PROFILE | Ismaël Doukouré – a foundational block of BlueCo’s Strasbourg project | OneFootball

French U21 international Ismael Doukouré is one of the few surviving relics of the pre-BlueCo era at Strasbourg. The 21-year-old has played over 1000 minutes for Le Racing this season, most of the time in a defensive midfield capacity, however also filling in at centre back on occasion.

Doukouré started his career with Valenciennes, making his debut in a 0-0 draw with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard in October 2020, at the age of just 17. He went on to feature in 28 Ligue 2 games over the next 15 months for the northern club, before signing for Strasbourg in January 2022 for a reported €1.5m. Due to an injury almost as soon as he arrived in Alsace, his Ligue 1 debut did not take place until May, when the young defender came off the bench to seal a 1-0 win over Brest to help them to all-but-secure Ligue 1 survival.

Eghbali insistent on keeping Doukouré

After a season of being in and out of the first XI last year under Patrick Vieira, Doukouré has become a first-team regular when fit for Liam Rosenior. Vieira, who was the first manager to see him more as a midfielder than central defender, has clearly played a large role in his development. Could the legend of French football have spotted traits of his own game in the young talent which made him believe he would function better in the midfield? Only Vieira himself will know, but either way, so far, it’s been somewhat of a success.

Although starting out his career as a centre-back, former Derby and Hull city manager Liam Rosenior has preferred to deploy Doukouré as a defensive midfielder this season. In this role, he finds himself in the top 3% of midfielders for clearances in Europe’s top five leagues, with three completed per game on average. Unusually for a midfielder of his profile, he also enjoys taking on and beating a man, owing to his speed and agility on the ball.

Throughout his short career, Doukouré has been reportedly watched by many of Europe’s top clubs. Last summer, he was denied a move to Wolfsburg, who were keen to acquire his services. However, Behdad Eghbali, heavily invested in the Strasbourg side of the BlueCo project, see Doukouré as a foundational block to build around. Time will tell whether he will make the jump to Chelsea, a path now clearly demarcated.

GFFN | James Evans