Features
WyAyeScout: Hey, Callum Wilson!
Written by Kev Lawson
In the latest feature in a new series for nufc.co.uk, WyAyeScout founder and editor Kev Lawson takes a statistical deep dive into Callum Wilson's form for Newcastle United this season...
Since joining Newcastle United in the summer 2020 transfer window, Callum Wilson has become a fan favourite at St. James' Park.
In his time with the Magpies, he has scored 27 goals to help move United up the table and keep the Gallowgate in full voice with his now-familiar terrace song: 'Hey, Callum Wilson! I wanna know how you scored that goal!'.
Well, WyAyeScout thought it was high time we answered that...
His goal contributions per 90 are one of the highest in the Premier League, showing just how valuable Wilson is to United.
A closer look at Wilson's expected goals (xG) numbers shows how adept the England international forward is at putting himself in situations where he can score.
Wilson's slight lag behind his expected goals from open play owes more to good goalkeeping than it does to poor finishing.
This is shown by his Post Shot Expected Goals (PSxG) map, which measures the chances that any shot on target will result in a goal.
When we group all of Newcastle's shots this season by their xG value and highlight which were taken by Wilson, we can see just how many of the best chances they create rely on the instincts of the Magpies' number nine.
So what about Wilson's ability to provide chances for his teammates? Well, it all starts with where he receives the ball in the attacking half, which is slightly biased towards the right hand side.
When compared to last season, Wilson is also receiving the ball in marginally more space and closer to the opposition goal.
Once he has the ball at his feet, Wilson rarely plays forward passes. Instead, he looks to lay the ball off sideways before getting into the box to get on the end of any pass.
He does this successfully most of the time and in line with other strikers in the Premier League, but he is particularly good at playing under pressure from defenders...
...allowing him to take full advantage whenever he does have a chance to create a shooting opportunity for a teammate.
With Newcastle now implementing a press across the pitch, Wilson's excellent work without the ball this season is also worthy of investigation.
However, it's the quality of this defensive work that really stands out. In fact, using data science models designed to reveal how much beyond scoring and assisting that a player has contributed to their team's chances of scoring, Wilson's defensive work is the best of all strikers in the Premier League.
By visualising Wilson's statistical output as a radar and comparing it with his performances from last season, we see a marked improvement overall.
When we compare him to the league average, we see just how much above the norm he is contributing to Newcastle's attacking threat in 2022/23 so far.
This reveals why Wilson's form and fitness are likely to be hugely important factors during the final few months of the season.