Jesús Rodriguez to Como

Como's Strategic Winger Collection

Jesús Rodriguez represents one of Como's three already announced signings, joining Baturina and Addai in what appears to be a coordinated strategy focused on acquiring wingers and midfielders with exceptional dribbling traits and high-risk, high-reward profiles. While Addai's analysis will come in due time and Baturina was briefly covered previously, now is Rodriguez time.

Rodriguez operates primarily as a left winger, with his take-on attempts map clearly demonstrating his preferred positioning as every other map you’ll see.

Born in 2005, the teenager has already accumulated 1,200 minutes in La Liga - remarkable exposure for someone who won't turn 20 until November. This early top-flight experience provides invaluable foundation for his development and suggests a player with a very interesting talent.

Technical Profile:

Rodriguez's radar reveals a fascinating profile that combines attacking with some defensive contribution, and some areas requiring development. His shooting generates considerable value against quality opposition, showed by bumps in npxG and shots aVAEP relative to npxG/shot metrics which appears below average for a winger. Defensively, he contributes a high number of actions despite allowing quite some value to opponents in his area.

The concerning element involves ball retention, as he has a high number of turnovers. However, this appears connected to his aggressive playing style, which produces very high value through carries and take-ons, plus considerable value from passing despite modest assist numbers (8 shots assisted in 1,200 minutes for 0.38 xG).

While Rodriguez's shot map doesn't immediately impress, context matters significantly for a 19-20 year old. His cluster of attempts from central areas near goal shows promising positioning instincts that can certainly improve his production with time.

Despite limited minutes, Rodriguez proved crucial for Real Betis in advancing the ball into dangerous areas. His ability to enter the penalty box through both carrying and passing demonstrates the versatility that makes modern wingers so valuable.

This dual threat capability - progressing via dribbling or distribution - already is valuable as poses opponents the problem of options, how do you defend someone that can punish you in multiple ways?

Rodriguez shows passing consistency across different phases of play. His general passing performance remains positive across expectation metrics throughout his preferred left-wing areas.

However, his progressive passing numbers decline somewhat, which becomes understandable considering his advanced positioning and the inherent risk involved in final-third distribution, hitting a -10.7% of expected passes completion.

Rodriguez's most compelling attribute emerges in his take-on statistics, where he ranks exceptionally high in both overall attempts and standstill dribbling - the skill we've previously identified as crucial for breaking down low defensive blocks - which are very common in Serie A.

These numbers place him among Europe's most active dribblers despite his youth and limited experience, suggesting natural ability and attitude that are really valuable for attackers.

The Investment Logic

At €22 million plus €4 million in add-ons with a sell-on clause, Rodriguez represents significant investment for Como. However, the price seems justifiable when considering several factors. His La Liga experience at just 19 gives him rare pedigree for someone his age, while his physical development suggests he has the size and strength to handle whatever comes his way. He appears to be excellent value for money and is likely to increase in value with time, coaching, and experience.

That said, he's probably going to be highly effective from the start. His skill set could directly impact Serie A's tactical landscape and defensive patterns — much like the influence of Diao, another player Como signed from Betis. For this reason, I really like the move, and I appreciate how Como has been operating since their promotion to Serie A: building a young, technically excellent squad with players selected to fit their league context and coaching style.

Given all of this, the anticipation for Como's upcoming season feels entirely justified.