Analysis: What Zeki Celik will offer Mourinho's side

It’s not hard to see why Roma would want to bring Zeki Celik into the fold – he joins with plentiful experience at domestic and international level, plus fits the bill brilliantly for what Jose Mourinho wants in his defenders.

Having firmly established himself as one of Ligue 1's premier right-sided defenders, who's capable of playing both as a fullback or a wingback, over his fours years and 143 appearances for Lille, there's no doubting he's a shrewd acquisition.

Effective both with and without possession, he’ll bring quality and consistency to his new team, just like he did at Lille, which saw him most notably play a crucial role in Les Dogues winning the Ligue 1 title in 2020-21.

Defensively excellent, determined and full of intensity, his strength in this area, that especially came to the fore during his work with disciplined manager Christophe Galtier, will prepare him well to be a real asset for Mourinho.

Relishing physical battles and 1v1 duels, the Turkish international is a formidable foe to face off against. Reacting quickly to dribblers trying to beat him, his alertness, strength and agility helps him recover the ball or slow down opponents from his powerful, crouched posture.

Timing his interventions smartly, his judgement and reading of opponents' intentions enhances his worth here, which sees him rank in the top 21% for successful tackles per 90 (as per FBref) among players in his position across Europe's top five leagues.

Also acquitting himself admirably in aerial confrontations, Celik not only sets himself ideally and outmuscles foes with his solid 180cm frame, but he also picks up the ball's trajectory and drop zone sharply to increase his chances of winning these battles.

Typically having the aerial edge over wingers, who are generally more slightly built, this helps him regain possession for his team and clear danger from crosses into the area. Indeed, the fact he's in the top 26% for headers won illustrates his worth in this compartment.

Awake to his surroundings through his regular head scans, Celik does a fine job of tracking runners, providing support to colleagues or jetting back to stop counters. Possessing good pace, quick to respond from his side-on stance and proficient at using his arms to get touchtight to impede their momentum, this ensures he handles himself well in such situations.

Meanwhile, when opponents drop deep with their back to goal, he follows them aggressively, wanting to give them no time or space to turn or inherit possession cleanly, which frequently causes turnovers or low percentage actions from his targets.

Adept at pressing high to help stifle opposition build up and when counterpressing immediately after the ball is lost, Celik's attentiveness to triggers and athleticism mean he contributes to breaking up moves so his team can attack again against unset, disorganised backlines. Ranking in the top 30% for pressures (14.77 p90) aptly indicates what a weapon his considered and dogged harrying is.

Capable of defending deeper, in a mid block or higher up the pitch, the versatile and tactically knowledgeable stopper should have little worry adapting to Mounrinho's framework.

Upon comparing him with Roma's other right-sided stalwart, Rick Karsdorp, using Wyscout data, Celik stacks up impressively on the defensive end (albeit playing in a different league), coming in ahead in many key metrics such as successful defensive actions, defensive duels win percentage, aerial duels and interceptions.

Switching the focus to his offensive output, and the 25-year-old contributes efficiently here too. Picking his moments wisely when to join in attacks with his marauding runs to add width and depth to attacks, Celik will give Roma a vital outlet to stretch opposition rearguards.

His out-to-in blindside runs into the box when the ball is on the opposite flank warrant mention as well, for these allow him to gain a dynamic advantage over his more stationary, ball facing opponents to get an edge so he can reach crosses or cutbacks first to be a scoring outlet.

Unleashing 0.75 shots p90 (top 24%), obtaining 1.47 touches inside the area p90 (top 32%) and bagging three goals last campaign, this punctuates his threat in the final third.

Showing how well he can dovetail with his colleagues to perform subtle interchanges to embark on underlaps and draw markers to make room for teammates at Lille, expect him to do the same at Roma too.

Positionally aware and knowing when he needs to stay deeper to provide structural security in case of a turnover, hold back to help during build up to lure out opponents or move to form overloads, these are extra strings to his bow.

A willing ball carrier who's quick to get on his bike to gain territory for his team upon seeing vacant space out wide, Celik's powerful dribbles add another dimension. In addition, how he can outfox foes with a slick feint, shimmie, nutmeg or by using nifty changes of pace and direction enhances his menace.

While he's not as incisive as Karsdorp in his passing, Celik still pulls his weight here, with him adept at recirculating possession patiently while waiting for an opening, combining intricately in close quarters and striking more expansive passes.

The latter predominantly come in the form of measured crosses and cutbacks, where he assesses his options before obliging runners with either lofted, driven or curling deliveries.

Good at spotting teammates in advantageous locations, his penetrative line breaking passes into the feet of attackers and through balls in behind or down the channels also deserve praise.

Clearly no slouch with the ball at his feet and in terms of his movement, the man who notched 14 assists during his time with Lille and ranked in the top 30% for passes attempted p90, progressive passes p90 and progressive ball carries p90 is set to flex his muscles offensively too.

The graphics below offer a good depiction of how he fares against Karsdorp in a range of offensive statistics, with the duo being fairly evenly matched.

Entering the prime of his career and importantly ready to stamp his mark from the off, it's little wonder Roma General Manager, Tiago Pinto, was delighted about securing his signature.

"We are really pleased that Zeki has decided to come to Roma – his conviction in choosing to join our project is a vital ingredient in building a squad of players united by their ambition,” said Pinto.

“What is more, despite still being so young he has already picked up a lot of experience at European and international level, which will prove to be very useful as this group continues to progress.”

Giving Roma essential squad depth and quality, which will be especially pivotal in easing the burden on Karsdorp, who played a whopping 51 games last campaign, Celik's certainly a welcome addition.

Eager to succeed in the capital and to keep improving his game, the intelligent, combative and hard working defender is in the right place to do precisely that in the competitive environment Mourinho's cultivated at Roma.

Follow Edward Stratmann on Twitter: @EdwardStratmann