Islam Slimani is back in Ligue 1 Uber Eats after joining Lyon - ligue1.com looks back at the 2019/20 campaign when the Algeria international shone for Monaco.
Slimani has joined OL on an 18-month deal following a free transfer from Leicester City after Moussa Dembélé departed for Atletico Madrid on loan, and the seven-time French champions will expect the 32-year-old to hit the ground running having seen his exploits in the principality last term.
He certainly started strongly with Monaco, scoring with his very first shot against Nîmes and then netting a double in a 2-2 draw against Strasbourg in Round 4. Slimani and fellow striker Wissam ben Yedder were involved in 18 of Monaco's first 20 goals of the league campaign as the pair struck up a potent understanding.
WATCH: Slimani's hat-trick of assists against Brest
Slimani then showed his ability to open up defences for his teammates, providing seven assists in his next five league games, including a hat-trick of them in the 4-1 win over Brest. Come the midway point of the season, he had six goals and eight assists, making him involved in 44% of Monaco's goals.
He began 2020 with a bang, scoring three times in as many games, two of them after coming off the bench against PSG and Amiens. He finished with nine goals — one every 143 minutes on the pitch — and eight assists, the second-best tally in the league.
Lyon can now expect a similar return from their new recruit.
