Noticias

European Hot Shots: The year-on-year improvement of Lois Openda

Compartir

RB Leipzig are no stranger to large transfer fees. However, the Bundesliga club are usually receiving big money for players rather than parting with huge sums to bolster their squad. Yet in the summer, Die Roten Bullen signed off on a reported €44million deal to bring Loïs Openda to the Red Bull Arena.

By Sam McGuire

It was a move that made a lot of people sit up and take notice. 

The versatile Belgian forward had caught the eye for Lens during his sole season in Ligue 1. He scored 21 goals and registered four assists as the Black and Gold shocked the rest of the league to claim a second place finish, just a single point behind champions Paris Saint-Germain. 

Few had them down as title contenders. They had finished the 2021/22 campaign in seventh. They added to their squad in the summer but their big investment was Openda as he joined from Club Brugge for €16million. 

Bizarrely, it wasn’t until leaving his homeland that the forward found his feet. He struggled to break into the Club Brugge starting XI and was sent on loan to the Eredivisie with Vitesse. It was his exploits across two seasons there that convinced Lens to bring him to the club.  

Openda scored 28 goals in 66 appearances while in Holland and this included a remarkable second season in which he found the back of the net 18 times in 33 outings. The numbers he posted while with Vitesse would’ve no doubt piqued the interest of a number of clubs across Europe.  

In his final season with the club, he appeared in 2,658 minutes and finished with an Expected Goals haul of 17.27. His xG on Target total was 18.94, highlighting the fact he was someone who added value to his opportunities with his shot placement. It also suggested that he was unlucky to have finished the campaign with just 18 goals. Usually, when the Expected Goals on Target total exceeds the Expected Goals haul, a player tends to have a higher goal return. 

With Vitesse, Openda showed he could be a reliable, consistent goal threat if a team ensured he was given opportunities in the final third. For context, he averaged 3.67 shots on Holland. If a team was able to use those numbers as a platform, there’s no reason he couldn’t replicate that sort of output. Perhaps even build on it. 

And that is what happened with Lens, to an extent. 

The 16-cap Belgian international averaged 3.7 shots per 90 during his single season in the French top-flight. He finished the campaign with 25 goal involvements, of which 21 were goals. His xG total for the season was 18.41 while his xG on Target total was a little down, coming in at 17.32. 

He wasn’t able to add value to his efforts but, this time, he was able to convert at a greater rate. Again, though, he showed his nous as a goalscorer and impressed as a genuine goal threat for a second successive season. 

RB Leipzig likely looked at these two seasons and concluded that in their system, he might be able to scale those numbers. They appear to have been spot on. The 24-year-old, signed to fill the void left by Christopher Nkunku when he moved to Chelsea, has seamlessly adapted to life in the German top-flight. 

His 19-goal return can only be bettered by Serhou Guirassy (23) and Harry Kane (31). With seven games left in the 2023/24 campaign, Openda needs three goals to make this his most prolific season to date. If he manages to do it, it would mean he’s improved his goal return for four successive campaigns. 

That is no mean feat. 

Openda has an xG haul of 19.01 this term, so he’s on par, but his xG on Target total is 20.58, so he’s once again adding value to his attempts with his shot placement. What is interesting is that since the move to the Bundesliga, his shot numbers have risen to 4.36 per 90 – the highest of his career. This goes some way to explaining his huge underlying numbers.  He’s posted these totals despite appearing in just a little over 2,105 minutes. 

Another noticeable change this season has to do with his finishing. When shooting to his left, he tends to keep his efforts low and it isn’t really an area he’s finding the back of the net with great regularity. However, when he’s aiming to his right, he’s hitting top corners and the majority of his goals are via this route. Despite this being a theme, opposing teams are struggling to stop him simply because of his quick feet. 

It is little wonder some of the best teams across Europe are believed to be keen on him, despite his reported price tag. He’s been a consistent goalscorer despite playing for three teams across three seasons. He’s a sharpshooter and a clinical finisher. The perfect combo when matched with his explosive pace. His potential as a marksman is scary. 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every RB Leipzig game live with FotMob — featuring xG, deep stats coverage, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

European Hot Shots: The year-on-year improvement of Lois Openda

RB Leipzig are no stranger to large transfer fees. However, the Bundesliga club are usually receiving big money for players rather than parting with huge sums to bolster their squad. Yet in the summer, Die Roten Bullen signed off on a reported €44million deal to bring Loïs Openda to the Red Bull Arena.

