Who is Ismaël Koné, the upcoming Canadian nugget?

Some had discovered him two weeks ago during France – Canada in Bordeaux. Dressed in his number 8, Ismaël Koné had impressed and made Eduardo Camavinga live a nightmare, until his exit in the 84th minute. Physically imposing (he peaks at 1m88 and weighs 76 kg), dominant in duels, never encumbered with the ball under pressure, capable of attacking spaces, the Canadian had delivered a flawless copy for his 17th selection in the Canucks jersey. That evening, Koné was even most certainly the best midfielder present on the Matmut Atlantique pitch.

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19 days have passed and this match has most certainly reinforced the OM leaders’ idea of ​​signing the 22-year-old player. Because according to our information, a total agreement is now close to being found between the Marseille club and the Hornets board, while the player has already declined more expensive offers from Roma and West Ham to join the Canebière. A gesture which above all reflects a desire to work under the orders of the Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi, faithful to the double pivot which had been the strength of his teams, at Sassuolo or more recently at Brighton.

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A product in progress

While some OM fanatics will prefer to remain measured on the arrival of a player arriving from the Championship, still marked by the failed marriage with Iliman Ndiaye this season, several signals nevertheless seem to indicate that this is a good pick. Fifth most used outfield player by Tom Cleverley at Watford last year (2,811 minutes spread over 46 matches), the Abidjan native has completed his first full season in Europe, two years after arriving from Impact Montreal, in Canada. Above all, he has shown with his selection his ability to raise his level of play according to adversity, as against France, or Argentina last Friday in the Copa América (Canada ultimately lost 2-0).

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In terms of profile, Koné seems to fit the specifications of the midfielder sought by Roberto De Zerbi, namely a versatile player, reliable under pressure, capable of hitting and breaking lines by dribbling or passing, and impacting in both areas (he has been decisive 7 times this season in the Championship). Nevertheless, at 22, Koné is inevitably improvable. If he has often established himself as a technical leader in his teams, his nonchalant side has sometimes been singled out, and this is certainly what encouraged his coach Jesse Marsch to take him off at half-time against Peru, two days ago, after a first half crossed with his head upside down. His ability to perform in an environment as hot and explosive as the Marseille context also remains an unknown to this day. So the coming months will provide us with some elements of an answer…