Thread by @tomhwilliams23

🧵Will Randall - #Notts

Here I look at our second signing of the summer, after his free transfer from Sutton United

Here I look at how he could fit into our side, as well as his style as a player

Welcome to Meadow Lane @Will_Randall7 🤝🖤

Randall is a direct wide man, one who looks to cut inside and strike at goal. This clip is a perfect example of what he likes to do

He knows exactly what he’s trying to do. He backs his man up, waits for the angle to open up, and then takes the chance with frightening speed

He also loves to strike from range. We haven’t really had a player who can score from distance since Roberts left (other than Baldwin!)

Again, he cuts inside, slightly further out. His technique is excellent, & what I like that his strikes are often low; makes it harder to save

One of Randall’s key skills is timing of his runs. He loves to arrive late, latching onto cut backs

Again, this often comes when circling in from the left. His clever movement and awareness allow him to pick up goalscoring positions

He’s a confident first time finisher, on both feet. He doesn’t have to take a touch as he steadies himself; often he holds run, giving him those extra few seconds to think

He’s a direct runner, one who has a decent turn of pace, which allows him to arrive in the box late

The timing of his runs really are a thing of beauty. We see it again here, holding back on the edge of the area, which opens up that corridor of space

He’s not a player that attacks the 6 yard box; he gives us good variation in the attacking areas

We will see in this thread that Randall very much likes to hug the left touchline. However, this clip gives me confidence that he could be used as one of our AMs

I love how much space he is in; his positional awareness is excellent as is his understanding of space

This is just another example of him holding his run to get on the end of a chance. He arrives late, takes the chance first time, and is so unlucky

We love a cut back from the byline. You can imagine him arriving late and taking plenty of chances. He adds a different element

His striking technique really is excellent. He catches the ball well, making him a threat from range

He has a quick shift of pace, which allows him to check inside his man and open up the space for the shot. I also like how much space he’s in here; his positioning is strong

Here we can really see Randall’s attacking tendencies. He lets the ball run across his body, which is a skill in itself, and once again shows his excellent striking technique

He will be such a threat. His box entries aren’t particularly high, but when he does he’s dangerous

What I like about him is how efficient he is as a player. He doesn’t like to take many touches, and he rarely has to think about what he is doing

This snapshot is a good example. He will fit LW’s mentality of relentlessly repeating actions. He doesn’t have to waste time thinking

He doesn’t always shoot from this range, although he either picks up this pocket of space or stays extremely wide when his side are in possession

He’s clearly a decent decision maker. He doesn’t always have to shoot, suiting our style

Here’s the other area he likes to occupy; wide left. Again, you can see his intention to drive into the box. We will see later that he does have the ability to take players on, but he also is able to back players up, then lay the ball off. It’s good decision making once more

What I liked about this clip was his commitment to taking the throw quickly. We like to use quick, short set pieces, and clearly he already buys into this

Here we can see when his decision making isn’t as strong. But he still cuts inside well

Here we can really see him holding his position wide on the left. He also looks comfortable on the counter, something we may do more this year

Once again, he holds the ball before laying off a nice cut back. He isn’t wasteful and looks comfortable under pressure

Talking of his ability under pressure, let’s just appreciate how quick his feet are. We’ve seen that defenders don’t like to commit on him; this is why.

Again, he holds his position on the left well, picking up the ball at the back post

Randall has the ability to absolutely ruin opposition full backs when they commit. This clip is just so fun. Not only does he sit him down to start with, he then stands him back, before burning him again

I have a feeling he will impress in those wide areas

He’s at the bottom of the screen here, and this clip just reinforces his excellent running power, and his quick turn of pace

He isn’t the quickest over long distance, but in short bursts he can be. Again, we see how direct he is, and his ability on the counter also

We’ve seen his ability to go direct, and be a goal threat, but he can also be an intelligent, penetrative passer

I like that he has the vision and awareness to slow his run, before slipping his teammate through on goal. We utilise these types of passes a lot

Again, on the edge of the area Randall possesses this clever type of pass. This makes him a threat, as he not only has the ability to strike on goal, but create too

It’s not the strongest part of his game, but it’s clearly there. It will be developed under LW

Randall is also an excellent set piece taker, something which we have perhaps lacked this season

His strongest delivery is an inswinger, a delivery I doubt we will use often

Still it’s good to have that option; he even scored directly from one!! twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

He also has a variety of deliveries. He is one from the other side, a more flat, drilled effort. He causes havoc with the variety of deliveries at his disposal

Randall may make us more threatening from corners. Whilst it’s not necessarily needed, it’s a nice bonus

He’s also a strong free kick taker. He can deliver the ball from deep, which has less chance of being countered, something I anticipate we may look to use this season

He can deliver from both sides too; he carries his versatility into set pieces twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

A lot has been made of his off the ball work, however, I haven’t seen much to suggest he will be an intense presser for Notts

Here I believe he should work slightly harder to close the angle down for the cross. LW will certainly improve this element of his game

He does work hard to get up and down the flank though. Here we see him arrive at the back post, getting back from a counter attack

While he doesn’t stop the shot, the position he’s taken up has forced the attacker wide, making the angle of the shot more difficult

There are also flashes of what he can do off the ball; here he wins it back high up, suggesting he has the potential to be a good presser

For me, he would be best as an AM. But he offers versatility; imagine him and Jodi swapping wings all game - it would be deadly!