Home » Ardon Jashari insight: Scouting report, stats, transfer rating and more
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Ardon Jashari insight: Scouting report, stats, transfer rating and more

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One of the longest and most tiring transfer sagas in AC Milan’s recent history has come to an end, and Ardon Jashari is officially the fifth summer signing.

It was a soap opera that ended up dragging on for over two months from the first time Milan were linked with Jashari. On Wednesday afternoon, the signing was announced by the Rossoneri, with the midfielder penning a five-year deal.

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The Swiss international landed in Italy late on Tuesday night and underwent his medical on Wednesday. He has some ground to make up in terms of fitness and working with Massimiliano Allegri, but could debut as early as the weekend against either Leeds United or Chelsea.

Jashari will join Luka Modric and Samuele Ricci to form part of a new-look midfield, a department that needed rebuilding after the big-money sale of Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City. So, what can fans expect?

Back story

Jashari was born on 30 July 2002 in Cham, a part of Switzerland on the northern shore of Lake Zug, 5.5km (3.4 miles) northwest of the cantonal capital of Zug. He hails from a place with a population of less than 20,000, and is of Albanian descent, but thankfully there was a big club not too far away.

When he was just 10 years old, Jashari joined the youth academy of Swiss Super League side FC Luzern, which is about 25 minutes away from his hometown by train. The most recognisable recent player to spend a stint there is probably Remo Freuler, previously of Atalanta and now at Bologna.

In 2019 as a 17-year-old Jashari appeared for FC Luzern II, their second team, and he spent most of the next two years there. However, he was given the occasional spot on the bench among the first team, which led to his first team debut against Zurich, whom he only play a minute against.

Until 2022, the majority of his minutes still came with the second team, where he was named captain and continued to impress. Then he was given a chance as a starter for the first time, in an important clash against FC Basel.

Jashari Frick
Photo – SRF

From that point onwards, head coach Mario Frick did not look back, keeping him as a starter for the rest of the season, where he managed to score once and pick up three assists, the last of that season coming against Zurich in a 3-2 win. A full-circle sort of moment.

As GOAL relayed recently, Frick was heavily impressed by the midfielder from the start, as he stated to Gazzetta dello Sport, “[He’s] From another planet: he’ll have a great career, he’s already on the pitch like a thirty-year-old. He’s a natural-born leader: at twenty, he was already the head of the dressing room.”

As the following season rolled around, the young Swissman was named the club’s captain, playing 34 matches that year, and the trend continued as he continued to grow. With that, Luzern also grew, reaching a 4th placed spot in the Swiss Super League, earning a qualification spot for the Europa Conference League.

This is where the interest grew and after an eight-contribution season, where he played 36 league games for Luzern, a deal was agreed with Club Brugge for a then club record fee of around €6 million.

Jashari’s move to Brugge was only to be a temporary one, where the Belgian outfit made a substantial profit on his move in only 12 months.

His start to life in Belgium was difficult as he lost his first game at his new club, a 1-0 defeat to Standard Liege. Then, on Matchday 7, he made his first start for the club in a 3-0 win against KV Kortrijk.

Brugge never looked back from that point, as Jashari was named as a starter for all but three of the club’s Pro League games that season, whilst also making 11 starts in the Champions League as Brugge reaached the Round of 16, beating Atalanta – where he was named MOTM – in the process.

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Internationally, Jashari made his debut for the Swiss Under-21 side in March 2022, playing 20 minutes against Wales in a 5-1 win. From there, he was immediately fast-tracked to the senior team, where he made his debut in a 2-1 win against the Czech Republic, replacing the aforementioned Freuler in the 90th minute.

The lack of international caps did not matter, though, as Murat Yakin elected to select him for the World Cup squad in Qatar, where he again played only a minute. This time against Portugal, as they were well beaten 6-1.