By Sam McGuire

It was a move that made a lot of people sit up and take notice. 

The versatile Belgian forward had caught the eye for Lens during his sole season in Ligue 1. He scored 21 goals and registered four assists as the Black and Gold shocked the rest of the league to claim a second place finish, just a single point behind champions Paris Saint-Germain. 

Few had them down as title contenders. They had finished the 2021/22 campaign in seventh. They added to their squad in the summer but their big investment was Openda as he joined from Club Brugge for €16million. 

Bizarrely, it wasn’t until leaving his homeland that the forward found his feet. He struggled to break into the Club Brugge starting XI and was sent on loan to the Eredivisie with Vitesse. It was his exploits across two seasons there that convinced Lens to bring him to the club.  

Openda scored 28 goals in 66 appearances while in Holland and this included a remarkable second season in which he found the back of the net 18 times in 33 outings. The numbers he posted while with Vitesse would’ve no doubt piqued the interest of a number of clubs across Europe.  

In his final season with the club, he appeared in 2,658 minutes and finished with an Expected Goals haul of 17.27. His xG on Target total was 18.94, highlighting the fact he was someone who added value to his opportunities with his shot placement. It also suggested that he was unlucky to have finished the campaign with just 18 goals. Usually, when the Expected Goals on Target total exceeds the Expected Goals haul, a player tends to have a higher goal return. 

With Vitesse, Openda showed he could be a reliable, consistent goal threat if a team ensured he was given opportunities in the final third. For context, he averaged 3.67 shots on Holland. If a team was able to use those numbers as a platform, there’s no reason he couldn’t replicate that sort of output. Perhaps even build on it. 

And that is what happened with Lens, to an extent. 

The 16-cap Belgian international averaged 3.7 shots per 90 during his single season in the French top-flight. He finished the campaign with 25 goal involvements, of which 21 were goals. His xG total for the season was 18.41 while his xG on Target total was a little down, coming in at 17.32. 

He wasn’t able to add value to his efforts but, this time, he was able to convert at a greater rate. Again, though, he showed his nous as a goalscorer and impressed as a genuine goal threat for a second successive season. 

RB Leipzig likely looked at these two seasons and concluded that in their system, he might be able to scale those numbers. They appear to have been spot on. The 24-year-old, signed to fill the void left by Christopher Nkunku when he moved to Chelsea, has seamlessly adapted to life in the German top-flight. 

His 19-goal return can only be bettered by Serhou Guirassy (23) and Harry Kane (31). With seven games left in the 2023/24 campaign, Openda needs three goals to make this his most prolific season to date. If he manages to do it, it would mean he’s improved his goal return for four successive campaigns. 

That is no mean feat. 

Openda has an xG haul of 19.01 this term, so he’s on par, but his xG on Target total is 20.58, so he’s once again adding value to his attempts with his shot placement. What is interesting is that since the move to the Bundesliga, his shot numbers have risen to 4.36 per 90 – the highest of his career. This goes some way to explaining his huge underlying numbers.  He’s posted these totals despite appearing in just a little over 2,105 minutes. 

Another noticeable change this season has to do with his finishing. When shooting to his left, he tends to keep his efforts low and it isn’t really an area he’s finding the back of the net with great regularity. However, when he’s aiming to his right, he’s hitting top corners and the majority of his goals are via this route. Despite this being a theme, opposing teams are struggling to stop him simply because of his quick feet. 

It is little wonder some of the best teams across Europe are believed to be keen on him, despite his reported price tag. He’s been a consistent goalscorer despite playing for three teams across three seasons. He’s a sharpshooter and a clinical finisher. The perfect combo when matched with his explosive pace. His potential as a marksman is scary. 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every RB Leipzig game live with FotMob — featuring xG, deep stats coverage, and player ratings. Download the free app here.