Anisse Saidi is a 16-year-old striker who plays for MLS side San Diego F.C. and Tunisia U-17. He has already made his MLS debut, a brief cameo against Austin F.C. this season.
Saidi played as Tunisia’s centre-forward in this tournament. He is tall and lanky, listed at 6’1″ (1.88 m) and 147 lbs (66 kg), though I think he may have filled out a bit recently. Saidi is a very good link-up striker. In this tournament, he frequently dropped deeper to get on the ball. His passing is quite good, he is excellent at hitting wingers running into channels and created several high-danger chances in this tournament. Saidi is also a reasonably strong ball carrier, with his strength allowing him to hold off defenders effectively. However, he is prone to somewhat comical mishaps like stepping on or overrunning the ball. His build might be a bit of a hint as to why this is the case. Saidi is clearly still growing into his frame and will likely become more coordinated as he gets older and more used to being as tall as he is. Saidi is good at using his height and relative strength to hold the ball up. He frequently wins fouls by shielding the ball effectively. Saidi has decent off-the-ball movement and most of his shots are from good locations. However, because he drops so deep he does not have the same volume of shots that someone who is more of a pure poacher might. Saidi is quite fast and that makes him a threat in behind. It also contributes to his ball-carrying ability.
Saidi’s speed and height would seem like a solid base for defensive play. I would not say he stood out as a particularly strong defensive player in my viewings, however.
Saidi has already made his MLS debut and had a strong tournament for Tunisia. He has a strong physical profile and I think his technical skills are likely to grow in the next couple of years. If that happens for him I can see him playing for a smaller team in a top 5 league.
Target Scouting 