Whilst he has still played most of his international minutes for the youth side, he has began to be more involved in a senior environment now. Of course, this is not a worry, with him only being 22 still.

To perhaps finish on the most important detail, the thing that ties it all together. Jashari is a boyhood Milan fan. Before the Champions League game against the Rossoneri earlier this season, the midfielder admitted it was a ‘dream’ to play at the iconic stadium.

Though, it would not be his first time visiting.

Instead, his first was in 2011, when a young Jashari watched the Diavolo lose 3-1 to Barcelona. From there, he was taken aback by the atmosphere, making it his goal to play on the very pitch which he saw his idols take to.

14 years on, Jashari will make that happen now his transfer has been completed. Certainly not the longest wait, but that does not matter. In fact, it now means that all three summer midfield signings are boyhood Milan fans, a nice touch.

Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images

Together they can achieve dreams together, representing the colours of their dreams.

Strengths and weaknesses

Ardon Jashari sone in Nicky Hayen’s 4-2-3-1. Operating in the double pivot with Onyedika, he controls the inside channels, keeps possession flowing, moves play vertically at speed and creates chances in the final third.

Key abilities

Touch and technique: Jashari’s sound touch and technique are on show here, winning the first ball and gliding past Atalanta’s counter-press.

Ability in tight spaces: Jashari’s quick feet and deft touches make him a master in tight spaces. Even under intense pressure from opponents, he stays press-resistant and composed.

Low centre of gravity: Jashari’s low centre of gravity gives him the agility to shift lanes or change direction in an instant.

Dribbling: With his close control and technical quality, Ardon Jashari can dribble out of tight spots – just like he did versus Cercle Brugge.

Passing: Jashari’s passing unlocks defences, finding runners behind the backline or slipping balls between the lines. A true key to breaking down low blocks.

Tackling: On the defensive side, Jashari excels in tackling, reading opponents’ movements to make clean, safe challenges inside the box.

Interceptions: A big part of Jashari’s game is his knack for interceptions, making crucial blocks and cutting out passes through sharp reading of the game.

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Pace: Speed is key for Ardon Jashari. As a box-to-box player, he covers ground fast to close down spaces and win the midfield battle, a trait he has in abundance.

Physicality: Despite his small frame Jashari shields the ball brilliantly, using his body to keep opponents at bay and maintain possession.

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Build up and breaking the press

Brugge coach Hayen allows his full backs to venture forward but this makes the build-up structure at time a 2+2.

Jashari’s intelligence shines: he drops into the backline, creates a 3v2 & triggers the switch to help Brugge escape Aston Villa’s press.

Another way he evades the press is by vacating space. He angles himself to receive from Mignolet while moving towards his own goal.

With Atalanta’s man-to-man scheme under Gasperini, this movement drags his marker away, opening a lane for Ordonez to advance and dribble forward.

Jashari can break the press on his own, using quick feet & dribbling to glide past pressure and push Brugge forward.

The 23-year-old’s passing is pinpoint and realiable, so much so that he’s trusted to switch play whenever Brugge are pressed on one flank.

We can even look at an audition of sorts, at San Siro. Milan press high, but Jashari offers a passing option, flicking to Seys. With Reijnders cutting vertical lanes, Jashari repositions and switches to De Cuyper, which equals press broken.

Chance creation

Jashari has a wide variety of tools to break down defence or even deep blocks (with help of his teammates). Jashari picks Villa apart with one pass: reads movement, hits a diagonal through the lines to Vanakken, who flicks it on for Tzolis. Chance missed, idea brilliant.

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His long-ball abilities are also very sound. Villa’s mid-block squeezed space, but Jashari drops a perfect long ball to Tzolis in behind leading to a Brugge goal.

When the full-backs and wingers stretch the pitch, gaps open in the half-spaces. Jashari loves to attack these channels – running into deliver a cross or cut-back for an easy tap-in.

