Samu Costa: Al-Nassr's Key Signing for Tactical Balance

Al-Nassr are closing in on a very deliberate kind of signing. Not a headline-chasing forward. Not a YouTube-compilation winger. A metronome.

According to press reports, the Riyadh club have reached an agreement with Real Mallorca to bring in Portuguese midfielder Samu Costa for around nine million euros in this summer window. On paper, it is a modest deal in a market obsessed with superstars. On the pitch, it could be one of the most important.

Spanish coach David Martinez, who has watched Costa closely in LaLiga, painted a clear picture of what Al-Nassr would be getting when he spoke to Al-Arabiya.

“I know Samu Costa well, as he plays for Real Mallorca, a club that is always fighting to avoid relegation to the second division,” Martinez said, framing the midfielder’s education in a league where mistakes are punished and survival demands discipline.

From that environment, Costa brings steel and structure.

“Samu Costa will add strength to the team, as well as balance on the defensive side, because he is a tactically sharp player, and he usually reads matches very well,” Martinez explained.

This is not a player who dazzles with tricks. Martinez was blunt about that.

“He is not technically gifted, but he makes a lot of good decisions during matches, and he usually prefers to play in his own team's half rather than in the opposing team's half.”

That preference tells its own story. Costa operates where games are controlled, not where they are decorated. He sits, screens, anticipates. He takes up the spaces others leave behind. For a side built around stars who want the ball high up the pitch, that kind of anchor becomes invaluable.

Martinez highlighted one of Costa’s most underrated traits: tempo control.

“He always maintains the rhythm of matches, which will help the forwards a great deal, and therefore his role will be essential in achieving balance in the team's defence.”

Hold the rhythm, protect the back line, feed the front. It is the kind of invisible work that allows the big names to shine.

A Postecoglou Midfield Piece

All of this drops into a very specific tactical context. Under Ange Postecoglou, Al-Nassr are expected to lean heavily into attacking football, with an emphasis on dominating the ball and building patiently.

“With (Ange) Postecoglou, Al-Nassr will play attacking football, and they will try to dominate matches through short passes and moving the ball forward to play in the opponent's half,” Martinez said.

To play that way, the first phase of buildup has to be clean. The midfield must be brave enough to receive under pressure and smart enough to position themselves where they can offer passing angles and cover.

Here, Costa’s versatility becomes a tool rather than just a line on a CV.

“Samu Costa can play in the midfield position or in any other position, but this will depend on who plays alongside him, and he can also play between the two centre-backs to build attacks,” Martinez noted.

Drop between the centre-backs, start the move, then step into midfield to close the door behind the attack. That is the kind of role Postecoglou has often relied on: a player who can be a third defender in possession and a destroyer without the ball.

The Ronaldo Factor

Any new arrival at Al-Nassr must inevitably be viewed through the lens of Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence. The dressing room revolves around him. The attack is built to serve him. The club’s ambitions are shaped by his standards.

Martinez believes Costa’s existing relationship with his compatriot can smooth the transition.

“From my point of view, a coach always wants players who know each other, because the adaptation period is short, and this relationship will be beneficial for the club,” he said.

Trust matters. A Portuguese midfielder who understands Ronaldo’s movements, habits, and demands can speed up the understanding on the pitch. Quicker adaptation means fewer dropped points in a league where Al-Nassr are expected to compete for everything.

“Samu Costa can create balance, and I am certain that Cristiano Ronaldo will welcome him greatly, and that will be beneficial for Al-Nassr,” Martinez concluded.

Nine million euros for a player who does not light up highlight reels might not stir social media. But for a team chasing titles under an attack-minded coach, with one of the game’s greatest finishers waiting up front, the quiet signing who keeps the rhythm and closes the gaps might be exactly the piece they cannot afford to miss.