Muani could prove to be France's wildcard at the World Cup
When Christopher Nkunku was ruled out of the World Cup, France manager Didier Deschamps had a number of alternatives to pick from.
Amine Gouiri shares a number of similarities with Nkunku and has been in fine form for Rennes this season, scoring six times in 10 Ligue 1 appearances following his move from Nice. Martin Terrier, Gouiri’s teammate at Rennes, must’ve fancied his chances having netted eight times in the French top-flight already this term.
Alexandre Lacazette must’ve felt he was in with a chance too. The former Arsenal striker has struck nine times for Lyon already this term and Kylian Mbappe is the only French player in Ligue 1 to have scored more.
Deschamps could’ve brought Nabil Fekir back into his squad or maybe called up one of Anthony Martial or Wissam Ben Yedder. The former is scoring goals for Manchester United again while the latter is always among the goals for Monaco.
So it came as a bit of a surprise when Deschamps called Randal Kolo Muani up.
The 23-year-old only made his debut for Les Bleus in September, but his inclusion in the 2022 World Cup tops off a memorable year for the striker. He scored 12 times for Nantes in Ligue 1 last term before a summer move to Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer.
It didn’t make that much of a splash, but it is worth taking note of any attacker signed by the Eagles. They have a knack for finding great attacking talent. Luka Jovic, Sebastien Haller, Ante Rebic and Andre Silva have all impressed at the Deutsche Bank Park over recent seasons.
Their form resulted in moves to Real Madrid, West Ham United, AC Milan and RB Leipzig, respectively.
Daichi Kamada is now starring for Eintracht Frankfurt and he has been linked with a host of Europe’s elite.
It is a good place to develop while simultaneously putting yourself in the shop window. That is exactly what Muani has done.
The 6'2" striker already has 14 goal involvements in the Bundesliga this season from just 1,122 minutes. He has also struck twice in the Champions League, one of which was the winner against Sporting to book the German’s place in the round-of-16.
At first glance, Muani and Nkunku could not be any more different.
Muani is gangly and has a languid style in possession. Nkunku is much smaller, coming in at 5'9", and has more of an explosive approach on the ball. But in terms of playing profile, there are a lot of similarities and this could be my Deschamps favoured the one-time Southampton transfer target.
For example, Muani does like to carry the ball. He is not a static target man and will often drop into the channels to pick up possession before beating an opponent or two. He is attempting 5.1 dribbles per 90 in the Bundesliga, almost double the number Nkunku has averaged this season.
It is cliche but the Frankfurt No. 9 has brilliant feet for a big man and can regularly be seen slaloming his way past defenders in dangerous areas. It is no doubt why France legend Thierry Henry linked him to former Arsenal forward Nwankwo Kanu.
Muani performs in big matches, too, in a similar way to Nkunku, scoring against PSG while at Nantes as well as against Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Marseille and Sporting for Eintracht Frankfurt. He also assisted two goals in the 4-0 win over RB Leipzig earlier in the campaign. This brings us to the next point. Perhaps the biggest point.
The 23-year-old is a dual-goal threat. He isn’t just a goalscorer. He is also a creator. While Nkunku has yet to register an assist this season, has managed 19 across the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns for Die Roten Bullen.
If you are looking to replace someone who is both a goal threat and a creative one, you will find few better than Muani at this moment in time. Across the Bundesliga and the Champions League this season, the No. 9 has seven goals and nine assists.
Deschamps has been criticised for a number of his decisions heading into this World Cup, but the inclusion of Muani should not be one of them. He could be one of the surprises of the tournament.
