| Name: Nicolás Valentini | Date of birth: 06/04/2001 |
| Position: CB | Preferred foot: Left |
| Nationality: Argentinian – Italian | Club: Boca Juniors |
| Contract until: 31/12/2024 | Competition: Superliga |
| International: Argentina (0 caps) | Agency: Avios Soccer |
Report:
Nicolás Valentini stands at 1.87m with a strong build. As he is a physically strong defender, Valentini is often relying on his physique to win back the ball. He is efficient in shoulder to shoulder duels as he likes to push his opponent off the ball, although he is at risk of giving away a free-kick. Valentini is strong in duels with his back towards the goal, disrupting his opponent and forcing opponents to make mistakes. His aerial ability is good. Valentini really attacks the ball, disrupting opponents as he uses his physicality to push opponents away from the duel increasing his aerial win rate. Valentini also times his jump well. He has decent acceleration and speed over longer distances and is quite quick on the turn for someone of his build. Valentini plays with a lot of passion and determination. He always shows full commitment and displays leadership ability.
Valentini is a good defender, although he can have moments of rashness in defensive duels. He sometimes charges into his opponents or is a bit too uncontrolled in 1v1 duels. Playing in Boca Juniors’s high defensive line, Valentini needs to cover a lot of space in his back. He scans well to assess what is happening around him but does not always have the optimal body shape dealing with runs in behind as he needs to open up his body more instead of running backwards. Valentini is often well-positioned to block passing lanes and prevent danger from happening. He very sporadically did not deal well with long balls, jumping under the ball and allowing his opponent to potentially create a chance. Valentini has above-average timing of stepping up, intercepting the ball or blocking the passing lane although he is sporadically too late. He covers out wide really well due to his decent speed but more importantly, his good slide tackling. Valentini is very tenacious and persistent in ground duels. Dealing with crosses, Nicolas Valentini showcases his good defensive positioning and aerial ability.
Not taking the biggest risks in possession, Valentini often goes for short, sideways passes. He has a clean short passing technique. Occasionally, he fails to use the space efficiently as he cuts back instead of carrying the ball into midfield. His line-breaking passes showcase his decent vision but his execution is inconsistent. Valentini’s long passing could do with some improvement. His long passing without any pressure is at a decent level but he tends to make errors with his long passing when he is put under pressure. Valentini rarely shoots from distance but he has decent ball-striking. He is an offensive threat from set-pieces, having good heading ability.
I have some concerns about his defensive ability with a lot of space in his back as he does not always cover runs in behind well due to his suboptimal body shape, although he scans frequently and adjusts his position accordingly. Valentini could also improve on the ball. I think Nicolas Valentini could play for a lower-table team in the Premier League, as his physical style of defending and ability to defend in a lower-block could be of use at lower-table teams in the Premier League.
Target Scouting 