Nathan Patterson has joined Everton from Rangers after undergoing medical and agreeing on personal terms. Rangers will receive a £12 million fee plus add-ons as Everton are moving fast in the winter transfer window.
Everton made two attempts to sign Patterson in the summer but both the bids were rejected as then Rangers manager Steven Gerrard considered the offers to be far off from their valuation. After seeing £8 and £10 million bids being rejected, the Toffees have returned in the winter transfer window with an improved offer of £12 million and another £4 million in add-ons, making this a club-record fee received for Rangers.
At 20, Patterson is still an unknown quantity outside the realms of Scottish football. Here are some important things to know about the successor to Seamus Coleman.
Nathan Patterson’s background
Much like any other footballer, Patterson began his football journey from the youth setups. Patterson was a part of the Scottish football association’s ‘Performance Schools’ development programme, attending the Holyrood secondary school in Glasgow while developing at the Rangers academy since 2009.
Patterson signed his first professional contract in December 2019 and made his first team debut in January 2020 at the Ibrox. The right back had to wait until August 2020 for his league debut. Patterson is one of the hottest prospects emerging from Scotland and while there’s still a long way to go, the youngster has shown tremendous promise in the limited opportunities he has got.
While Patterson remained a deputy to James Tavernier, the exuberant full back had a fair share of opportunities in the European competitions, playing nine games in the Europa League and the Europa League qualifying rounds.
Nathan Patterson style of play
Even though Nathan Patterson made his Rangers debut in 2019, he shot to prominence last season as he managed to get significant minutes under his belt while deputizing for Tavernier. The athletic full back is more capable than you can think of.
Rangers operated in a fluid 4-3-3 with the full backs stretching wide to provide width in attack. One of Patterson’s biggest virtues is his ability to run down the flanks with tantalizing pace. His initial burst of pace to get past players and acceleration has caught the eye of many who follow Rangers on regular basis.
The 20 year old’s overlapping runs have become a trademark of sorts as he often plays the ball inside to his teammate before disappearing into distance leaving his marker gasping for breath. At times, Patterson decides to take on the opponent by himself, relying on his pace and dribbling ability but that hasn’t always yielded positive results.
Perhaps, that is down to his slightly inferior physical attributes which may let him down in shoulder to shoulder battles. He has an impressive ball retention capacity and the ability to put inviting crosses in the box. Patterson is often good at targeting the corridor of uncertainty between the shot stopper and defenders and this is where you’d expect someone like Dominic Calvert-Lewin to be present.
Nathan Patterson is another exciting modern day full back
The modern day full back factory produces full backs not only with strong on the ball qualities but also off the ball intelligence. Patterson attacks spaces efficiently and what is more important is the timing he chooses to attack the half spaces dragging opposition out of position. The Scotsman can provide reliable support to the winger, making smart runs and combinations to get into the final third before darting in a cross or threading a low ball in the goal area.
Defensively, he’s developing robust ball winning skills and fine tuning himself in one versus one situation. His acceleration and recovery pace make it extremely difficult for the attacker to dribble past the 20 year old. His ability to close down spaces will aid him in the Premier League.
Patterson needs to be counselled on positional play as he may sometimes get out of position but thanks to his best friend, his pace, he can undo the wrong quickly. There is a long way to go for Patterson and as Benitez has often said that Rome wasn’t built in one day, Patterson’s polishing isn’t going to happen overnight.
Patterson has bucket loads of potential but also flaws that need to be chipped away. The Premier League is a different ball game altogether. Patience and continued improvement is the only way to the top.
What can Nathan Patterson offer to Everton?
Undoubtedly, Patterson will offer support to the severely depleted right back area. For a number of seasons, an ageing Seamus Coleman has been asked to shoulder the responsibility as the club’s only right back which has rapidly caused wear and drop in the performance levels. Ideally, a new right back should have been brought in seasons ago to slow down Coleman’s dip and retain his best shape for a longer time.
The sooner a successor to the Irishman arrived, the sooner he could be initiated in the process and integrated into the team. The Irishman can act as a fatherly figure to the young 20 year old. Perhaps, Coleman might see shades of his younger self in Patterson.
After few sporadic appearances, Jonjoe Kenny would return back to the fringes of the squad, disappearing in anonymity or if a suitable offer comes in, Kenny might end up leaving. Patterson may not slot into the first choice right back role as he still tunes himself to the pace and requirements of the Premier League. Game time now could be more evenly split between Coleman and Patterson, making sure that the 20 year old is not overburdened and he gets enough room to blossom.
But at least with the arrival of Patterson, the embryonic stages of transition have begun.