Kevin Danso joined Southampton in the closing stages of Deadline Day from FC Augsburg on a season-long loan deal.
He arrived at the club’s Staplewood training campus on Sunday ahead of a full week’s worth of training, and Ralph Hasenhuttl is set to have him available for selection as he prepares for Saturday’s game against Liverpool.
Twitter: RT @KevinDanso98: First day
Excited to get started
#newchapter #SaintsFC #Kev
Danso will be hoping to provide the remedy to Southampton’s defensive woes, but what can we expect from the Austrian? Take a look at my in-depth analysis of the player, having watched video footage and delved deep into statistical evidence of his qualities.
Aerial ability
Danso operated in defence for an Augsburg team that struggled last season. They finished 15th in the Bundesliga, but their young defender was a shining light, impressing with his mature performances and ability to cope under pressure.
One fundamental trait that was noticeable was his physical prowess. He regularly contested in aerial duels – an average of 5.8 per 90 minutes in Bundesliga fixtures last term – and provided an imposing figure at the back for his side.
While his success rate of 51.8% in aerial duels is not necessarily eye-catching, it remains a reasonable return for a 20-year-old defender who operated in a relatively high line under intense conditions towards the foot-end of the table.
Commanding in his presence and strong in duels, Danso has an impressive leap and puts his frame to good use. He competed with physically-gifted strikers in the Bundesliga well throughout the past couple of seasons at Augsburg, even prompting Germany and RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner to label him a “colossus”.
Positional versatility
Danso has most commonly operated as a right-sided central defender in an orthodox back four for Augsburg but has also displayed a capability to play on the left in the heart of the defence.
He is able to play as a holding midfielder, too, providing the back four with positional awareness, dynamism and an effective shield. However, he is best suited to being deployed as a centre-back as it somewhat hides his technical limitations; Danso is an adequate ball-player but does not yet possess the vision required to thrive in midfield.
During his time at Augsburg, the 20-year-old has shown more of a willingness to play safer passes, ensuring that he does not surrender possession too easily in dangerous areas. This tendency is similar to that of Jan Bednarek, who favours low-risk balls to his fellow defenders, or central midfield players.
Technical ability
Danso is not one to bring the ball out from the back with the mazy dribbles that have become somewhat synonymous with the quintessential, youthful centre-back nowadays. He attempted 0.75 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga last season, but when he did look to carry the ball over a distance, he did so with acceptable success, evidenced by his 63.3% completion rate in 2017/18 and 2018/19.
As aforementioned, he is not the most gifted technician while in possession, but he coped well enough in the top tier of German football. He favours short passes instead of long, raking balls, and achieved an 82.2% accuracy last term.
Notably, though, he did play an average of 6.55 passes into the final third per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga for Augsburg last season, which could prove effective for Hasenhuttl’s style of play. Centre-backs who can quickly play the ball forward and find attacking players positioned high up the pitch are favoured, and if Danso can progress the ball from deep in an efficient manner, he will fit the approach well.
The likes of James Ward-Prowse, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Nathan Redmond regularly tend to position themselves in halfspaces, and as such, Danso is likely to be asked to play more vertical, line-breaking passes than the 0.61 through balls he attempted on average per 90 minutes last season.
Defensive qualities
Danso was a hard man to get around at Augsburg. He showed signs of real promise, and as his tenure in Germany progressed, he continued to grow in stature, adapting well to the demands of senior football.
A safety-first defender with the pace and anticipation to recover from initial mistakes, he emerged as one of the many exciting young centre-backs in the Bundesliga, earning acclaim from many, and evidently attracting interest from the Premier League.
Danso’s performance in defensive duels was impressive last season. His success rate was 67.1%, and this came largely as a consequence of his good decision-making. He reads the game well, has a strong knowledge of when to press and times his tackles to good effect.
The 20-year-old utilises his physical credentials not by relying on them, but by ensuring that he shields the ball well, blending press resistance with close control. He prefers to stay on his feet – Danso made only five slide tackles for Augsburg in 2018/19 – and makes composed efforts to thwart opposition attacks, reflected by his average of just over one foul committed per game.
Danso particularly impressed in his side’s 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund last season. He won all six of his defensive duels, made eight successful interceptions, blocked two efforts on goal and cleared the ball five times. Against Lucien Favre’s high-octane approach, the young defender was composed and insurmountable, turning in a focused, measured display.
Augsburg’s aggressive system worked in line with Danso’s qualities; he used his instincts to ensure that his pressing was forceful, if a little rash at times, and attempted to win the ball back high up the pitch. This was portrayed by his average of 12 ball recoveries and seven interceptions per 90 minutes.
Does he suit Southampton?
Danso may not be the immediate fix that Saints are in dire need of, but he will provide a marked improvement on the options current at Hasenhuttl’s disposal.
With a small sample size – only two sporadically-involved campaigns for Augsburg – to analyse, it is rather challenging to assess how he measures up against his new teammates accurately. However, my view is that he is a definite upgrade on Jack Stephens and Wesley Hoedt, has better qualities than Maya Yoshida, and is better suited to the Premier League than Jannik Vestergaard. Jan Bednarek, though, looks to me like he will remain the club’s best centre-back, for the time being.
Danso is aggressive and forward-thinking. This can lead to rash challenges, but Hasenhuttl’s approach demands that the central defenders step out to put pressure on attackers who receive the ball with their backs to goal. The youngster already did this regularly at Augsburg.
He is well suited to playing in a high line because of his recovery pace and physical credentials, but would also fare well enough in a deeper block. His no-frills style saw him make 4.16 clearances per 90 minutes last season, and he’s not one to take big risks on the ball or be ponderous in possession.
Danso is a good fit for Saints. He has room to improve and is at the stage in his career when taking the next step is necessary, and this is precisely the type of player who Hasenhuttl enjoys working with.
