With a greater emphasis on pressing and how much more sophisticated out of possession frameworks have become, time and space for attacking talents has decreased compared to previous eras in football. As such, many clubs are constantly on the lookout for 1v1 specialists who can also contribute a certain level of goals and assists. This need is especially pertinent in the Premier League given the level of coaching across the division.
We could look to Manchester City as an example of a club which has searched for wingers who can consistently create for others. Going back to the mid 2010s, they’ve spent significant fees on the likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sané, Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish and now Jérémy Doku. With how much City dominate final third territory under Pep Guardiola, having wide attackers who are a threat off the dribble is essential. If you look at the best clubs in Europe, they tend to have at least one winger who can put the fear of god in to defenders as an on-ball creator. Those trying to gatecrash this elite level are trying to acquire that archetype of player.
This is where Désiré Doué comes into the fold. At only 19 years old, the French winger has the broad outlines of a player who could one day play for one of Europe’s elite. He’s another in a long line of highly touted young talents to have come from Rennes’ impressive academy, which not too long ago, helped produce an extremely exciting winger in Ousmane Dembélé.
It is not hard to see why he’s been tipped as the next prospect for whom Rennes will receive a massive transfer fee. His highlight reel consists of him frequently beating fullbacks either going towards the byline or cutting inside. He’s a clean receiver of the ball, and with neat touches to set up his impressive first step, he’s always threatening to make something happen. At 3.54 dribbles per 90 with a 67.4% success rate in Ligue 1 last season, he’s one of the most electric dribblers on the planet right now.
The brilliance of Doué’s dribbling does come with trade-offs, mainly that he can be susceptible to tunnel vision. It seems like once he cuts inside, he’s already made up his mind instead of surveying the available options to him. While this is an issue for many wingers, it’s probably more heightened with him. He’s also got a slight frame, which means he can get nudged off by defenders a bit easier, especially when trying to attempt long distance solo carries. This could get improved upon in the future through doing better at getting across his man to gain an advantage, in addition to greater strength and conditioning.
The best wingers are not just those who’ll frequently glide past their marker, but also have the technical quality to make incisive passes. Doué is a bit of a mixed bag as a creator. When he does look up, he’s good at scanning his options and can be inventive in the type of deliveries he attempts. The weighting of his passes can be erratic despite how impressive he is in terms of volume of passes into the box. This makes it tough for his teammates to get clean shots off after receiving a throughball or reverse pass into the box. The end results are still pretty decent at 1.72 chances created per 90 and 0.21 expected assists per 90, but given how much his dribbling can help him access valuable areas, those figures could be even higher.
Off the ball is Doué’s weakest point to his game. To some extent, this is understandable. Teenagers don’t tend to be savants with their movement. Even still, it lags behind his other skills by some distance. On occasion, you’ll see him make runs along the touchline or in behind to chase after long balls. He’s most likely to attempt forward movement off the ball if he’s combining with teammates. More times than not though, he’s receiving the ball against a set defence who can throw double teams his way. This can be seen in his shot map from league play last season, which mostly consists of attempts in the wide zone of the penalty box and outside of it. Without any runs in behind, it’s basically impossible to consistently generate good, to great shots.
Very few would disagree with the opinion that at 19 years old, Doué would be considered a project signing. The flashes of talent he shows are undoubtedly tantalising, and the fees getting reported at least partially reflect the massive upside clubs think he has and being willing to help him through further growing pains. As well, things have shifted in the market to where there’s a greater willingness to spend big money on young talents compared to 5-10 years ago. If you hit and find a star, especially as a superclub, you’ll likely get many years of elite production from them.
The big clubs can take solace that teenagers who show at least some promise in Ligue 1 tend to have successful careers. The obvious example is Kylian Mbappé. Rafael Leão had a single successful season with Lille and has been one of the best players in Serie A over the past few years. When healthy, Ousmane Dembélé has been a terrific player. If you don’t sink while playing regular minutes at such a young age, there’s a decent chance you end up have a strong peak.
One concern with Doué is that the pathway to stardom as primarily an on-ball initiator with limited off-ball value is very tough to accomplish. It’s certainly not impossible, but it would involve sizable growth as a playmaker, including less instances of tunnel vision. There have been several young talents over the years in this mould who ended up being fine players during their prime, but a few rungs below the level of the greats. Dembélé is an example of someone who was able to do it, but he’s a unique case in part because of being both footed. Incorporating more runs into depth would be helpful to contribute more goals and assists.
Doué is certainly an exciting prospect, and under the tutelage of top-level coaching, it’s possible that he ends up being a star in a few years time. Given the flaws in his skill set, it would be surprising if the leap happened in 2024-25, but player development can sometimes occur in a linear fashion. There is clear room for improvement, and it’s possible he tops out as a solid yet ultimately unspectacular player. On the other hand, history suggests that it isn’t a bad idea to bet on a teenager in Ligue 1 with some tangible results. It’ll be interesting to see where Désiré Doué goes next, because it’s possible that in the future, he’ll be thought of as one of the best players to have ever come from Rennes’ academy.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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