manager’s demands. If his brain for space is already there, better conditioning will let him get to more of those pockets and make more timely decisions.

Truth is, fans judge on first impressions. But numbers like these suggest a player worth backing. He’s not perfect, but with confidence and sharper match rhythm he could become noticeably more influential next season.

Written by Angus1812: 3 May 2026

Tags: spfl injury tactics rumours