How glad the Athletic administration must have been when they witnessed the flowering of a young, Basque footballer in La Liga, as in front of them lay a talented midfielder who they could snap up. Athletic seized their chance this January, signing Ander Herrera for an initial fee of €8.5 million to help their push towards the glistening, luxurious and profitable world of the Champions League.
Name: Ander Herrera Agüera
D.O.B.: 14/08/1989
Age: 21
P.O.B.: Bilbao, Spain
Position: Central Midfielder, Attacking Midfielder
Club: Athletic Club
National Team: Spain
Previous Clubs: Real Zaragoza
It seems somewhat fitting that Ander Herrera would sign for Athletic Bilbao. It was, after all, his local team. And Ander would also play with other young talents at Athletic such as Iker Muniain, 'the next Messi', and Javi Martínez, the driving force of the side and a player who featured in the World Cup winning Spain side.
Ander would also add something different to his new side, as Athletic play a physical style of football which is ever present throughout Northern Spain.
Sure, Athletic aren't as physical as some (actually a lot of) Premier League sides, but compared to clubs such as Barcelona and Villarreal who love to spend time on the ball they rely more on pace and strength.
Ander Herrera would be an exception to that rule despite being 5'11. His main style of play is technical and he possesses a feel for the ball that is reminiscent of Iniesta. Ander also plays like his senior Spanish counterpart, as his main game is creating chances and providing assists, as Ander has vision on the ball which would be hard matched anywhere, even in Spain. Hence, Ander can play through balls, splitting the defence, to allow a striker through on goal.
This would benefit him in Athletic as Gazika Toquero would run after every ball played to him and Iker Muniain can use his pace and skill to cut in from the left to receive an Ander through-ball.
Along with his passing ability, Ander is comfortable on the ball and can dribble past players displaying close control and a splendid first touch. Don't, however, expect any Messi-like dribbles to goal as his speed and ability to beat his man isn't sufficient enough to do that and most drives through the centre would be left to Javi Martínez.
One problem for Ander would be whether he would be able to force his way into the Athletic side. The Basque club are currently fifth in the table and are doing well, so they wouldn't want to change too much. Furthermore, Joaquín Caparrós currently employs a 4-4-2 with Martínez and Gurpegi at Centre-mid with the latter playing as an anchorman. Ander won't be able to oust Martínez from his role and he won't be able to replace Gurpegui as Ander can't play as a holding midfielder. Hence, putting Ander in the side would either place him out of position or change the system. Another suggestion would be to play Ander in Martínez's current role and moving Martínez to holding midfielder, but that would be a waste of Martínez's talent. The only viable option of accommodating Ander in the team would be to change the formation, possibly to a 4-5-1, which would mean disrupting Athletic's successful system.
Strengths:
- Has a vision of a hawk to pick apart opposition's defenses and create chances
- Can control the tempo of the game so he can suit various tactical systems
- As he is 5'11, Ander can shield and protect the ball away from the opposition
- Despite his main focus of creating chances, Ander can also finish them as well
Weaknesses:
- Lack of speed and stamina means he cannot patrol the midfield and close down other players
- Defensive problems means he can be a viability for a team trying to close down a game
Verdict:
A player who is very comfortable on the ball, Ander Herrera should become one of the best midfielders in the La Liga one day
Ability: 6.5/10
Potential: 8.5/10
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