FPL New Signing sessions: Ouattara joins the Brentford attack

BIT-Part Bournemouth player, sometimes Center-Forward-en De Nieuwe Bryan Mbeumo (£ 8.0 million)?

We judge the fantasy appetite of Damino Ouattara (£ 6.0 million) After his move to Brentford.

The move in quotes

“I want to play. I can play any position for the field.” – Dango Ouattara

‘We are very happy to get Dango. He is someone we knew [of] And surprised could be available and once we knew that signing him might be a possibility, we have really focused on trying to get him.

“We loved his Premier League experience, even at his young age, and he has not yet found the rhythm due to a lack of consistent playing time.” – Keith Andrews

Dango Ouattara: a short history

After he had endured the youth ranks in Burkinabè club Majestic, Ouattara joined FC Lorient in 2020 before signing his first professional contract with the Ligue 1 -side in May 2021. He made his senior debut in August of that year.

In the 2022/23 season, and after a stop-start first year, Ouattara was much more located in Lorient’s team. He started each of the 18 league games in which he played, with a little more performances on the right wing than left.

Eight of his 12 attacking returns (four goals, four assists) came from the left wing in a sizzling run of five games before the overall form of the team took a turn.

That was all just in the first half of the campaign, as it was in the winter transfer window of that season that Ouattara moved to Bournemouth for a reimbursement of € 22.5 million.

After his arrival in January 2023, Ouattara was immediately put into action under the then manager Gary O’Neil and registered an assist in his debut against Nottingham Forest. He took another assist two games later, but finished the season with only two attacking returns.

The following season under Andoni Iraola, Ouattara struggled to make a normal starting place for people like Marcus Tavernier (£ 5.5 million) and Antoine Semenyo (£ 7.1 million) on the wings. He made 30 Premier League performances, but only 12 from the starting XI and half of them was like an improvised left back.

As for last season, he made the Premier League of Iraola 21 times to XI, with 17 of that of mid -December. Ouattara ended the campaign with seven league goals – plus two more in the FA Cup – and four assists. Three of those goals formed his very first hat trick in the shock of the Cherries 5-0 win over forest in January, one of the seven games in which he started as a central striker.

All in all, it turned out that this summer it needed sufficient for Brentford to be an attacking rebuilding after a number of controversial departure-to increase a club record £ 42.5 million to bring the 23-year-old a five-year deal, with the option of another year.

Playing style and statistics

As hinted, Ouattara has so far turned out to be an incredibly versatile football player in his relatively young career. Here is a map of his positions played and his record of Elk, thanks to Transfer market.com:

He did well when he filled Bournemouth at the front Evanilson (£ 7.0 million) Due to injury halfway through last season, and otherwise on the left or right wing was seen as he had done during his time at Lorient.

Ouattara is fast, direct and an increasingly capable dribbleer of the ball. His experience with playing a front line and comfort with both feet also helps him make it more unpredictable for defenses, because he is happy to stay wide to stretch the backline of an opposition and cut in to use part of his know -how closer to the goal mouth as a center.

Although it is offered the least amount of playing time, Ouattara does not fad too much in comparison with the star trios of his former and new clubs in the consideration of some of that of last season StatisticsLike great opportunities …

Minutes per shot …

(Great) opportunities created …

and percentage of successful take-ons:

Historically, he has not been the world’s largest Finisher, as is apparent from a chosping accuracy rate of 41.7% and target conversion of 11.3%.

But he still managed to end up last season with his (non-penalty) expected target involvement-somewhat better than that of players, including Dominic Solanke (£ 7.4 million), Morgan Gibbs-White (£ 7.5 million), Anthony Luna (£ 7.0 million) and Mohammed Kudus (6.5m).

He has never taken an in-game spot kick in his senior career, but scored A brutal In a shoot-out to help wolves from the FA Cup last season.

And while his Passing accuracy has not been to write home about, Ouattara’s defensive work rate and off-the-ball energy often recommended as a strength When the then-20-year-old from Lorient-Zou signed a part of what Brentford lost in that respect when Mbeumo left and paid attention to his new boss.

Here are a few quotes from the manager of Brentford when the signing of Ouattara was announced:

“He fits with the way we want to play – he has something that we were missing in the forward line, and he will supplement what we already have in the building. The fans will love him – he is the type of player they come from their seats.” – Keith Andrews

Where does Ouattara fit in Brentford?

This is the big question.

We expected that Andrews would keep up 4-2-3-1 formation of the former boss Thomas Frank after taking over the Gtech Community Stadium, and he did that to Bos in the Gameweek 1-loss, even with limited staff.

Bryan Mbeumo (£ 8.0 million) has long since disappeared, which means Keane Lewis-Potter (£ 5.0 million) started from position on the right wing last weekend. Fabio Carvalho (£ 5.0 million) was on the left and the young newcomer Antony (£ 5.5 million) was a no. 10 behind the apparent first-choice Penalty Taker Igor Thiago (£ 6.0 million).

We will almost certainly see a few tweaks on the starting line-up of Brentford for the Gameweek 2 visit by Aston Villa, mainly to facilitate the recording of creative power and new father Mikkel Damsgaard (£ 6.0 million) as the 10, as well as the return of Kevin Damage (£ 7.0 million).

The latter can largely be seen as a left wing player for Brentford and from there last season scored 10 of his 11 competition goals, although he was on the right for the former club SC Freiburg.

But it has been widely reported That Ouattara is seen internally as the replacement of the bees for former star Mbeumo, so the right wing spot occupied by Lewis-Potter last weekend is probably the most likely place for the new arrival.

Ouattara of course also has a good record when it is in line as a center-forward, with seven goals and an assist of 10 of such performances. But even with Yoane warned (£ 7.5 million) who still tries to make its way to a move to Newcastle, it is more likely that Thiago is the man to increase top because he had to start the season. After all, the 24-year-old Brazilian is more a typical striker and was the most expensive signing of Brentford in history when he arrived last summer.

Nevertheless, every injury to Thiago a la Evanilson in Bournemouth last season, or new formations that may be tested by Andrews, lead to Ouattara presented as a cut, outside the FPL gem position.

Is Ouattara worth buying in FPL?

Given the important reimbursement, Ouattara will certainly become a regular function for the bees as soon as he has settled in West Londs, possibly from Gameweek 2.

More playing time than he has been offered so far, should theory improve what was already a decent – if it was somewhat striped – 2024/25 FPL season, with 111 points and 11 attacking returns from 21 starts.

The fact that those returns come from an expected goal involvement (XGI) of 11.66 should also offer Brentford -fans and potential investors encouraged that he can now attract in his more important role, rather than to return to the spotlight.

Although exhausted bees were reasonably comfortably defeated by Forest in the first match of Andrews, who will have been delayed a lot on their care FPL managers to tackle their assets.

Brentford, however, still has one of the better runs at the start of the season, including a Ezri Consa (£ 4.5 million)-less Villa Up Next followed by newly promoted Sunderland.

With that in mind, plus the fact that Damsgaard and damage return should strengthen the side in the future, Ouattara guarantees some consideration in the bracket with low to medium -sized midfielders. If the usual price predictive sites are somewhere nearby, there is a considerable chance that he might even have fallen under his starting price by the Gameweek 2 Deadline.

Sunderland (A) in Gameweek 3 could be a better access point: that gives us a good look at him in Gamweek 2 before we decide whether he should shoot at him.