Player Profile:
- Nationality: French
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 16/02/2005
- Club: AS Monaco
- Career: SC Cogolinois (Y), Fréjus Saint-Raphaël (Y), AS Monaco (Y)
- Position: Attacking Midfield
- Other Positions: Winger, Forward
- Preferred foot: Right
It has been something of a breakout season for Eliesse Ben Seghir, the 18-year-old was handed his professional debut by Philippe Clement during a UEFA Europa League win over Red Star Belgrade. Since then Ben Seghir hasn’t looked back, he has gone on to play over 1000 minutes of football this season, scoring four goals and chipping in with two assists. Not a bad start to life in Ligue 1 for the highly rated youngster.
Online records state that Ben Seghir stands at approximately 174 cm, however, I would say he appears to be closer to 182 cm tall. He has a low centre of gravity when on the ball, therefore it is very difficult for defenders to knock him off the ball or hassle him into making a mistake. He demonstrates good strength, as shown in the image above, which enables him to be able to hold off an opponent and retain possession for Monaco. The youngster displays a good amount of pace and is able to cover the ground well, he also possesses an explosive burst of speed which enables him to outrun the opposition defenders.
The French starlet has lined up in various positions in the Monaco attack, he has started in a front two alongside Ben Yedder, in this case Ben Seghir will often be the deeper lying forward who has licence to roam and will often drift out to the wide areas or act as a number 10 where he will operate in zone 14 and look act as the link between the midfield and Ben Yedder. He has also lined up as a number 10 which is probably his most natural position hence why he generally gravitates there. Additionally, he has been deployed as a left winger, even when playing in the ‘10’ role, he drifts out to the left wing in particular so is relatively comfortable when playing out wide, although there are some issues with his defensive output when playing as a winger, but he is a young player and this is something that can be remedied on the training ground should Monaco view his long term position to be out wide.
As shown in the images above, the 18-year-old enjoys picking up pockets of space on the left side, he mostly looks to operate in the half spaces which allow him to make late runs into the penalty area. Ben Seghir demonstrates some wonderful tactical awareness throughout he is constantly scanning the play around him and is able to take up excellent positions on the pitch so he is always open to receive a pass.
Eliesse Ben Seghir is extremely comfortable in possession, he plays with a confidence and a composure that makes you instantly forget that he is just 18-years-old. When Monaco are transitioning into the attacking phase, he is able to carry the ball up the pitch and progress the play. He has an eye for a pass, especially when teammates are willing to make runs in behind the defensive line, as shown above. His close control means that he is able to dribble his way past defenders who are trying to tackle him and his agility means that he is able to change direction at speed which provides him with enough space to execute a pass or a shot.
The Monaco man possesses a wonderful eye for goal and particularly loves a long shot, as shown above. He enjoys cutting inside from the left wing and curling a powerful shot at goal. He is very accurate with his shooting and more often than not will hit the target, having bagged 4 goals this season, it’s fair to say that if given more minutes next season, the youngster will be able to contribute even more goals to the Monaco cause. His willingness to take on these low percentage shots is a perfect example of the confidence this young man exudes, he displays an admirable belief in his own abilities which thus far has been supported by his performances on the pitch.
Overall, Eliesse Ben Seghir is a phenomenal talent who is only going to get better as he gains more experience of first team football. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him linked with Premier League clubs, although I expect he will remain with AS Monaco for the next season as he is contracted until 2025. If he continues on this upward trajectory though, next summer could see him be the subject of a lot of transfer speculation.