By Eliot Owen Ojambo,
SPORTS DESK
After Takumi Minamino, Monaco bought another quality spearhead, Breel Embolo. The striker is likened to “Swiss Balotelli” passed a medical examination on July 14. Monaco paid 12.5 million euros for M’gladbach to get the striker who had 9 goals in the Bundesliga last season. The contract between Embolo and Monaco has a term of 2 years.
Embolo is not Monaco’s last rookie this summer. The Principality team’s wallet is still bloated after selling Aurelien Tchouameni to Real Madrid for 80 million euros. They’ve finished strengthening their attack with Minamino and Embolo, now it’s time to replenish the midfield with targets Boubakary Soumare (Leicester) and Amadou Onana (Lille).
Returning to the attack, Monaco promises to show off its terrifying breaking power with Ben Yedder, Kevin Volland and two new signings Minamino and Embolo. The distinct qualities of Minamino and Embolo bring variety and mutability to the hits. If Minamino is quick, technical and can kick many positions from midfield upwards, then Embolo is truly a “bomb” on the front line.
This Swiss striker possesses strength, the ability to dribble the ball firmly in the foot and shoot like hammers. For comparison, Embolo is often referred to as the “Swiss Balotelli” with both positive and negative connotations. In high form, Embolo can single-handedly destroy Bayern Munich’s defense like M’gladbach’s 5-0 win in the German Cup last season (Embolo alone scored 2 goals and 2 assists).
However, Embolo’s limitation is the lack of stability and the gameplay is still instinctive. That is the reason why the Cameroonian player has not yet risen to new heights. In the Bundesliga last season, Embolo lacked for 3/4 of the season and only exploded in the final stage with 6 goals in the last 8 rounds.
Before Embolo, Monaco contacted Andrea Belotti of Turin. But then they abandoned this case because the Italian striker has similar qualities to Kevin Volland, both are quite typical number 9s.
Meanwhile, Monaco needs versatile spearheads that can play away from goal and effectively fight independently. Both Minamino and Embolo are such types of players, able to play as a striker or drop into midfield, even drift to the wing.
Embolo once shared that Balotelli was an inspiration and a significant influence on his playing style. But few people know that, when needed, Embolo can kick the central midfielder in the style of N’Golo Kante with the ability to sweep widely and recover the ball effectively.
The problem now depends on how coach Philippe Clement will use the former Schalke and M’gladbach striker. It is likely that the Belgian strategist will continue to use his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, in which Embolo and Minamino drift to the flanks, Ben Yedder kicks the striker back, and Volland kicks in. In theory, this is the ideal arrangement to get the best out of each individual player.
Embolo will not find it difficult to integrate into Ligue 1 because he knows French because he lived here as a child. The experience of a player who has had 6 seasons in the Bundesliga is also a tool for Embolo to confidently approach Ligue 1.
32 Breel Embolo has scored 32 goals in 136 Bundesliga games. That is the total number of his goals in two colors for Schalke and M’gladbach.
