Millwall are in advanced talks to sign Shayne Lavery from Blackpool, as per Football Insider, as Gary Rowett looks to increase the Lions' depth in the attacking third.

The 23-year-old arrived at Bloomfield Road from Linfield in the summer of 2021, and started in very promising fashion as the Tangerines flirted with the play-off places at times under Neil Critchley.

Blackpool are very well-stocked at the top of the pitch, and they have allowed Owen Dale to leave on loan recently, in trying to create a healthier group in the final third.

Michael Appleton may not value Lavery's skillset as much as Critchley did, but it is certainly a surprise to see him linked with a move to a direct Championship rival.

Here, we have taken a look at some of the statistics behind Lavery's 2021/22 campaign in our latest performance in numbers piece...

The Northern Irish top-flight to the Championship is typically a fairly challenging transition to navigate in the short term, however, Lavery was able to hit the ground running for the Tangerines, and he was one of the most dangerous strikers in the Championship for a brief period last term.

Despite having an up and down season on the treatment table, Lavery bagged six goals before the turn of the year, and ended the season with eight from 20 league starts.

His goalscoring definitely appeared to be repeatable as well, getting on the end of a healthy amount of chances in the second tier, and performing in line with his expected goals (xG) numbers, notching eight times from 8.44 xG, as per Wyscout.

17 of Lavery's 37 second tier appearances last season were as a substitute, and his energetic style and ability to run in behind does suit him to that role within a squad.

But on a per 90 minutes basis, his numbers in front of goal were very encouraging, accumulating 0.46 xG per 90 minutes, suggesting that, probability-wise, he should be finding the net just less than once every two games.

 

 

Confidence was not an issue playing in a new league, as Lavery attempted 4.03 dribbles per 90 minutes and took 2.31 shots per 90 minutes, in a Blackpool team that were on the back foot for extended periods, playing in their first season after winning promotion from League One.

Lavery would be a great player to add to an exciting attacking contingent currently containing: Benik Afobe, Tom Bradshaw, Mason Bennett, Tyler Burey and Isaac Olaofe.