Henry Onyekuru, Moussa Wagué, Akram Afif – some of the hottest prospects in world football; what do they all have in common? Simple, their passage through the much-maligned Qatar owned ASPIRE academy, an academy which has seen most of its footballing success through its satellite in Senegal. The next big talent to follow this well-trodden path from academy to ASPIRE-owned Belgian club KAS Eupen is Ivorian left back Silas Gnaka, a technically and physically gifted modern fullback.

Gnaka arrived in Eupen in the winter of 2017, arriving at the same time as now Barcelona player Wagué. The Ivorian only made 2 appearances that season, easing into the demands of senior European football, before making the step up in 2017-18, making a further 14 appearances in the first team. It was then when Gnaka began to make his mark on the European scene, and over the past season he has established himself as one of the most talented young fullbacks in world football.

Gnaka’s talent lies in his ability going forward; possessing phenomenal passing and dribbling ability, while also possessing a strong, tall frame which allows him to be incredibly effective defensively – the combination of which morphs him in to a truly modern complete fullback. His elite passing ability is demonstrated by his 2.15 smart passes per 90 minutes this season; in contrast, Liverpool’s Andy Robertson, generally considered the foremost left fullback in the Premier League, only made 0.63 smart passes in that same time period. Gnaka also made 1.95 through passes, while Robertson made 0.99, demonstrative of the Ivorian’s extraordinary ability to move into midfield and consistently play passes in behind to Eupen’s forwards. This ability to come infield, one which is made through his 6’1 frame and long strides allowing him to beat defenders with ease, is something reflected in his completion of 2.74 dribbles per 90 minutes, a brilliant number when considering Robertson completes a comparatively meek 0.96 dribbles in that same time period. At only 20 years old, and still relatively raw, these numbers are remarkably good, especially considering the relative weakness of Eupen within the Belgian Pro League, and if he is able to build on this, Gnaka is surely destined for a move to a bigger European club. This ability to gain a move to a top club will largely depend on his ability to improve his pass execution to match his vision, as although he can often see the pass, he often struggles to execute, something illustrated by his somewhat poor 51.88% completion of passes to final third, compared to Robertson’s 72.16% rate.

All of this neglects Gnaka’s ability in defence – where he possesses great anticipation, allowing him to step out of the line at the perfect moment to execute an attack-halting interception, from where he can use his aforementioned attacking talent to drive forward and create chances. Gnaka averaged 6.3 interceptions per 90 in senior competitions this season, reflective of this anticipation and his generally good defensive positioning. This is complemented by his strength, which although already good, will only improve as he grows into his body. This strength and ability in 1v1 situations is shown in his winning of 3.32 defensive duels per 90, an excellent statistic which combined with his attacking ability moulds him into a complete fullback. For perspective, Robertson won 3.2 defensive duels last season, a statistic which identifies just how good these numbers are for a young fullback in Gnaka.

The comparison with Robertson is not to say whatsoever that Gnaka is better than the Scottish captain, but rather to identify how talented the Ivorian is. He still is nowhere near the complete package, but he could be a good target for bigger European clubs looking for a young attacking fullback to provide depth with a view to the future. If he is able to polish up on his weight of pass and situational defensive positioning, there is no doubt that he could be a top fullback in years to come.