Rangers scouting: The dynamic Georgian flyer available for £1m who's a multi-faceted ball progressor

The current squad is littered with these cute relations with Colombian, Nigerian, Zambian, and Croatian flags and kits adorned across the stadium and greater Glasgow.

Though only two Georgians have stepped foot on the Ibrox turf and none since 2006, the aforementioned duo were largely successful, with the more prominent Shota Arveladze firmly established as one of the league's best sharpshooters during his stint in the noughties.

Despite Georgia enjoying far more tangible success in rugby and basketball, there remains an exciting if not undeveloped domestic scene and accompanying infrastructure.

Though the contemporary footballing situation is perhaps not as healthy as in the mid-2000s, that doesn't mean there is a shortage of talent. For what many of Georgia's best players lack in name value, in part due to difficulty of pronunciation, they make up for in genuine talent.

Outside of Khvicha Kvarateshkelia, who appears just a signature away from replacing Lorenzo Insigne at Napoli, perhaps as good a co-sign possible, little is made of this underrated crop of youngsters. The current class is undoubtedly headlined by Giorgi Mamardashvili, who looks set to take secure the no.1 spot at Valencia despite being only 21.

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Another such talent is Irakli Azarovi who seems destined for success outside of the Caucasus. A proposed transfer to Turkish champions-elect Trabzonspor fell at the last hurdle in January as his agent demanded an extra £200,000 which was the tipping point in negotiations.

Basel and Olympiacos have also been linked, respectable company for Rangers to keep given the exemplary recent transfer business of both clubs. As such, let's take a look at what Azarovi could provide now and in future on the left-side of defence.

Profile

Azarovi stands at a reasonably slender 173cm however, his size offers no insight into his aggression and defensive efficacy. His forearms and legs are adorned by a wide array of tattoos, a fairly common sight in the contemporary, much like his attacking and progressive playstyle.

The Georgian is just 20 but come the start of the summer transfer window, he will have roughly two full seasons of senior football under his belt as well as international caps and a handful of European appearances for Dinamo Batumi.

Azarovi's heatmap below provides an excellent indication of his playstyle, with most of his touches and residual influence occurring in the opposition's half with a particular hotspot just in front of the byline.

Though a better indication of his style and output can be seen below, in the form of his data profile, which is about as impressive and consistent as they come, with only two metrics falling in the lower half in comparison to his positional peers, the aforementioned consistency is a sight to be held.

Despite fairly mediocre numbers when it comes to net goals and assists, his supporting metrics are all through the roof. It's almost at the point where too many metrics rank in the 90th percentile and higher to mention, which is truly remarkable.

Azarovi’s data profile communicates the idea that he is an aggressive, progressive and overtly creative attacking left-back. You can seldom find a group of more optimal adjectives for a prospective Rangers fullback. With his data and physical profiles considered, let's take a more in-depth look.

Defensive Solidity and Tenacity

Despite the apparent genesis of fullbacks into something that resembles midfielders or forwards in some of modern football’s most successful systems, Azarovi’s ability and hustle whilst in a defensive capacity is reminiscent of the old school.

Between his 11.32 successful defensive actions p90 (86th percentile) and the graphic below, which plots all of his won defensive duels, it becomes abundantly clear that Azarovi is an active defender. Interestingly his 1.69 sliding tackles p90 ranks in the 88th percentile, suggesting that much like Calvin Bassey, Azarovi goes to ground often and successfully.

Suppose we transition into the location of Azarovi’s other defensive responsibilities. In that case, he plays an active and aggressive role in Dinamo’s counter-pressing scheme and aggressively challenges receivers and passing lanes. Below see those very actions plotted. Its abundantly clear that he is both an aggressive and ambitious defender, with the vast majority of his successful efforts coming out with his own third, often with a successful duel acting as a springboard for a counter.

A fine example of this can be seen below. Here Batumi has just surrendered possession though they chose to react with a quick counter press as opposed to returning back and assembling into a familiar shape and rest defence. Here Azarovi slips in front of the intended target, picking off the ball, charging down the left wing, opening up space in the box to aim at.

An almost mirror image can be seen below; we see Azarovi dispossess the ball carrier instead of intercepting a loose pass. Again, it's a precursor to him straying wide, stretching the pitch and looking to either hit the byline or deliver the ball early and from deep.

On the flip side, below is an example of Azarovi’s previously mentioned slide tackling ability. Though a standard action of his, he is logical when it comes to its use. He only uses it when necessary and the risk/reward ratio is in the green.

In this example, the outline is forcing his man to drift in; he catches him off guard with a well-timed sliding tackle, with his body naturally contouring inwards, allowing him to maintain possession and, like always, kick start a counter-attack.

