Current Team - Hearts
Nationality - Scottish
Age - 22
Height – 186cm
Position – Centre-Back
League Career stats
2012/2013 Dundee Utd - Scottish Premiership – 8 apps 0 goals
2013/2014 Dundee Utd - Scottish Premiership – 22 apps 1 goal
2014/2015 Dundee Utd – Scottish Premiership – 13 apps 0 goals
2015/2016 Dundee Utd - Scottish Premiership – 20 apps 0 goals
2015/2016 Hearts - Scottish Premiership – 15 apps 0 goals
2016/2017 Hearts - Scottish Premiership – 22 apps 0 goals
2017/2018 Hearts - Scottish Premiership – 31 apps 1 goal
2018/2019 Hearts - Scottish Premiership – 24 apps 0 goals
Overview
Souttar broke through at Dundee Utd at 16 and was long talked about as Scotland’s most talented player, leading to bids from English Premiership clubs and a lot of attention. He reportedly turned down Sunderland to stay with Utd and play regularly. His career stagnated for a while with Utd insisting on playing him anywhere other than his favoured centre back role, and his club slowly slipping towards relegation. A move to Hearts for a reported £ 170k in the January window of 2016 has worked out well with Souttar going on to play for Scotland and again being linked with a big move. He’s still only 22, so there is no rush for him to leave Hearts yet but let’s have a look at his playing style and what the future holds for him.
Strengths
Ball playing defender – Arguably what held him back at Dundee Utd, Souttar is comfortable on the ball and looks to play out from the back. He finished last season with a passing completion percentage of 81%. He’s suited to a side that wants to play out from the back and will give him passing options on the ball. Even at a young age he displayed the very “anti-Scottish” trait of looking to get on the ball and play, even if he was playing in a struggling side who wanted to clear the ball to safety at any opportunity. Particularly in international football, the ability to keep possession is more valuable than ever and its one of the things that sets Souttar apart from most players in the league.
Positioning and anticipation – Undoubtedly the strongest part of Souttar’s defensive abilities, he’s not the type of player to throw himself into tackles. If you watch him defend against the counterattack, he doesn’t commit himself and prefers to delay the attacking player as long as possible to allow his teammates to get back. He made over 5 interceptions a game last season and if you watch the cup final, he was in the right position to clear or intercept the ball countless times. Paulo Maldini often talked about how if he needed to make a sliding challenge, he had already made the mistake. It's perhaps an overly noble and pure outlook on defending but it reflects on Souttar’s style – He conceded less than a foul a game and makes less than one slide challenge a game, preferring to rely on his anticipation and instincts to defend.
Athleticism – This is reflected in his ability to defend well against the counterattack and also to sweep in behind to intercept the ball. Souttar has good pace and balance that allows him to stand up against most players. It wont show up on the stat sheet but he’s also got the ability to shepherd players away from goal, forcing them to go back or try something risky that will likely see them lose the ball or run it out of play.
Weaknesses
Strength – This was the main reason Dundee Utd refused to play him at centre back often, Souttar can struggle when faced with a bigger opponent and a route one style. He only won 60% of his aerial battles last season and can be bullied if left exposed to a constant aerial battle. He’s played his best when partnered with Christophe Berra who will take on the physical battle, meaning Souttar needs to be paired with a “stopper” type defender to get the best out of him.
Risk taking – Think of him as a sort of budget version of John Stones. It’s a by-product of wanting to play out from the back at any opportunity but Souttar does have a tendency to give the ball away and attempt to try some risky passes. Even if he does manage to complete his pass it can sometimes put a teammate under pressure and lead to a counter on an exposed back-line. He just needs to learn when to play and to consider if the player receiving the pass is capable of doing so. This will naturally come with experience and hopefully playing with a higher calibre of player in the future. Future potential
Souttar has been linked with a move to Rangers in recent months but the likely price of £3 million may put them off. I genuinely believe that Souttar would be rated much higher if he wasn’t Scottish or took the opportunity to play abroad. Take the example of Liam Henderson who has shone in the more technical and tactical approach in Italy over the “blood and thunder” British style. There were rumours that Souttar was considering playing for Australia last year which led to Scotland hurriedly giving him a cap. He should break into the Scottish defence in the next couple of years given that Scotland have looked weak at the back in recent games. Also consider the players picked in that position recently are Mulgrew, McKenna, Findlay, Berra and Cooper are all left footed – Souttar’s right footedness would bring a balance to the back line and reduce the added pressure on a left footed player trying to play from the right side. He should make a move in the next couple of years to a higher level and hopefully progress further.
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