Manu Kone is coming off of a very good season in the Bundesliga for Borussia M’gladbach, so it’s no wonder why so many teams are interested in the young midfielder. He was born May 17th, 2001 which makes him one of the most promising midfielders in the Bundesliga. We are going to take a look at his strongest, and his weakest, traits, and talk about why so many teams want him for the upcoming season.
Why so many teams want him
When it comes to Manu’s strongest traits, he is definitely an extremely strong defensive/transition midfielder. He would fit an 8 role, where he is allowed to pivot up and down the field since he’s so dominant at controlling the midfield.
He is a transitioning weapon
Kone happens to be one of the best passers, and dribbling midfielders in the league. His dominance in the pitch hasn’t gone unnoticed, but the numbers are staggering. Kone had an average of 87% pass completion % which puts him in the top 92 percentile in the league. He attempted 1361 passes, and completed 1186 of them, but he also happens to be an even better dribbler. Last season he attempted 89 dribbles, and was successful in 55 of them which puts him in the top 5% dribblers in the league. This is allows for him to safely get the ball from the defensive side of the ball, and progress them into the midfield, and/or the final third. It also means he’s a trustworthy player to facilitate the early beginnings of each possession, which makes sense because of what he’s so good at defensively.
Kone has some Kante-like abilities
While it may be hard to live up to Kante who has won almost everything there is to win in the Premier League….. he is very similar. Manu Kone has a tremendous ability to win ground duels, like hugely tremendous. He won about EIGHT ground duels every 90 mins. There is a super player in the middle of the park for any team that would sign him. He doesn’t foul almost at all, and when he does, he manages to escape any punishments. He ended last season with 12 yellow cards, and 0 red cards, but considering he faced 405 ground duels alone, he’s been a good boy. That being said, there are some weaknesses to his game.
What could his weaknesses be?
While he seems to be the full package, there are some weaknesses on both sides of the ball. Attacking wise he definitely could work on adding goals + assists to his game. Although that’s not his role, it’s something that could make him a complete 8. 1 goal + 1 assist in 30 games, even as a midfielder is not something to be proud of, but at the very least the majority of his shots are on target. Defensively there isn’t much to complain about apart from his 19 aerial duels won all season. Apart from that, he’s practically complete.
What's next for potential superstar Kone?
The 22 year old midfielder has attracted a lot of attention, and rightfully so. It may be time for a move on from Borussia M’gladbach, but another season wouldn’t do too much harm either. He is involved in the upcoming U21 European championship coming soon where he hopes win the tournament where a lot of players to watch will be. In particular he will be in a midfield with fellow best friend, and high profile player Kephren Thuram, who wrote a player analysis on. His 30 million euros price tag makes him a sure bargain for whatever team signs him. Look out for the likes of Liverpool to sign him.
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