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Cheick Doucoure: What will the midfielder bring to Crystal Palace?
Bringing energy, physicality, athleticism and quality on both ends of the pitch, Crystal Palace's capture of Cheick Doucoure is a shrewd piece of business.
Maturing into a multifaceted, well rounded midfielder during his four seasons in Lens' first team, which saw him rack up 50 Ligue 2 appearances and 77 games in Ligue 1, he joins Palace primed to make an impact.
Although he's only 22, it's important to note he already has plentiful top level experience, that also includes five caps for Mali at international level, which should help make the transition smoother to the hugely competitive and demanding Premier League.
Having especially flourished under the guidance of Franck Haise over the last two campaigns in France's top-flight, his all-action displays in the heart of the pitch have been crucial towards Lens establishing themselves as a formidable force.
Excited at the prospect of linking him up with former legendary midfielder and now Palace manager, Patrick Vieira, Doucoure will be eager to learn from the French tactician and hoping he can continue along his steady upward trajectory in England.
An absolute monster on the defensive end, his ball winning prowess, awareness and ability to cover huge areas of the pitch ensures he contributes brilliantly in this compartment.
A master at breaking up play with his robust tackling, clever positioning, long legs, speed to hunt down opponents and agility to react quickly, Doucoure relishes his stopping duels.
Being such a fine athlete who effectively reads the play, this means he's regularly on hand to race back and stop or slow down transitions, fill in for out of position teammates and chime in with vital interventions.
Moreover his capacity to cover every blade of grass unsurprisingly sees the tireless enforcer press opponents aggressively, with him quick to respond to cues like an opponent receiving with their back to goal or in an open body posture, plus when they're about to inherit an underhit pass or a slow long ball.
Authoritative and commanding in his attempts to recover possession through his harrying, the way he counterpresses immediately when his team loses possession adds to his worth, for it gives them the chance to win the ball back high to get back on the attack again.
Standing 180cm and with admirable strength, he also competes manfully in aerial duels to help his team win second balls in midfield and clear danger when defending deeper.
In addition, how he uses his body to jostle for position and unbalance markers and how he swiftly picks up the ball's flight path, heightens his success here.
Boasting an insatiable appetite for work and giving his all for his team, his stopping output is of an extremely high standard - something that would've definitely endeared him to Vieira.
Upon comparing him to fellow 22-year-old star, Aurelien Tchouameni, who's just joined Real Madrid for €80m, it's admirable how well he stacks up with the former Monaco maestro.
Although he's behind in many metrics, it isn't by a great deal, showing just what an asset he is in this regard. It is, however, worth noting that he's ahead in possession adjusted sliding tackles.
Extremely active on the attacking side of the game too, his relentless running power and exertions with the ball at his feet compounds issues for his adversaries.
Confident on the ball and usually clean with his first touch, this grants him the platform to stamp his mark. Relishing every opportunity he gets to embark on his customary damaging upfield bursts, these should add another dimension to Palace's attack to supplement their nifty wingers.
Strong on the ball, awake to nearby threats and using his solid frame to withstand pressure to ride challenges, this, in combination with his smart feints, shoulder drops and ability to weave away from danger in close quarters, amplifies his worth on the ball.
As a result, he can not only outfox foes but also gain territory rapidly, draw opponents to manufacture room for colleagues and win fouls in advantageous locations.
Meanwhile, in terms of his passing, Doucoure possesses a handy repertoire of passes to animate passages by striking some precise through balls in behind, hitting line breaking deliveries to feet and switching the play coherently.
Backing himself when the expansive pass is on, his confidence and execution to pinpoint teammates in promising areas is a real highlight especially when confronted with deep sitting defences and in counter attacking scenarios.
Intelligent with his movement and understanding when to drop deep to support build up, occupy central areas and push wider to offer an extra number, he does a good job of connecting attacks and knowing when to form overloads.
Moreover, his wicked penetrative runs from deep are another key string to his bow, for these allow him to offer a terrific option for teammates against defensive units who are typically preoccupied or ball watching.
Arriving late and undetected, this aspect of his armoury sees him bring that valuable element of surprise to use his venomous long range shooting capabilities.
While he wasn't as heralded as his more exciting teammates at Lens such as Seko Fofana, Arnaud Kalimuendo, Jonathan Clauss, David Pereira da Costa, Gael Kakuta and Ignatius Ganago going forward, his exertions were extremely valuable.
Indeed, the Wyscout tables below detail this aptly, for he ranks ahead of Tchouameni in a host of statistics such as key passes, smart passes, smart pass accuracy, expected assists, dribbling completion rate and progressive runs.
The fact he's almost level in terms of passes into the final third and overall progressive passes further indicates what a major offensive influence he is.
“Cheick knows how to do everything on the pitch,” asserted his midfield partner at Lens, Fofana. “He’s one of the best players I’ve played with. He knows how to shoot from a distance, pass, break the lines, dribble, defend. He does not feel the opposing pressure.”
Set to be a perfect fit for Vieira's midfield, an area they were eager to reinforce this summer, acquiring Doucoure for a reasonable £21 million is certainly money well spent.
"Cheick's arrival is yet another statement of intent, demonstrating our ambition to further improve the squad this summer," gleamed Palace Chairman Steve Parish.
“We are extremely confident that Cheick will adapt seamlessly to the rigours of the Premier League and that he will contribute positively to the squad, and I wish him all the very best for his time with us."
Joining on a five-year deal and blessed with basically all the ingredients for success required for a player in his position, there's every reason to suggest the box-to-box midfield dynamo will repay the club's faith in him handsomely.
Ready to hit the ground running and destined for an extremely bright future, signing for Palace offers him a wonderful environment to take his game to the next level under the tutelage of Vieira, who knows exactly what it takes to become an elite midfielder at the highest level.
