Malinovskyi Scouting Report

I should've done one of these on Freuler, but that move's already happened. Either way, there has been a shift in the fortunes of Gian Piero Gasperini and Atalanta, and it's resulted in somewhat of a squad overhaul. Freuler, the captain, has gone, as has Matteo Pessina, and now Malinovskyi is rumored to be joining Spurs. I'm writing this on a bit of a whim, but what I plan to do is as follows: give a background on the player, explain how is time at Atalanta has gone and what his role was there, and then give my take as to why Conte wants him and what he'll provide to Spurs.

Malina started out in Ukraine, spending three seasons in the first team of Zorya Luhansk from ages 20 to 22. He then moved to Genk in Belgium, spending the better part of four seasons there from 22-25. The final two seasons were what put him on the map, as he started 36 and 37 games, respectively. Actually, going back a season, he scored 5 goals and provided 7 assists in only 17 starts in 2016/17. Malina followed that season up with 5g and 6a, before blowing up in his final season with 13 goals and 11 assists as Genk won the Belgian Championship. That brings us to his 3+ year stint in Bergamo.

It's actually impressive how reliable Malina has been, in terms of fitness, since that third Genk season. At Atalanta, he's played in 34, 36, and 30 games in Serie A. The issue, one might say, is that of these 100 appearances, only 53 have been starts. In terms of both minutes and production, the 2020/21 was by far his most fruitful season. Malina has racked up 8g 3a, 8g 12a, and 6g 5a, respectively, in these three seasons. I now will discuss his role in the Gasperini system.

Basically, to keep this short and sweet, both Papu Gomez and Josip Ilicic have gradually disappeared, for different reasons. Papu had a falling out with Gasperini and then was sold to Sevilla, where he's been decent at best. Ilicic, sadly, has had a clouded situation that I won't speculate on, but his form and availability has dwindled since the peak period of Atalanta. This is to say, with those two as the main creators (along with the press), someone had to step up. Muriel has done that, supporting Zapata up front, and I view him as criminally underrated as a complementary piece in a good team, but this is about Malina. Along with Pasalic, and to a lesser extent Pessina (and most recently Koopmeiners), Malina has been the main link to progress the ball. Statistically, amongst AM/winger types, he's in the 80+ percentile for non-penalty goals, npxG + xA, passes attempted, dribbles completed, progressive passes received, pressures, and aerials won. He's also in the 90+ percentile for shots, assists, xG assisted, shot-creating actions, and progressive passes. That might not mean much to some, but he's a bit of a combination of the aforementioned Gomez and Ilicic. People will note his long shots, but he doesn't actually score those that often. Pasalic is more the arrive late in the box and slot the ball home player, while Malina is the receive the ball, turn, and do something with it player. A number of his assists have come from crosses that he his with ridiculous power. Boga, Ederson, and Lookman have been brought in recently, and that would indicate Gasperini wants ball carrier types who can run past people. Malina isn't really that, so it makes sense that he'd be on the way out.

Finally, I'll talk about the have impact Malina will have for Conte. Right now, one of the main issues with Spurs is that they don't have much creativity. Much of that is by design. Lo Celso isn't super creative, but he's not. He's a work horse. Malina takes double the shots, makes more progressive passes, carries it forward, and completes more dribbles. This role is what Ndombele was SUPPOSED to be be, but he seemingly can't be bothered to get fit or work. Malina does not have that issue, and is clearly more creative than Lo Celso. One may wonder about Bryan Gil and Kulusevski, fellow left-footed individuals in the squad. I'm under the impression that Gil was an opportunity signing, and not someone either manager had in mind to actually play. He was young, had been relegated with Eibar, and had no place in the Lopetegui system. Malina has strength and is grown man at 29, while Gil is slight and is used to playing wide left, so it's not the same. Kulusevski, meanwhile, is relied upon to play higher up and out wide on the right. Malina can play there in the 3-4-3, but they're barely similar, other than having played for Atalanta at one point and being left-footed. Well, I guess they're also not blessed with pace and can shoot... Either way, the point is Malina is a guy you bring in to be the #10 or highest #8, where Maddison could've played. Don't get me wrong, Maddison is younger and IMO better, but Malina is no slouch (and would be much cheaper). He will help against teams that put 10 men behind the ball, whether that's him shooting from range, whipping in crosses, carrying the ball, or playing in the likes of Richarlison or Son in behind with a through ball.

To conclude, I fully support this move, if it comes off. The situation at Atalanta is stale, and Spurs at this point is a step up for Malina sporting wise and financially. He brings a unique skill set that combines progressivity on the ball, a shot from range, as well as acceptable work rate. He's 29, a perfect age for his big move, all respect to the Bergamaschi, and Conte will love him. Also, having been a productive rotation option at Atalanta, he won't complain about being a spark off the bench, if that's the role Conte has in mind.