Diadié Samassékou and PSG have initiated discussions RB Salzburg
Canal Plus reported few nights ago that Ligue 1 champions PSG have begun negotiations with 22-year-old central midfielder Diadie Samassekou to sign the Malian from RB Salzburg in Austria.
PSG Sporting Director Antero Henrique is understood to be a big fan of the player’s profile, talks are in early stages and if an agreement would be reached it would cost around the €20m to €30m mark. The Portuguese manager however is worried about the fact that the Malian player of RB SALZBOURG only experience, is in the Austrian Championship..
Seems the PSG Fan Club have different opinion and Roberto has been very explicit about it and why PSG should sign Samassekou former JMG academician.
Posted on PSG FAN club website : Why the signing of Diadié Samassékou and PSG would help the team
Paris Saint-Germain’s search for a defensive midfielders leads them to the Bundesliga. No, not that Bundesliga. We’re talking about the Austrian Bundesliga. Canal+ recently linked the reigning French champions to FC Red Bull Salzburg’s Diadie Samassékou. The 22-year-old is yet another name that PSG will monitor as they look to fill the hole that was left behind by Thiago Motta this past summer.
The Mali international has spent the last four seasons with Salzburg after arriving from AS Real Bamako. Since then, Samassékou has transformed himself into one of the better midfielders in the Austrian Bundesliga. A young, but raw talent, Samassékou, would be a long-term investment for PSG.
After years of big-name transfers, PSG is looking towards youth. The acquisition of Kehrer—and Kylian Mbappé to an extent—is ushering in a new wave of young talent. And signing a player before he’s fully developed such as Samassékou would add to that movement.
Samassékou’s heat map (via SofaScore) displays how much ground he covers out on the pitch for Salzburg.
What Do the Numbers Say?
Samassékou primarily plays as a defensive midfielder but can play the central role as well. His strengths lie on the defensive side and the numbers don’t lie.
Here are some stats from SofaScore about Samassékou for midfielders with 10 or more appearances. He is third on the team in tackles per 90 with 2.66 . Also, one concern about young players, they tend to lose a high amount of duels. But that’s not the same with Samassékou who averages 0.55 dribbled past per 90 and wins 58 percent of his duels.
When he’s not going in for the tackle, Samassékou is more than capable of closing the gaps and intercepting the ball. He averages 3.13 interceptions per 90, which is second in the Austrian Bundesliga for midfielders. . Whether it’s a tackle or interception, Samassékou is more than capable of possessing the ball from the opposition.
The offensive side of the ball is not his calling card, but Samassékou can efficiently serve as the link from defense to offense.
In 15 matches for Salzburg, Samassékou averages 66.71 total passes per 90, which makes him third in the league for midfielders. Furthermore, Samassékou’s accuracy puts him at the top in terms of passing for his position. The Malian averages 57.43 accurate passes per 90 with an accurate pass percentage of 86.
Another aspect of Samassékou’s passing game that is among the elite in Austria is his ability to pick out a long pass. Putting up 4.78 accurate long passes per 90 is good enough for top 5 regarding accuracy for midfielders. Considering the speed of Mbappé and Neymar Jr., PSG could definitely benefit from having a midfielder who can spray long passes to them to spring the attack.