On Monday, Sunderland Women announced their third signing of the summer in the form of Tyler Dodds. The 26-year-old joins the club from Glasgow City, who finished second in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, seven points behind title winners, Rangers.
She also played in Champions League and by the end of the season had 9 goals and 12 assists to her name. Prior to her time in Glasgow, Dodds also helped Italian side ASD Calcio Pomigliano win promotion to Serie A and almost re-signed for a second spell at Sunderland last summer before the deal fell through.
@rr_lasses Welcome back Tyler Dodds #SAFC #SunderlandAFC #SAFCWomen #Sunderland #Footy #SerieB #WSL #womensfootball #woso #wosoedit #footyedit #footyedits @sunderlandafc @shekicksmag @best of womens football⚽️
♬ Nessum Dorma - PAVAROTTI
The Gateshead-born player has had stints with a few North East clubs in the past, playing for Durham, Sunderland, and Middlesbrough over the past decade. Dodds has also played International University football for England and Great Britain, featuring in the 2017 World University Games in Taipei.
However, it was during her time at Boro that Dodds impressed, ending up top scorer two seasons in a row and catching the eye of an agent who secured her move to Italy.
As well as having a fruitful and successful footballing career, Dodds is also a singer who regularly performs at clubs and events performing covers of ’60s, ‘80s, and ‘90s songs, ditching the surname to be known as simply Tyler. And when she is performing her Taylor Swift tribute act, her pseudonym changes to Tyler Swift - an excellent play on words.
She is someone who will certainly be getting involved in the karaoke on the bus to and from away game, no doubt!
Snapshot Analysis
Unfortunately, Wyscout, does not have coverage or data analytics on Dodds during her time with Glasgow City. However, I have watched various highlights of Dodds from this season and I am excited to see her action.
She can play as a forward in starting lineups, although more frequently she plays on the right wing, although Dodds will typically be seen popping up all over the field, recovering the ball from deep, drifting wide to receive the ball, and aiding in ball retention and progression.
Dodds carries the ball with assurance with a great change of pace and quick change of direction, which were essential elements of Glasgow City’s game last season. Even without the ball, she is fluid and mobile, creating space and danger as she runs forward.
Both Dodd’s thinking and her physical abilities are crucial. Although she occasionally loses possession, her desire to outwit opponents and attempt more daring passes is exactly why she stands out and is ideal for a Sunderland team that is trying to inject some attacking vigour into its play.
Dodds shows good tactical nouse, frequently pulling out wide to create overloads on the flanks. This quality, when combined with the abundance of attacking quality Sunderland has down the wings and their explosive counterattack is likely to mean we will present greater difficulty for opponents in the forthcoming campaign.
She exhibits all the qualities of a top-notch attacker: she is balanced, observant, creative, and is also skilled at sending and receiving short balls in tight forward areas, playing the game at her own pace, and doing it all with beautiful casualness and an air of decorum.
She is able to minimise the amount of time the opposition has to respond to her next play, generating time and space for herself by using a clever combination of quick movement, decisiveness, and acceleration to beat the first pressure on the ball.
Her selflessness is one of her strongest traits. She frequently finds herself in potential scoring positions in the Scottish Premier League, but she preferred to pass the ball to a teammate in more space, adding to her assist tally. She has some fantastic one-touch plays as the ball descends to her feet, demonstrating how quick her instincts are.
It’s important to not undervalue Dodds’ defensive efforts either, working well to win the ball back in a high press. Her exceptional dribbling skills are especially useful in this situation. She can outrun opponents because of her low centre of gravity and her ability to twist and turn her way out of danger with incredible panache.
Dodds has also scored some beautiful goals by is controlling the ball on the outside of the box, cutting back, and firing it in from 20-25 yards. Overall, she plays with incredible finesse, skill, and quality, making her thoroughly entertaining to watch.
With her prowess and the array of talents (and songs) in her repertoire, I have no doubt that she will be an integral player for the squad and quickly become a fan favourite!
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