Analyzing Alavés’ Transfer Window and Why Youssef Enrique Could be Headed for a Breakout Season

All things considered, it’s been a veteran-heavy summer window for Deportivo Alavés. Whilst the Basque side have lost key figures like Santiago Mouriño and Joaquin Panichelli, they’re reinforced by adding Carles Aleña (27), Jonny Otto (31), Pablo Ibáñez (26), Calebe (25), Mariano Díaz (32) and Raúl Fernández (37). The sole young arrival has been Youssef Enríquez.

Enríquez has played 35 matches this season in the 3rd Spanish division for Real Madrid’s B team at just 19 years old. This has led Alavés to pay €3 million for his services. In this article, we will be looking at Youssef’s performances this season and how he may fit into Alavés.

Name: Youssef Enríquez

Position: Left Back

Country: Morocco

Age: 19

Height: 170cm

Preferred Foot: Left

Context: Youssef passed through the academies of Rayo Vallecano, Morataláz, and Getafe before joining Real Madrid’s youth system, where he joined the B team last summer.

In this chart, we can observe that Youssef is a high-volume crosser, ranking highly for crosses and crosses to the penalty box per 90. Furthermore, despite his volume, he has an average success rate, which tells us that he is very good at crossing, as with a high volume, poor precision tends to be a side effect. 

In addition, he ranks highly for xA per 90, which is evidence once more of his ability to not only cross the ball to his teammates but also to get involved in attack and generate chances frequently. He is also above average for dribbles and progressive carries per 90, which indicates he is a good player on the ball and can progress the ball through his carrying ability.

Moreover, his volume of defensive duels is below average, which suggests that he has good positioning and evades defensive duels, as he knows that his success rate in these actions is low.

Heat map of Youssef Enríquez. (Sofascore, 2025).

We can observe in his heatmap that he is most comfortable running up and down the wing, where he can put crosses into the box, while inverting very rarely.

On the Ball

In the below images, we can see that in build-up phases, he usually plays it safe and passes the ball to the midfielder or defender nearest to him without losing the ball, he rarely taking any risks. For instance, in this case, he doesn’t even try to move forward; he directly passes it back to the midfielder.

In settled possession, he likes to stay further up the field, with the winger inverting into midfield, allowing him to stay wide, where he can receive the ball and put crosses in. Most of his crosses are very dangerous, both from short distances and from long distances, though from long distances, he has more of his crosses blocked or badly measured.

Off the Ball

Off the ball, he is a very quick player, which allows him to recover from losses in possession and deny the opposition from making opportunities. For instance, on this occasion, his team loses the ball, and he is very quick to block the cross from the winger.

As mentioned previously, his positioning and reading of the game are quite good, allowing him to participate in few duels. In 1vs1 situations, which have not happened very often, he is quite good as he denies the attacker from moving inside, and if they run down the wing, he is quick enough to block the cross from the opposition player.

Overall, Youssef Enríquez is an excellent offensive full-back with the ability to drive the ball forward and put excellent crosses into the box frequently. Furthermore, he rarely loses the ball, meaning he is not a liability in possession either. In addition, in defense, his positional awareness is quite good, allowing him to win the duels against his marker, and if he is beaten, he has the speed to recover.

Alavés

When analysing Alavés’ left-backs with more than 800 minutes:

Radar chart of Manu Sánchez. (FBref, 2025).

We can observe in the charts that Manu Sánchez was an average player in attack with above-average numbers for npxG + xAG, but we can also see that he was above average for crosses, meaning that he was a player who was involved in attack.

In addition, defensively, he was very good, winning many tackles, though this also means that his positioning can improve, however, he has a high amount in the attacking third, which is a testament to his pressing ability. Also, his % of dribblers tackled is average, which shows he can defend in 1vs1 situations.

Finally, in possession, he offered very little, though he is around the average for progressive carries, which suggests he can drive the ball forward. For next year, Manu Sánchez won’t be there, given that he was on loan, so Youssef will have to fight it out with Víctor Parada, who is coming back from loan at Mirandés for the starting position.

Overall, this is a great signing as he is a promising player who aligns with the profile the manager is looking for, given his similarities with Manu Sánchez, and if he is given game time, I am sure he will be a great addition to the squad.

By: Juan Fernandez Valencia / @ScoutLaLiga1

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Soccrates Images / Getty Images