Assan Ouedraogo’s father, Alassane, has poured cold water over suggestions his son is destined to switch to FC Bayern this summer.
Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg relayed the quotes in question on X (formerly Twitter): “Unfortunately, there are many false reports about Assan in circulation. The fact is: There was never a commitment from Assan and us to FC Bayern, although we had had a well-paid contract from FC Bayern ready for signature for months.”
Alassane Ouedraogo goes on to add that the 18-year-old remains the subject of serious interest from English football: “Many clubs, especially from the Premier League, have been very interested in Assan. There are teams from England who would like to sign Assan directly for their professional team in the summer. We will make the right decision soon.”
🚨Alassane Ouédraogo, Vater von Schalkes Top-Talent Assan Ouedraogo, sagt exklusiv bei Sky:
➡️ „Leider sind viele falsche Berichte über Assan im Umlauf. Fakt ist: Es hat nie eine Zusage von Assan und uns an den FC Bayern gegeben, obwohl wir seit Monaten einen gut dotierten und… pic.twitter.com/ZjTnP7NLcF
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) June 2, 2024
Liverpool were thought to be one such potential suitor (GOAL via Empire of the Kop), though it remains to be seen whether Richard Hughes and Co. will prioritise signing a more forward-minded midfielder. Perhaps not, one might venture, whilst it appears the case that the Reds are notably lacking a world-class No.6.
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READ MORE: What James Pearce is now hearing from Liverpool about Darwin Nunez’s future
Is Ouedraogo a talent to keep an eye on?
If a player has already caught the eye of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, it goes without saying that they’re usually a quantity worth keeping in mind.
Following a reasonably decent campaign in Germany’s second division, Ouedraogo has racked up some pretty impressive metrics.
He currently ranks in the 97th percentile for xG, 99th percentile for successful take-ons, and 97th percentile for touches in the opposing box, according to FBref.
For a bit of perspective, it’s worth bearing in mind that the teenager is being compared to his positional peers across ‘Men’s next 14 competitions’ as opposed to the top five leagues in world football.
Still, to be making such a positive impression statistically at 18 years of age (having only recently turned 18 in May) is rather impressive.