Burnley are on top of their game and are likely to get promoted as the EFL Championship winners. They lead the table by seven points in the league table. Vincent Kompany decided on increasing his side’s chances of promotion by signing a few players in the recently concluded transfer window. Lyle Foster, a young South African forward, was one of the players brought in. The 22-year-old played for Belgium’s First Division side, Westerlo, on loan from Guimaraes. Now let us have a look at some of the stats of the player that show how he could be the key to his side’s promotion back to the Premier League.
A good start to the 2022-23 season
Lyle Foster made a good start to the 2022-23 campaign. The forward played for Jupiler Pro League side Westerlo and made 21 appearances for them. The striker went on to score eight goals and also provide three assists. The above viz shows the percentile rank of the player in comparison to other strikers in the Belgian first division. It can be observed that Foster is ranked decently and has a percentile rank above average in almost every stat shown in the attacking and possession departments. One of the reasons the player in this transfer cost around €7.5 million is his consistency.
A threat in front of the goal
Lyle Foster was brought in to score goals for Burnley. He registered eight goals in 21 appearances for his side. By looking at the above xG map, we can observe that most of the attempts have been made from the left side. At an average of 2.16 shots per 90 minutes, he took 40 shots. The 22-year-old had a high accuracy rate of 45%. He managed to score six goals from inside the penalty box and two from outside the box. This shows that the player has the ability to find the back of the net from various positions on the field.
Lyle Foster likes to play on the left side of the field. The touch map shows that most of the touches have been made on the left side in the attacking half. The player averaged four touches inside the opposition penalty box per 90 minutes. A few of these touches have been made inside the six-yard box as well. Burnley will hope that Foster shows the same consistency for them as well.
Ability to pass the ball
The 22-year-old managed to provide three assists in the current season. He averaged 22.54 passes per 90 minutes and had an accuracy rate of 77.7%. These include 1.84 passes to the final third and a high passing accuracy rate of 73.5%. Most of the passes into the penalty box have been attempted from the left side and towards that particular side. Foster will look to link plays with his new teammates and set up goals for them.
Can he replace the veteran striker?
Jay Rodriguez is leading Burnley to another promotion back to the Premier League. He is 33 years old and still at the top of his game. The above viz compares the stats of both players according to their percentile rank. It can be observed that Foster has a bit of an edge in the attacking stats over Jay Rodriguez. He will also offer more speed and skills to the attack.
Betting Analysis
The 1×2 odds for Burnley will be impacted by this signing. The odds will decrease as his chances of scoring goals are higher. In terms of over/under rates, as his team’s chances of scoring goals increase, the odds for over-goals will decrease.
Lyle Foster will look to make a sudden impact on the Burnley side. He is scoring goals on a regular basis this season. Burnley will hope that the player finds his touch and helps them achieve promotion.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
