At the time of taking stock of this summer transfer window, the departure of Jérémy Doku to Manchester City will necessarily be considered one of the big hits of the summer. Sold against a check for 60 million euros by Stade Rennais, the Belgian international (14 caps, 2 goals) thus passes a new milestone in his young career and will now try to prove the full extent of his talent on the side of the Etihad Stadium. Author of 12 goals and 10 assists in 92 matches in all competitions during his three seasons spent in Rennes, the former Anderlecht player now wants to change dimension in the north-west of England.
A talented and fragile player…
“It’s a big day for me, both personally and professionally. Manchester City are the best team in world football, so joining them is something very special for me and my family. I’m a young player with so much learning and improvement to do. Working with Pep and his staff, and playing alongside these players, will make me a much better player. I’m convinced. Watching City last season was amazing. Winning the treble is the hardest thing in football and they did it. You cannot imagine how exciting it is to join this team. I am excited to begin. I hope I can make the fans happy.”admitted, as such, the person concerned upon his arrival.
Now linked to the Skyblues until June 2028 and brought to defend the colors of the reigning English champion with the number 11 on his shoulders, Jérémy Doku will thus plunge into a new era. That of a team prepared to win everything on the national and European scene. That of Pep Guardiola, considered one of the greatest coaches of his generation. That of the Premier League, renowned for its spectacle and its intensity at all times. A huge challenge that the Belgian star seems ready to take up. An ultra-competitive environment that also leaves some observers perplexed. And for good reason. If the talent of the native of Borgerhout is hardly debatable, his regular injuries and his ability to adapt to Guardiola’s particular philosophy of play remain the main question marks. Legitimate doubts for a player who is often physically embarrassed. During his time at Rennes, Doku thus accumulated 217 days of absence (50 matches) for various muscular problems (thigh, calf, hamstring, knee, etc.).
… ready to change dimension!
At the dawn of entering the lawn of the Etihad Stadium and rubbing shoulders with the greatest English leaders, the intensity and the requirement, demanded by this championship, therefore remain two sources of concern. Asked about the twirling Belgian winger, Julian Stephan, former coach of Stade Rennais who had recruited Doku, nevertheless preferred to insist on the extraordinary qualities of his former protege. “I see very, very rare qualities in top-level football. I think about it, but players with the same characteristics as him, I find very very few. That’s why I’m only half surprised that a club of this size comes to get him.”. Relaunched by our colleagues from RMCthe former Strasbourg coach underlined, however, the adaptation time necessary to acclimatize to such an environment.
“He is a rare player, due to his qualities of explosiveness, elimination, speed. He has been a bit slowed down in his development by injuries, but potentially, for me, he is a very high level player. He will certainly need some time to adapt there, it’s almost obvious. I am convinced that he has the abilities and the characteristics to meet the demands of his coach, the expectations of the supporters. Time will tell if it was too soon or not, we will have to be patient, but I am convinced that he has the skills to succeed., concluded, Stéphan, optimistic for the future of the 21-year-old Belgian. Under the leadership of Pep Guardiola and alongside Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Julián Álvarez or even Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku will, whatever the case, be keen to prove that he can enter this new time. Not that of a great hope weakened by certain injuries but that of a solid champion, ready to make any sacrifice to disgust the opposing defenses and thus establish his supremacy.
