the thunderous debut of Zuriko Davitashvili!

This summer, ASSE had to prepare to return to Ligue 1. A historic elite club, AS Saint-Etienne was keen to ensure its return after two seasons spent in the lower level. To do this, the residents of the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium had to succeed in their summer transfer window. Ultimately, the club chaired by Ivan Gazidis was only able to make bets to ensure its return to the elite. Besides Yunis Abdelhamid who represented the only sure value in the Saint-Etienne transfer window, Zuriko Davitashvili represented the other reliable player in Forézien recruitment. Building on a successful Euro with Georgia, the 23-year-old winger, recruited for six million euros, was supposed to bring his technique to an attack on ASSE without Irvin Cardona.

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And so far, the former Girondins de Bordeaux is fulfilling his mission rather well. An indisputable holder in the eyes of Olivier Dall’Oglio, the native of Tbilisi has a string of good performances. Author of 7 appearances under his new colors, the man nicknamed “Zuka” in the Loire already has 3 goals and 2 assists. A fairly remarkable record that must be highlighted with the performances of his team. It’s simple, every time Davitashvili is decisive in a Ligue 1 match, ASSE does not lose. A decisive passer during the victory against Lille (1-0), the Georgian delivered another decisive pass during the draw in Nantes (2-2) before scoring a hat-trick this Saturday against AJ Auxerre (3- 1).

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Ligue 1: Saint-Etienne revives against Auxerre thanks to a great Davitashvili

Zuriko Davitashvili still has room for improvement according to his coach

A dazzling performance which showcased all his qualities. For his first career hat-trick, the 23-year-old striker showed that he had a precise shot, real percussion qualities and a tenacity which allowed him to resist the blows of his opponents. Characteristics praised by Dennis Appiah, his teammate in Forez: “When he arrives launched, it’s difficult to read what he’s going to do, he can cause a lot of things. He is capable of doing great things. Already in Bordeaux, he was hurting us. He’s not afraid to take the ball and provoke, he’s a small size but he stands strong on his legs, he’s difficult to bring down and has good technique.» However, Zuriko Davitashvili could do better in the coming months.

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For Olivier Dall’Oglio, his trainer, it’s a certainty. Asked about the prowess of his player, the former Dijon coach confided on Saturday that he was thinking big for his protégé: “Zuriko (Davitashvili, editor’s note) was great tonight, that’s for sure. He was strong, he could have been even stronger. He created a lot of chances. It’s true that Zuriko was rewarded for his work. It’s been a while since he scored. He had a few chances, but here we can say that he had a full match. I think it could be a trigger. Compared to what we saw this summer, some things we didn’t see afterward, unfortunately. He has this ability to impact, this ability to finish. He has a great shot on the ball. Afterwards, he must become a complete player, capable of attacking, defending, also creating spaces for his partners. I think there is still room for improvement. He’s a boy who has quite a huge margin for improvement on the last pass.» The future therefore looks bright in the Loire region for Zuriko Davitashvili.