Scout Report: Tiemoué Bakayoko - France's big hope in midfield

The French national football team is undergoing an interesting and a rather significant phase. Keeping in mind their almost-perfect Euro 2016 at home, it is evident that they have emerged as contenders to become the best national team.

Germany underwent a similar phase in the second half of 2000’s when they had plenty of experienced top level players like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Phillip Lahm, and Miroslav Klose while nurturing and immersing the immensely talented youngsters into the mix like Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil and Toni Kroos.

Similarly, France has experienced stars in the form of Patrice Evra, Hugo Lloris, and Laurent Koscielny, while possessing some of the world’s finest young talents like Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial. A name that has recently come to the limelight is AS Monaco’s Tiemoué Bakayoko.

With the excellent form showed by Bakayoko and Monaco, rumours about interest from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea in the youngster have been ongoing recently. In this report, we break down the profile and potential of the highly sought after Frenchman.

Background

Born in Paris on 17^th August 1994, the midfielder with Ivory Coast heritage has had a modest rise in the footballing world. There has been no fairytale story that a large number of footballers are heard to have gone through. After playing for local clubs for the initial years of his youth career, Rennes signed him to their academy in 2008. Two years later, at the age of 14, he was selected for France U-16.

His progression has seen him appear for all the age groups between 16 and 21, which he is still a part of. In 2012, he was promoted to Rennes B team but his talent was evident and he was immersed into the first team in just a year’s time. 24 appearances and a year later, the cash rich city of Monaco came calling for the rising French star. Ever since the transfer, Bakayoko has established himself as one of the key components of a strong Monaco side exceeding expectations in the current campaign.

Strengths

The Frenchman is a combative midfielder who operates at his best sitting right in front of the defence as the holding midfielder. He excels at breaking up plays thanks to his excellent tackling ability.

The 6’1” frame of the midfielder allows him to be strong aerially. The energy, selflessness, and ferocity of the midfielder are the driving force that pushes Monaco from defence into attack swiftly.

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While his overall game has been commendable, the statistics also highlight that when compared to established stars in his position like N’Golo Kante, his performances have been on par albeit in a comparatively low standard league.

Weaknesses

In the current campaign, Bakayoko and Monaco have been performing above par and there hasn’t been much to complain. With age comes maturity, and considering Bakayoko is a relatively young player and has just established his spot in the team, his game can become rash at times.

What happens next

Rumours linking youngsters with immense potential to the English heavy spenders is a normal trade rumour that may have absolutely no truth in them. But the traction in the rumour mills indirectly does highlight that these players are capable of playing at the top level. Bakayoko is certainly in the limelight for the right reasons, and his performances have definitely attracted the best clubs across the world.

Bottom Line

As per whoscored, Bakayoko has been the best player in the AS Monaco team with a 7.51 rating. In fact, he stands at the number 6 spot amongst all the Ligue 1 players, the highest rating being just slightly higher (7.65). His performances in the Champions League have not dipped and highlights that big games are not where he would flounder. His rating in Europe’s premier competition is an even better 7.58 rating.

As for the future, Monaco possesses a good group of players including Bernardo Silva, Thomas Lemar, and a revitalised Falcao. As of now, Bakayoko will not be moving anywhere as he has publically stated his desire to stay in Monaco and build on with this talented group for the time being. But a move in the summer could be on the cards if his performances do not deteriorate for the next half season.

In 2017’s summer transfer window, Bakayoko will have two years left on his contract and if a transfer is to be done, it would be the best time for Monaco to maximise their profits on their £8 million investment in Bakayoko.