Adam Ounas – The Bordeaux Wonderkid
Posted on 30th June 2016
In France, prior to PSG’s 4 consecutive league titles and after OL’s 7-years domination, there were some different teams competing for and winning the Ligue 1 title: Bordeaux, Marseille, Lille and the outsiders Montpellier who won their first title (it was reminiscent of Leicester winning the Premier League this year!).
Those teams have not been able to remain at the top. One of these teams, Bordeaux, who were managed by Laurent Blanc at the time and who had some outstanding players such as Chamakh and Gourcouff, have not reached the Champions League since.
In an attempt to get back to the top, Bordeaux have acquired some good players such as Gouffran, Chantome and Saivet. However it is fair to say that none of them are a leader on or off the field.
The latest generation of French footballers are now demonstrating that there is a bright future ahead. Much of this can be attributed to the continued quality of many of the Ligue 1 teams academies. All over Europe, young French footballers are seen as potential future champions, especially by Premier League clubs.
Manchester United are one of the clubs who have taken a keen interest in acquiring young French talent such as Pogba and Martial. More recently, they have seen what they are looking for in Adam Ounas.
This 20 year old prospect has developed into a natural playmaker, but due his technical abilities he can also play as a winger (and personally I think he’s better on the flanks). He’s quick, possesses good dribbling, long range shooting and passing abilities. The confidence he displays when dribbling is reminiscent of a young Eden Hazard.
His weaknesses, as with almost all the youngsters, is his mental attitude. He is a bit undisciplined: this denotes fantasy, but in modern football following coaches’ schemes is primary.
His former manager Sagnol said about him: “He has a lot of freshness; he has no ulterior motive. Technically he has developed well. In the lower teams, there were question marks over his commitment, but with us he is perfect. If he wants to progress and go further, he has to keep that state of mind.”
Moving now could be a huge risk: he hasn’t even played a full season in France and he has to develop physically. Those aspects suggest that a better choice for him would be to stay at Bordeaux for at least one more season. The rumours of a transfer to Manchester United could destabilize his approach to the upcoming new season, so he needs a hand from his coach to lower his head and work to fulfill his potential and become a champion.
About the author – Marco Santanche
Marco was born in Rome and supports Inter because of Luis Nazario Da Lima Ronaldo. He is a Brazilian Citizen because of his father’s roots. He played futsal for several years, even in the FIGC (Italian FA) as a winger, playmaker and striker. He is now studying for a degree in finance.
