Vincent Kompany signed a few players on loan at the start of the season. His centre-back pairing of Ian Maatsen and Jordan Beyer are also on loan at Burnley. The Clarets are leading the EFL Championship and are the likely winners. This means that Burnley will once again play in the English Premier League next season. Burnley came up with a couple of permanent signings in the winter transfer window. One of the signings was 24-year-old Swedish centre-back Hjalmar Ekdal. He was signed on a permanent deal with the thought of making him used to the pace of English football. Since joining the club, Ekdal has been a regular on the side and has gained the trust of the manager. We now look at some of the stats that show how Ekdal has settled into the side.
The debut season in EFL Championship
Hjalmar Ekdal features as a right centre-back in the team. He has started in all nine games since joining the club. The above pizza chart shows the percentile rank of the player in comparison to other right centre-backs in the league. It can be observed that Ekdal is confident with the ball at his feet. He is ranked at the top for attempting passes and for accuracy as well. Overall, his ability to play the ball is what interests the former English Premier League winning captain.
A high duels win percentage
The 24-year-old is a solid figure at the back. He has won more than 50% of his duels this season and kept six clean sheets for his side. Ekdal contests 5.35 defensive duels, 4.36 aerial duels, and 4.36 loose ball duels per 90 minutes. He has a win percentage of 63.3% for defensive duels, 70% for aerial duels, and 62.5% for loose ball duels. This shows his dominance in the air and makes him a threat during set-pieces. Ekdal has a goal to his name this season.
Burnley’s attacking gameplay means that the defenders have to make most of the recoveries on the field. They play a high line and recover the ball on the halfway line. Ekdal recovered the ball 12 times per 90 minutes. Of these 12 recoveries, 16.4% have been made in the attacking half. Other than this, Ekdal makes 3.6 interceptions per 90 minutes.
Ability to play the ball
Hjalmar Ekdal is known for passing the ball. He averages 76.17 passes per 90 minutes and has a high accuracy rate of 90.3%. Of these 76.17 passes, 8.5 have been attempted to the final third, and the accuracy rate is high at 76.9%. The above viz shows the progressive passes zone of the player. Playing as a right centre-back, he attempts most of the passes to the right flank. Overall, his ability to pass the ball makes him a valuable player in the squad.
Betting analysis
As per the 1×2 betting odds, the odds for Burnley will be lower when Ekdal is a part of the team.
Hjalmar Ekdal has been a great addition to the league leaders. The Clarets are likely to win the EFL Championship title and will be heading to English Premier League.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