If passing lanes are blocked or there’s a counter on, Jashari isn’t afraid to take matters into his own hands. He’ll dribble past opponents to carve out space and create chances.

Defensive duties

Jashari often leads the press; directing team-mates, marking unmarked players and organising the defensive shape when Brugge are out of possession.

He isn’t afraid to jump out of the line, closing down opponents who dwell on the ball and forcing them into mistakes.

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The Swiss’ main mission: shut down central spaces , blocking opposition progress through the middle and forcing them wide.

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Weaknesses

Given he is still just 23 years of age, one might expect quite a long list of things to work on, to become the ‘perfect’ midfielder like his new team-mate Modric would be considered in his peak.

However, there are very few areas of concern. One is his height: at 1.81m he is not the shortest by any means (Ismael Bennacer is 1.75m, for reference) but it does mean that he struggles a lot in the air. In fact, he is in the 5th percentile for aerial duels won.

This shouldn’t be too problematic given that as a box-to-box player the amount he is actually asked to win in the air should be quite low. His size is something to consider when facing certain opponents though, for example when Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s frame might be more suitable against bigger sides.

The other ‘weakness’ is perhaps that Jashari is still raw in a lot of the areas he excels in. To elaborate, his positioning, anticipation and awareness are usually spot on but sometimes he is a tad behind. His decisions on the ball are almost always right, but sometimes he gives it away.

These are things that should be expected of a player his age. With better team-mates around him and a top coach to work with, they can be ironed out in no time.

Statistical comparison

As DataMB points out, Jashari excels in a lot of categories. His percentiles (the % of players he is better than in a particular metric) demonstrate this perfectly:

🎖️ 98th percentile for forward passes
🎖️ 89th percentile for forward pass %
🎖️ 93rd percentile for progressive carries
🎖️ 92nd percentile for progressive passes

Against other Jupiler Pro League midfielders, he is in a league of his own:

🥇 Progressive carries – 1st
🥇 Accelerations – 1st
🥈 Through passes completed – 2nd
🥉 Forward passes completed – 3rd
🥉 Short pass completion % – 3rd
🥉 Offensive duels won – 3rd

For this, it’s important to note that the comparison between Reijnders and Jashari is not a direct one in terms of role. However, as the major sale and the major midfield investment respectively, comparing their metrics is interesting.

Reijnders dominates in progressive passes and carries 🔵, while Jashari leads in defensive actions 🔴.
Different profiles: one drives play forward, the other shields & breaks up attacks.

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Passing types

Jashari dominates switches and dead-ball passes, reflecting his deeper role, while Reijnders excels at through balls and crosses thanks to his advanced position. Different passing profiles, different impact.

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We can conclude from this that:

🔵 Reijnders operates higher (18 touches near opp. goal/90)
🔴 Jashari plays deeper (19.5 touches near own goal/90)

Different zones, different outputs = making direct stat comparisons unfair.

Conclusion

All in all, Milan are getting a midfield metronome useful in every phase of play. The package of player is reflected in the size of the fee, even if some will have concerns after the way Charles De Ketealere worked out.

The only slight concern is perhaps a lack of experience in the ‘top five’ leagues, but he will start getting some of that later this month, and fans will see what a talent Jashari is.

Transfer rating: 9/10

Tags AC Milan Ardon Jashari

13 Comments

  3. Oh well, if the boy is really that good, I can only hope that somehow we manage to keep him for more than a season…

  4. Nice analysis.
    Meanwhile:
    “Gianluigi Donnarumma has been told to leave Paris Saint- Germain, and there should be more clarity over the next week, but Manchester City, Chelsea and now Bayern Munich are all in the running.”

    “The asking price could be around £25-30m”.

    One of the richest clubs in the world, a club that has been allowed by UEFA to function above the FFP, just told their GK that if you don’t resign you have to leave our club now instead of next year for free. They also signed his replacement.
    Milan In the same situation was getting attacked by the fanboys of the player they told either you’ll resign at our price or you can kick rocks.
    Can’t lose players in their prime for free, no matter if you are Milan or PSG.
    If Mike Maignan hasn’t put pen to paper before the end of this month, he needs to be sold at the end of the month.

