Said El Mala is a player who came onto my radar when looking into what young wingers we might recruit this summer.
Now I am still reluctant to go into this season with Christos Tzolis and a young, raw talent. That feel like a backwards step in comparison to having two Premier League proven stars last season in Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.
However, the proven left wingers currently available on the market do not excite me. They have all proved that they are either not at Martinelli’s level, or not a big enough upgrade for the price they will cost.
So we return back to looking at “the next big thing”.
Fans have pointed out that we had opportunities to sign the likes of Kvaratskhelia, Barcola and Doue when they went to PSG. That perhaps we do then need to look at “the next big talent” of an oven ready talent is not on the market.
El Mala was expected to move to Dortmund this summer. But the deal fell through at the back end of last week.
The 19-year old German is considered one of the hottest young Bundesliga talents and someone that Jurgen Klopp may consider promoting as he looks to bring through the next generation and revitalise the national team.
Quick, strong and direct, his ability in 1v1 situations would be an upgrade on Martinelli. He reminds me a lot of Alexis Sanchez in the way he likes to pick up the ball and drive towards the goal.
This could be one to keep an eye on…
Keenos