Welcome to New England, Wilfrid Kaptoum
15 days after their initial offseason moves, the New England Revolution have made their biggest signing thus far. On December 23rd, the Revs announced the signing of midfielder Wilfrid Kaptoum on a free transfer. Kaptoum, a 24-year-old Cameroon international, was available after his contract with La Liga club Real Betis expired in October.
Let's give @Kaptoum5 a warm welcome to the #NERevs!
Past stops include appearances for @FCBarcelona and @RealBetis_en!
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) December 23, 2020
After starting out with the Fundación Samuel Eto’o in his home city of Douala, Kaptoum spent ten years at Camp Nou with FC Barcelona. As a result, Kaptoum had the luxury of developing at one of the most famous youth academies in world football. Between 2013/14 and 2016/17, Kaptoum made 44 appearances for the Barcelona B team (Transfermarkt). In that span he scored six goals and added three assists. Kaptoum also appeared three times for the Barcelona first team. He made his debut in 2015 in the Champions League. Kaptoum scored his first, and only, goal for the Catalan club in the second leg of a Cop del Rey semi-final in February of 2016.
In January of 2018, the then 21-year-old moved from Barcelona to Real Betis on a free transfer. Following the move, Kaptoum made 12 appearances for the Betis B team, 21 appearances for the first team and nine appearances for UD Almería on loan in the second tier (Transfermarkt). Kaptoum scored one goal in that time, with his tally coming for Betis in the first round of the 2019/20 Copa del Rey.
Scouting Report
The pedigree of Kaptoum’s past clubs make it clear that the Revs are acquiring a talented player. Still, Revolution fans may be wondering what type of player they can expect. A quick look at Kaptoum’s stats, particularly from his time between 2018 and 2020 with Betis, can help shed some light on that query.
The first thing that jumps out about Kaptoum’s game is that he is a very accomplished passer of the ball. Across two seasons with Betis, Kaptoum boasted a completion percentage of 85.8%. The Cameroonian successfully completed 345 of his 402 attempted passes in that time span. His completion percentage is even more impressive when considering passes classified as covering a “short” or “medium” distance. Kaptoum completed 91.1% of his passes between five and 15 yards and 86.9% of his passes between 15 and 30 yards.
As a central midfielder, Kaptoum’s accurate passing should allow him to serve as an effective outlet against teams that look to press the Revolution back line high up the pitch. Additionally, Kaptoum’s skill set should help New England work the ball from defense to offense in central areas.
From a defensive perspective, Kaptoum won 55% of his 18 attempted tackles over two seasons with Betis. It is a very small sample size, but it does suggest that Kaptoum is a serviceable defender. For context, New England defensive midfielder Scott Caldwell has won 60.4% of his tackles over the past three seasons. A 5% drop off to a player whose primary responsibility will not be defending is not bad at all.
Role with the Revs
From the highlights and statistics that are available, Wilfrid Kaptoum seems to be a player who can utilize his passing and ability to make late runs into the box to strengthen the Revolution’s attack from central midfield. Based on Bruce Arena’s comments in the announcement on the Revolution website, the head coach agrees with this assessment.
“Wilfrid’s pace and passing ability will help strengthen our midfield. We believe he will be a quality addition to the Revolution, and we look forward to his arrival in Foxborough.”
Considering central midfield was one of the clear areas of need entering the offseason, this looks to be a very sensible signing for the Revolution. Bruce Arena clearly sees a lot to like in Kaptoum’s game. The 24-year-old’s career experience to this point also must be viewed as a positive.
Based on the 4-2-3-1 formation the Revs deployed down the stretch last season, Kaptoum is likely to be paired with a defensive-minded midfielder in the heart of the team. The Cameroonian can then use his ability and experience to connect the team by working the ball between the lines.
Kaptoum has already emphasized his excitement about the move on Twitter.
With the new year comes a new professional and amazing challenge😊 ⚽️
Thank you @NERevolution for this opportunity to meet @MLS 🇺🇸 and your supporters @MidnightRiders @NErebellion 😉
See you soon #Boston 👋🏿 I’m ready!Come on Revs!! ⚽️💪🏿 https://t.co/Nw6iBAFkSz— Wilfrid Kaptoum (@Kaptoum5) December 23, 2020
Among most Resolution supporters, the feeling is mutual.
– Andrew Fasciano (@afasc573)