    1. Perhaps there is a little more nuance to it. For example PSG have no issue replacing players as they have all the money in the world and their backups are world class.
      They will stroll to CL qualification next season no matter what expensive star keeper they play.

      Milan on the other hand will be fighting to get top 4 and Taking a risk on selling an important stable part of the team may be the difference between top 4 and not which ultimately is worth waay more than whatever fee you would get for Mike now given his age and contract situation

      1. If you sell the player for money, as they did with Hernández, it will give you the funds to replace that player. You are not going to play without a GK if you sell Maignan.
        Also, based on the way Maignan has performed in the last couple of years, they won’t be losing much.
        Goalkeeper is the easiest position to replace. Torriani is waiting for his chance.
        PSG signed the Lille GK after they realized they couldn’t come to an agreement with Donnarumma.
        If Maignan is at Milan in September without renewal, Milan will make the same mistake they did with Donnarumma.

        1. I feel like Tare is aware of that but accepted to risk to lose Maignan for free next season. For some reasons, he and Allegri might have decided that the benefit of keeping him and try to convince him outweigh the drawbacks of losing him for free.

          1. I think that is spot on, if we were going to sell him, Vinja would have been the one but alas…
            I think given the date might as well roll with Mike and live with missing out on 20M in exchange for some world class goalkeeping to help get Milan back in the cl🤞

    2. F*ck PSG. F*ck Donnarumma. And f#ck money.

      If you all care about Is money, go watch competitive Monopoly.

    3. If club like PSG who have all money in the world and recently becoming one the best clubs in the world, having a hard time in renewing a player, surely there’s something wrong. And the problem mainly comes from the player. Something is really wrong with this dude, or his agent.

      And as for Maignan, yes, I agree, from the time he rumored to force his exit to Chelsea, we should sell him sooner than later. He’s our last season captain. It says a lot.

  5. Can somebody tell Maldini’s Heir his favorite Calabria is still without a team at the age of 28. He might retire.

  6. Y’all need to be honest with yourselves when it comes to these stats. In summary, he’s just like Reijnders when we got him ie best of the rest. That is, he seems to be the best player outside of the top 5 leagues. So then why sell a guaranteed player in Tijji and get him to save a difference of about 15m.plus uncertainty. Is it really worth it as of writing? Of course he can turn out great and bring us 100m in the future or he can turn out like Tijji and sold in a couple years for 55m or turn out like Musah…a bust with potential. You never know.

    From what I read of the stats is the same as above. When he’s compared to players outside of the top 5 leagues, yes he looks good (I used Fbref as I don’t have the pro version for datamb, but the numbers largely checks out between the two sites). But when you bring in the top 5 league players, those “nice looking” stats like progressive carries and so on, he drops considerably from 90th percentile to around average at 50-60th percentiles. That should raise an eyebrow from a strictly stat pov but ofc there is the eye test which we’re hoping the scout would have seen more beyond those stats and beyond selective clips.
    Also I don’t get the comparison to Tijji for defensive stats. Tijji is one of the poorest midfielders in the whole of Europe when it comes to defence. Of course the likelihood of someone being better than him defensively is quite high. And Jashari is no exception. But it doesn’t mean he’s good defensively either. It just means he better than one of the worst defenders in Europe in the midfield,.which is not a hard feat. I’m fact his tackling and interceptions is in the 19th percentile overall. He does have good blocks and clearances though but his defensive error rate is bottom 6 ….another eyebrow.
    What I do like is the things that remained high even when he’s compared to the top 5 league players. And those would be his ball recoveries, aerials and pass completion rates. Anyways here’s to hoping he develops further with us.. welcome lad!

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