He's a young Frenchman scoring goals for fun, a precocious talent that Europe's top clubs are after... No, we're not talking about Kylian Mbappé, but rather Elye Wahi, the Montpellier prodigy.
Elye Wahi's number one quality? Finishing! His ability to convert chances is making him stand out.
"I think it's down to instinct but also work," explained the man of the moment. "I don't do a huge amount of work on my finishing, but I think both factors are important."
Aged just 20, Wahi is scoring regularly in Ligue 1. Ten goals last season, 13 already this term. The striker is on the way up.
"He has confirmed his quality this season," intoned Montpellier Technical Director Hubert Fournier. "He did well last year, but the second season is often harder, and he has kept on scoring in a team that has been struggling."
Prodigious
With 26 career Ligue 1 goals, Wahi is the most prolific player of his generation in Europe. In the history of Ligue 1, only Kylian Mbappé has scored more than Wahi by the same age.
"I'm not trying to break records," Wahi said modestly. "If it happens, that's great, but if it doesn't I'll just keep on working. People are talking about me a lot at the moment, and that's a positive thing. But I'm not going to stop just because I broke a record."
Multifaceted
Elye Wahi and goals go hand in hand, but the striker isn't only about scoring.
"He's a true goalscorer. He's a natural, but he's also a young player full of talent," explained Der Zakarian. "He can do a lot with the ball. He's capable of giving good passes…"
Fast but also physical and mobile, Wahi holds play up well and can bring teammates in to the play. His ability to give accurate, well-timed passes stands out and his exquisite ball skills are often on display.
Elye Wahi is a diamond that still requires a bit of polishing.
"He needs to be disciplined, and look after himself well in his everyday life," tempered Der Zakarian. "For me, Elye needs to work even harder and become more dynamic in his runs, and be able to make more runs more often."
Big future
That extra work might have to happen away from Montpellier… from Marseille to Arsenal, a host of top clubs are keen on the young attacker, who, this summer, will doubtless have a big decision to make.
