Ritsu Doan - scout report
There he is! After months of speculation, Eintracht Frankfurt have finally announced the signing of Ritsu Doan. Eintracht reportedly paid a fee around €21m for the Japanese winger, who signed a 5-year contract with the club. Here’s what Doan can add to our game!
Defensive work rate
Ritsu Doan‘s unique feature for an attacker is his defensive work rate. Defensively, Doan might be the strongest winger in the whole Bundesliga. He always tracks back and doesn’t avoid tackles. Last season he made 2.08 tackles (top 8%), 1.79 blocks (top 2%) and 1.48 clearances (top 5%) per 90 minutes. Dino Toppmöller’s new, aggressive pressing system places high defensive demands on his wingers — a role that suits Doan perfectly.
Attacking threat and effectiveness
The 27-year-old is also a very dangerous attacker, of course. His agility and close control of the ball make him extremely tough to defend in one-v-ones. Last season Doan completed 1.76 successful take-ons per 90 minutes (top 36%). The Japanese winger is also able to play quick one-twos with his teammates, especially when cutting in from the right. He likes to find his striker with a diagonal pass into the center to then collect a lay-off and drive towards goal. In this regard, Burkardt could make a great partner for Ritsu Doan. Burkardt was among the Bundesliga’s best strikers for progressive passes received (6.70 per 90) last season, indicating that he’s always available, providing passing options for his teammates.
When on the ball, Ritsu Doan isn’t just a joy to watch – he’s also incredibly effective. Last season he scored 10 Bundesliga goals from an xG (expected goals) of 6.45, showing his ability to score from low-quality chances.
Comparing Doan’s xG to the number of goals he actually scored over the last five seasons, we can see that his performance last season wasn’t a statistical outlier, but another proof of his effectiveness in front of goal.
Here’s an overview of Doan’s chance conversion across the last five seasons (via FotMob). Positive values indicate effectiveness in front of goal, while negative values indicate sloppiness.
SC Freiburg, Bundesliga (2024/25)
10 Goals - 6.45xG = +3.55
SC Freiburg, Bundesliga (2023/24)
7 Goals - 4.99xG = +2.01
SC Freiburg, Bundesliga (2022/23)
5 Goals - 7.04xG = -2.04
PSV Eindhoven, Eredivisie (2021/22)
8 Goals - 4.80xG = +3.20
Arminia Bielefeld, Bundesliga (2020/21)
5 Goals - 5.17xG = -0.17
Overall (2020-2025)
25 goals - 18.45xG = +6.55
Adding to his goalscoring tally, Doan provided 7 assists for Freiburg last season, making it 17 goal contributions in 34 matches (one every two games).
Limitations
Ritsu Doan has pretty much everything you want from a winger; he can dribble, score and assist. However, there are few flaws in his game.
His obvious limitation is the height. At only 1.72m Doan doesn’t provide much of an aerial threat. Still, Doan won 0.50 aerials per 90 last season, which was slightly above average for a winger. The only serious deficit in his game last season was his pass completion of only 72%. Due to his attacking drive, Doan sometimes tends to make the wrong decisions, leading to dispossessions (1.94 per 90) – sometimes in dangerous areas of the pitch.
Where will he play?
Ritsu Doan is a classical left-footed right winger who likes to stay wide until he gets the ball, to then cut inside.
Assuming Toppmöller will continue using the 4-2-3-1 system, he implemented during pre-season, Doan’s place in the lineup seems obvious: right wing. The Japanese could form a lethal duo with Rasmus Kristensen, who likes to drive forward and overlap the winger.
In a back three system things are a little more complicated. Due to his defensive work rate, Doan could play as a right wing back, but Kristensen will surely play there. In a 3-4-2-1 system Doan would probably play in the right half space. It wouldn’t be his preferred role, but he should be able to play there. In a 3-5-2 there wouldn’t be a position for Doan in the starting lineup – maybe as an attacking super-sub for Kristensen.
Final verdict
Toppmöller definitely needed at least one additional winger for his new 4-2-3-1 setup. Ritsu Doan is the ideal solution. He’s a great player, who has proven his ability in the Bundesliga for years. At 27 years old, he’s an experienced, consistent and reliable player. For an attacker of his quality, €21m also seems like a very fair price. Doan is not a player who’s expected to generate a transfer profit soon. Instead he’s planned as a cornerstone of Toppmöller’s team for the next couple of years.
