Rangers transfer linked Danilho Doekhi scouted: The perfect Connor Goldson replacement?

The 23-year-old, who joined the club from the Ajax reserves in 2018, is entering the final six months of his contract in the Netherlands. Previous links to Scotland have only heightened following the arrival of countryman Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Continuing with The Rangers Review’s January window scouting mission, let’s look at what type of player Doekhi is and what skillset he could hypothetically bring to Ibrox.

Player profile 

A towering defender playing in the Eredivisie, Doekhi has predominantly featured on the right of a back three in the past year.

Tactically flexible and often switching to a four-man defence during games, Vitesse have started matches with a three in 26 of 31 games this season.

An aggressive ‘high defender'

The notable feature upon watching Doekhi and analysing his statistical output is the high percentage of duels he wins. He is positionally aggressive and dominant one-v-one. It appears a constant trait that Rangers-linked centre-backs possess – due to the high line they defend with both in and out of possession.

Doekhi wins over 76 per cent of his defensive duels, a statistic that becomes even more impressive when the location of his defending is elaborated upon.

Player rankings for central defenders in Eredivisie 2021/2022

Playing in a back three, the young defender is often tasked with stepping out of the backline. He is an aggressor in that sense, able to leave space in pursuit of winning the ball due to his team’s set-up behind him.

His physique and mobility allow him to latch onto opponents without fear of being turned or out-paced over the first-five yards.

In this example, he protects his team against being hurt in transition. Allowing them to recover their set-up in the centre of the pitch.

In similar situations, some defenders would choose to back off and protect the space. Doehki normally appears to favour the opposite.

After his team lose the ball against Heracles, his anticipation means he can win a duel high up the pitch. Retaining his side's territorial advantage.

His mobility means even if the first contact doesn’t equal success, the defender can normally recover the situation. In a game against PSV this season, Bruma initially seems to go beyond Doekhi, who recovers impressively. 

READ MORE: James Sands scouted: Should Rangers target transfer of 'specifically versatile' US international?

This insurance facilitates such an aggressive approach. Speed on the turn is invaluable for the role he inhabits at Vitesse.

A final example of this trait in the same game categorises Doehki’s style compared to other defenders. Many in this area would be tempted to simply slow a transition until the team was in a better shape, or a player higher up the pitch could attempt to regain possession.

But instead of falling back, Doehki signals for his teammate to track the midfield run beyond and engages the opponent. 

Even when he doesn't win the ball in these scenarios, his team have been given the opportunity to recover.

His recovery map from 2021 again outlines how high he engages for a central defender. 243 recoveries last year took place in the central third of the pitch.

What about in possession?

Doekhi's ball progression map shows how often he looks to find right wing-back Eli Dasa.

He has the diagonal in his locker, but more in a ‘switch of play’ sense than Goldson’s long, accurate through balls behind the defensive line. That's no slight, if the English defender does depart it will be hard to replicate his quality on the ball.

Doekhi has averaged 4.78 long passes per game in 2021/22. 50 percent accuracy explains that a good chunck of those passes are clearances.

READ MORE: 4 Balkans Rangers transfer options: A former Ajax wonderkid and an ideal Nathan Patterson replacement

The Vitesse captain has averaged 1.28 progressive carries a game in the same timescale. Comfortable taking up the space in front of him if his side’s opponents are deep. This area of his game would, like James Sands, require development to play in a side as possession-dominant as Rangers.

Two examples below showcase the different ways Doekhi can distribute from the right.

Conclusion 

A 23-year-old captain in the Eredivise is a steal for most clubs - of which Rangers are no exception. Centre-back is an area that needs bolstering and an out of contract player of Doekhi's quality ticks most boxes.

In terms of the specific qualities that the Dutchman would bring, his comfort in defending high spaces would translate nicely into the Rangers backline. Not only protecting the side in transition, but it could also lead to opportune turnovers and ensure the retention of pressure against opponents who try to counterattack and relieve pressure. 

His arrival in Glasgow would certainly be one that should be welcomed by the Rangers support.