An unexpected decision for a Sage executive?

Rayan Cherki, the young attacking midfielder from Olympique Lyonnais, is causing a sensation in Italy. After finding a sparkling shape (2 goals, 3 assists in 11 matches), the 21-year-old Gone sees his love rating go back to the highest. Silver medalist at the Paris Olympic Games with Thierry Henry's French team, he became once again one of the leaders of the French Hopes.

Italy's interest in Cherki is not new

Since his return to form, some would like to see Cherki join Didier Deschamps' Blues. However, Algeria and Italy are trying to convince him to wear their colors. The Fennecs' interest is not new, but RMC Sport revealed that Italy took advantage of transalpine origins of one of his grandfathers to try to recruit him. Last year, Roberto Mancini already had his eye on the Gone. During an Italy-France Espoirs friendly match (2-2), Cherki signed a benchmark match (1 goal, 1 assist), convincing Alex Frosio of Gazzetta dello Sport of the need to see him represent Italy.

A rare profile which raises the problem of training in Italy

For Frosio, “Italy lacks such an inventive player outside the penalty area”. However, Valentina Clemente, independent journalist, is more measured, recalling that “Ligue 1 is not broadcast in Italy“. She also emphasizes that this affair highlights the weakness of the Italian talent pool. “When we see Cherki's profile, as for Retegui, it shows that we are going to look more and more for players abroad. It calls into question the transalpine training and its shortcomings.” Despite these shortcomings, Italy will not shy away from the provision of foreign reinforcements.

An emblematic case of recruitment issues

The Rayan Cherki case thus raises the challenges of recruiting dual nationals for the great footballing nations. With his rare technical profile, the Gone Lyonnais is courted by several selections, each hoping to attract him to their ranks. Its international future remains uncertainbut his talent is already arousing strong desire, illustrating the challenges that national teams face in building their squads.