“Calm down. He is so young”. This is what Pep Guardiola said when a journalist asked him if Rayan Cherki could be voted best player in the Premier League. What is certain is that he is already one of the best recruits of the 2025-26 season in England, if not the best. Arriving from Lyon, the Frenchman knew how to find his place both on and off the pitch in a locker room populated by big names and under the orders of the demanding Guardiola. Very comfortable as usual, the native of Lyon is gaining momentum, he who has more and more confidence from his trainer. A few weeks ago, many did not understand the Spaniard’s treatment with Cherki, who acted as a substitute while he showed rather good things.
The Cherki show
Now Cherki gets almost everyone to agree. Some are still not a fan, like Christophe Dugarry. “Who is this player who can afford to stop when he loses the ball? Who is this player who, every time he touches the ball, is performing? Stop talking about Cherki like that. (…) We all agree, he is a very good player, there is no doubt. But excuse me, what more does he have than Olise, Doué, Dembélé, Barcola and many others? But stop! Today, Cherki will be in the rotation, and good for the France team, but there is nothing more. He is a player who still needs consistency and to be much better over time. He needs to show, to prove, to demonstrate… Oh, Cherki, he’s not Zidane.”
No one except him compared him to Zizou. There is only one Zinedine Zidane, just as there is only one Rayan Cherki. And we saw his best version yesterday at the Etihad Stadium in a crucial match against Arsenal in the Premier League. Holder, the 22-year-old Frenchy, who is still learning, delighted with a sumptuous goal and a very solid performance. The British press, visibly less harsh than Dugarry, was won over. Goal gave it a 9 and added: it was obviously he who unlocked the match thanks to a flash of genius. He produced another sparkling move to set Semenyo on the path to success, but his teammate’s control betrayed him. The Guardian was also excited and gave it an 8.
England is on its knees
“Rayan Cherki hit the post, lost the ball, then what a goal! He dazzled the opposing defense to score the best individual goal of the season, considering the stakes.” THE Manchester Evening News gave him the same rating and clarified: “what a goal to open the score! He demonstrated his ability to combine art and efficiency. Arsenal have never been comfortable against him.” The Athletic concludes by writing about it: “a moment of magic from Rayan Cherki who opened the scoring by dancing through the Arsenal defense.” With this new achievement, the player born in 2003 has a record of 10 goals and 13 assists in 44 appearances in all competitions.TNT Sports also specifies that he is the only Premier League player to have scored more than 10 goals and provided more than 10 assists in all competitions this season.
In short, England is succumbing to the charm of the player, whose value has increased from €45 to €65 million in 10 months according to transfermarkt. Last January, the CIES Observatory estimated its price at €101 million. On the Liverpool side, fans regret that their club paid more than €100 million for Florian Wirtz when Cherki, who was plan B, was bought for €36.5 million (excluding bonus) and is more interesting for the moment. Ditto at Real Madrid where supporters believe that Florentino Pérez should have bet on him rather than Franco Mastantuono. Erling Haaland won’t complain. “We saw when he arrived. He hasn’t played every game this season, but I love him. We did a very good deal with OL. I am very happy to play with him. He has something very special and complicated to understand (laughs).” With Cherki at such a level, the Mancunians can dream bigger. The Blues too. The player trained at OL is a great weapon for Didier Deschamps, who intends to make the most of him during the 2026 World Cup.
