GT Report: Douglas and Pereira among top Ekstraklasa transfers

In the report, the analysts at Grant Thornton assessed the players who joined Ekstraklasa in summer 2021 based on their contribution on the pitch. The number of points obtained by a given team with the said player on the pitch was taken into account, as well as the player’s individual statistics - including the number of minutes spent on the pitch, goals, and assists.

In the case of defensive players, another key factor was the number of conceded goals and clean sheets with the player on the pitch. In the defender’s ranking, Lech Poznań players indisputably dominated, with Barry Douglas winning the category.

"The winner of the summer defensive transfer classification is Barry Douglas. The Lech Poznań player was brought in for free from Leeds United. Since the beginning of the season, Lech's left-back played 1240 minutes, and the team lost a goal on average every 113 minutes with Douglas on the pitch. In the autumn round of the 21/22 season, Lech Poznań recorded 6 clean sheets with Douglas in the squad, and he also directly or indirectly contributed to the Poznań club scoring 4 goals," says the report, highlighting the important role of the Scottish defender who returned to Ekstraklasa after 5 years.

Just behind Douglas in the ranking is the right-back Joel Pereira who joined Lech from AC Omonia in the summer transfer window. “He contributed to 4 goals and helped Lech keep a clean sheet 7 times. With Joel on the pitch, Lech conceded a goal every 92 minutes on average. The two best defenders have achieved a significant advantage over the remaining players in the ranking by overpassing the 100-point mark,” explains the Grant Thornton report. Pereira and Douglas have also found themselves in the top eleven summer transfers of PKO BP Ekstraklasa.

The Portuguese right-back was also placed second in the ranking of the most effective summer transfers. In the classification, the analysts assessed the transfer fee and the player’s influence on the pitch. Antoni Kryvotsiuk from Wisła Płock was classified as the most effective transfer of PKO BP Ekstraklsa, whereas Zoran Arsenić and Vladan Kovacević (Raków Częstochowa) and Damian Kądzior (Piast Gliwice) were placed behind Pereira.