Best Alternatives to Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Top 3 Alternatives to Ruben Loftus-Cheek

1. 1.Sandro Tonali83% DNA match·Newcastle United€80.0M
2. 2.Youssouf Fofana84% DNA match·AC Milan€28.0M
3. 3.Manuel Locatelli82% DNA match·Juventus€25.0M

Ranked by AI DNA similarity — 768 dimensions across playing style, pressing intensity, and tactical fit.

Playing Style Analysis

A Balanced Midfielder. The three most similar players to Ruben Loftus-Cheek by playing style are:

• Sandro Tonali(83% match) — A Ball-Winner. Statistically, he stands out as a capable chance creator (1.1 key passes/90), penetrates with forward passing (9.0 final-third passes/90), central to possession (71 touches/90), uses long balls frequently (5.3/90) and active off the ball (2.7 press score/90), contributing to defensive transitions.
• Youssouf Fofana(84% match) — A Ball-Winner. Statistically, he stands out as a capable chance creator (1.4 key passes/90).
• Manuel Locatelli(82% match) — Locatelli has spent years being the midfielder that makes everything work without ever making the highlight reel—and the numbers finally prove why that matters. Operating in Serie A's congested midfield battles, he ranks in the top 5% for passes per 90, tackles won, press intensity, and passes into the final third simultaneously; finding a player who dominates all four categories at once is genuinely rare. The counterintuitive read here is his goal contribution figures, which look pedestrian until you understand he's essentially the engine redistributing possession upward—those 15-plus progressive passes per 90 are what create the chances others finish.

Similarity is calculated using per-90 performance data across multiple playing style dimensions. How Player DNA matching works →