Who is Martin Baturina, the Croatian nugget announced to be close to PSG?

At a time when Paris Saint-Germain is in great need of a finisher, the Croatian media revealed last night that the capital club was eyeing Dinamo Zagreb attacking midfielder Martin Butarina. Aged 21, the Croatian international (9 caps, 1 goal) would even be close to the Rouge et Bleu in exchange for an amount of €25 million. A player who will not satisfy those who are calling for the return of a little flashier profiles to the Parc des Princes. On the other hand, Baturina's profile fits with the new direction taken by PSG for some time, namely going after promising young players.

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A future Kevin de Bruyne?

This is what Paris did with Vitinha and João Neves. Baturina therefore fits into this box and his technical profile has everything to please Luis Enrique, a great admirer of ball handlers. Born on February 16, 2003 in Split, the Croatian made his debut with the first team during the 2020/2021 season. In less than four years, his record is 18 goals and 34 assists in 140 matches, in all competitions. So many statistics which, however, do not only make this young talent charming. Appearing this season in the Champions League during the historic defeat against Bayern Munich (9-2) and between Monaco, a match during which he was a scorer and passer (2-2), Baturina is a right-hander who is not clumsy with his left foot. .

Some time ago, the X Data'Scout account drew up a typical portrait of the player. Namely a central midfielder who is very comfortable in the role of playmaker or relay player. “He is a threat on the edge of the box as he showed against Monaco, in addition to being difficult to dispossess the ball”one of the members of the account, Matis, tells us. Often positioned quite high on the pitch, the Croatian, with a good shot and a good set-piece taker, is not content to play in the middle, he loves to move everywhere. This season, his heatmaps show that he is very present on the left flank of Dinamo Zagreb.

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Integrable into Luis Enrique's 4-3-3

Thanks to his good technique and his ball retention, Baturina is often the man who sets the tempo of the game and who drives the dangerous actions of his team with his rushes towards the opposing surface, after generally asking for the leather in the middle zone of the land. A status as a conductor capable of moving the ball forward which led some observers to see in him a possible successor to Kevin de Bruyne. In the offensive phase, he knows how to hold on despite pressure and has a certain talent in one-on-one situations. Aerial play is not his strong point due to his size (1.72m), but he more than makes up for it with his other strengths.

A creator of chances, Baturina this year displays 75% of successful passes in the opposing camp and 70% of success in his long passes. Finally, Baturina does not hesitate to defend, which Luis Enrique appreciates in his offensive players, even if he is not the most physical midfielder. In short, the Croatian is a diamond to be polished, particularly with regard to the quality of his crosses (30% of good crosses this season), but his profile ticks all the boxes to please the Spanish coach of PSG. “His best positions are left relay in a 4-3-3, or playmaker behind the attacker in a 4-2-3-1. On the other hand, eccentricity like Kang-In Lee would not be very relevant because he loses dribbling efficiency as soon as he is stopped», explains Matis.