Link to the article. I strongly recommend looking at it for it contains images of several sequences referred to in the text.
What Is Désiré Doué Worth?
Making his debut in Ligue 1 in the summer of 2022 at the age of 17, Désiré Doué gradually established himself, last season as a starter, in a more or less stable Stade Rennais, 10th in Ligue 1, eliminated in semi-final of the French Cup by PSG (0-1) and in the Europa League play-off by AC Milan (0-3 – 3-2).
Announced at the heart of a tripartite negotiation between Rennes, PSG and Bayern, the French midfielder could be sold for €60 million by the Breton club this summer.
In two seasons, the French youth has already had two appearances in the Europa League and has accumulated 1,113 minutes in 2022-23 in Ligue 1, before bringing this total to 1,624 minutes in 2023-24, gradually becoming essential by 2024.
Sometimes positioned as a left box-to-box midfielder in a 4-3-3, or even a 4-2-3-1, Doué (right-footed) was also often aligned as a left winger by Rennes coach Julien Stephan. This year, the Breton boasts 4 goals and 5 assists, and is highly rated. Analysis of his profile and his prospects, as he prepares to move up several levels at once in the European football pyramid.
Tonic, powerful and strong fundamentals
One of the matches that launched Doué's reputation was certainly the victory in Lyon in January (3-2). Scorer and passer, the Angers native will show off his palette: Aligned as a left winger of a 4-2-3-1, he finds himself in a one-on-one against Clinton Mata. He feints a run to the outside, and finally chooses to cut inside. Having a real head start and a space that he will perfectly identify, he ignites the Lyon goalkeeper with a heavy and perfectly balanced strike.
Rarely injured, Doué seems to have impressive athletic qualities, which serve his play with the ball. Strong and tonic, the Frenchman has a good capacity to resist duels. He stands out for his shooting, his precise passing and his clinical first touch. Like Warren Zaire-Emery, his vivacity allows him to orient himself well and quickly to receive the ball, and the strength of his footing allows him to adjust powerful and precise passes.
A few minutes before his goal, the young Frenchman offered Martin Terrier the first goal of the match, with a perfectly adjusted ball from deep, after a nice interception.
Subbed in at the 83rd minute during the defeat against Adi Hütter's AS Monaco, Doué obtained a penalty after a remarkable drive between the lines which forced Y. Fofana into an error.
Like quite a few players of his generation (notably Warren Zaire-Emery), Doué seems to have been trained in a very academic way, and instinct does not play a huge part in his game.
Positioned as a winger (naturally cutting inside) and as a box-to-box midfielder, but in both cases most often on the left side, Doué seems – for the moment – much more comfortable in what is static, rather than what is done in movement, despite a certain appetite for dribbling.
Left half space / between lines
Holding the position of a box-to-box midfielder against PSG in the Coupe de France, and that of a winger during the first leg against Milan in the Europa League (offensive midfielder in the return leg), Doué struggled to really impact these matches, and we can identify a few areas of discomfort encountered by the French youth.
Despite his impeccable first touch, the young Frenchman struggled to follow up and accelerate, in several directions, depending on his orientation:
First, when being served between the lines: facing his back to the goal or ¾ in the half space, Doué must therefore go to his left to get on the path to the goal. A direction towards which he often struggles to identify space or gauge opposing pressure.
Every time he has to "guess" or "feel" a space to attack on his left, the Frenchman seems to play out of sync, and often prematurely uses his arm to protect himself.
In the end, he will not have caused any problems for Florenzi and Kjaer in this area of the field, while the Milan players closed the deal in the first leg, with a stratospheric and lethal Leao, at the opposite end of the field. Same thing against Brest and Kenny Lala, who experienced very little difficulties during the decisive and epic Rennes – Brest in April against the 3rd place in Ligue 1.
Moreover, facing OL and C. Mata, it is on his right that Doué gets involved, driving the ball with the outside of his foot before eliminating him with ease.
Like defenders, offensive players have one eye stronger than the other (or at least one side on which they learn more quickly): Doué seems to be much more comfortable finding information quickly on his right than on his left.
Left wing / served at the stop at the feet
Beyond what he can produce in the left half space (an area that he could also occupy as an inside winger or as a very high box-to-box player), the Breton has also often played on the wing.
Even if he has sometimes been able to hit the mark in this position (in reasonable statistical proportions), Doué is not naturally comfortable when he is served at his feet out wide. His muscular frame and his broad chest (Doué measures 1m81) are not that of a winger, ready to slip past his opponent. Served out wide, he remains quite static, and if the defender does not fall for his feint (which got the better of C. Mata), the opposing side can quite easily lock him inside, where he can be double teamed.
He ultimately only had an impact once, behind his opponent on the wing this year, against a relegated Clermont.
Which position and which area of the field?
Doué's goal against Toulouse is both the exception and confirmation of this trend: in his duel with Mawissa, the Rennais first cuts on the inside. The defender overcommits, and it is finally a clever turn which allows Doué to open up space to strike with his right foot. Without having to take information on his left.
Thus, the bets are quite open on the position that Doué could occupy at PSG or Bayern. The half space seems to suit him better than the wing, and we can wonder about the right flank.
Two significant actions took place in this area: the powerful stepover sequence against Clermont, and the penalty obtained against ASM. Two sequences in which the Frenchman seems perfectly comfortable, even though he often seems forced to the left.
Taking into account this obvious ease on the right side, it cannot be ruled out that Doué could reveal himself in a position that would make him play in the right half space (as an offensive midfielder or even winger).
Football has changed / Asserting and making an impact
Where does Doué stand today in the hierarchy of youngsters of his age?
Not necessarily at the level that his supposed price (€60 million) indicates. Valued at €55M, Kobbie Mainoo, started in the Euro final and against Man City in the Cup final won at Wembley. He is 3 months older than the Frenchman. We can also think of profiles like Pedri or Gavi, far ahead in terms of technical accomplishment and achievement at the same age.
Last June, Doué was ranked 7th best player in the world born in 2005 by the newspaper l'Equipe. Ahead of internationals like A. Guler, M.Tel or even K. Yildiz…
Technically clean, and physically powerful, Doué displays a base that just needs to be polished. But he has not yet shown himself capable of radically changing the direction of a game (or even a competition) like some of his contemporaries cited above.
If his executions are clean, we still struggle to find instances where he gives himself the means to truly deceive an opposing block by the orientation of his body or a completely unexpected choice of pass.
It's up to him to go beyond this relatively academic dimension, which we also find among some of his colleagues, perhaps a little too "academic", limiting his intuitive expression.
With tougher competition, but also stronger partners and a collective around him, there is no doubt that the context of a top European club will be able to bring together the conditions for a calm and timely progression, which will allow the Frenchman to show all his talent and realize his full potential.
by sept_sept