Azarovi has the technical and mental side of this part of the game down to a tee. Although a lot of that good work and solid foundations may become less efficacious given his size. Not to say you cannot be an effective short defender, more so that in an ecosystem where so many apex predators stand tall and carry plenty of weight, bulking up will be a necessary precursor for Azarovi to optimise his game. However, his ability is more than enough to counter-balance in the meantime.

Progression and Breaking The Lines

To no surprise, the ability to progress the ball and maintain an active and tangible threat on the ball has perhaps superseded defensive solidity for Rangers fullbacks. With this in mind, Azarovi profiles like a glove as he is an incredibly effective, high-volume, multi-faceted ball progressor.

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Below we can see his progressive actions from the past year plotted. Naturally, the vast majority of these actions occur on the left side, with a healthy number ending in and around the penalty area. Interestingly, there is a considerable number of faded white lines being hit diagonally from deep, suggesting Azarovi often defers to long diagonals to his opposite winger.

To ram this point home even more so, below are the league leaders for both progressive actions in the Evronuli Liga for the past calendar year. Azarovi ranks first for both, with clear distance between him and the chasing pack for progressive runs and enjoying an almost 40% lead in both mediums when it comes to net metres gained.

Below is an example of Azarovi's use of long diagonals to kickstart offensive movements. For what his passing range lacks in refinement, it provides in efficacy, as he hits the balls for the most part in the right areas. Even if it is not inch-perfect, the intended target is given every chance to collect the ball and progress. Though asking him to replicate these sorts of balls on his right foot is a step too far, at least for the meantime, given his position, it's a largely irrelevant if not luxury attribute.

Azarovi is an adept progressor from deep, though one of his specialities is the ability to progress the ball from the middle to the final third whether through a pass or dribble. When dribbling, his ability to shift speed and contour his hips mixed with his already low centre of gravity makes him a difficult proposition to stop. He is pretty predictable, though, as he is almost always going to go to his left, though, that doesn't make him much easier to stop.

In a passing capacity, he is more versatile but less consistent. At his best Azarovi is able to play between the lines and stretch the opposition's defensive shape, often coming away with second assists and contributions to goals scored, like the examples above and below.

Though there is a reason that he plays at left-back, and as such, his consistency when it comes to threading these needles is limited. However, when you factor in his age and the fact that this skill is far from a requirement for a left-back, this is essentially a non-starter.

But, optimistically, given his trajectory and development, it would be no surprise to see him come on strides in this regard. Moreover, within a holistic view of his ability to move the ball from the middle to the final third, it is superior to any fullback in the Rangers squad bar James Tavernier. 

A Mix of Skills and Shortcomings In The Final Third

A trademark of many of football’s best youngsters, Azarovi can struggle when it comes to his end-product, though, unlike a winger or striker, this is firmly a supplementary attribute. Despite this, he does retain and provide value in the final third, largely born out of his ability to cross the ball and challenge fullbacks with aggressive and direct runs.

Above is an example of the former. Here, we see him identify the open man centrally, who indicates an intent to dart past the penalty spot. Despite what limited space is available between Azarovi and his target, he manages to pitch the ball above the defenders whilst giving the striker a manageable delivery to deal with.

The above shows us a second similar situation. However, this time, Azarovi engages in a far wider position and can leverage the threat of hitting the byline to distance himself from the defender.

This forces the defender to standoff as he knows and fears Azarovi’s speed and close control, giving him more than enough space to send a ball right into the mixer. The ball ends up on the head of a teammate on the six-yard line. This duality forces defenders to hesitate and stand back, something that is seldom seen with Bassey and Barisic, who are either fantastic at crossing or dribbling, but not both. This isn’t to say Azarovi will provide Borna Barisic’s crossing ability whilst simultaneously being as large a threat as Bassey when running.

Instead, he is competent in both skills, forcing defenders to stay alert in both situations.

The consequences of coming tight to cut off the crossing opportunity can be seen above and below. Both communicate Azarovi’s ability to beat his man in a 1v1 and take advantage of the space and impromptu defensive rotations by finding a teammate in a high-value position.

Much like his movement in the middle third, he remains relatively predictable in the final third. This is all well and good when analysing from afar; however, dealing with a fast and nimble fullback, even if predictable at game-speed often isolated, is no mean feat; just ask Azarovi’s fellow Evronuli fullbacks.

Fit and Feasibility

Given the uncertainty surrounding Barisic’s future and the inevitable lure of England for Bassey, executing on contingencies this summer at left-back would be a logical exercise.

Azarovi is not guaranteed to come in and hold down the left-back spot in his first year as a plethora of circumstances will likely see him start slow, not limited to his physique and lack of English skills.

Regardless, the likely deal required to get him out of Batumi hovers around £1m, which is a steal for a player of his profile and potential. The longer he spends fine-tuning in house, the quicker he can become a net contributor, and competition is rife for his signature, so striking early is preferable if not required.