✨Baller Review… Tiago Santos🇵🇹 Club: LOSC Lille Nationality: Portugal Position(s): RB Preferred Foot: Right Height: 5’9”/175cm Age: 21 Strengths: press resistance, ball progression, dribbling, crossing, passing, security, tackling, ball striking Development Areas: aerial duels

Tiago Santos has a season that has gone massively under the radar amongst a lot of football fans and for Lille in 2023/24 has been a revelation under manager Paulo Fonseca. Santos has everything you want in a modern RB.

One of Santos’ ‘cherry on top’ attributes is his ball-striking. Being an inverted full-back, he often finds himself in position to shoot from outside the box taking 1.44 shots per 90minutes (top 7% for all FB’s in the top 5 leagues).

Tiago Santos’ shooting technique is of real quality. Having a FB who can score a goal out of nothing is just another threat to have in the team which a lot of teams are increasingly having but most still don’t.

Inverting in the final third allows him to arrive in and around the box where he gets shots off. He’s even comfortable shooting on his weaker left foot. Santos isn’t completely ambipedal but uses his left foot to good effect.

Santos inverts in the final third to join part of the front line or create just behind it. Off the ball he presses well and recovers the ball high up the pitch to regain possession and sustain pressure on the opponent’s defence.

When it comes to inverting as a full-back there tends to be 2 types. 1. Invert in the 1st phase to becoming a part of the midfield to create from deepor 2. Invert in the final 3rd and join the front line. Tiago Santos actually does either depending on what the game requires.

Inverting to be involved in build-up play means that Santos can progress through the lines with his passing or carry through central areas. He’s very secure on the ball and even when wide, will look to pass through into central areas.

With all that being said about operating as an inverted full-back, it’s also important Santos can be a wide outlet too. Full-backs who offer all these threats are golddust in modern systems and Santos is one.

Tiago Santos loves to take on players down the line, driving into the box to cut the ball back into the 6 yard box. The Portuguese RB has an explosive first step with good acceleration to beat his man on the wing.

Lille’s RB excels at one thing in particular, his final ball. The weight of crosses from out on the wing is consistently accurate. Allowing it to consistently reach the intended target and access the danger zones of the box.

Tiago Santos has very good pass variance. You’ll see him in deep areas passing through the lines, playing long balls over the top, switches to the LW. He’ll pass with his weak foot, wide crosses, half-space crosses, reverse passes. A very technical RB.

Santos combines well with those around him. As mentioned, he loves to invert, but when RW Edon Zhegrova comes inside, Santos will overlap and provide the width. Santos likes to go down the right flank playing 1-2’s with the RCM and RW.

Defensively, when an attacker tries to take Santos on or there’s a 50-50, Tiago Santos will put his body in front of the ball to block the attacker’s path to it and then turn away from them. This way he wins the ball and retains possession of the ball.

In 1v1 scenarios, Tiago Santos gets tight to the wingers to shot off any angles for players to find pass options or shoot even. Santos is great at tackling because of how front-footed and engages with the FB early, less of a passive defender.

Being only 5’9”, it does mean Tiago Santos struggles aerially but it’s not the most essential trait at FB. However, with some systems full-backs drop into a back 3 where they act as a 3rd CB where aerial ability is important.

Lille signed Santos from Estoril in the summer for a bargain of only €6.5m. At youth level Tiago Santos played for both Sporting CP then moved to Estoril. Here he played various different positions down the right-hand-side, initially being a RW and it shows.

Tiago Santos’ on-the-ball ability is that of an attacker and to be honest, he’s so comfortable in central areas that he could even be an interior. The off the ball work rate, pressing intensity, press resistance, creativity from deep, progressive runs. He’d fit in nicely there.

Tiago Santos actually reminds me of Pedro Porro a lot. The way he inverts, his crossing ability and explosiveness down the right hand side, his ball-striking, tenacity in 1v1’s but also his quality on the ball. Like Porro, he’s a multi-faceted RB.

I’d imagine a lot of teams will be looking at Tiago Santos in the near future. A lot of the top teams may have manager changes so it’s harder to predict which team suits him best right now. Inter would’ve been perfect but they’ve signed Tajon Buchanan.

If Frimpong leaves Bayer Leverkusen, Tiago Santos would be a good replacement. His profile suits playing as a flying wing-back whilst also having ability to invert and play inside. Same goes for Atlético Madrid as rotation for Nahuel Molina.

Playing at a team where they don’t invert their FB’s would be a waste of Santos’ ability. -Manchester United may look for a backup RB for Dalot -Tottenham maybe for Porro -Man City Walker replacement -or even Barcelona as a cheaper RB option able to fulfil the role of Cancelo

Tiago Santos may not be on the move just yet, but he’s been one of the most consistent RB’s this season. With so many teams now looking to invert their full-backs, Santos is an option who’d be value for money. Thanks for reading. All the support is always greatly appreciated🤝