AS Monaco, Thursday, announced the signing of Balde Keita from Lazio. The Ligue 1 champions reportedly parted away with €30m (£27.8m) for the 22-year-old as they prepare for life without Kylian Mbappe.
Keita’s arrival will almost immediately lighten the gloomy atmosphere at the Stade Louis II, dimmed by mysterious departures. Throughout the summer, Monaco fans have had to deal with their side being picked apart by Europe’s top teams. About eight players have left Leonardo Jardim’s squad, with Mbappe set to follow the bandwagon to Paris Saint-Germain before the transfer window shuts down.
However, in Keita, Monaco has gotten themselves one of the continent’s most exceptionally promising and technically accomplished talent. A Catalan born and bred who received the perfect footballing education at Barcelona’s highly-esteemed La Masia Academy between 2004-2011 prior to joining Lazio youth set-up.
What to expect
If there’s one thing Jardim’s Monaco team is rapidly becoming renowned for, then it is plenty of goals. Last season, the Principality club struck 106 from 38 league games and has already found the net 14 times this term.
Keita’s arrival will certainly advance that course. His scoring record is pretty impressive for a young winger. From 31 league appearances last term, he managed 16 strikes. A feat that is even more fascinating when you consider he completed 90 minutes just five times and 10 of his appearances came as a substitute.
But Keita hasn’t always been this prolific; perhaps due to his erratic goal-scoring tendencies in the past. Indeed, from his first 81 appearances in Serie A, the 22-year-old returned a relatively paltry 10 goals, while his conversion rate stood at a woeful 8.3% in 2016. However, all that appears to have changed thanks to the player’s self-refinement.
Not only has Keita polished his finishing, he’s by far a better team player than he used to be. He now makes more runs, cover more spaces and contributes more goals to the team. Last season, the 22-year-old had a hand in six goals scored by his colleagues. He will most definitely improve Jardim’s team, known for working for each another.
Yet it isn’t the goals or assists that really makes him special. Instead his incredible dribbling skills and pace. A right-footer usually fielded on the left, Keita is dangerous when cutting infield onto his stronger side but also happy to take on opponents down the outside. His energy and explosiveness to burst away from opponents would ideally make him suited to Monaco’s fast tempo attack.
Possessing such remarkable attributes would essentially be useless only on the flanks. Well, that’s not the case with Keita who isn’t restricted to the wings alone as he is suited playing anywhere in attack. His versatility came to the fore last season where he formed a burgeoning partnership with Ciro Immobile. He once scored a staggering 47 goals for Spanish fourth-tier club Cornella in a single season, proving he could be a valuable cover up front.
What not to expect
It’s true that for all his skills, Keita’s primary shortcoming is his work rate off the ball. Only the world’s very best players can be given total freedom in the defensive phase of play. But unfortunately the Senegalese aren’t one. Except something drastic happens, we may as well see this terrible side of his game in France.
Keita’s decision-making in the final third is another cause for concern. The ex-Lazio man is prone to holding onto the ball for too long, something that can be damaging when his side is looking to counter-attack quickly and exploit gaps in the opposition’s setup.
Verdict: He may not be a class-act like Mbappe, nonetheless, Keita will definitely bolster Monaco’s firepower.
