The Coventry City star whose stats don't paint the full picture: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Swedish international Yasin Ayari joined Coventry City on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion in August 2023 with big expectations following the exploits of the last Swede that joined them on loan from the Seagulls.

Ayari was following in the footsteps of Viktor Gyokeres who made the move to the Coventry Building Society Stadium in January 2021, initially on loan from Brighton, before joining the club on a permanent basis that summer.

It's well-documented how well Gyokeres' spell with the club went, scoring 43 goals across two-and-a-half seasons at the CBS Arena.

Despite playing in different positions, the Sky Blues' faithful could be forgiven for having a case of déjà vu when Ayari walked through the doors in August.

However, Ayari hasn't hit the heights of his Swedish compatriot Gyokeres and some Coventry fans are yet to be impressed with the 20-year-old's performances for the club.

Some have questioned his commitment and work-rate, while others have questioned whether the youngster is physically ready to be playing Championship football, a notoriously tough league.

Despite this, some of the young Swede's stats have been impressive, making Ayari a divisive figure at the club.

How has Yasin Ayari performed for Coventry City this season?

The Brighton-loanee has made eleven Championship appearances this season, starting just five games. He's been substituted on in six games this season, but has failed to get on in two of Coventry's last three game.

Despite this, some of his stats have looked good. On November 9th, Ayari was ranked 3rd in the league for key passes made by players Under-21 with 18 key passes in total, according to Not The Top 20 podcast.

Ayari has scored one goal this season, albeit in lucky circumstances. After Ellis Simms' attempt rattled the crossbar in September's draw with Huddersfield, the ball hit the Swede on the way back out and found itself going into the net.

According to Sofascore, Ayari averaged 28.9 touches a game, has created three big chances and has a passing accuracy of 74%.

However, without the ball, Ayari has only averaged 0.3 interceptions per game and 1.2 tackles per game. He has a successful dribble rate of just 56% this season.

His lack of physicality has been criticised by some Coventry fans. At 20-years-old, he weighs in at just 10.8 stone and 5"6, according to TNT Sport. As a young man, the Swede will no doubt develop physically in the years to come. However, those current stats do mean he'll struggle against more physical players in the division.

What's next for Yasin Ayari at Coventry City?

The ex-AIK man needs to nail down a regular place in the Coventry side if he's to make any sort of further impact at last season's losing play-off finalists.

If Ayari continues to miss out on the starting 11 at Coventry, then it wouldn't be a massive surprise to see him re-called in January and sent elsewhere.

The 20-year-old has shown glimpses of quality and is evidently technically gifted, but he needs to add more physicality to his game if he's to be a success in the West Midlands.