Beyond the superficial social media mockery lies a dominant midfield engine. The Malian star outshone Chelsea with relentless energy, proving his elite potential far outweighs any personal insults.
Malick Yalcouyé had a stellar game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on his Premier League debut, but it seems as though some fans in the footballing world are more focused on something totally different.
Despite having a man-of-the-match performance against Chelsea, most content creators and football fans seem to be talking about his… hairline?
Stop Yalcouyé abuse...
I get it; it’s funny. Joking about his age is fine, but going after personal appearances seems to be a little bit far for me.
It’s a shame, and perhaps it’s just the way of the modern media, but watching a player play one of the games of his life at just 20 years old and running a midfield ragged on the biggest English stage feels like something worth appreciating a little bit more.
Let’s talk about the important stuff. Yalcouyé was immense. Energetic, covering a lot of ground, and even scored a fantastic goal against a club a lot of fans call rivals.
Considering his age, Yalcouyé certainly didn’t look like he’d played a small number of games for the club. Sometimes players fit in seamlessly to certain teams, and he’s one of them. The Malian midfielder has the skill set that is perfect for a Fabian Hürzeler system. His pressing makes him a very useful replacement for someone like Yasin Ayari, who often covers ground like Pascal Gross.
With that said, though, he is fairly weak in the challenge, and his overall physicality may be slightly behind the rest of his development. With some bulking up, he could become a monster in midfield with the sheer amount of energy that he possesses.
What type of player is Yalcouyé?
Something about him reminds me of Ngolo Kante. Perhaps it’s the likability and relentlessness of his nature. Yalcouyé just got on with the game, and sometimes that’s all you really need.
When Albion first signed Moises Caicedo, he had a very similar trajectory to Yalcouyé, and that’s what gets me excited. Caicedo signed in 2021 but spent some time on loan to develop as a player and person. His loans were okay, but nothing special. Similarly to Ayari and now Yalcouyé.
His Swansea loan was similar to Ayari’s Coventry and Blackburn spell, and even Caicedo’s Beerschot time. Underwhelming, underutilised, overlooked.
Now Yalcouyé has the opportunity to establish himself in Albion’s midfield. Jack Hinshelwood will miss the next few games with injury, and if the Seagulls can be proactive in that transfer window for an additional ‘stronger’ holding midfielder, we could see his best days ahead of us this season.
Isn’t that a nicer way to talk about an upcoming young talent?
