Edward Nketiah
Crystal Palace · Forward · England · 722 min
Ballity Verdict
What makes this player special?
Edward Nketiah covers both boxes. He is not a specialist who only protects or only arrives late — he is the midfielder who can win it, carry it, and still show up in the final third. That two-way presence is what makes him hard to replace in Crystal Palace's structure.
Beyond the headline job, Nketiah remains plausible as poacher and target man. The secondary roles matter for how a coach can reorganise without changing the XI entirely.
On the pitch he has actually been used as CF (#9) / SS. That matters: skill-set breadth is one thing; demonstrated deployment is another. Nketiah's authenticity claim starts from those minutes, not from a role board alone.
Sample size still limits how hard you can push the conclusions. The football idea is clear; the confidence should stay honest until a fuller season of minutes confirms it.
Why Ballity says this
- Midfield / role totality: channel runner, poacher, target man
- Shown minutes: CF (#9) / SS
- No major weakness flags in the current profile
Receipts
- · Player Profile
- · Role Breadth
- · Deployment authenticity
- · Sample · limited
Position
Forward
Appearances
7
Great+ roles
0
Age
27
Preferred foot
Right
Height
175 cm
Ballity insights
Peer context vs forwards — how often they get the ball and what they do with it. Separate from role tiers above. Attackers also split separation into on-ball (dribble-created) and off-ball (movement).
Usage rate
Share of team touches (non-GK) among forwards with match data.
8.4% team touches
Peer band · Average
Pool percentile
63.5%
Also 40.0 touches/90 (season aggregate).
Efficiency
Output quality per action for forwards.
38 score
Peer band · Minimal
Pool percentile
4.7%
On-ball separation
Dribble-created space and self-made shot quality.
33 score
Peer band · High
Pool percentile
79.7%
Off-ball separation
Movement-created space on assisted attempts.
67 score
Peer band · Low
Pool percentile
29.7%
Balance & structural weaknesses
How complete this player is on the position's job board — strengths and holes.
How we define this
Two-way = Great+ on ≥2 complementary axes. One-way = every other route Limited/closed. Weak routes = Average holes on complementary axes.
No Elite/Great axis on this position's job board, so no weakness flag.
Stat profile
Within Striker peers — percentile shape (not role scores).
Versatility Index
Precise 0–100 score — cross-group breadth (67%) plus within-group depth (33%), quality-scaled by tier. Distinct from the shape card below.
Index
34.5
Breadth 20.1 · Depth 14.4
- ·Midfielders: Box Crasher (Elite), Carrier (Good)
- ·Forwards: Channel Runner (Good), Poacher (Good), Target Man (Good), Shadow Striker (Good)
Versatility shape
Coarse directional pattern (Specialist / Dual-threat / Generalist) — not the 0–100 Index above.
Generalist
Good GeneralistDistinct Great+
0 Great+ roles total
Where he plays
Positions with deployment evidence — not statistical guesses.
Natural
Role translations
Where the profile could fit. Tap a position — then see which role style suits it.
Select a position on the pitch to see the best role, alternatives, and evidence.
Role-by-role detail
How each role is scored. Expand a row for a radar of role-shaped stats.
Similar players
Shape match across forward roles — cosine similarity of role scores (domestic leagues only). Slot 1 is the best same-league match; the rest are the next closest from the full pool.
Gabriel Jesus
Arsenal · PL 24/25
Closest roles
Target ManΔ21
Channel RunnerΔ28
PoacherΔ21
Tani Oluwaseyi
Villarreal · La Liga
Closest roles
- Channel RunnerΔ3
- Target ManΔ0
- PoacherΔ2
Ibrahim Diabaté
Deportivo Alavés · La Liga
Closest roles
- Channel RunnerΔ9
- Target ManΔ7
- PoacherΔ12