This La Liga unicorn striker came out of nowhere

Very little noise, if any, was made concerning the transfer of Álvaro Rodríguez to Elche last summer. It’s not a surprise given he only scored twice in less than 1000 league minutes of play for what amounted to the 13th best side in LaLiga last season in Getafe. Yet, Elche saw enough to sign him away from Real Madrid for an unknown fee + 50% of any future transfer (the latter part being a staple of signing prospects away from superclubs these days).

To this point, it’s looking like they’ve picked the right horse. Rodríguez’ 7 goals and assists has him tied for 19th in LaLiga this season. Among players in their age 21 season or younger in Spain (according to FBRef), he’s fifth. Expand that to include Europe’s big 5 leagues, and he’s tied for 11th. His stature has grown from a niche prospect in an unforgiving environment, to someone who has a chance (albeit slim) of becoming one of the most unique threats in the sport. We’re admittedly working with just over 1000 minutes of play to this point, but the output so far is promising.

Before getting into Rodríguez’ skill-set, it’s important to note the difference in attacking environments between Getafe and Elche. Getafe under José Bordalás have become notorious for having a physical and direct style of play that to some crosses the line towards anti-football. Within such a setup, Rodríguez was the ultimate target man, fending for scraps and having to make due with minimal support in attack. While not easy on the eye, it’s done the job of guaranteeing them survival under his stewardship.

In contrast, Elche are almost on the other side of the tactical spectrum, playing a proactive brand of football. This is nothing new to those who have previously watched Eder Sarabia coached sides. When he was coaching Andorra in the second tier of Spanish football, they also dominated possession to a staggering degree at times. It’s a brave choice given the relative lack of resources compared to other clubs in LaLiga. The results in the table have been quite good so far in 2025-26, but their underlying numbers are in the 14th-15th range, perhaps indicating the talent issue at hand. If you just simply looked at the zones of control graphic below (via Opta Analyst), and had to guess which this was, it likely would’ve taken you some time before you figured out it was Elche’s.

Elche’s system is helped by having a multifaceted forward, and Rodriguez has shown ability to be that this season. This includes the wherewithal to link up play with teammates — he’s shown to have considerable capacity in this department. When he gestures to receive on the floor, he can smartly use his arms and hips to shield the ball and help ensure possession chains don’t end prematurely. The touch on those short passes tend to be assured and allow teammates to not break their stride too much. Even when the opposition tries to bump him off his spot, he can then try to create a bit of breathing room with a live dribble after shielding for a bit before making a short pass.

Expanding Rodríguez’ passing to include chance creating indicators, and at least on the surface, it looks quite good compared to other strikers. His open play xG assisted is among the best at his position within Europe. According to FBref, he’s in the 83rd percentile among forwards in LaLiga for shot-creating actions which come from a live pass. The move in systems has definitely played a part in his creation numbers looking as good as it does.

That said, his expected assist output from open play is somewhat juiced by the assist he had versus Rayo Vallecano, which was a basic square pass for a tap-in goal during a transition attack. Even with the caveat aside, he’s still had some intriguing moments in the final third or even from deep during fast attacks. The assist he had versus Atlético Madrid illustrated his impressive touch, both with how he cushions passes coming his way, and a chip pass in behind to Rafa Mir.

While Rodríguez has had the platform as an Elche player to showcase a greater repertoire of skills, he still has remained a massive aerial presence which the team can rely on. While not to the same degree as with Getafe since one of the few ways they could progress the ball, it’s still been a massive weapon to rely on and he’s once again caused considerable headaches for defenders in LaLiga. This includes trying to manufacture headed flick-ons into space for teammates, with his assist for Rafa Mir’s goal vs Levante being an example of it working out quite well.

While he hasn’t been the most diligent when it comes to establishing position with long balls, he has quite a good sense for judging the flight of the ball so he can still sneak in for some wins in the air. Public attempts at trying to quantify the value of an individual’s ability in the air, including one done by Pranav (@pranav_m28 on Twitter), rate Rodríguez fairly highly

Some of that selflessness is also seen with Rodríguez’ work without the ball. For starters, he’s active at wanting to stretch the opponent’s mid-block, either with straight-line runs or curved movements. Some of those forays end up with teammates not even looking his way to attempt a long ball, but it does keep opposing defenders on their toes. As alluded to before, he’s willing to drop deep to receive in different areas to try and grease the wheels in attack. Inside the box, he’s been able to carve out space for himself on the nearside or through the middle with regularity for headers. When considering Elche are below average in crosses attempted, it’s rather impressive. One could argue his movement within the box is fine but not necessarily stellar, taking advantage of playing alongside Mir in a front two and taking advantage of space being created for him. There’s a lack of double movements and other traits you’d see from the best off-ball movers    

This can lead to a shot chart which is fine on the whole, but perhaps not the most inspiring. On a basic level, Rodríguez’ shot chart having almost all of the attempts from inside the box is a positive. As well, the majority of the box shots are within the central zone. However, an xG/shot of just under 0.14 from open play is on the lower end for a striker, especially given the context he’s playing in. However, his shot quality is hindered somewhat by the sheer amount of headers he’s tried in the box. 18 of his shots have come from headers, with a total xG of 1.66. Contrast that with his right foot (0.86 xG on 4 shots) and left (1.41 xG on 12 shots), and it’s a different story. When he does get the opportunity to shoot with his feet, he can sort himself out solidly and get a good connection, even if those attempts end up being blocked. Maybe if Rodríguez can make himself into a savvier operator without the ball, there could be more shot attempts in the box with his feet.

Taking those points into account, what you end up with is undoubtedly a fun prospect in Rodríguez. Part of the fun is that in today’s game where seemingly so many starting forwards are giants, he’s showing himself to be a different flavor of the big man striker. He’s been adept at making life easier for others when playing with his back to goal, or dropping between the lines. Included is him having instances of buying time with dribbles under duress. Although not an amazing playmaker, he’s proving to be a capable one who can provide some chances. He’s a willing mover without the ball, although not quite yet at the expert stage. Out of possession, he holds his own when Elche want to press high up, including from out of their mid-block. He also displays an impressive engine when trying to immediately win the ball back. Rodríguez’ versatility has helped him be a helpful young player for two different clubs last season and this.

When watching prospects, there’ll be moments which truly pique your interest and curiosity. For those who are very high on Rodríguez’ upside, they’d point to the sequence he had vs Rayo Vallecano. After jostling with his marker while trying to get to the outlet pass towards him, he utilizes a change of pace dribble to get an advantage and then drives across the Rayo defender so that his only options are to let him go or commit a foul in a dangerous area. You just don’t see strikers with his build who can move and map out the pitch in the manner Rodríguez did here. 

While perhaps not on the absolute shortlist of breakout prospects, Rodríguez has certainly been a pleasant surprise this season. The numbers are impressive, and the film shows some considerable high moments. More and more people in Spain and even outside of it are finding out about him and his play. At the rate things are going, there is the chance of Álvaro Rodríguez eventually becoming one of the most unique forces in the sport in the not too distant future.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, we’d appreciate it if you would forward it to a friend. If you’re that friend, welcome! You can subscribe to The Transfer Flow here. We also have a podcast where we go in depth on transfer news and rumours every week. We’re on YouTube here, and you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify by searching for “The Transfer Flow Podcast.” If you’re interested in football betting, check out this post on why we started Variance Betting.