14 Goals In 25 Matches: Who Is This Arsenal And Manchester United Target, The Next Belgian Attacking Force?

Michy Batshuayi Tunga is a Belgian striker, who plays for French club Olympique de Marseille and has attracted the attention of many clubs across Europe this season. Batshuayi has already scored 14 goals in 25 matches this season, which has led to top English clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal to sit up and take notice of his talent. His physical built and composure in front of goal has led to many calling him the next Romelu Lukaku. According to the Daily Mail, the Red Devils had scouts present during Marseille’s 1-1 draw with Lyon on Sunday night in order to cast a close eye over striker Batshuayi.

Batshuayi’s journey to Ligue 1 hasn’t been an easy one. He was born in Brussels and joined the Anderlecht academy at 13 following spells at R.F.C. Evere, RUSA Schaerbeek and FC Brussels. However, due to lack of discipline, he was released a year later. After a period back at FC Brussels, he joined Standard Liege in 2008. He got his first senior team appearance in 2011 against Gent. His special moment came when he scored the only goal against FC Copenhagen in 2010-2011 UEFA Europa League to send his team through to the knockout stages. His goal scoring exploits at Standard Liege attracted the attention of French club Marseille, where he moved in 2014 for a reported fee of around 8 million euros.

Strength and Weakness

Batshuayi is a two-footed footballer, whose versatility, allows the manager to deploy him as right forward or even in the number 10 role, behind the striker. His powerful acceleration, quick feet, superb balance on the turn and excellent finishing skills make him a real threat to the opposition defenders. A thing to notice about him is his ability to run towards the goal without looking at his fellow teammates, normally this attribute of his would invite a lot of criticism but it is his superb finishing skills in the box which overshadow a somewhat selfish attitude.

He is a typical target man a team needs, along with that his Aerial ability makes him a threat during set-piece situations. His pace allows him to run through defenses and convert half chances into tap-ins, therefore he is not only a threat in air but he is equally destructive on the ground as well.

Sometimes his over-ambitiousness to do something spectacular from outside the box kills of moves but it is also worth a note that during his time in Standard Liege, he did get goals through long range efforts. His main weakness lies in his decision-making ability which is evident from a number of occasions where he has misplaced a pass which has gone straight to the opposition. His attitude has been questioned in the past regarding how little he likes to track back and help the team defensively but one is sure that if he does make a move to the Premier League, that weakness could be turned into strengths by his future managers, since the English League demands full commitment of the player.