The player we are talking about today is just 18 years old, but he is already turning heads with his limited opportunities. for Rennes. Desire Doue’s skills have led to many fans wanting their team to sign him before his value skyrockets. What I can tell you is that these fans are extremely right, and I’m going to go over everything that makes this kid so special.
Desire Doue's Background
Desire Doue was born (June 3rd, 2005) to French & Cote d’Ivoire parents in Angers, France. He was born into a footballing family with three close relatives playing professionally.
Doue spent his youth playing for fun before joining Stade Renais youth academy in 2011. He played here for his entire youth before getting called up to the first team in 2022.
Although he’s worth $15m, he’s only ever been managed by relatives, so he isn’t associated with any agency of any kind…. yet.
Doue's Style of Play
I mentioned that he hasn’t gotten a lot of playing time which unfortunately is very true. This season he has played in almost every game (15), but has only started three of them.
On the field, he takes up an attacking midfield role, or he can occasionally drift out wide to the wings. The 5’10 (1.81) player has managed just 2 goals this season so far.
He's extremely skilled in chance creation
Desire Doue’s skills are probably one of his strongest traits in possession of the ball. He is constantly making actions that directly correlate to a positive for Rennes.
Just take a look at some of these metrics compared to other top 5 league attacking midfielders: (per 90)
- 4.26 Shot-Creating Actions (93rd percentile)
- .62 Take-ons (99th percentile)
- 2.78 Live-ball Passes (91st percentile)
- .43 Goal-Creating Actions (90th percentile)
His important role in progression
Lastly, what I want to point out to you is his innate ability to carry the ball effectively… sort of.
He likes to take people on an absurd amount (6.79) every single game, but this means he is losing the ball a lot. Even though he’s great on the ball, he has 3 miscontrols a game along with getting dispossessed twice a game. Both are extremely bad habits he needs to fix.
Apart from that though, he is probably the most efficiently progressive player I have seen in a while. I mean he ranks in the 99th percentile in carries into the final third, prog. passes received, take-ons attempted, Successful take-ons, total carrying distance, and progressive carrying distance.
He’s a sick joke on the ball which is why I find his limited minutes so surprising.
Final Remarks on Doue
Desire Doue is a player that everyone should be keeping their eyes on in 2024 because he’s got a lot of what you need these days. Great player on the ball, but is always looking to break down opposition blocks. The only thing I want to see from him is to erase some of the errors on the ball so he becomes less of a liability in transition for his team.
Thanks for reading and be sure to check out some other attacking midfielders such as Alberto Moleiro, or Thiago Almada.
